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Britannia Light Twin flywheel removal

Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:47 pm
by Oyster 49
I thought I would create a new thread for an interesting problem. I have 2 Britannia Light Twin engines that date from the early 1930s. One is has the slightly later villiers ignition, and one has the earlier type, is this a Miller ignition? Not sure.

The flywheel nut has a shoulder which sits below the rope pulley, so by turning the nut one way tightens the flywheel, anti-clockwise acts as a puller to remove the flywheel. Undo the nut and the 4 top plate screws and you can take off the top plate and rope pulley to access the points.

However on my engine the top plate has been split and has been welded, but split again as soon as I tried to remove the flywheel. So I have to work out how to get it off to work on the ignition.

So it looks like I'll have to make a replacement top plate! I'm thinking of making a steel one to use to get the flywheel off, and a correct alloy one to make the engine look correct, the photos are not my engine, but a similar one found on the forum.
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Re: Britannia Light Twin flywheel removal

Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 11:43 am
by Collector Inspector
Now THAT is a nice engine aye!

Let me know how you go.

BnC

Re: Britannia Light Twin flywheel removal

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:04 am
by wbeaton
So if I understand correctly if you remove the four screws and turn the flywheel nut counter clockwise the top plate will come off to allow you access to the points. But if you don’t remove the screws the entire flywheel will pop off. That’s good to know and very interesting. Aluminium welds are weak. Could you have it recast at a local foundry?

Re: Britannia Light Twin flywheel removal

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2018 11:18 am
by Oyster 49
Future project I'm afraid as I'm working overseas for the foreseeable future. I will make some sort of tool to allow it to come off, and then make a new top plate.