Forty+ Wonky flywheel.
Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 11:01 am
Hi Guys,
hello from one of the home towns of Seagulls!
On a whim bought a 1964 Forty+ (SJP1627G4), all Villiers, from fleabay. Looked pretty much together, not seized (50% OK), reasonable feeling compression (70% OK). Paid the monies. Checked for spark, all good on an 8 com plug (90%OK!) Nice clean black piston crown, bore looks OK through the plughole, what could possibly go wrong??
Points looked good, gapped OK but thought I would pop the flywheel anyways. After soaking with WD and some Plussgas, twonked the nut a few times but nothing doing, from distant memory I don't remember hitting the nut that hard so didn't want to over do it. I then noticed that the flywheel isn't running true, using the back plate as a reference the flywheel raises and falls about 4mm through a revolution. There is a suspicious burr on the underside of the flywheel as if someone has whacked the flywheel from the bottom.
Potentially looking at:
Bent crank?
Flywheel not square on taper?
Mangled Flywheel?
What to do next:
1. Keep soaking flywheel and "gentle" twonking the nut for further inspection
2. Heat & Beat the flywheel off and convert to WIPAC (assuming flywheel doesn't survive H&B)
3. Assume the crank is bent and get a replacement
OR
4. Start the thing up and stand back!!!
OR
5. Polish it up and stick it on a shelf
Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
hello from one of the home towns of Seagulls!
On a whim bought a 1964 Forty+ (SJP1627G4), all Villiers, from fleabay. Looked pretty much together, not seized (50% OK), reasonable feeling compression (70% OK). Paid the monies. Checked for spark, all good on an 8 com plug (90%OK!) Nice clean black piston crown, bore looks OK through the plughole, what could possibly go wrong??

Points looked good, gapped OK but thought I would pop the flywheel anyways. After soaking with WD and some Plussgas, twonked the nut a few times but nothing doing, from distant memory I don't remember hitting the nut that hard so didn't want to over do it. I then noticed that the flywheel isn't running true, using the back plate as a reference the flywheel raises and falls about 4mm through a revolution. There is a suspicious burr on the underside of the flywheel as if someone has whacked the flywheel from the bottom.
Potentially looking at:
Bent crank?
Flywheel not square on taper?
Mangled Flywheel?
What to do next:
1. Keep soaking flywheel and "gentle" twonking the nut for further inspection
2. Heat & Beat the flywheel off and convert to WIPAC (assuming flywheel doesn't survive H&B)
3. Assume the crank is bent and get a replacement
OR
4. Start the thing up and stand back!!!
OR
5. Polish it up and stick it on a shelf


Any thoughts greatly appreciated!