Saving Old Seagulls

Hi china's wishing you all a prosperous 2019 onwards and upwards as they say through the west I'm now thinking it's time to make a start on this old 102 to which with your expertise shouldn't be to hard before I start I'd rather make sure I have all if any required parts if needed so all comments welcome I've ditched the transom for a hopefully more suitable one and started with a quick bath in petrol it's amazing how most of the paint just falls of here's hoping you guy's put me on the right path for a complete restoration .

A couple more

Great pics , nice motor . I'm wondering about the hose clips holding the tank , I've seen them on a few motors , would they have been the original standard fitment ?

All the best

John

I'm thinking tank straps are original but I'm hoping the experts will put me on the right path...to a full resto.

Looking on my phone it all looks original. Unless you have a side mount or dutch bracket all the others are at your choice. Having the height adjustor still there is a good sign. Worm drive tank strap correct. Unusual that you have a non brass air trumpet but likely to be correct to match coolie hat. Rusty driveshafts are growing on me ha ha.

Why not just keep it the way it is. Try an oily rag approach.
Once you've removed all that green paint then it's gone for good. That green paint that's left even if it is a bit sorry looking tells part of the story behind this motor. Even the rust on the shaft and perhaps the outside of the tank could almost be "pickled" to prevent it from getting any worse as long as the inside of the tank isn't horribly rusted you might find it works out really well after it's been flushed out with whatever you choose for that.

Obviously go through the motor to make sure it's mechanically sound and that it will run without blowing itself to bits. With every component being period correct too i think makes for a more pleasing aesthetic also.
Shiny is good and i have a few gulls like that, but sometimes a more sympathetic approach might work out better.
They are only original once in their lives but i'm sure you will make the right decision Tam.
Look forward to seeing the progress.


What gets my juices flowing is the early A series in the background
I have an AC in a similarly "petrified" state, but fully functioning and runs strong. Fully loaded with patina too. It just gets wiped down with an oily rag every time i use it along with plenty of wd40 sprayed into all the nooks and crannies. I'm loathed to do anything else with it apart from try to preserve it the way it is.
Preservation over restoration would be my direction Tam, but as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.



Certainly a bit different to your preferred choice of seagull Tam as i always had you down as an FVP guy, but still an interesting gull to get stuck into all the same.


Just had a closer look at the crankcases. I'm not sure but i think it might have had a replacement set of cases. Just looks a bit goofy to me.
What do you think?

Im with Jon about keeping it original. Just noticed... is that a crack in the block above the carb by one of the barrel studs??

Thanks for the input china's my interpretation of full resto was that I'd like to return it back to how it once was i.e all green parts back to green I think it merits that much
HUGO the guru not much chance of getting an original transom so thought that one should be the nearest to it (unless I source a skeletal one).thanks for your feedback also.
BWAB correct answer FV-FVP,s I adore at this monent it's easier to get an old 102 than an FV/FVP. I agree with you on your comments regarding leave it be as above my interpretation was wrong how did you manage to spot the wee AD parked next to it. yous lot are good .
JACOB no cracks on water jacket but will admit I had to do a double take when I first looked at it (flaking paint) so I only intend to lift it one more time and that will be to the bottom of the garden after I spray it with spray grease untill i decide what avenue to go down.thanks again for info p.s WHO's JON..

Aye fair enough Tam, keep us posted on it. Glad its no a crack just looked like it in the photo.

Who's Jon?
Actually i'm a Jonathan but i prefer Jon for short just cos it's easier and besides not many folks can actually spell my name properly anyway so Jon works for everybody. Simples



That's me

Nice find Tam, look forward to seeing your factory resto. I have an SD myself and am still unsure as to how to proceed. All I. Reasonably good condition except for the drive tube which is heavily corroded.

Question for the SD guru's. Were they all painted green? Mine had no signs of green paint however there are numerous scratches particularly in the gearbox and water-pump housings that may imply paint has been scraped off at some stage.

What's the consensus? We're all SD's painted or not?

Regards
S

We know some were painted green, generally in army service. However we don’t know if all the engines delivered actually went into service.

Thanks Adrian,

Once I get access to a computer again I'll have a look at Hugo's register. That may guide me further.

Regards
Spiro