Friendly chap with huge kickstart foot required!
- Thread starter Phil Baker
- Start date
How about one of those small super strong Niobium magnets glued onto a stick? Plenty of 'em on eBay and the like.
You have my heartfelt sympathy; I know that clenching feeling in the inner reaches of the trouser department only too well.
Many, many years ago I dropped a plastic handled screwdriver on the floor at which point it morphed into one of those bouncy "super ball" things, leapt high in the air and disappeared into my newly assembled Comet crankcase. And as if that was not enough it managed to find a way of lodging itself in the sludge trap and no amount of fiddling would get it out, I had to take the whole thing apart in the end.
I just wish you better luck!
You have my heartfelt sympathy; I know that clenching feeling in the inner reaches of the trouser department only too well.
Many, many years ago I dropped a plastic handled screwdriver on the floor at which point it morphed into one of those bouncy "super ball" things, leapt high in the air and disappeared into my newly assembled Comet crankcase. And as if that was not enough it managed to find a way of lodging itself in the sludge trap and no amount of fiddling would get it out, I had to take the whole thing apart in the end.
I just wish you better luck!
Mr Norman (Stumpy) Lord has once again surpassed all reasonable expectations, gentlemen! (Your ideas are appreciated, thankyou all, and I feel especially moved by the plastic screwdriver story!).
But Stumpy has not one but FOUR pieces of equipment to offer : long wandy thing with magnet; superstrong 1" diameter magnet; flexible four-wire grabber; wand with a light on it. I'm grateful as hell and also relieved that I don't have to start a thread about shining lights up one hole while stuffing things in the other. Tomorrow will bring delving to a new level!! Sorry, Stumpy, everyone will want to borrow them now! Phil
But Stumpy has not one but FOUR pieces of equipment to offer : long wandy thing with magnet; superstrong 1" diameter magnet; flexible four-wire grabber; wand with a light on it. I'm grateful as hell and also relieved that I don't have to start a thread about shining lights up one hole while stuffing things in the other. Tomorrow will bring delving to a new level!! Sorry, Stumpy, everyone will want to borrow them now! Phil
WELL, STUMPY, THAT TOOK ME ALL OF 3 SECONDS!!! AMAZING!! Stuck the magnetic wand down the plughole and the tommy bar came straight out!!!!!!!! THANKYOU!!! AGAIN!!! Now I've got to think of something even more difficult for you to solve! Phil
And it's all back together again - I took the opportunity to respray the outer toolbox stop and the rear seat support shafts so it's even prettier than before! It's now spitting back through the carb reasonably regularly and the ATD is still tending to stick in a slightly advanced position which all makes sense. It's had a lot of WD40 and I was chatting to Russ at Vinparts (who sardonically sent me an unsolicited TDC tool - such mockery of the afflicted - he was also keen to point out that I should insert it the right way up so that odd bits didn't drop down the bore!!! How kind....) this morning and he advised me to remove the atd and clean it with brake cleaner so I'll give that a go after lunch. Then retiming again. Then I'll kick it to death. You'll miss me when it's all running OK!!! Phil
Well, I've been messing with the ignition timing all afternoon - had it spitting back through the carb and spitting back through the exhaust. Now it's set somewhere in the middle ... will it run? Will it %&**@!
Hello Phil, I hope you are not sticking with the same spark plug,If they have been wet, Throw them away, The H.T. lead should have wire in it, Car ones have a carbon track in them that can breakdown. If you move to Dorset, I will get it going for you !! Anyway,10 out of 10 for effort, Good Luck Bill.
Hi Phil,
Make a piston stop and find BDC using a timing disc. See KTB or previous threads or PM me for a method. Rotate the engine by engaging fourth gear and turning the back wheel. Any sliding gauge or tommy bar dropped down the hole is only a rough indicator as at TDC the crank pin is moving sideways so much more than it is moving up or down. Once you have accurately determined BDC remove that piston stop and rotate the crank to 4 degrees before TDC on the correct stroke and lock it there with a shorter piston stop (like an extra long spark plug) and prevent it from backing off by locking the back wheel. Now rotate the mag from the points end, with the ATD closed but released from its taper, until a fag paper will just slide out from between the points. Prevent the mag from rotating as you lock the ATD back on its taper. This should set the engine to fire at the optimum starting position and is NOT the recommended system for setting an engine up to run well. You can worry about that once you can start it.
My piston stop is made from a scrap spark plug with all of the ceramics broken out tapped to take 3/8 studding with a lock nut above. It has a flat on the threads and a step on its face to ensure that there is no compression. You may be able to do something similar by replacing the sliding bar on your unsolicited tdc gauge with a thin stud lock nutted above and below the body. Make it long enough to stop the piston about halfway through the stroke as this is where the vertical piston travel is greatest per degree of crank rotation.
Cheers,
Make a piston stop and find BDC using a timing disc. See KTB or previous threads or PM me for a method. Rotate the engine by engaging fourth gear and turning the back wheel. Any sliding gauge or tommy bar dropped down the hole is only a rough indicator as at TDC the crank pin is moving sideways so much more than it is moving up or down. Once you have accurately determined BDC remove that piston stop and rotate the crank to 4 degrees before TDC on the correct stroke and lock it there with a shorter piston stop (like an extra long spark plug) and prevent it from backing off by locking the back wheel. Now rotate the mag from the points end, with the ATD closed but released from its taper, until a fag paper will just slide out from between the points. Prevent the mag from rotating as you lock the ATD back on its taper. This should set the engine to fire at the optimum starting position and is NOT the recommended system for setting an engine up to run well. You can worry about that once you can start it.
My piston stop is made from a scrap spark plug with all of the ceramics broken out tapped to take 3/8 studding with a lock nut above. It has a flat on the threads and a step on its face to ensure that there is no compression. You may be able to do something similar by replacing the sliding bar on your unsolicited tdc gauge with a thin stud lock nutted above and below the body. Make it long enough to stop the piston about halfway through the stroke as this is where the vertical piston travel is greatest per degree of crank rotation.
Cheers,
Ian, thanks for this. I previously timed it using the 37deg BTDC method and it refused to sart so I began today by timing it as you suggest, 4 deg BTDC with atd fully retarded. Stumpy has loaned me a TDC/piston stop screwthread jobby that will lock the piston where it needs to be. I have mocked up a timing light with a bulb and a 12v car battery so I can tell exactly when the pints open. Interesting spelling mistake, there..... Unsolicited TDC gauge will not screw in to the sparkplug thread - helicoiled = problem. Stumpy's will, though. The atd behaves well in tems of not slipping when locking it back on the taper. Unfortunately, my knees are dim and ankles are gnarled now, so no more kicking today! Phil
Which one? The "sart" or the "pint"?
With the timing light and a correctly set timing disc you should be able check the exact firing point on both full advance and full retard after everything is locked up.
The cure for dim knees may be to roll up the trouser legs and treat them with ultraviolet light!
Once you've got it going you can lock up your specially made piston stop to hold the piston at your chosen 37 degrees so that it will automatically set that engine at the full advance firing point.
With the timing light and a correctly set timing disc you should be able check the exact firing point on both full advance and full retard after everything is locked up.
The cure for dim knees may be to roll up the trouser legs and treat them with ultraviolet light!
Once you've got it going you can lock up your specially made piston stop to hold the piston at your chosen 37 degrees so that it will automatically set that engine at the full advance firing point.