Australian Coils?

[Taspiper]

Just picked up another century 100, 1966 I think, haven't got the number on me.
The tiller bracket was broken off the crankcase so I had to do a total strip down for repair which has now been affected.
On removal of the flywheel I was surprised to see that the magneto coil had a label "made in Australia"
I don't know if these were a replacement made locally or not. Maybe someone can shed some light on this?

[Collector Inspector]

Search for "Rofo" on this site.

Aftermarket coils for just about everything available in Australia in early 60's.

If your Gull has one, that is the last coil you will ever need for that motor. They always work.

How is it that you have just found one?

Cheers

B

[Charles uk]

What's the resistance on that coil Bruce?

If your Gull has one, that is the last coil you will ever need for that motor. They always work.

Might be a bit of a claim as it must have been built with exactly the same technology, shellac insulated 45 gauge copper wire, unless your countrymen were at the forefront of epoxy resin development.

That's the first 1016 Villiers coil that we've seen from your hemisphere,

[Taspiper]

Indeed it is a Ro Fo. I thought they may be aftermarket or even that some seagulls were assembled here with some of our parts similar to Land Rover.

It's the only one I've seen. All the rest of my Villiers engines and other Seagull have Villiers coils.

[Buzzook]

Seagulls were certainly assembled here in Oz - they set up a small assembly plant in the eighties - it only lasted a year as it was not profitable and sales did not improve. But that was the only time AFAIK

[Collector Inspector]

That's the first 1016 Villiers coil that we've seen from your hemisphere

I do not really know old son.

As I said, if under the flywheel, there is one of these RoFo, it will always work.

What please for the rest of us is 1016 and why something different from down under?

B

[Charles uk]

Your right Bruce I miss typed that, it should have read 1030 X16 which was the Villiers part number for that coil.

I've had to build a new test rig for the 2 examples of these coils I had rewound, as soon as the variable speed motor is set up correctly the 2 rewound coils will be given a 24 hour hammering to ensure they're up to scratch. then we will start collecting dead ones for rewinding, that should put a smile on the Marston & SD owners faces.

I know Prufrex were making aftermarket 1030 coils, but had no idea RoFo were doing the same, if they were any good, is should be possible to buy them from the vintage motorcycle & lawnmower people out there & save the cost of shipping both ways.

[Oyster 49]

My spare coolie hat magneto requires a coil, plus I have recently obtained another "Navy" SD to restore How much will the exchange ones be Charles?

How about a picture of your test rig? I'm intrigued.

SD owner preparing to smile... Will be nice to reuse the original coils.

[charlesp]

British Seagull discussed assembling motors in a number of countries. They sent their Sales Director over to South America but nothing came of that. They chatted to the Chinese at their embassy in London, but nothing came of that. They sent people out to India, but apparently the locals reckoned they wouldn't buy an Indian assembled motor - there wasn't the confidence in quality that British manufacture would engender.

Australian assembly cropped up more than once, but according to the Production Director at the time and the Managing Director of Blake's (who owned British Seagull at the time) it didn't go ahead.

Even later assembly in Northern Ireland was discussed, with new models being made there at first then the classic range manufacture moving from Poole. But it didn't happen.