I finally got my hands on some parts and first impressions are that they’re big! Not unfeasibly large, just big – and I love it.

A job lot of spares came up at the right price so I took the lot, even though I suspect some of them are Centaurus parts. One sleeve is slightly longer than the other, which leads me to believe it’s from a Centaurus. I have three heads, two aluminium and one cast iron.

I prefer the look of the iron heads, but they weigh a tonne! Not as heavy as the crank and rod assembly I picked up. That’s too heavy to lift onto the bench!!

It will take a couple of days to plough through what I have and decide which parts (if any) are serviceable. I’m still holding out for a matching set from one engine, but the special spanners are proving to be quite elusive.

Those parts are out there somewhere I know it!

Well actually no. What we have here is a freehand sketch of the crank case, one side. The sleeve drive side (or timing side I suppose if you follow convention). To assist the pattern maker this view is quite useful. It’s also good for anyone wanting to visualise the finished engine.

The chain and sprockets driving the sleeve will be visible with the side plate removed. The side plate will house the oilways for feeding the shafts and the ignition pickup. I’ll post a pic of the side plate shortly.

Bob is finalising the full sized drawings, after which the design work will be all but complete. The only remaining task is to source a Piston and Sleeve along with a few extra parts. I’m waiting until I have those in my hand before I press the tit on the pattern maker.

Parts wise I’m waiting for people to come back to me regarding a special spanner to remove the Bristol cylinder. I can make one if necessary but I will still need to find a nut first! It’s a slow process…..