Villiers midget?

Hi Guys,
I have just been given ( yes given! never happen before!) a villiers engine which I believe is a midget.It is seized and I was told that it has a hair line crack in the sump cover.I was also told that it came off a bike.

I have no experience of villiers.
Can anyone kindly advise me if this is a midget and if so which model it is,also how to date it please?
The mag back plate has the number 3279 M1512B, the flywheel has M24 and M30 on it , the sump cover(?) has 764 107 and 808,the barrel has 3 villiers and what looks like a 7 X A( or what looks like an upside down V).
Any help or advice would be appreciated.Thanks.
All the best,
Kev.

Hi Guys,
Here is another view of the engine - sorry about the quality of the photo.

All the best,
Kev

Hi Guys,
And another photo showing,I hope!, the  number.

All the best,
Kev.

Hi Kev, you are correct in the assumption the engine is a Midget, but not in the information you were told that it was from a bike, it is an ex. lawnmower engine from around the 1950`s

I seem to remember this type of engine on auto cycles.
Regards,
Chiefy.

Yup MK1 Midget. Dating info on Villiers is pretty much none existent but could even be pre-war. I think Villiers made both a 98cc and 79cc version used on Atco and Ransomes mowers.

Looks like an Atco mower engine, I think the mounts give it away, throttle lever is from the early 50's and the flywheel also, Pre war would be a coolie hat style.
Pull the flywheel cover off, Villiers flywheels are usually date stamped.

Hi Guys,
Thanks very much for your informative replies really appreciated.I take it that I am safe to say that it is a mk1 midget dating to the '50's and probably used on an Atco lawn mower.
I will take the flywheel off later and see if there is a date stamp.
Here is a photo of the hair line crack on the outer surface of the crank case - its about the thickness of a horse hair.Any idea on how to fix it? Would something like JB Weld do the job?

Hi Guys,
Here is a photo of the crack from the inside of the crank case.

Any advice on how to fix it would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Kev.

JB Weld sounds like an option, I would grind out the crack a little, otherwise it's not going to do much.

That looks like its been seriously abused sometime in the past.

This any good ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Villiers-Midget-Engine-Crank-Case/223463032327?hash=item34076f4607:g:dfIAAOSwZsFbF-aB&frcectupt=true

Not identical, so might need to check casting numbers to see if compatible, and it's been listed a few times so you might be able to haggle the price down

Hi Guys,
Thanks for that lead Blue Cat - I have contacted the seller and the casting numbers on his are 354 790 B3506 -- mine are 911 B4051 - which I think means that they are not compatable.Still it was worth a try!
Kev.

I'm planning on trying HTS-2000 Aluminium Rod on my T300.

Video here:  https://www.aluminumrepair.com/video-of-actual-repairs

Crack repair at about three minutes in.

Woodsman wrote:I'm planning on trying HTS-2000 Aluminium Rod on my T300.

what needs repair on your T300 ?

most usual faults are broken-off mounting feet..... and broken flange on the intake/choke tube.

Hi Paul,
Thanks for that link.
Strangely enough I met up with a friend today who had used a German made aluminium solder which he had purchased from a vintage rally some years ago and swore by it.He let me have some and I have had a go at using it- seems easy to use but quite a bit of heat needed - time will tell if it has worked for me.
When I took the barrel off the crank case there was no gasket there neither was there one between the 2 halves when I split the crank case - surely there must be gaskets there? What do you guys use to make the gaskets for the midget?
All the best,
Kev.

blue cat wrote:

what needs repair on your T300 ?
most usual faults are broken-off mounting feet..... and broken flange on the intake/choke tube.

Dead right, one broken foot and a few nibbles out of the flywheel.

As for gasket paper,  I initially bought a selection pack off fleabay. The gasket is only paper thin between barrel and crankcase.

Thanks for that Paul,I will have a go at making some up tomorrow.
All the best,
Kev.

Woodsman wrote:

blue cat wrote:

what needs repair on your T300 ?
most usual faults are broken-off mounting feet..... and broken flange on the intake/choke tube.

Dead right, one broken foot and a few nibbles out of the flywheel.

the last norman broken-off foot that I did, I drilled and tapped the broken surface and screwed in 2BA set screws. made a wooden dowel where the mounting hole should be, then moulded devcon metal putty around the screws and dowel, into the shape of the missing foot. when cured, drilled out the wooden dowel. repair is still good after many years.

Hi blue cat, thanks for the hint.
Pricey stuff though - I paid less for the engine   Do you think it would stand up to rotational force if used on the flywheel?

Hi Guys,
Progress update - but first a backtrack to my first post - I said that the engine was seized but when I took it apart it all came apart easily and the parts were not rusted etc.
I made 2 gaskets today - 1 for the barrel/crankcase interface and 1 for the 2 halves of the crankcase. The crankcase one was a bit difficult to make but got there in the end after 2 attempts!
I reassembled the engine but when done I could only turn the engine over very slowly by using a big spanner - it was certainly tight! I striped it down again - nothing obviously wrong ( I had sanded the crack repair down so there was no binding there) ,reassembled and it was still really tight.
I am not sure whats wrong - any ideas?
I have thought that perhaps I should use a thicker gasket between the crankcase halves?
Any help or advice would be much appreciated.Thanks.
Kev.

Woodsman wrote:Hi blue cat, thanks for the hint.
Pricey stuff though - I paid less for the engine   Do you think it would stand up to rotational force if used on the flywheel?

indeed, mine was left over from where I worked at the time

how bad are the nibbles in the flywheel ? photo ? thread hijacked, apologies

blue cat wrote:
how bad are the nibbles in the flywheel ?  photo ?         thread hijacked, apologies

Started a thread on Fozzers whilst this forum was down. Will start an new one here once I get going again.

Hi Guys,
I made another slightly thicker gasket for going between the 2 halves of the crankcase,put it all back together and its still very tight - just about turn it by hand.
As Blue Cat said earlier - it has been seriously abused in the past - to crack the crankcase like that must have taken some force and I am beginning to suspect that either the crank shaft might have been very slightly bent or one of the brass bushes has been knocked out of line which is causing the tightness.I am now at a loss as to what to do next.Anyone any ideas?
Kev.

If you have access to a lathe, run the crankshaft between centres and check for runout with a clock gauge.

Hi Stuart - thanks for that I will have a word with a friend of mine and see if he can do that for me.

The number on the flywheel is R52B A52F 355 - can anyone kindly interpret these numbers for me? I am thinking that this means that the engine was made in 1955?
Thanks.
Kev.