As many of you may recall from old posts, i acquired my 1947 engined ,48 bike four years ago.Looking beautiful, basically it was a lot of crap and bad parts put together to make the perfect crap m/c. Bores so badly pitted they could'nt be oversized, and had been fitted with 0.040"rings that did not help. Also fitted with a mixture of mk.1 & mk.5 valve springs. Good old Brian Thorby got me off to a good start by donateing a couple of barrels ( one, an 8 finner!, remember Brian?)..rebored then 0.020", with new pistons,,valves, guides,and springs. carbs were carefully set up on the bench to give equal operation. made new float bowl tops in brass,fitted new jets an needles. BUT,STILL, it would not run properly on both cylinders. knowing that the magneto also had problems, I got Dave Lindsley to rebuild it. Rewound, end plate realigned, new camring fitted, it now runs strong and regular under compression. BUT still it would'nt run correctly on both cylinders, or restart when warm! Finding a compression loss on cylinders, revealed piston rings had gapped out to 0.025". (running in on the stand).. new rings fitted gapping at 0.006"but still no joy! only left now with a relook at the carbs. Remembering what Eric morley told me about useing 4/4 cutaway slides, i contacted AMAL carbs. they could no longer supply them. they put me on Autocycle engineering. A chance conversation with a gent who really knew the 274 carbs, revealed i'd got overbored carb bodies to 0.021",fitted with undersized throttle valves. NO WONDER, i was having problems. But they no longer made valves nor could supply the brass tubeing for it.Up the creek again, i was'nt giving up. I bought 30 m/m dia.solid brass,and last week i made a pair of 3 1/2 cutaway valves myself. Now fitted,they work well,run on BOTH cyl. and ,restart from warm! Great thought i , MALDON meet here i come. Oyea!! now suddenly, for the first time when i switch off, oil drips Very fast from the bottom of the flywheel bell housing HOW can this be ? It was only march this year i put the whole unit back in , having rebuilt the noisey gearbox with a new primery imput shaft and seal ! IS there a Douglas owning vicar out there who can come an do an exorcism on this damb m/c??? I said i'd never been beaten by an engine in over 60 years and i would not give up . But guys i truely am weakening!