Although my 2 3/4HP restoration basket case looks to have the correct early Amac carb (notice it has a clamp style fixing to the inlet manifold, which I think is correct for a 'teens 2 3/4), it's float chamber had been fitted with a later Amal small diameter float chamber cap. Therefore, for the last month or so I had been keeping a careful vigil on ebay. Added to this, my own Amac carb float chamber was missing the internal float and float needle.
About 3 weeks ago I spotted a very nice condition Amac float chamber and was (as normal) sat there poised in the last 10 seconds of the auction and was successful in winning it. When it arrived I was over the moon - as it was in even better condition than the ebay photos indicated. However, once out in the workshop, the situation did not look so rosy - the float chamber was slightly bigger than the Douglas version, the cap would not fit, the float would not fit in and the mount to the main carb was different - with the original Douglas type having a flange and an internal taper that the bigger float chamber did not have!
Just goes to show how easy it is to get caught out . . . I though it looked pretty close in the photos, shows what I know!
Anyway, as it was so nice, initially I thought I might do my normal bit - and make it fit! (i.e. machine the mounting to fit the earlier carb) - but within a day or so I found myself running my normal search trawl's on Ebay and was very surprised to within a week or so find the float chamber you see in the accompanying photos. There was not too much interest until the last few seconds (that's not unusual though on ebay) - but as a coincidence I ended up in small last seconds battle and paid almost exactly the same amount as the other one. However, in this case I seem to have got it right - as this one is the same type as my original - but has a complete and good condition Amac floatchamber top and tickler, as well as the float and float needle inside.
Again, on arrival it was a quick visit to the workshop, but this time I was not disappointed and it is a perfect fit.
Although a little bit wiser (or as Churchill would have said - not wiser, but better informed!) I am not disappointed by having paid twice the amount I intended - I have learnt a bit from it . . . and my spare engine is fitted with a later small bore Amal. As I was considering for the future working out how to turn this SV into a replica of the first pre-Kaiser OHV, a slightly bigger Amac may be a consideration . . . and also it is very pretty!
As a final point of interest - while photographing the original Amac fitted to my bike for this article, I noticed traces of dark army green paint on the body and original floatchamber - leading me to believe the carb and inlet tract may be from a WW1 WD bike . . . what a lovely little time capsule!
More soon,
Paul
www.racingvincent.co.uk