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Model 49 rebuild project


Ian T
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14 hours ago, Hydramatic said:

Finally got my frame on the bench today. Waiting to see if anyone can make us some rear spokes so I can  get it on two wheels. Much polishing of rear rim required first though. 
Andy

Who did the paint? Looks like a really good finish.

I think I'm going to order spokes in the next day or two. I will use the lengths from the parts book and make a little jig to put the extra bends in. It's a bit of a gamble but not sure what else to do. The other thing that I'm not sure about is the angles for the heads of the spokes. I think the inner brake side ones may be a little more than 90 degrees, maybe 100 or 110.

 

 

6 hours ago, feetupfun said:

I made a tiny boring bar to machine the ID of the bushes with the sleeve gear in the lathe chuck, because I wasn't confident of getting the diameter right with a drill

Neat idea actually. Did you bore both bushes in one go? I have some adjustable reamers that should do the job.

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I'm about at same stage on frame with my M27.. If I can find time I'll start a new thread to document transition. I was lucky enough that all my rear spokes were intact and not to bent up..took some doing to get them undone without damage.. I will need new nipples..I am trying  some home zinc plating on a few other parts and had a go at it on spokes ....seems to be working ok..plating 6 at a time..they won't be shiny chrome but at least clean and hopefully won"t rust right away..

20200504_110959.jpg

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12 hours ago, manndolins said:

I'm about at same stage on frame with my M27.. If I can find time I'll start a new thread to document transition. I was lucky enough that all my rear spokes were intact and not to bent up..took some doing to get them undone without damage.. I will need new nipples..I am trying  some home zinc plating on a few other parts and had a go at it on spokes ....seems to be working ok..plating 6 at a time..they won't be shiny chrome but at least clean and hopefully won"t rust right away..

Problem with the M49 is that some of the spokes are supposed to have extra bends, so it's difficult to source them.

Nice work on the plating, it's something I'd like to have a go at. My dad did have a zinc plating kit but unfortunately one of the chemicals leaked and ruined it all!

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The plating is fun to me.. I had used the caswell gold plating kits before...so I was familiar with the concept..but the zinc is cool because it's all household stuff..vinegar, epson salts, sugar..some zinc anodes..and a old phone charger (around 5 volt dc)  ..

the M27 has same hub as yours I believe..that extra bend is why I decided to save mine. Here's the 3 spokes on mine

 

image.jpeg

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15 minutes ago, manndolins said:

the M27 has same hub as yours I believe..that extra bend is why I decided to save mine. Here's the 3 spokes on mine

For the older bikes I think zinc plated spokes look more 'period' anyway. I have a Greeves scrambler to rebuild and that will definitely not have stainless ones!

Now that you mention it I remember that my parts book is shared with the M27. Could you do me a massive favour and measure the inside length of the longer spokes, and the total length of the middle ones in your picture? Before ordering new spokes I'm trying to get the lengths right, and not sure whether I can trust the parts book! As I cut all my spokes (stupidly!) I can't measure the lengths, but I can estimate the angles.

spokes2.thumb.jpg.23b2f6fcd7c2ee629a460344dcb7cabe.jpg

 

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7 minutes ago, manndolins said:

Here's all 3 ..just in case..

Spot on! Thanks so much. That'll be a big help!

I may give Sid's wheels a call, see how competitive they are with Central Wheel.

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Ian, the paint is a Rolls-Royce colour ( not a 100% match ) done at my old place of work and yes, quite a nice finish ( I only prepped it, a pal managed to get some overspray on it whilst doing a crash repair ). I’ve not got any further with Central wheels myself as I’ve been lucky enough to be working through this dreadful time, but am following ‘spoke gate’ with interest. 
Andy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Having studied the pics again I’m beginning to think my tank isn’t an M49 one. It appears too narrow at the rear and doesn’t mate with the seat unit. Did I dream it or did someone on here have an M49 tank surplus to requirements ?

Andy

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11 minutes ago, Hydramatic said:

Having studied the pics again I’m beginning to think my tank isn’t an M49 one. It appears too narrow at the rear and doesn’t mate with the seat unit. Did I dream it or did someone on here have an M49 tank surplus to requirements ?

Andy

If you mean the picture on this page, the seat unit isn't located properly and is too high at the front. The flares at the back of the tank should line up to the top of the seat unit. The seat unit you have looks like a new item and they need 'dressing' in places to fit properly. It may not have the recess cut out that sits over the boss at the rear of the tank as the seat unit holds the back of the tank down. You may also have to shave a bit from the inside edge of the panel to clear the air filter hose.  If you had the later bike you'd also have to remove material for clearance for the top shock mounts as they only sell one side panel for all series of M49

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You’re absolutely right Woody, I just put the tank and seat unit on for a bit of a morale boost-I knew the seat unit needed a bit of work but it needs more than I thought. Don’t think my tank will be any good without substantial work. But that can wait for a bit. 
Andy

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all, quick update regarding the M49 rear spoke conundrum. Just had my wheels built by Willis wheels at North Weald in Essex. Using Inmotion front spokes. Willis made the rear spokes and built both wheels and fitted supplied tyres. Great service and a nice job with a quick turnaround. Plus Chris Willis is a really nice guy. 
Andy. 

6F7A0A64-01FA-4349-95DC-1ED8E36384FB.jpeg

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