STEP -BY STEP
Universal stripdown
1 Start at the top. First job was to remove the cylinder head. After standing so long, I expected the bore to be rusted solid, but thankfully the spark plug was still fitted.
2 In fact the head came off easily and the bore looked remarkably good... but with the exhaust and base nuts removed, the cylinder didn’t seem to want to come off.
3 After removing the cover, we tried to turn the crank with the nut of the brass flywheel, but that was solid too. Rather than struggle, we decided to remove the engine.
4 The problem was clear: a missing carb top and slide had let water follow the fuel-path into the crankcase, corroding the piston on the way. This could be difficult...
5 Better news with the primary drive; apart from a rusty chain everything here looks pretty good. The clutch holder tool isn’t essential, but helps undo the clutch centre nut.
6 The surface rust on the clutch will clean off, but we may need new corks. I’ve had a boxful since the ’80s – I knew they’d come in handy one day!
7 With nuts removed, the inner primary case lifts off over the engine sprocket and reveals just how much dirt a Villiers engine can hide. Now the gearbox can come off.
8 Villiers’ hammer-tight spanner, for shock-tightening/undoing. Once slack, keep going and when the nut tightens again, carry on and it will pull the flywheel off.
9 Lewis removed the four nuts that secure the ‘semi-unit construction’ (ie bolted together but still separate entities) gearbox to the crankcase.
10 The Villiers three-speed gearbox looks perfect inside despite having spent a long time outdoors. These gearboxes are very solid, rarely giving trouble.
11 The engine sprocket is on a parallel shaft, not a taper, so should draw off easily. We used a puller, but there are threaded holes for a proper extractor.
12 The barrel still wouldn’t budge, so after removing the crankcase fixings we took out the cylinder base studs. We could then split the cases without the need to remove the barrel.
13 Before trying to press the piston free, Lewis cleaned the barrel with a wire wheel. Then we set it up in the press with the crank dangling beneath.
14 It took some heaving, but the piston emerged without further damage. Pressing is gentler than hammering and we might actually be able to save these.
15 The generator plate screws were seized; two had to be drilled out. The water hadn’t done the big-end much good either – we’ll need a new one...
16 Or will we? With oil, it freed. On past experience, I say let’s try it as it is; it’ll save Lewis a lot of cash and if it rattles it’s not hard to strip again.
17 Stuck tight with corrosion, the main bearings were removed with a bearing splitter and tyre levers. We’ll renew these and the seals, of course.
18 A quick bore hone and gentle wirewheeling of the (standard bore) piston and I reckon we might get away with just a new set of piston rings.
19 The chassis looked like a big headache, but incredibly everything came apart remarkably easily. We used a bit of heat here and there to preserve original nuts and bolts.
20 Both front and rear suspension is capped with Mazak alloy retainers. These crumble easily but a few squirts of diesel and they yielded easily.
21 One of the fork top caps was missing and the internal threaded rod was a worry, but it all came apart. The Motorcycling Gods are with us...
22 The fork oil (rainwater) was a bit thinner grade than usual, but the corrosion inside is no worse than if it had been outside for months, not decades.
23 Lack of a fuel cap has allowed water to drastically rust the tank and hole the base, but it should be possible to make a new base and braze it in.
24 Owners of lightweights tended to ignore maintenance, especially lubrication, but this bike’s plunger units are still well greased, with little wear.
25 We still need rims/spokes, speedo, headlight shell, mudguards, a footrest and Lewis has much wire brushing to do, not bad considering how it looked!
26 A broken speedo glass concealed the mileage, dismantled it looks to be 3153. We don’t believe it, but Lewis is definitely aiming to add to it.