Darmic1

Cheers Chris, I'll bear that in mind if Pauls search doesnt turn one up!

Getting on with this one, despite the weather!

Sorry, yes Gareth.... your right. Not sure why I keep refering to it as a 2A...... Mean 2 stroke!!!! Not been to bed yet...... since Tuesday at 9am.... so 39 hours..... awake! Hanging!!!

Cheers Paul! Looks like this...... (think this might even be yours?) I'm after the silver recoil bit, plus whatever is inside???

Mine looks a little different to that one........

Would anyone have a spare JAP 2 stroke recoil starter housing they might be willing to part with? It's the little 2 stroke engine fitted to the Landmaster Gardenmaster 34....... I have the air shroud, just the starter and recoil mechanism is missing! PM me please...... Thanks!

Not sure about the electric module? However, Meetens can supply all the missing bits to put the JAP back to working condition...... Points, Condensor, Stator plate and all the missing nuts, bolts and screws, oh and a new spark plug! Not cheap though I might add! Should be here early next week......

I then got distracted by the freebie bought home from work this morning...... It's a Landmaster Gardenmaster 34...... Fuel tank and carb were full of water, so I took it all apart and cleaned everything, reassembled with newly made gaskets, added some fuel and found no spark? Further investigation revealed the points were AWOL!!!

Soldered the pin holes in the spare fuel tank today, sanded it back and reprimed with the etch, its now ready for the sealant.....

I'm not totally without a project Gareth, some tinkering will be done! I have the original sieve...... I mean fuel tank to repair. It has been sat in a bucket of rust eating acid for 3 days, now rinsed and drying in the airing cupboard....... I'm going to solder the pin holes and then use a proprietry brand of fuel tank sealer to fix it........ (The black dots are pin holes) all 13 of them! Also, a chap from work asked me yesterday if my cars boot was empty? Further enquiries revealed he has a Landmaster Rotavator to donate....... Not sure of the model, but I believe it to be a JAP powered 2 stroke machine? Plans for this are to get it running and move it on to a new home!

Am now at the point where I can't really do much more for the time being....... Parts are at the shot blasters and gearbox ready for new bushes once machined...... So todays little job was to cut some metal away from the spacer plate, to allow both the air shroud and the back plate for the chain drive some clearance space....... Once cut I gave it a coat of paint........

There were a couple of small dents which I have filled and then etch primed the tank. Its been bush painted with the same enamel used on the rest of this machine. However as enamels are not fuel resistant, I have a 1k clear spray can which is fuel resistant that I am going to use, once the tank is completely dry and cured.

Your cracking on with this one Gareth!

Also made the spacer plate to lift the engine 8mm, this together with the 2mm clearance should give me about 10mm total and allow the new tyres enough room not to foul the engine air shroud!

New bushes arrived today, just need to get the shaft trued and the bushes id turned down a bit to fit the shaft and it can all go back together.........

Another update!!! I am having some if these springs remanufactured...... They are the ratchet pawl springs and are fitted to the large ploughing wheels. If anyone has a Farmers Boy light tractor and require new springs then get in touch as I will have some spares!!!

Hi Richard, I have wondered about the hardness of the shaft itself.....? But...... then looking at the wear, I don't think it's got/had any hardness to it as a file removes some of the material with ease! My dad informs me that suprisingly, bronze will wear a steel shaft despite it being a softer material!!!

That is a shame!!!

I took all the remaining parts to the shot blasters today..... Wheels were dismantled, cleats removed and straightened. The handlebars and remaining frame parts were also dropped off. Not sure when I will get them back though as his workshop had about 5 or 6 vintage bike frames and sets of wheels there, along with a whole inner wing and front bulkhead to a Willy's Jeep, the tunnel and floor and the rear bed section! there were also various alloy wheels and new massive hydraulic pump sections all awaiting his expert attention!

The fuel tank is in a pretty sorry state Gareth..... The cap area is pushed down at an angle and yesterday I discovered it has a new use....... Sieve! I might have a look and see if its salvageable at a later date and anyways I have the tank that you sent me, I've got that stripped and in etch primer, just needs painting! The air shroud is at the shot blasters and has a liberal coat of red oxide and a later darker green on top of the original paint!

The mystery deepens about the date of this machine........ If it's fitted with the original engine, and I have no reason to suspect it's not because the original paint is matching around the sump and where the engine bolts to the frame. Having checked the flywheel this evening it is dated either 49 or 51, the flywheel has both numbers stamped onto it......? I'm doubting the M49 number as according to The 70yrs of GM, the Series 2 Farmers Boy tractor didn't exist. However 51 is closest to the flywheel nut as Gareth suggested and M49 circled and stamped onto the face of one of the 'arms' of the flywheel. If it's 1951, it ties in with the MK12 engine being fitted to the light tractor, BUT 1951 was the 1st year the Series 2 was launched and with a machine number of M4694, it would suggest they made a lot of machines in that year! Unless of course the Series 2 machines carried on from the Series 1 machines........ Oh, if only the factory records were still in existence!!! I've decided....... It's 1951!!!

Cheers Gareth......... I'll have a look tomorrow..........

Have also stripped all the old paint off the gearbox and found the brass I.D tag under all the paint......... M4694! I have no idea how many were made and exactly how old this one is??? The engine, if it's original, has a brass flywheel.......... I couldn't see any numbers on it, but then I didn't look too hard?

Here's the gearbox and the drive shaft, showing the 'wear' to the bronze and the actual shaft. One side has virtually worn right through the bronze......

It wont be getting sprayed at that price! I'm going wait until Jim has had a look at it, I think it will be trued and have bushes made to fit...... The shaft itself has a 6" chain gear just off centre on the shaft, with a woodruff key cut either end and a locating dowl hole each end too, so quite a lot of 'lathe' work involved!!!