When delivered to the site, the engine was
rusty but more or less complete and in working order, only the wheels and drive
belt looked beyond hope. It came apart quite easily and,
armed with angle grinder and wire brush, I set to, depositing a layer of
reddish brown dust on every flat surface in the workshop, and much of the house
as well ( not popular with the wife). It looked better though and an
examination of the ‘mechanics’ suggested it would benefit from me
leaving well alone; if it ain’t broke, etc.
The congealed oil needed sorting …….more muck
and unpopularity!And so to primer and paint. Signal Red for the truck and New Brunswick Green (best match to the existing colour I could find) for the engine and pump. Red for the driving wheels as well; a bit Fun Fair but not as boring as plain green.
The magneto top was a bit of a challenge as the Bakelite had suffered around the screw holes leaving it located rather than fixed. A bit of making good with plastic and Araldite seems to have done the job.
Re-assembly proceeded without drama but the wheels and drivebelt remained a problem. And it will probably come as no surprise to anyone to learn that the Open Day , once so far in the future, was rapidly approaching! A friend of a friend saved the day with four rubber tyred wheels (it’s great working for a large company with departments for everything!) and by increasing the adjustment of the pump the V belt could be shortened and riveted.
