Saving Old Seagulls

I struggle to see what effect the oxalic acid is having other than perhaps having a mild effect on any rust. It is a low pH acid, and will set up a dark oxide on ferrous materials - no reaction whatsoever on aluminium - but is self-limiting. It does not fizz and bubble as some might imagine with aci...

Unfortunately, Britannias don't attract buyers - at least in this part of the world, for what I believe was a well specified outboard, especially in comparison to the other offerings of the day. Not the case with yours, but their Achilles heel was their cylinder barrels, which had a propensity to ro...

About the only way to remove the baseplate screw is with a lot of heat(and give the aluminium time to 'grow'), but before you can do this the plate needs to be fully stripped of coil and points box before you can get serious with this. The slot is well past the use of a screwdriver, but see if you c...

It is indeed an Amal carb - it should be cast into the float bowl, but on the side hidden away from you on the picture. On Britannias, they were normally fitted with a circular intake cover with a fan-type choke arrangement.

So you have a 4:1 gearbox - I think this qualifies as a 'Barge pusher' (Hugz?? [good info on the props by the way]) which would be yet another prop! With that ratio, just slap the prop you have on and see how it goes. A bit difficult to see from the photo, but it looks as though there is a large dis...

The visible flow is really only a 'telltale' to let you see that water is flowing - as long as you see water and not steam assume all is well - I assume from your other emails you don't have a propellor fitted yet - when you do, and if your motor doesn't have a 'neutral' selector, running it in a ba...

Others may correct me, but for me, a blade marked 'Forty' implies 'Forty Plus' motors, and I don't recall any Forty Plus motor being fitted with a five blade prop. The five blade props I am aware of - and I recall there were certainly three different sizes - were fitted to the 'Century' groups of mo...

Apart from oil out, in use, you will find the oil goes to a coffee colour, which is due to water getting in and creating an emulsion. This is normal and apparently acceptable, but the motor shouldn't be stored for any length of time with the water present as the oil and water will separate and cause...

As Oyster says, leaking is normal, especially if the rear bushing is worn, but have you over-filled the gearbox? The filler plug (if your motor has one) also acts as a level plug with the motor upright.

Hi Imp, petrol level is too high as you describe it - seems like you have another problem. Are both jets completely clear, and is the filter and banjo bolt recess also clean? If the engine was cold, you will have richened the fuel mixture and compensated for the lack of choke by having the high fuel...

Amongst all this, don't forget that Marston and VIlliers were one in the same to all intents - were the JM numbers to identify magnetos going to their parent company for example?

I had two Atco Standard mowers at different times (the ones with an external fan you could put your fingers into), and they had the Villiers magneto type under discussion, complete with an aluminium clip-on cover with an enamelled Villiers badge in the centre, and I also had in the dim-and-distant a...

Think you need to separate things out a bit - JAP engines were universally used on any number of small engine applications outboard, lawnmowers, and a lot of small powered devices, with a good reputation- I once even had an Anzani Minor with 'JAP' cast in the crankcases! The following we're not link...

The little petrol engine is probably a Coventry Apex (made using the Auto Products name) 'Canoe Engine', 34cc. No other info, but late 1950's early 60's. Lejay were from Minneapolis, and called their electric trolling motors 'Electrols'. According to the Peter Hunn book, they were gone by the early ...

well spotted!!