British Anzani Down Under

Talk about interesting old outboards which aren't Seagulls here

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ibakos
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Location: Melbourne Australia

British Anzani Down Under

Post by ibakos »

For interest, British Anzani - Pilot 1965 S/N PO/13401/S. Found / donated condition - seized and well weathered. Up and running good as new. Here is the pictorial story
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xomriVfSaR4TA9QW9
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cookie1
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Location: Orkney , Scotland

Re: British Anzani Down Under

Post by cookie1 »

Thanks for sharing that . Great set of pictures and the motor looks and sounds brilliant . How did you figure out its age ?
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Charles uk
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Re: British Anzani Down Under

Post by Charles uk »

Looks good, what was the top main bearing like?
Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
ibakos
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Location: Melbourne Australia

Re: British Anzani Down Under

Post by ibakos »

Thanks for the comments / questions.

There is a year stamp on the top face of the ignition assembly plate, only visible when completely disassembled.

The top main is in excellent condition. At first I thought it might not be because it had patches of black / brown residue baked on that looked like pitting at first glance. The whole power head assembly was thoroughly seized and gummed tight, most likely from something other than oil being used in the fuel mix. Once apart, the gummy residue came away with mineral turpentine.

The piston rings had to be picked out in many little pieces and the ring channels scraped clean, fortunately, I found an engineering shop specialising in making rings from scratch. After honing the cylinder everything went back together with good tolerances.
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Charles uk
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Re: British Anzani Down Under

Post by Charles uk »

I ultrasonic pistons when they're in a bit of a state like yours, with good results, in white spirit or diesel, just don't let it warm up too much.
Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot.
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AusAnzani
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Re: British Anzani Down Under

Post by AusAnzani »

Beautiful restoration.

Small world too aye. I was talking with Grant in SA about your decal the other day! Nice to see it on your beautifully restored Pilot.

She's definitely not a '65 though. Early 50's I'd say with the single transom clamp and that decal arrangement.

By the mid 50's the decal was a single wing on either side of the tank with the Pilot name. Late 50's double transom clamp and a more rectangular decal with the British flag and Pilot name on each side of the tank. This is also when we started to see painted legs and mid-sections.

Suspect she may have had an ignition swap at some stage, but who care, she looks great!

Regards,
Spiro
www.vintageoutboardsaustralia.blogspot.com
ibakos
Posts: 11
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2017 6:24 am
Location: Melbourne Australia

Re: British Anzani Down Under

Post by ibakos »

Small world it is when you're interested in small, old outboards. Thanks for adding that detail, sounds like you know a lot about Anzani, up until now I've only specialised in Seagulls, so these are new to me. Pity they didn't have some reasoning to their serial numbers, would have made life easier for everybody.

I have to say, different aspects of the engine did have me scratching my head. The Amal carb didn't line up with the owners manual everyone refers to online dated 1965. Hex screws holding the big end cap looked later than 1950's but I'm not an expert with fasteners. The whole package certainly looks a lot more refined and newer than similar vintage Seagulls.

I think the decals are about right based on very similar looking engines I found pictures of online. Only the cast lag vs. tube had me a bit confused. Tank shapes changed quite a bit through time as well.

Anyway, it was all in good enough condition to restore. Once the weather gets better I'll give it a run on my little Fazackerley
Gabriella alongside Eva.jpg
Any clues as to points and plug gaps on the 1950's model?
Last edited by ibakos on Sat Aug 24, 2019 7:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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AusAnzani
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Re: British Anzani Down Under

Post by AusAnzani »

The dates advised above are based on what I've been told by others on here only and could be well off the mark. I have not attempted to verify through adverts, but that shouldn't be too difficult to do as there is a lot of Anzani advert information on the public domain.

From my own observations, the earliest Pilot outboards had a drive/exhaust tube instead of a full castings. These are the models that comprised the decal of the style applied to your pilot outboard. Below image was posted in these forums by another SOS member.
Pilot.jpg
The second type I am aware of comprised a cast drive/exhaust tube and a single transom clamp. The decal was a single wing with the Pilot name on either side of the tank. Sorry, i don't have a image of a completed Pilot with this decal on file.
IMG_1364.PNG
IMG_1361.JPG
The third type were essentially the same as the second. These comprised a double transom clamp assembly and decal with the British flag and Pilot name on either side of the tank and may well have been sold into the mid 60's. I believe these were the first to be fitted with the Bing carbureter that is referenced in the Pilot manuals downloadable from the net. The midsection and lower unit were also painted.
AP1.jpg
As said above, I've not attempted to verify the year range for each variation but may start looking in to that.

My focus is primarily Vintage Australian Outboards.

Regards,
Spiro
www.vintageoutboardsaustralia.blogspot.com
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AusAnzani
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Re: British Anzani Down Under

Post by AusAnzani »

Here are some dated Anzani Outboard Advertisements that show the different variations of the Pilot. They also address the errors in my earlier posts.

1951 - With Drive/Exhaust Tube, Single Transom Clamp, Gen 1 Decal
Anzani Pilot October 1951.jpg
1957 With Cast Mid-Section, Single Transom Clamp, Gen 2 Decal
Anzani Pilot 1957.jpg
1961- With Cast Mid-Section, Double Transom Clamp, Gen 2 Decal
Anzani Pilot 1961.jpg
Anzani Pilot 1961.jpg (26.71 KiB) Viewed 3419 times
1967 - With Cast and Painted Mid-Section, Double Transom Clamp, Gen 3 Decal
Mar%20'67%20anzani%20bikini.JPG
Hope they help.

Regards,
Spiro
www.vintageoutboardsaustralia.blogspot.com
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