Saving Old Seagulls

Hi All,
Well I got an email a couple of weeks ago, if I wanted it, a newly found Marston OE was up for grabs so as I was in the UK this weekend I went round and picked it up. Beautiful, totally original, grubby and untouched. A couple of bits missing which I had spare so it’s now complete, from what I can tell every nut, bolt and component is correct apart of the driveshaft pinch bolt it even appears to have the original tiller grip albeit perished. Judging by the JM number it’s a long shaft 1934-ish model. Once home it cleaned up really well.

The Marston OE is quite a rare beast, it’s a hybrid using an OA top end matched to an OF FNR gearbox with a three bladed prop but without the neutral or reverse gears fitted making it fixed. The motor was classed “High Duty” not many were made hence not many have survived

Nice, a general clean up has done it proud Does it run?

Not running at the moment, it was missing a barrel the only one I had spare has damage to the skirt, a fairly easy repair, I just need to put some time aside, probably needs a coil but the rest feels good, it seems to have had an easy life, gearbox is smooth and no play in the top crankcase bearing, it doesn’t appear to have been apart, no marks on nuts, no prise or hammer marks anywhere so I’m just going to get it running and keep it in it’s original clothes, maybe re-chrome a couple of bits, another one for the hallway....

My OF is still waiting for when I return from working from overseas, not too long hopefully
The question as always, is how far to go? Generally I'm not interested in bling, so just a clean and tidy engine I think. The big question of course is whether to try and take those gearbox end caps off on a marston...?

One of my favourite motors the OF, If I don’t have to strip a box I don’t. Of the four I had to do, two of them had no treads left, only oxide and a thread pattern on the casing and end cap, once the end cap was off, that was it, one gear box end cap still needs repairing the other, after speaking to Charles I took the route of machining and fitting an insert into the gearbox, threading the insert, re threading the end cap and it all went back together, the only thing is that due to the gearbox tapering and the thinness of the casing when machined, the insert that I loctited in is visable as a band of a slightly different coloured alloy just where the end cap sits, the job sounds complicated but it was simple machining, the really hard part was holding the gearbox casing and end cap in the lathe. This must be at least five years ago and I haven’t stripped one since, if I can get away with it I fill the gearbox with petrol/diesel, spinning it to wash it out then filling it with the thickest oil I can find.
Luckily this gearbox still has clean oil in it and is smooth.

The internals are quirky but straight forward enough, it’s just that the pinion can be really tight and theres possibility of damage. The OF gearbox is like a jewel inside.

Not really for the novice but certainly not impossible.

You should have asked Rene, We had some Birmabright mixed so remanufactured parts are the same colour, not cheap, but we're all a bit anal!

Quite a few people have said that about me!

Yes, I think avoiding moving the front cap is a good strategy!

Great find, congratulations!

I would have asked Charles but that was a long time ago and I wasn’t sure of the outcome, I guess it’s good to be a little “anal” at times.... whatever that means...
I wonder what non-English (probably including Scottish ) speaking forum members think when they use google translate... they may not thing this site is just about outboards...

You got that one right rena non-English nice motor china

an amazing find you lucky boy

supersaint61 wrote:an amazing find you lucky boy

You are the lucky one Sticky for finding it.

Everyone needs an uncle