Saving Old Seagulls

Hi All-followed advice (thanks H A) and checked the inner exhaust tube-it seems great,then removed head-very clean bore -lots of crud but cleaned up and scraped everything out.Took off Gearbox and bolted back on the head and the carb and test fired the motor-noisy success! The gearbox has been a problem with a seized drive shaft / pinion and frozen selectors and internal rust and grainy grit (no sign of oil) but two days of heating and immersion in diesel etc (see HELP) has achieved results.

The Kingfisher block is a very different beast to the 'normal ' Seagull block,the rust appears flakier and more pervasive and the head is a pattern of waterways-I wonder if these Blocks will last in the same way as the traditional item has lasted. Thanks to all for advice.W

Great news!! So now with patience you can go on. Good cleaning of the water jacket and check the con rod bearings as well as for tiny bits of metal under the piston.

Did you find out if you have a steel or a aluminum con rod? You can check that from the carb inlet while you turn the flywheel a little.

Its a bit like his little sis... Curlew.

These are lovely Seagulls as are all members of the QUB range, well worth the extra effort to bring them back to perfect, very economical & powerfull for their cubic capacity.

To make your Kingfisher reliable it would pay you to completly strip your FNR gearbox & rebuild it properly.

Things that must be checked before use,

Water delivery tube has no splits.

Inner exhaust is not badly corroded where it's welded to the flange & the water return to the exhaust is clear.

No signs of heat distress around conrod bigend.

Head gasket face on cylinder is suitable for purpose, & cylinder head waterways are clear.

Fuel pump if present has good diaphram.

Fuel tank doesn't leak.

All gearbox oil seals are in good condition if you plan on using 80 weight oil, if not use 140 weight.

The casting that carries the detent that holds it in gear, is not terminal.

These gearboxes will shed teeth, check for smooth turning/meshing of gears.

It's cheaper to buy a good used FNR box than to rebuild a tired one.


Most owners who own QUB's have several, one is never enough!

Hi All-several days of work over the Bank holiday w/end have seen much progress-the gearbox is settled up and engaging smoothly,carb stripped and cleaned,fuel pump checked,exhaust etc ok.The only part to be replaced is the fuel connector the fits in to the Amal 420 - it has a multiplicity of tiny splits and sprays fuel everywhere with real force-there is none of the usual Seagull drip drip here.Obviously the Diaphragm in the pump is fine - I left it alone.

The Factory paint job was poor -in my opinion-I saw no evidence of a primer/undercoat underneath the flaky black paint which you could scrape off with a finger nail -even from areas that were not dripped on when this motor was stored.After much sanding and wire brushing I primed everything with an Aluminium Primer using the domestic oven as a 'low bake' facility (herself was not present) and Hammerite smooth in black Gloss and Silver provided the finish coats.I have more to do -I don't like the rubber carb lines and the clips that secure them are not great.

Tested in a barrel ,the motor started 2nd pull and pumps water with surprising force.Also initially at least this king fisher is very much quieter that its Century cousins-I have to get this engine out on the lake for a proper test-fingers crossed!

Thanks to all for great advice

incidently -I didn't paint the exhaust tube -just a wipe over with solvent-this engine has had little real use before.

Looking good, did you replace the stickers or work round them?

I find the paint technology used on QB engines a bit pathetic, also it is a little ironic as I have been told that Sunbeam was bought by ICI primarily for their paint technology.


H-A

Nice job, well done!!!
If you choose to paint the exhaust use only a heatproof paint that will withstand 600C or more. That's what I do when I need to paint an exhaust and it lasts.

Could you post a video with the engine working?

Hi Gents-I decided to work around the stickers-I was going to try and ease them off with a hairdryer or whatever but thought better of it-If I messed it up I doubt that they'd be available anywhere.I'll try to upload a vid in the future but for now I'm going to keep away from it and let the paint cure properly.Fuel and fresh Hammerite don't mix I have found to my cost in the past.A question -Stelios asks about the conrod -I've checked and it appears to be Aluminum,am I correct in assuming that I have the traditional Bearings and no the needle roller problematic ones ? regards Weddigen

Great work. You done a good job on that one. And would it be possible to post up a short vid of it running.. Cheers

Sure looks sharp. Good call on letting the paint cure. a month aint too long.