S1g 579 #1 Posted June 4, 2015 Whilst I'm soaking the Beaver II in freeing oil I thought I'd make some progress with the Solite. All the bolt on parts have now been overhauled, unfortunately some haven't come up quite as nice as I would of liked, however they are not too bad and will surfice until better replacements turn up, which may be some time as Parts for the G400 Honda seem to be very hard to locate, not suprising really though as it was discontinued 30 years ago. Just waiting on a decal for the air shroud. Now that the head is off the bore can be seen to be in very good condition, just a little glazed. I would say this machine has done very little work in its life. 1 Anglo Traction reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stormin 4,458 #2 Posted June 4, 2015 You've made a superb job of that tank. Wish I could paint like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #3 Posted June 5, 2015 You've made a superb job of that tank. Wish I could paint like that. Thankyou for the compliment, however there is a couple of ripples left in it. For painting it I just used a can of vw alpine white from halfords, I wouldn't say there was anything better to the finish to what you archived with your wheel horse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #4 Posted June 6, 2015 Extracted the engine from the frame today, the one av rubber snaped, but apart from that it lifted out fairly easily, just very heavy for its size of 10 hp. I also removed the oil cooler in the hope that I would find a date on it, unfortunately the label has gone awol. Jcb didn't bother replying to my request for information on the year of my machines, but reading the serial number Ive come to the conclusion its probably from 1983.- Older than my wife! Under the oil cooler housing I found yet more confirmation that this machine is supposed to be yellow. Unfortunatley the exhaust is rotten on the bottom, does anyone have a spare please? Also does anyone have any thoughts on how I can clean the aluminium up on the block as its very corroded. 1 nigel reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anglo Traction 1,016 #5 Posted June 6, 2015 As Norm says, great job on the Tank Gareth and good progress !. Can't help with the rotten Exhaust and the Crank Case cleaning has no real 'Short Cut'. My effort on the 72 Genset project was all elbow grease with various grades of Wet or Dry with a 'T' Cut polish, but perhaps was not in as Bad-a-Condition as yours. To get the powdery white corrosion and dirt off, maybe use the green scouring pads with some Stainless Steel sink (cream) Cleaner mixed with washing up liquid ( Don't leave it on too long as it will stain the Alloy). Old Toothbrushes help to get into the awkward areas and rinse off with more soapy water. 1 S1g reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #6 Posted June 7, 2015 As Norm says, great job on the Tank Gareth and good progress !. Can't help with the rotten Exhaust and the Crank Case cleaning has no real 'Short Cut'. My effort on the 72 Genset project was all elbow grease with various grades of Wet or Dry with a 'T' Cut polish, but perhaps was not in as Bad-a-Condition as yours. To get the powdery white corrosion and dirt off, maybe use the green scouring pads with some Stainless Steel sink (cream) Cleaner mixed with washing up liquid ( Don't leave it on too long as it will stain the Alloy). Old Toothbrushes help to get into the awkward areas and rinse off with more soapy water. Thanks for the advice Richard, I will have to give it a go. I've managed now to source a motorcycle battery that fits into the housing on the frame,- most were either too big or too small, when it arrives I will sort the wiring out and test the starter motor out, if it doesn't work I've got two options, new ones are avaliable for a bit over a £100 or my preferred route is to see if I can strip and overhaul it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anglo Traction 1,016 #7 Posted June 7, 2015 Hello Gareth, I don't know if your aware, but some of those Halfords Car Spray paints are not fuel proof. I would hate for you to see your perfectly finished Fuel Tank ruined by a spillage. Will be well worth testing on a spare panel piece. If it is not resistant, then use some of their Fuel Proof Lacquer to seal it and the Decals like I did on my ATCO Tank. If you are aware, then forgive my assumption of doubt. Regards. Richard. 1 S1g reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #8 Posted June 7, 2015 Hello Gareth, I don't know if your aware, but some of those Halfords Car Spray paints are not fuel proof. I would hate for you to see your perfectly finished Fuel Tank ruined by a spillage. Will be well worth testing on a spare panel piece. If it is not resistant, then use some of their Fuel Proof Lacquer to seal it and the Decals like I did on my ATCO Tank. If you are aware, then forgive my assumption of doubt. Regards. Richard. Hi Richard, thankyou for raising the matter, I think this colour is ok after a few weeks to set, however I will test an out of sight bit before I fuel the engine just to make sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #9 Posted June 7, 2015 Tried to remove the exhaust today, why is there allways one nut that won't come undone? At least it's the top one so I should be able to get the grinder in and split it off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #10 Posted June 8, 2015 Ever had one of those days when you wish you'd stayed in bed?I got to work just gone 6 am this morning. First thing to go wrong is that in the past some pillock had forced the wrong nut onto the end of the crank holding the flywheel on, therefore when I removed it, most of the crank came with it, result? New crankshaft is now needed. I thought I'd test the starter motor out, but apart from the solenoid it's totally dead. Next I started to remove the pulley off the drive end of the crank, it's moved about an inch but even after plenty of heat applied it still refuses to budge anymore. I also noticed that the cooling fins on the flywheel are broken in places. Now the search is on for another g400 that uses the same crank as new ones are obsolete. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stormin 4,458 #11 Posted June 8, 2015 That's not good. Hope you find another engine. 1 S1g reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #12 Posted June 9, 2015 That's not good. Hope you find another engine. I've managed to get a lead on a recoil only start engine, will have to see if I can agree a price and if it will have the same crank in it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anglo Traction 1,016 #13 Posted June 9, 2015 I think I know where your at with the frustrations of finding problems on a project, whether they are 'Bodges' or 'Let Downs'. Must be like searching for Needle in a Haystack if you have no Model/Spec to work to. Lets hope one surfaces for you. 1 S1g reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #14 Posted June 9, 2015 I think I know where your at with the frustrations of finding problems on a project, whether they are 'Bodges' or 'Let Downs'. Must be like searching for Needle in a Haystack if you have no Model/Spec to work to. Lets hope one surfaces for you. I've got a lot of contacts in the trade, however like me most of them threw away engines like this many years ago as they were just old worthless junk. I'm sure I'll turn one up eventually, it's just very frustrating that it could of been avoided if somebody had only thought through their actions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #15 Posted June 11, 2015 Managed to get a couple of shots of the chewed up crank, also have now received the gasket set ( only non genuine was available) and the battery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stormin 4,458 #16 Posted June 11, 2015 That crank is well chewed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #17 Posted June 12, 2015 Well the decals are ready, even if the engine isn't. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #18 Posted June 25, 2015 Ive been slowly plodding on with the chasis of this unit. Due to the rheumatism in my hands I can only use the grinder for a few minutes at a time, but am slowly getting there. On stripping the hydraulics off it ive found yet more proof it used to be yellow and ive also found that the pump is dated 1983, so this ties in with the serial number. I still haven't got hold of a replacement engine, but this very nice brochure turned up from Australia. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #19 Posted July 4, 2015 Finally! After nearly a month of searching the country Ive managed to purchase another identical engine off ebay. The best news is the starter works perfect and the exhaust is much better than what Ive got. I had to pay strong money for it but it ticks over so smoothly. 2 Stormin and nigel reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stormin 4,458 #20 Posted July 5, 2015 Well done. You'll soon have that tidied up. 1 S1g reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anglo Traction 1,016 #21 Posted July 6, 2015 Good news on finding one (and a decent one at that) so quick !. Always a bonus to find better parts on it than what you have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #22 Posted July 6, 2015 Good news on finding one (and a decent one at that) so quick !. Always a bonus to find better parts on it than what you have.I was quite relived to turn one up as I can't believe how near extinct the earlier Hondas have become. It was only a couple of years ago that I was throwing engines like this in the skip, guess everyone else must of done the same, hence why I couldn't find one.I've allready stripped all the outer parts off in readiness to clean the crankcase up, surprise surprise though that the pulley is seized to the crank. To be honest the working starter was what motivated me to bid on this engine as mine was beyond repair. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
S1g 579 #23 Posted July 7, 2015 Managed to make a bit of progress with the engine.Still a long way to go with the rest of the pack. 2 nigel and Stormin reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stormin 4,458 #24 Posted July 7, 2015 You've not wasted any time. Looking good. 1 S1g reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nigel 1,877 #25 Posted July 8, 2015 looks better than new gareth 1 S1g reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites