slight progress.

i've been doing reasonable amount of thinking on things of late. specifically a full tilt 36hp motor, but not that much has really happened.

yesterday i did manage to pick up another big cap 40hp distributor. this one turns out to be an australian made one. i say turns out as at the time i had to lick a finger to try and wipe off the grot to even see if it was a cast iron one or not. it was caked that thick in grease, dust and general filth. much to my pleasent surprise it is really nice not the most of the grot is gone. i think that the german one will end up getting chopped as will the aust one is well australian.

i stripped it down and apart from a 2 shims and a fibre washer, everything is great. of course those are the hard bits to get... i only gave it a rough once over, i was at one stage going to strip and paint the body but found (or didn't find actually) the masking tape was gone so that idea was cut short. the joys of having children.

i think that it will end up with the vaccuum can off the other as it is cleaner, plus i need to replace the earth wire on the points plate. oh and a few screws are a bit chewed.

in my head the conversion of the other is done. i think i have most of it sorted, the whats and the hows at least for the major stuff. having said that i'm sure that reality will through up a few bumps in the road.

i still haven't talked to the guy i hope will do the machine work for me. he is a fitter and turner by trade and clocks are his hobby, so he is used to precision, plus he likes older cars. i like to think that he won't charge an arm and a leg, i really should call him to suss it all out. they aren't ch

i have also been tossing around ideas on welding up a 36hp case to increase the support on no 2 and 3 main bearings. finding a local to weld isn't looking that promising. i had one local fabricator say outright that you can't weld magnesium. i didn't even try to dissagree, just scratched him off the list of potentials. mind you i asked a few questions of welding cases with a couple of engine guys on the samba, one said the he didn't really think that it was nessecary. now i'm in two minds as to wether to follow the idea up. i think my desire to do it once and do ti right comes from the fact i only want to build it once. specifically buy the parts once. if everything is stregnthened to a point that it won't break at my given end point then well and good. i don't follow the idea that if you aren't breaking parts you aren't making enough power. i like to think of the potential problems (all of them would be the ultimate) and make allowances for them before the hot oily bits end up on the outside as opposed to souping it up till it breaks then stregnthen that bit and try it again.

a gentleman recently made a proposition to me and it has rather taken my attention. it is very early days yet, but there could be a colaboration happening over the next year or three. i'm rather anxious about it all as it is a big commitment, but very excited at the same time. plus rather honered to by asked to become a co-conspiretor. (spelling?). it comes at the perfect time in a way as the creative juices are starting to flow and ideas are again finding fertile ground in my head.which i have to say is a really nice change.

edit 50 posts...  that is an awful lot of babble.