A future long term restoration project .

Engine Serial No. 176617 - 6HP

Alternator No. 11711 N - 2.5 KVA

Although the set is complete, the condition is relatively poor as the wooden shed in which it was housed near Arlesford in Hampshire had rotted and collapsed leaving the set exposed to the weather for an undetermined period of time. The engine is seized solid and the back panel of the freestanding control box has completely rotted away. I have managed to remove the fuel pump - it was locked solid with rust, but a good soak in diesel and some effort has seen it dismantled and reassembled with some new parts to make it good as new. The injector has been removed, and was very rusty and pitted extenally, however internally all seems to be OK, and a new nozzle is in hand in case the original is u/s. When I opened the crankcase lubrication oil filler cap, a mixture of black jelly and water gushed out indicating that water had entered the crankcase to a level above the normal oil level - despite this the condition internally does not look bad due to the oil film left behind when the engine last worked.

The baseplate is badly corroded and the set identification plate appears to have been lost. The alternator still turns, but is externally rusty - inside the voltage control box there is a lot of muck and the usual evidence of a mouse nest. The set came with a large cast silencer in good condition which is a real bonus considering the condition of the rest of the set - it is currently doing a god job silencing my bitsa S-O-M set. The top of the cylinder has been filled with diesel oil and left to soak to see if the piston will free up - one year's soak so far and it still doesn't want to move, so more drastic action seems to be the only way forward. The components that make this set "-O-Matic" are in very poor condition, so it may have to join the ranks of the "-O-Manuals" if it runs again

Accompanying the mortal remains of the set was a rotting plastic bag of parts - valves, valve springs, cylinder head gaskets, piston, even a worn cylinder - all suggesting that the set had had a hard life, but that it had been regularly serviced. Sadly all but the valves were severely damaged by exposure to the weather, so very little will be reusable. The valves must be hardened steel as they had only a thin film of rust and they may still be serviceable with a bit of care and attention.

Here are a few photos of the set on its hastily constructed steel trolley -

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