Saving Old Seagulls

in the past five or six years I haven’t managed to pick up a barrel, the ones in the photo look good from the flange end but all have badly damages/missing water jackets so I don’t think you have missed the boat, the barrels have simply been unobtainable. I have sadly found myself buying a complete/incomplete/tired motors just for the barrel.

Some would shoot me for saying this but if you fitted some new rings with the correct ring gap and reassembled the motor using the old piston, use the 8:1 recommended oil mix for these motors, I’ve no doubt she would run reasonably well, not perfect but most likely acceptable, after all we are only talking 10 thou either side of the piston. I wouldn’t run her for hours but starting her up from time to time should be ok.....

On the flip side you could always get the piston welded/built up and machined down to size, pistons are easier to find so it’s not the end of the world if it all goes tits up,

I don’t believe this is a lost cause, there are several methods of repair, some better than others.

Sadly replacement barrels are hard to find, don't forget we are playing with 80 plus year old engines and will be lucky to have one that runs.

But never say never, I bought this one a couple of years ago to resurrect an engine that I thought was a no hoper.
They do crop up when an engine has a duff gearbox, Marston register has a wish list. There does come a time where breaking one engine for parts benefits many.

But I do think in your situation Bruce I would go for making a new piston.

Interesting subject, firstly re the piston, could it be that the same pistons were fitted to other villiers engines? Such as stationary, lawnmower etc? Worth checking?

I’ve been thinking about the issue of cylinders, could an option be to cast an aluminium blank, Then machine the bore to create waterways and then fit a liner?

Both my mallard engines have that arrangement.

Not pretty, dead 78cc barrels

Not to mention

And then onto my current project and still undecided on what to do...

Bruce when these motors left the factory I can assure you the cylinder fitted the crankcase perfectly!

It either got broken or the parts got shuffled up, if you send me good pictures, in privately or in public I might be able to tell you where your problem lies.

Is this worth looking at Bruce? oversize to standard diameter, and looks similar. Could it be the same, or a ver similar piston, that could be machined to make it fit?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/125723892288 ... R5S0yryDYw