About time ...

One thing about having various projects on the go is there is always something to be done.

For perhaps thirty years I've had a couple of early Villiers two stroke engines kicking about the workshop. I'd say they were perhaps First World War period or early 1920's, fixed head, wide thin rings and cast iron humpy piston. One is uptogether with flywheel and belt pulley, the other came with a rusted-solid piston and seized main bearings. It came to light recently and I've been squidging Plus Gas (keep yer Diesel, nothing like Plus Gas! ;o)) ) into the bore for perhaps a year.

Whilst clearing space for the New Toy, the Villiers rose to the surface of the pile tonight, so to speak and I thought I'd have a go at it. More Plus Gas and lots of heat from the oxy-acetylene gear and a whack at the piston through the plug 'ole produced movement.

Yay-hay!

More whacking with a drift and a bigger hammer drove the piston out of the bore and further work freed the brass bush mains off the mainshaft and now it's on the back of the bench in a few bits - well, it is a fixed head two-stroke!

It's in surprisingly good nick and would run without too much effort, the top ring and the skirt ring coming out easily, but the lower of the two top rings was broken in antiquity and only half of it was present.

Of course, it now rises up the "things to do "list, as it is now "work in progress" and I can't leave it in bits, can I? I'll buy it a nice new ring from the chap in SEM, make it some paper gaskets and put it back together. Then I'll have two early Villiers two strokes, one uptogether and the other restored and still nothing in mind to do with them - but they *are* over eighty years old and ought to be shown, didn't they?

Any suggestions about a twin engined display unit?

Regards,

Kim Siddorn

Reply to
J K Siddorn
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Hi Kim, I have probably already told you About the Wolverhampton Virtual Museum pages but I like this brilliant site so much that I use any chance to promote it. Go to

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the Front door, Go into the Engineering Hall & look at the Villiers Engine. More Engines in the other halls.

Reply to
Dave Croft

I have copies of Jack Sizer's villiers books which are quite good on the earlier engines, so if you can ID type we should be able to bracket a date (though some types were in prod'n for many years).

Reply to
Nick H

Thanks Dave, I'd forgotten this excellent site. I had a look in the Villiers section and the two I have are listed under "motorcycle engines" and with its curiously old fashioned, rather sparse "all the way to the top" finning, they are definitely Mk 5's.

Can they be dated from the engine number, clearly visible on the crankcase mouth flange ?

Regards,

Kim Siddorn,

Reply to
J K Siddorn

Well, book in hand, here we go:-

MKV, prefix letter D (I presume on engine number). Introduced in 1922, this was the last of the 70x70mm 269cc range which started with Villier's first two-stroke in 1913 and the second to use the flywheel magneto. No date given for end of production, but the MKVIA, B & C engines of 147, 247 & 342cc, introduced the same year, were intended to replace the ageing 296cc range.

If you have a matching pair (of engines that is) I would be tempted to display one unmantled to show the supreme simplicity of the design.

Reply to
Nick H

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