Saving Old Seagulls

So that's acid, soda, run dry and then kitty litter... many thanks everyone!

The Curlew saga continues.... so I got a new piston kit from John when he got back, cleaned the bore up somewhat and cleared out the water jacket as best I could. Put it all back together and thankfully it ran beautifully... like a mouse eating paper... relatively! After a run in the tank we took it...

I wonder with a bit of gentle heat and persuasion could you squeeze a 6mm fitting into a 4mm pipe. Tight fit better than not in this case I think.

If it is posted it won't be cheap anymore!

True

Yes, I think John was back and then off again for a few days. The piston.... most of the shock from knocking it out must have been taken up by the wrist pin :oops: Would probably have been better to disconnect the big end, remove the head and take out the piston + con rod through the top avoiding th...

Here in Greece my friend and also member of this forum (Manos) has a piston of a curlew but it's not in the best condition. The rings are stuck. If you can't find a piston you could try this piston but it would require a lot labor to remove the stuck rings. Thanks for the offer Stelios. Much apprec...

Not me but if you find a cheap Curlew anywhere please post

Is that a large split in the tank (pic3) ? Also looks like it has the optional alternator. Was that a popular option?

Hello, I bought an inline paper filter for my Curlew on ebay recently for about 3 pounds including p&p. 6mm fittings - same for all seagulls I would imagine? Go for a clear one as it allows you to see all the debris and also check the fuel flow at a glance. My filter also contains a little magne...

Attaching a few snaps of the damage. The bore looks fine to my untrained eye apart from the spot of corrosion at the base. What's the best way to clean that up? There is a lot of debris in and around the crankcase. Would flushing with petrol & airlining be ok. If possible I don't want to split i...

Didn't have much time to inspect the bore thoroughly but it looked alright apart from the little bit of corrosion at the base where the piston flat spot & crack was. I have other Curlew parts on order from Sheridan (helping while John is away?) so have asked if they have any pistons. Costs are s...

Great idea to test bottom end pumping there! Made me smile. So decided to tackle the crankcase removal last night. My flywheel came off with just two sharp taps of the hammer. I can see how the puller could have to be used when the wheel's tight and probably a must for more lightweight flywheels tho...

Nice film! That sinking feeling when the engine suddenly conks out... had it myself at the weekend there

Spoke too soon... took the Curlew out for a longer test run at the weekend on open water. Ran great for about 30mins or so but then progressively began to pump less and less water. Tried back-flushing with hose when I got her home but no joy. Took the exhaust off again to check the water delivery pi...

In the end I didn't bother with any heat treatment... perhaps I should have as the tips began to split when riveting. Both the new screw and the shortened original one. To keep tip intact and getting any worse I filled it with solder using a blow lamp. Cup washer moves freely and shouldn't come off ...

Thanks for the help everyone... finally got the curlew rebuilt last Saturday. Quick test in the wheelie bin showed not much sign of improvement on water flow though :cry: Decided next to check the water delivery tube so split the power head + exhaust from the leg + gearbox. This was much easier than...