Saving Old Seagulls

Hello,

Can someone please explain :
I own a British Seagull, engine number WPCL 1474 FF 5

According to the table(s) WPCL were produced between 1967 and 1973, yet the suffix FF 5 would indicate it as build in June 1975 ?

Do I make a mistake reading the tables,
or was B.S. still building these engine in 1975 ?

Thanks!

British Seagull were a bit lax on stamping the serials - let's establish what it is first.

Is it a long shaft model ( The 'L') ?

Is it a Century ?

Is it a Silver Century (Has it an Amal Carburettor or a Villiers one)?

It is a longshaft, with bronze-coloured flywheel, Villiers carb, clutch and five-blade prop.
The seller told me it was bought new by his late brother-in-law,
after who's death he inherited it and used it a few times,
then stored in the shed for a number of years.
He was selling it 'because he doesn't like boating'.
His initial idea was to dump it in the scrapyard . . .

Spark plug cap is damaged, throttle cable broken, no spark (yet)
Cosmetically in 'good' condition.
I was told it had only been used on the Maas (Holland) hence not a lot of corrosion.

Drove 350 Miles to collect, bought it for tuppence . . .

Well that certaily is a WPCL. I would have described its condition as excellent rather than just good!

I have consulted my friend, who worked for the factory for over 40 years, on the matter of your serial number. It's quite true that they stopped making the Villiers Centuries in 1973 - the supply of that cylinder block had stopped.

We are left with two possibilities:

Either, a batch was made up for export using Villiers type blocks. They occasionally did this sort of thing - using up spares to fill an order for a dealer. There was even a small batch of electronic ignition 102 models.

OR the chap who was stamping the numbers picked up a 5 instead of a 3. I am given to understand that the man in question was quite prone to this sort of thing..

Good luck with your rather nice motor - I'm sure the throttle cable will give you no trouble - John can most probably supply you with a replacement. The magneto may respond favourably to a couple of minutes spinning with an electric drill, details on the main web site.

Talking about a prompt reply !
Thank you very much for this explanation.

I bought the motor in Holland, so perhaps it was a special order for the Dutch importer?
I thought 1474 was a 'low' number for a (very) late example?

Meanwhile I have been busy giving the old girl a cleanup,
and after a thorough massage with plenty of polish she turns out a sparkling beauty.

That reminds me of the initial ignition problem:
There came no starter-rope with the motor,
so I had to improvise with a piece of nylon.

While holding the motor and the HT-lead in one hand,
I gave it a mild swing, and got a decent shock in return...

Ah, that brought back 'sweet' memories of over 35 years ago,
when I was tampering with my sister's moped for the first time

The spark is very bright, at least 10mm wide at 'near zero' RPM.
So 'no problemo' there.

Both petroltank and carb are very clean inside and the whole engine was covered with sticky oil,
so I'd say the previous owner did a pretty good conservation job.

Did I mention the Seagull came with an (original?) 'spanner'tool and brand new spare prop spring?

Seems those 600 Km were well worth the drive . . .


PS: the needle in the Villiers is a "number 3",
meaning not converted to 25:1 mix
I have given the securing screw 3 turns form level,
as written in the SOS FAQs to change the mixing ratio
I was thinking of mixing 0.5 L of marine 2 stroke oil
with 9.5 L of EURO 95, i.e. a 19 : 1 mix
That would be very convenient for my 10 L cannister,
but would it be OK for the Seagull, or should I stick to 10 : 1 ?

BTW: A handy 'magnifying glass' for older eyes is a webcam:

I am one of those who don't bother too much about converting to 25:1, I'm happy at 10:1. But if you can run at a mixture with less oil, there's no real reason why you shouln't. The bearings will happily stand it, and if it runs ok, then fine.