Design and Prototype-Brian Mackenzie

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Design and Prototype-Brian Mackenzie Velocette engine work and machining

Centring the head end of a barrel in the 4 jaw using standard kit. Took me a minute or two to work that out.
19/10/2026

Centring the head end of a barrel in the 4 jaw using standard kit. Took me a minute or two to work that out.

I’m making another batch of timing disc adapters. Several users have commented they would prefer a hex head on the crank...
07/10/2026

I’m making another batch of timing disc adapters. Several users have commented they would prefer a hex head on the crankshaft part, so I thought I’d try that.
Bear in mind these are only alloy so it is important to ensure the crank thread is clean and free from burrs.

I have visions of Stilsons being applied 😳🥺. You can use a 32mm spanner to just nip it up.

My clutch has been “self adjusting” for a while now, which is, of course, a well known problem as the threads in the pre...
27/09/2026

My clutch has been “self adjusting” for a while now, which is, of course, a well known problem as the threads in the pressure plate wear loose. A friend gave me a better plate to try but I wasn’t convinced it would cure the problem.
I decided to bite the bullet and sprag it, which I have done with a small stepped block secured by a cap screw into the clutch plate. It certainly won’t move in action now.
It is not a universal solution as I may have to adjust the size of the block as the clutch wears. This is a slow process however and will probably be slower still if I can avoid the recent dragging owing to self adjustment. At this stage I will also have to remove the gearbox sprocket to adjust it, although I am wondering about a hole in the sprocket to avoid this.
Not tried it in anger yet so there may be modifications to do. .

23/09/2026

Having wasted half an hour setting the little end up, dead true, in the miller, I discovered there was only a couple of thou to go, so I abandoned the mill and deployed the cheap and cheerful hone. It’s a world away from the Delapena hone I used, to do the same job at Cosworth, 50 years ago. In the end it was easier to work by feel rather than dead measurement, so it now has about 1 thou clearance and will last forever.

Not perfect but much improved, and now actually in balance.
22/09/2026

Not perfect but much improved, and now actually in balance.

My lucky day. 250 used milling cutters for £50. I think that should see me out.
21/09/2026

My lucky day. 250 used milling cutters for £50. I think that should see me out.

My roller fixture is ideal for truing but even the tiny drag from the bearings was enough to affect accuracy on balancin...
20/09/2026

My roller fixture is ideal for truing but even the tiny drag from the bearings was enough to affect accuracy on balancing. I decided to use the trad method of parallel edges. I made up a frame which can be levelled and bolted on some thin ground parallels. Problem solved.

Preparing to bore the little end. I don’t have a dedicated fixture so all long hand
18/09/2026

Preparing to bore the little end. I don’t have a dedicated fixture so all long hand

Working on the Swiss cheese. Why do people do these things?New small end bush pressed in ready for boring and one side o...
16/09/2026

Working on the Swiss cheese. Why do people do these things?
New small end bush pressed in ready for boring and one side of the holes bored out to the nearest tapping size and tapped ready for plugging. I didn’t have a 14.5 mm tapping drill to hand for M16 x 1.5 so had to use. The boring head.
Many thanks toRob Thompson for the tooling, all in regular use.

“They taught us to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the bible.”
15/09/2026

“They taught us to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the bible.”

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Berwick
TD151UN

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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