Questions about 1926 EW Douglas

[Dave]

LATDOUGNUT sent in these photos and questions about his 1926 EW.

Hello from Latvia,
 
My name is Juris and I have been associated with British pre-war motorcycles for over 35 years and with Douglas iron for over 30 years -- from the Iron Curtain times. I wrote an article for the LDMC magazine on my epic excursion to Baku in Azerbaijan to resurrect two 4 HP Douglas machines...
 
A few months ago I  rebuilt a Kawasaki motorcycle cylinder head for a customer who paid me with a 1926 EW Douglas engine. I contacted my UK friends and enquired if a frame could be found for this engine and within 5 days I received an e-bay link where there was a nearly complete machine up in Scotland! An other friend bought it for me and within a short time I also got 2 petrol tanks for it. The spare engine went to a Lithuanian collector. One tank with pinholes will be up for sale soon...

So I am now starting the restoration of this little machine and I have the following questions:

  1) Front wheel hub offset on my machine must be wrong. The rims I will change to 26 x 3". Can anyone provide the correct offset info please?

  2) The seat on this machine looks different from any other machines I have seen. Could it have been a proprietary bought in item? It certainly looks interesting.

  3) How do people plate those intake pipes? I sent mine to a plater in Germany and he wonders how to plate steel in the presence of aluminium.

  4) I am going to make a pair of new engine sprockets and was wondering if in view of better roads and better quality petrol I should go up 1 tooth on the sprocket, i.e. from 22 to 23 teeth?

  5) Can anyone supply dimensioned sketches of the EW mudguards and stays? I have had enormous quality problems with Renovation Spares in the UK over the years and would be looking for a better source of mudguards or blanks.

  6) Does anyone make rear stands for EW?

  7) Would the glass securing bezel on the EW drip feed be made of aluminium or plated bronze?

I am yet to contact the LDMC spares scheme for some sundry items.
 
With best wishes,
 
LATDOUGNUT

[Alan Cun]

Hello Latdougnut, From what I see from your pictures you have most of the hard to get parts (brakes clutch headlamp brackets footboards to name a few). I will try to answer a few of your questions.
Your wheel offset is correct what is missing is a half inch spacer inside the right fork blade so something would need to be corrected in the axle setup. There are arguments about the 25x3 rims but I have and many others fitted 26x3 tyres of oriental make successfully.
The EW,s came with a pan seat or a Brooks style made from round rod construction.
You will have to shop around for a plater who has the expertise to plate the manifold it does take a specialist.
The EW came out with deep section colonial as per the CW or just plain D section I think the club would be the best supplier over your way.
 My advice stay away from alterering the clutch sprocket but by all means increase the G/box output sprocket.
The sight feed bezel is alumn and nearly always cracked through or the knurling destroyed by multigrips.

Hope some of my comments are of some help?????????? regards Alan

[LATDOUGNUT]

Hello Alan,

Thank you for your answers  -- very helpful to hear from someone "who has been there". As most of my motorcycling rebuilding and riding happened behind the Iron Curtain I had to grow up on a diet of self sufficiency -- i.e. do it yourself or quit. Now since Latvia became independent we can order parts from all over the world and send parts anywhere. That makes a big difference! Likewise the right to work with one's own machine tools...
I attach photos of a Douglas camshaft and tappets -- could you identify what model these are off please?

With best wishes,

Juris

[Alan Cun]

Yes Juris. The cam and followers are from the 4 hp 600c SV models up to about 1924.  Alan   ------ Modified---- if I am incorrect I really can't see what it is from as the 4 hp and S1 are what I believe the only motors using an external bronze bearing carrier on the flywheel side case. as the OB, OC and DT are machined inside the crankcase not familiar with the RA though??????

[LATDOUGNUT]

Hi Alan,

Myself I have a 1919 4 HP model and previously had a 1923 4 HP model and I also have an early 1916 4 HP engine and the thing is that on all these 4 HP engines the camshafts have an extra cam with 2 lobes (screwed together) and actuated by a rod and cable -- valve lifter, also the bronze guides are of a totally different design. The early tappets had rollers, the later ones changed to solid. Please see the photo attached. So I thought the extra set I have is something of a later design and maybe from a different model? The pitch of the timing gears also is slightly coarser than on the 4 HP models I know. If you say up to 1924 that leaves me to wonder if they introduced changes for only 1 year? This set is surplus to my requirements and I would like to trade it or sell, but I would like to first find out what it is from.

Juris

[Alan Cun]

Hello Juris, As you can see I have modified my previous reponse. I then thought of a picture I have seen of a very early BMW that had a look alike 4hp motor could these parts have come from one of those engines????? Alan