Benno

I was fairly sure I had got the wiring right. I'm thinking the points might be contributing to the issue, but even in the condition they are in it should still run. I gave them a bit of a clean up with some fine grit sandpaper, but they seem pretty stuffed. I'll have another play with it when I next get time and test piece by piece. I'm in Riccarton. If I can't figure out what the problem is, having someone else to look at it would be awesome man. I'll let you know how I get on.

Finally got around to making a bit more progress on this. Got the rims finished off, new inner tubes and tyres back on. Looking a bit more like a bike again now. I decided I would try to start it before I did too much else, so wired it up and had a go at it. Will not start at all, pretty sure it is an ignition problem. I have wired it up as shown in the diagram. I know that the battery will go flat this way, but all I want to do is to get it running so I can have a hunt round with the multimeter to figure out the charging circuit. I removed the spark plug and kicked it over while holding it against block, no spark at all. I touched the HT lead and could feel a small shock as it turned over, but was pretty weak. The battery is fully charged (double checked this with multimeter). I removed the points and cleaned them, then re-gapped to 0.020. I wasn't really sure about the points gap, did a quick google and took a guess. I don't have a manual, and the likelyhood of getting one is basically none. I have a new set of points in the mail from taiwan (hopefully). Have I wired it up properly? What would an appropriate points gap be? What else could be wrong with it?

Looking awesome

Here is the 18R inlet manifold flange I made up for Fliboi. He has had these cut and apparently fit nicely. In the zip are DXF and DWG files as well as the solidworks part file. https://www.dropbox.com/s/kr3ke45g0m2ip37/18R%20Inlet%20Manifold%20Flange.zip

Would using a similar setup to that above with non return valves work? That way each runner would contribute to the overall vacuum, would would not induce vacuum in other runners? I've never done anything with bike carbs so no idea if it would work or not, I'm just thinking in basic fluids concepts. Alternatively, you could perhaps replace your alternator with one from a diesel with a vacuum pump and connect the brake booster to that? The vacuum of a single runner might then be enough for the vacuum advance.

Sweet wagon, how is it for rust?

Registered, will pay next week when I'm less broke

What else do I need to do for this then? I was planning on replacing all the lights, flashers anyway so 12V would make things easier. Would the alternator put out enough voltage to run this? I guess the 6V coil will need replaced too?

Yeah, it looks like it could possibly be a relay and the gauge of the wires coming out of it suggest either that or a regulator, they are fairly thick. As for the charging circuit, basically I want a AC->DC 6v rectifier/regulator? There seem to be heaps of cheap 12v ones around, I'm sure I can track down a cheap 6V one from somewhere. Has anyone else found a cheap easy module for this, if so how well did it work?

Yup, your first one should work without any troubles.

It's going to happen, its just a matter of time. I was/am thinking about chopping it now, but if I do that it will end up taking far too long to get on the road. Will get it running as is, then hit it with the grinder soon afterwards

That would make sense, it has something that looks like a diode on the back. I will definitely do that, not a fan of how it looks sticking out the side. Turns out the coil is there, I just couldn't spot where it was tucked away/i'm an idiot. Can't see it well in this photo, but there is something else which I am pretty sure is the condenser behind it, connected between the points and gnd. Not 100%, but pretty sure that the circled bit is not the points, it seems to be in series with the points. Possibly a thermal fuse perhaps? If it overheats, it cuts the connection to the coil until it cools down? Assuming it isn't the condenser, what else could it be?

I've had a fiddle around with converting a tape player to take a 3.5mm aux input before, there are a few things you need to watch out for which aren't covered in that second article. The main issue is that soldering directly to the magnetic tape head is going straight into a high level input. Basically this is means it goes through several other amplification stages, so taking an input from an iPod etc will be very distorted. The other issue is that mp3 players can produce a DC offset, which if you feed into a high level input will cause issues both with the amplifier and the speakers. To do it properly you either need to find/make a convertor board to lower the gain and remove any DC offset. If you know a bit about electronics and don't mind fiddling you can possibly figure out the input for the next amplification stage and solder directly into that, but without a scope etc can be quite tricky. Your results may vary, but I wouldn't risk a good head unit and speakers with doing it that way.

Had a better look at it now, it seems to be missing the coil which would explain my confusion. I have messaged Jack/jtkp61 so hopefully that shows up. Will wait and see if that shows up before I order new points. Couple of other questions, mainly what is this thing for? I originally thought it was the coil until I had a better look at it. It seems like a flasher or regulator unit or something. My electronics knowledge is generally pretty good, but never seen something like this before. Secondly, what is the reason for this bit circled in red? It seems like it is supposed to contact the cover. What does it do, and does this mean that this cover should be isolated from ground?

I'm shit at explaining these sort of things, so I made an average diagram. This is how I would do it in your case. Haven't actually run this exact setup, but don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. This way, radio plays through the head unit via the line-level selector to the amp. The RCA feed is split with one going to the audio amp and the other to the bass tube. To listen to the iPod/aux cable, press the RCA selector button to switch to the aux cable. You can probably hack this up and put the switch somewhere convenient/hidden. By RCA selector I mean something like this, you should be able to find something cheap at Jaycar or similar.

Done a bit of work on this, wheels were rusty as shit, so cleaned them up a bit then painted matt black. Still look pretty pitted, but good enough for me. Resisting the temptation to do any modifications, going to try just get it running for now so it doesn't sit around in the shed for months. Before During After

Can you get these things road legal with lights etc added?

Such an awesome wagon, love it

I paid $250 for a set for a ford crossflow engine, think that would be a pretty standard price for a 4 cyl engine.

Yeah, that would be great mate. I've got a busy day today, so probably won't get a chance to go past the atm. PM me your account and I'll deposit the money directly into that, then just drop it off whenever you get a chance. Cheers bro

Yeah, I'll probably pull a loom from pick-a-part and cut that up for it or something. I'll get the wheels painted and it put back together first, if I get stuck on getting it running I'll hit you up then haha

Yeah, I had a bit of a look at the wiring. Looks like a bit of a nightmare really. I'll have a better look at it at the weekend, but I'm debating just re-wiring the whole thing, doing it properly with fuses, LED light conversion etc. I haven't got a clue how that system works, keen to just get it running first, then worry about getting the electric start, lights and shit working. Probably need some advice when I get to trying to get it running, don't really know much about bike ignition systems.

So I have acquired this fine piece of 1960's engineering from jtkp61. Only got it dropped off an hour or so ago, so haven't even really had a good look at it yet. So far the bike has been stripped down, frame repainted and the top end of the engine rebuilt. Apparently it is a pretty rare model, with only a few others in NZ. Current plans are to get it running and on the road, then think about what to do next with it. I reckon it would have a lot of potential for a bobber or brat style bike, but as it is so rare might be worth keeping it original. Wait and see how things pan out at this stage. Pics below are from jtkp61

Pretty keen for this

Had a good time at the last one meeting some GCs and having some quality yarns, when's the next one happening?