2009 Vintage Rally,
6th Sept at the Golden Pheasant, Llwynmawr.
The Sunbeam Shines Again!
WANTED: one Sunbeam project to thrash within an inch of its life!
This was the ad half heartedly put in the VMCC mag about 4 years ago!
A few days later a nice old gent rang me up offering a Model 16 in bits! The history was that it had been used in Southampton, crashed and then stripped to individual parts (yes all of them even the mag was in about 15 bits) and then it was all thrown in a wooden box and put in an attic for 50 years.
No bags or tags just everything thrown in the box...
Initially I found out some history - not much as these are very rare to find now a-days. I only know of about 5 and I even had a gent travel all the way from Australia to fetch a spare crankcase set!
I started off parafining all the parts to see what was what. Bloss and Neale came round to help with their own brand of humor and ridicule! This took most of a weekend, the cleaning not the ridicule, and I started to realize that most parts were actually there.
I then rubbed all the rusted sections with a 50/50 mix of white spirit and black enamel - had to keep Neale away from this as he was sneaking the occasional sip when I wasn't looking. Long story short after a very intensive weekend in which I bust me digital camera by leaving it out in the rain I had the makings of a proper man toy sized mechano set.
No one had manuals so I was on me own.
Fast forward 3 years...
Life being life things took over and a long gap in time appeared though I was steadily finding and making small parts for the bike. Note to self: Please check time before using the small lathe I had in the kitchen as the neighbors were getting ansty! My mate in Oz sent me a brand new chain guard which I had to drag behind my Model 8 Sunbeam in order to get it looking like the rest!
Refurbing the oil pump and building a working mag out of 3 were hard but the hardest job to do was fitting the thrice dammed and poxied progeny from hell mudguards on the bloody thing. The oil pump was solid with rust so I soaked it for about a week in penetrating oils then stole...ermmm borrowed some diamond paste from Neale and ground in the gears of the oil pump very slowly. When all was free I checked clearances and it was still a very close fit. A test spin with a drill and oil pipe spat oil all over my sisters laundry 20 feet away so I determined all was OK in that department!
Fast forward another year...
After a stint in NZ I decided to finish off the bike.
Studs were made (EN 36). Footrests made from old kickstart's cut and welded and angle ground to fit. Broken spokes replaced. And many old contemporary photographs looked over to figure out the oiling pipery.
I tried starting it on my birthday last year and bugger me the engine ran a beauty.
I have managed a few trips on it - notably to last years rally where it totally thrashed and overtook Bloss, Neale and Jack on there much larger bikes.
All in all a very pleasant ride. Work still needed - primarily front brakes but you cant rush these things.
A lovely oily rag bike. I love it and love riding it. What else can be said!
Roberto von Sunbeamhoffen.
PS: I have rang the nice gentleman about the bike and sent him pictures of it running!
PPS Definitely not Phillips prepared!
A few days later a nice old gent rang me up offering a Model 16 in bits! The history was that it had been used in Southampton, crashed and then stripped to individual parts (yes all of them even the mag was in about 15 bits) and then it was all thrown in a wooden box and put in an attic for 50 years.
No bags or tags just everything thrown in the box...
Initially I found out some history - not much as these are very rare to find now a-days. I only know of about 5 and I even had a gent travel all the way from Australia to fetch a spare crankcase set!
I started off parafining all the parts to see what was what. Bloss and Neale came round to help with their own brand of humor and ridicule! This took most of a weekend, the cleaning not the ridicule, and I started to realize that most parts were actually there.
I then rubbed all the rusted sections with a 50/50 mix of white spirit and black enamel - had to keep Neale away from this as he was sneaking the occasional sip when I wasn't looking. Long story short after a very intensive weekend in which I bust me digital camera by leaving it out in the rain I had the makings of a proper man toy sized mechano set.
No one had manuals so I was on me own.
Fast forward 3 years...
Life being life things took over and a long gap in time appeared though I was steadily finding and making small parts for the bike. Note to self: Please check time before using the small lathe I had in the kitchen as the neighbors were getting ansty! My mate in Oz sent me a brand new chain guard which I had to drag behind my Model 8 Sunbeam in order to get it looking like the rest!
Refurbing the oil pump and building a working mag out of 3 were hard but the hardest job to do was fitting the thrice dammed and poxied progeny from hell mudguards on the bloody thing. The oil pump was solid with rust so I soaked it for about a week in penetrating oils then stole...ermmm borrowed some diamond paste from Neale and ground in the gears of the oil pump very slowly. When all was free I checked clearances and it was still a very close fit. A test spin with a drill and oil pipe spat oil all over my sisters laundry 20 feet away so I determined all was OK in that department!
Fast forward another year...
After a stint in NZ I decided to finish off the bike.
Studs were made (EN 36). Footrests made from old kickstart's cut and welded and angle ground to fit. Broken spokes replaced. And many old contemporary photographs looked over to figure out the oiling pipery.
I tried starting it on my birthday last year and bugger me the engine ran a beauty.
I have managed a few trips on it - notably to last years rally where it totally thrashed and overtook Bloss, Neale and Jack on there much larger bikes.
All in all a very pleasant ride. Work still needed - primarily front brakes but you cant rush these things.
A lovely oily rag bike. I love it and love riding it. What else can be said!
Roberto von Sunbeamhoffen.
PS: I have rang the nice gentleman about the bike and sent him pictures of it running!
PPS Definitely not Phillips prepared!
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