Member postings for John Parry 4

Thanks Jason B, yes, mine is the standard 3 stud, non camlock version. Looking again at the general information booklet that I have, the spindle is to BS 4442, so that is what I need to quote when ordering. To mention, the Bultaco motors I work on have a bronze bush in the kickstart assembly. This gear rotates all the time the motor is running. Over the years, with possibly not much in the way of oil changes, or using a wrong oil, I have come across some really worn ones. Normally, I turn a new bush, press in, then ream to final fit. The last one I did, when fitted, wobbled quite a lot. Strange, I always machine the outer diameter first, then the inner diameter, allowing a few thou to use an adjustable reamer to get the final diameter. I assume it is a worn chuck and jaws causing this.

Good morning, and thanks to all for your input. I think to contact Rotagrip will be the answer. I have had th chuck off, a 17 mm spanner was needed for 3 10 X 1.5 flanged nuts holding the chuck on. A long piece of bar tightened in the chuck, soon gave enough leverage to release from the taper. Only a short tapes, quite shallow. To Dave Wootton, find me on Facebook, for any message. I am on several Bultaco motorcycle sites (there is no known cure ) ! Again, many thanks for the advice given. John Parry

Hullo all, I have contacted Myford to get a set of inner and outer jaws for the chuck, or a complete new chuck, but nothing is available, they don’t carry these parts anymore. I would imagine other owners of the 254 S might have had the same problem. Can a backplate be fitted to take an aftermarket chuck ? Any help would be appreciated, thanks, John Parry.

An interesting read of all the above posts, but I am somewhat surprised no one has mentioned Medical equipment. Are we not the place to go to for the latest and best in Hi Tech equipment for hospitals ?

The above is of a lot of interest to me. The clutch centres of the classic motorcycles I enjoy using have 6 6 mm studs to take the springs and adjusting nuts. They are very often all shapes ! with I assume earlier owners just jamming a screwdriver across 2 or 3 when attempting to undo the centre nut. I drill out the weld holding these studs from behind to release them. New ones are made from Allen bolts with the head cut off, then a slight taper ground to enable a die to get started. Not easy, these bolts are tough. Eventually all 6 are at the correct height, so off to a pal 3 minutes up the road to mig weld on the back to lock them securely in place. I have made a dummy mainshaft plus a guide plate to ensure each new stud is exactly vertical, last step is to skin the excess weld to the same level as the original. Slightly off topic, I am sure I read somewhere that although modern car engines use mm threads, some use unc on head hold down studs, on being threaded into the crankcase. Reason given was that there is no mm of suitable size for that particular application. Can anyone comment on that ? Someone is bound to ask, my bikes are 1960’s 70’s Spanish Bultaco’s .

Hi David, as a very satisfied Myford owner that would be my choice. One other aspect no one else has mentioned, the person with the lathe and mill for sale would, I imagine, be happy to look in to help you out if you are a bit stuck on a detail of whatever is being worked on at that particular time. Let’s assume you go the all new route, would he be likely to be along to help ? Sometimes a little thought on the personal angle is worthwhile,at least I think so. Your decision mate !

Hi Jeff,your story reminds me of a local motorcyclist who had a BMW , quite a rarity over here 30 plus years ago. The fact that he always had a pipe in his mouth always made me wonder about the safety aspect , but the amusing bit was that on rainy days, it was always upside down !

Hi all,I bought a new 254S longbed with powered cross feed about 25 years ago when they were first available. Not cheap,but well worth the money & it has made me many parts for my classic bikes. Really well pleased with it.Back in the 1960 / 70's I used to spend a lot of time helping a person who was always making trailers & anything else that could be done in a home workshop. Uncle Jack was his name & if something needed to be fixed it was always, ask Uncle Jack. Anyway,his lathe was an amalgamation of two which came from a German bunker in 1945. I was given jobs to do on it,& learnt a lot at that time. Fast forward a lot of years,after most of the mortgage was paid I could save for my 254s. Final few words,if one becomes available & you are thinking of buying,just get it. A really good piece of kit. John.

Hullo all,I am surprised no one has mentioned that a 15mm is very close to a 5/8 American AF spanner. As I was a mechanic in the 1960/ s 70/ s the British industry had moved to UNF & UNC at that time. At the dealership I was at we were sub agents for Ford & Renault,so having MM spanners as well was normal. The new R8 cars arrived with a nice tool roll with 3 spanners,a plug spanner & a wooden handled screwdriver. Of course the lads soon increased their tool kit with these ! The biggest of the 3 was 14 & 17 in size, with The name Renault on one side. I still have some of these which are used occasionally. Just to mention,just for fun. Can you bend a spanner in your hands ? I can. I have some Stahwille A/F ones. Put one in a vice,push hard,it bends but of course comes back again. Now try that with a Britool or any other. Why ? A superior kind of steel I suppose.

Hullo Roger,it looks like your search is over,but I had in mind a piece of hydraulic ram. If there is a heavy plant repair business in your area it might be worth a visit. Maybe this idea could help another enquirer one day ? Regards,John.

Hullo all,I am really enjoying this roundup of entertaining times past ! In the 1960's as a young mechanic sometimes hubcaps would become loose or squeaky. With a straight face a youngster would be sent to the stores for a replacement Constant Mesh Hubcap. At another main dealer for Rover cars,I was told of a very fussy customer when arriving to collect his car would first walk right around looking at the hubcap. Each one had the trademark Viking ship on & had to be exactly upright. If not,a mechanic was summoned to jack up each wheel to get things correct. Any explanation that one mile down the road they would be completely out of sync was always dismissed as nonsense.Happy days.