What's your biggest, most shameful bodge?
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LotusSevenMan
- Posts: 1915
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:32 pm
- Location: Liss, Hampshire. UK
Had put them in there to stop stuff falling in... but somehow forgot to take them out! No air getting into the engine!! Doh...-
LotusSevenMan
- Posts: 1915
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:32 pm
- Location: Liss, Hampshire. UK
pmcq
That reminds me:-
I once watched a chap at a Stationary Engine rally alongside me struggling to start his engine. Spark plug out dozens of times and tested against the block. All fine but lots of other plugs tested 'just-in-case'. Fuel line blown through many, many times. All clear. I suggested that there could be a blockage in a fuel jet inside the carb. as it was obviously lacking fuel as the plug came out of the block dry everytime.
He looked at me as if to say "What do you know about these engines young fella-me-lad"?
Magneto timing checked, valve clearances checked etc etc. All spot-on.
He ignored me totally and spent the weekend messing with it then leaving it alone for a while etc. Had the head off (g*d knows why) and you could tell he was a bodger type as he used mole grips on the nuts etc. Aaagghhh.
Anyway, on the Sunday afternoon with the rally almost over he decided that he "might just look at the fuel jet just in case". He took the manifold off with the carb attached while leaving the inlet gasket on the studs and blew out the jet. Then he looked at me smugly and said "That it wasn't blocked at all"
I looked back at the engine and then spotted something. I said smugly back that had he made a new cardboard gasket for the inlet recently?
He looked surprised and said "Err, yes". I said I thought so as these engines normally go better when there is a hole through the inlet gasket to actually allow the petrol/air mixture INTO the engine.
One screwdriver bodged hole in the gasket and all back together it all ran fine starting first turn!!!!!
That reminds me:-
I once watched a chap at a Stationary Engine rally alongside me struggling to start his engine. Spark plug out dozens of times and tested against the block. All fine but lots of other plugs tested 'just-in-case'. Fuel line blown through many, many times. All clear. I suggested that there could be a blockage in a fuel jet inside the carb. as it was obviously lacking fuel as the plug came out of the block dry everytime.
He looked at me as if to say "What do you know about these engines young fella-me-lad"?
Magneto timing checked, valve clearances checked etc etc. All spot-on.
He ignored me totally and spent the weekend messing with it then leaving it alone for a while etc. Had the head off (g*d knows why) and you could tell he was a bodger type as he used mole grips on the nuts etc. Aaagghhh.
Anyway, on the Sunday afternoon with the rally almost over he decided that he "might just look at the fuel jet just in case". He took the manifold off with the carb attached while leaving the inlet gasket on the studs and blew out the jet. Then he looked at me smugly and said "That it wasn't blocked at all"
I looked back at the engine and then spotted something. I said smugly back that had he made a new cardboard gasket for the inlet recently?
He looked surprised and said "Err, yes". I said I thought so as these engines normally go better when there is a hole through the inlet gasket to actually allow the petrol/air mixture INTO the engine.
One screwdriver bodged hole in the gasket and all back together it all ran fine starting first turn!!!!!
"Only ride as fast as your guardian angel can fly" !!!
Bodge
Circa 1978 I had an old CB175 that I'd bought for cheap transport as my "Proper" bike, a Norton Jubilee was always in pieces..
Once I'd sorted the Norton I sold the CB175. It had been eating camshafts so I stuck a new set in, leaving the only one visible fault - a little smoke coming out of the crankcase breather. Just before a prospective purchaser came round to see it I stuck a bit of polythene up the breather tube and put a lighter to it to seal it. bloke bought the bike and I used to see it regularly out on the road. I still feel guilty about that one!
This one has already been covered - I sheered a woodruff key on the output shaft on my BSA C15 whilst at the transatlantic trophy meet at Oulton Park. We went round all the teams to see if anybody had any keys to no avail. So several thin slivers of wood banged into the base of the slot gave just enough clearance for the sheered key to engage - it got me 30 miles home no problem!
Those were the days etc...........
Once I'd sorted the Norton I sold the CB175. It had been eating camshafts so I stuck a new set in, leaving the only one visible fault - a little smoke coming out of the crankcase breather. Just before a prospective purchaser came round to see it I stuck a bit of polythene up the breather tube and put a lighter to it to seal it. bloke bought the bike and I used to see it regularly out on the road. I still feel guilty about that one!
This one has already been covered - I sheered a woodruff key on the output shaft on my BSA C15 whilst at the transatlantic trophy meet at Oulton Park. We went round all the teams to see if anybody had any keys to no avail. So several thin slivers of wood banged into the base of the slot gave just enough clearance for the sheered key to engage - it got me 30 miles home no problem!
Those were the days etc...........
Re: Bodge
That reminds meJohnnyB wrote: This one has already been covered - I sheered a woodruff key on the output shaft on my BSA C15 whilst at the transatlantic trophy meet at Oulton Park. We went round all the teams to see if anybody had any keys to no avail. So several thin slivers of wood banged into the base of the slot gave just enough clearance for the sheered key to engage - it got me 30 miles home no problem!
Those were the days etc...........
Before we were old enough to go on the road my brother and I had a Cotton 250cc trials bike for going around the fields on, as we then lived on a farm. As we were only schoolboy's then I didn't realise that the problem with the woodruff key (that held the flywheel in place) kept shearing off because the taper on the crankshaft and in the flywheel needed re-aligning with a little grinding paste. So what I thought would be a good idea was make a new woodruff key from carbon steel, so I cut one out with a hacksaw from an old leaf spring, iirc it took a lot of sweat and quite a few hacksaw blades with the carbon steel leaf spring being so hard. Then I spent ages at my mates place (as his Dad had a bench grinder and we didn't) grinding the perfect key, it worked as it never sheared off again
Chris.
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LotusSevenMan
- Posts: 1915
- Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:32 pm
- Location: Liss, Hampshire. UK
Aha!
The old leaf spring ploy as Inspector Clouseau would say!!!
I was working a few years back in Khartoum in the Sudan and watched a Arab chap fashion a wonderful dagger out of an old car leaf spring. I bought it and was able to bring it back into the UK in hand luggage as a souvenir. Try that these days
The old leaf spring ploy as Inspector Clouseau would say!!!
I was working a few years back in Khartoum in the Sudan and watched a Arab chap fashion a wonderful dagger out of an old car leaf spring. I bought it and was able to bring it back into the UK in hand luggage as a souvenir. Try that these days
"Only ride as fast as your guardian angel can fly" !!!
You'd be locked upLotusSevenMan wrote:Aha!
The old leaf spring ploy as Inspector Clouseau would say!!!
I was working a few years back in Khartoum in the Sudan and watched a Arab chap fashion a wonderful dagger out of an old car leaf spring. I bought it and was able to bring it back into the UK in hand luggage as a souvenir. Try that these days
