A: Oil Pipework Pipe A53ASR

[Michel]

Hello everyone,
I have to replace this pipe A53ASR on my Rapide Serie B (1949) and I will order it at Vincent Spares Company (with other spare parts). Do you have the experience? In other words, is this pipe of good quality and the right dimensions?
Thanks for your advice.

 

[Cyborg]

I have replaced one with no issues. Quality is good. Replacing the A66AS was a lot more work and required re-bending the tube in a couple of places.

 

[chankly bore]

I've written before about A66AS. It is, or was, now made in 12mm. o.d. brass tube. This is wrong, and results in incorrect shape and poor fitting where it attaches at the bottom. Thus it is likely both to leak and to stress the banjo bolt. 7/16" or 11mm. tube is available and should have been used here.

 

[Cyborg]

I just measured the new A66AS and you’re correct. It’s a mm larger than the stock pipe. I was able to reshape it so it “fits” without any extra tension on the banjo, but it was a pain to do. It also plated with something that has a slight blue hue which I could do without.

 

[chankly bore]

I bought a metre of 11mm. (damn near 7/16") at a local model supplies store for less than US$20. I am in Australia, by the way. I bent it using a propane torch and fine sand as a filler. The VOC Spares Co. really has no excuse for getting this part so wrong. They obviously don't bother to fit up the parts they produce to test- nor measure them against known originals. My part was a Comet one- A66/2AS, even more of a bastard to fit if it is wrong. I don't have a ball turning attachment but made a functional banjo with some reasonably coordinated hypnotic gestures on the lathe and a bit of milling work.

 

[Cyborg]

I don’t have a ball turning attachment, but I did buy a cheap boring head, so I can make one. The cost of those banjo fittings is a bit much. For more hypnotic gestures, search “clickspring“ on YouTube. In one of his videos, he was turning a part freehand (think wood turning). IIRC he as turning brass. His videos are really well done and worth watching even if you don’t own a lathe or mill. Beats watching the news.

 

[Peter Holmes]

Its all down to knowledge and skill, Furness & Searle used make these pipes accurately, and when they retired they passed that knowledge to someone that had the skills, Bob Culver, but at some point Bob stopped supplying the Spares Company, preferring instead to supply Andy Davenport, but it now looks like Andy is scaling back his Vincent Spares business.

 

[erik]

It depends what is kaputt on the tube.It could be repaired. Erik

 

[Michel]

Right, the old tube was cracked and I have a spare pipe. I un-welded the fitting and so far everything was fine. But impossible to weld the fitting on the new tube, the tin did not take despite many attemps. I don’t know why and I ordered a new A53ASR from Vincent Spares Company.