Quote from: My 4th bike on Yesterday at 23:27There are additives in these oils that can damage yellow metals in an older style gear box.

While this note of caution is well deserved, those days are long gone ?

My understanding is that this only applied to some oils, for a wee while.
Apparently the sulphur compounds involved/used could bond with moisture (and heat)
and form sulphuric/ous acids.

If this problem had been widespread, it would have eaten out millions and millions of automotive gearboxes
As it didn't, it seems to have been confined to a few specialist oil makers ???
Rectified as soon as it was recognized - the staining on the brass bits was an early indicator ?

QuoteOne of these hypoid type oils may give some slight benefits - if there is zero chance of any oils intermingling, or getting near the clutch.

Please be careful when using Hypoid gear oils.
There are additives in these oils that can damage yellow metals in an older style gear box.


Penrite T-90 gear oil. It's a GL1 oil made for older gearboxes and is equivalent to the S.A.E 50 motor oil.
https://penriteoil.com.au/products/transoil-sae-90

Hope this helps.

Aha.
Good advice !

The SAE50 tells you that Douglas recommended engine oil in the gearbox then.
Which makes it simple at maintenance time.
(SAE50 engine oil is the same viscosity approx as 90wt gear oil)

While oils have improved over the years, engine oil in gearboxes was very widely used,
for quite some number of years. In such a lightly loaded application, still good advice. ?

One of these hypoid type oils may give some slight benefits - if there is zero chance of
any oils intermingling, or getting near the clutch.
You'd want to have someone saying they tried it, and all was good.
Me not knowing precisely what is in a T35 box ...

My teutonic flat twin uses such an oil.
Maybe it ekes out some extra miles in the wear dept ?

According to the handbook, 1¾ pints of SAE50.

Regards, 
            Eddie.

What does the Owners Manual say ?
Always a good starting point.

Tropics shouldn't make any difference.
Change the oil(s) more frequently - if you habitually ride through thunderstorms !!

Relube ALL the lubing points also if this the case 
And wipe down/polish/oil all the paintwork and chrome to remove any lingering effects of salt spray .......
hth

Quote from: cardan on 06 Dec 2016 at 23:20 I'll try to put it behind me and move on...

Nope...

Fitting a pre-1910 Chater Lea belt rim brake to a (non Douglas) bike today, the threads for the two screws that clamp the mechanism to the chain stay are both 17/64-25, as is the threaded hole in the shoe where the operating arm attaches.

Lovely that the original screws are still there, with the rarely-used 1/8 Whitworth hexagon.

Mark down 17/64-25 as a Chater Lea proprietary thread that was enthusiastically adopted by Douglas.

Leon

1915 Douglas advertising/promotional brochure. with lovely prints of the current model range and the works as well as a photo of the works team. brochure details Douglas success in trials and in military use in the great war. it has the well known "Scotsman" image on the rear cover.
showing some signs of its (appx.) 110 years there is the remains of previous sticky tape repairs and the first few pages are loose the rest of the publication is hanging together well despite its age.
please PM me for further details.





















Photos cropped rotated as needed and converted to linked files - Dave, 01Oct2024

1935 Douglas aero 600cc
restoration project bike for sale.
99% complete motorcycle which has been cleaned and loosely assembled to assess condition and parts required.
it will need a full rebuild and represents an interesting and rewarding project.
with the potential to recreate a finished machine to the new owners specification.
the engine requires a full rebuild with rebore and pistons. the crank rotates freely and may be useable as is. 
the cams and gears inside the timing chest are all in decent order. it has a very good magneto which generates lovely blue sparks. the generator is in good condition although not tested for output.
it needs a carburettor and other significant parts required are headlight glass/rim ,tail light, instruments, electrical wiring.
wheel rims and hubs are good although it will need new bearings.
brake drums and shoes are in place these will need relined. all the brake linkages are in place.
the gearbox and its selector mechanism are fitted and look in good order although it has not been inspected inside.
it has a new saddle cover.
the fuel/oil tank is solid enough on the bottom. it has had a welding repair to the top.
it is fitted with the carrier rack and rear number plate/light holder.
it has a modern v5c in my name.
more details and pictures by request.
PM me for further information.
the bike is located near Edinburgh, Scotland and i am happy to collect/return you to the airport or train station (both nearby) if you wish to visit.
I can arrange delivery in the u.k. and probably worldwide via couriers.

Thanks Leon
hoejmark

Hi hoejmark,

Getting in to Darwin by road depended on the weather: the summer is "wet" and the winter "dry", and trying to travel in the wet was a recipe for failure.

The first South-to-North crossing of the continent in a motor vehicle was in 1907/08, when Harry Dutton and Murray Aunger drove a Talbot car from Adelaide to Darwin. Well, two Talbots actually, as they had to abandon the first car when the going got too tough. The started again with a new car (the Duttons were wealthy pastoralists) and a better weather plan, picked up the stranded car, and ended up on the beach at Darwin with two cars. The "overland telegraph" and the later railways made things a lot easier for motorists as both bits of infrastructure had maintenance tracks.

Years earlier, in the 1860s, our most famous explorers Burke & Wills crossed the continent from south to north (Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria). They never got a view of the ocean at the northern end of their trip - the mangrove forests were too thick - but the water they encountered was salty and went up and down with the tide. Close enough. They died on the way back.

Exploration is tough!

Leon