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sidevalve5Dear David,
Fantastic descriptions and pictures of your precision engineering skills. You remind me of an old boy who does a few little jobs for me. He has made scale stationary, steam and aircraft engines from scratch. What he can do amazes me and he is in his eighties.
Without those abilities people like me have to try to work with what we can obtain. I had the problem of getting hold of some piston rings for a Gravely D. No chance as named spares, but whilst researching fell upon Hastings Piston Rings. After reading their very helpful technical guidance, found a set that fitted in their brochure. Although they were an American company, they had a franchised distributor in the UK. So ordered them. They could have also supplied some for a Jap 5, but in the end as Cox & Turner had them in stock. Purchased some from them.
Was told once Ford Consul pistons would fit a Jap 5. This was not true, but after the success with the rings I tried to do the same with specialist piston suppliers. Was hoping to find a way of getting a replacement piston when it was not obtainable as a named spare part any more. But have drawn a blank. I cannot find on the internet a catalogue where I can cross reference: bore, gudgeon pin diameter, compression height and crown profile. Does anyone know of a method of doing this. Where it may help David, or anyone else, is to obtain nominally obsolete pistons to keep their old engines running in good order.
My elderly engineering friend has a large and rare oil engine with the plug, or more like a pair of electrodes, sitting in a chamber outside the cylinder. It’s a lot cruder than the Rover one shown in your pictures. As for the carb, I would just fit a modern one if parts are no longer available. As I think some of the older types were just too rudimentary and unless in good condition, cause a lot of problems. But I am more interested in performance than originality. Others may take a different view and can well understand that.
Best wishes,
Grahame
