Tim
"Bob never done" - he and I used to joke about Bob 'not Dunn'.
He also used to say "if you want it doing (quickly), go somewhere else, if you want it doing properly, leave it here. Very, very true words.
To contradict that, when I was racing, I once rang him on a Monday after 'the weekend before' having dropped an inlet valve head in, he carried out an exceptional repair (custom made seat) on the following Saturday and Sunday (letting me sleep on their sofa) so I could make the next entered meeting - all for a stupidly cheap price (as always) considering what he achieved.
He engineered what were considered by everyone else to be scrap twin cases, heads, flywheels (that was the only way I could get hold of the items then) into a fantastic engine destined for my road racing outfit, coming up with innovative ways of reclaiming original items (mine were the first cases he ever bored and bushed the main bearing housings and cam spindle holes (all were oval!!), that engine is a beauty, purely thanks to him.
He is doing the same again for me (hence my frustration), on a restoration from what was utterly scrap, but without compromising he is producing a 'silk purse from a sow's ear', that only he is capable of doing.
He has never been secrective about disclosing what techniques he has used to work his magic (unlike some I could mention), thus allowing others to copy his innovation (and sometimes unfairly take credit).
There are many potentially active bikes still around now and not in the skip that are solely down to his skills.
Sadly (and how sad it is), he is metally still razor sharp with engineering, but physically nothing like that, but still being drawn into coming to work in a very (very!) cold workshop of wonders, anno dommini is a cruel, heartless authority.
One of the problems with Bob doing work is that once he (eventually!) starts work, he discovers problems that most others will never know or see and being the perfectionist he is, he fixes them, often not fully informing of, or charging for, doing so.
His talent, with his knowledge, conscience and honesty are a humbling lesson to us all.
I will always hold the utmost highest respect for Bob and his abilities, but he still drives me to distraction over finishing what he agreed (again and again and again!!!) to take on many (many) years ago.
Joe,
There is nothing wrong with the original clutch - I even road raced an outfit on one for years. Install the 'racing' version of the plate (I did on my road outfit) and install and set the whole thing up religiously to the dictates of the Richardson book, it is a thing of beauty and wonderment (and the only truly unique item to a Vin!!).