Saving Old Seagulls

hello All,

I recently added a Australian Commando Outboard to the collection. Commando was the first outboard produced in Australia, and built specifically for Military application.

Thought you guys might like to see some pics.

Regards,
Spiro

And a few more;

Are you talking 1930's here?

250cc, 3hp, 102 lbs, Lucas (Prince of darkness ignition) looks a little fragile for military use, how do you lift it?

Post a picture of the waterpump.

I'd like to own their premises today.

Good find!

Hi Charles,

No, not 1930's. These were built from approx 1944 (during WWII). For further details see my blog here: http://vintageoutboardsaustralia.blogsp ... mando.html. Note the Commando outboard pictured there belongs to Bruce - Collector Inspector. Also, the blog is a work in progress so there are many pages yet to be completed.

There is no water pump as such. The water pick up as at the trailing edge of the cavitation plate and relies on the boat to be moving forward (and prop spinning) to force the water up the pick up tube ie like on so many other outboards of that era. Sorry for the image quality below.
Hope that helps.

Regards,

looks like you would need a fork lift to shift it!
Still a very nice engine. Good find.

A few progress pics.

Flywheel was an absolute pain to remove, even after soaking for approx 3 weeks. Heavy duty puller and a few short bursts with the rattle gun is what was needed to get it off.
With the flywheel removed, we had access to the gear case. Paint over the screws and a nice snap as each screw released suggests this had not been apart since the first build. A few broken teeth, otherwise all good.


Further disassembly, cleaning and inspecting parts.
Gearbox was a bit of a mess, and shaft was tight to turn. Other than one bearing that needs replacing, all good now.

Engine a little tight to turn also. A flush of fuel and oil has freed everything up nicely.
Before removing the magneto, i thought I'd spin it up on the drill to see if if there was any spark. Unfortunately zip, so it's on it's way to a friend who will do a full overhaul on it for me.
Having color charts available is always handy. I kind of expected the color would be RAL6022 Olive Drab, but RAL6014 Yellow Olive looks to be a perfect match. Will check again under different light conditions.
More later.

Regards,
S

Looking good!

Before removing magneto, ensure it's got timing marks & clean & gapped points!

Charles uk wrote:Before removing magneto, ensure it's got timing marks & clean & gapped points!

Thank you Charles, appreciate the advice, however the magneto is now off.

There are no keyways or similar on either the engine or magneto shafts. That said, timing is pretty simple. After reassembly, leave the nut securing the gear on the magneto loose. Position the engine at top dead center. Remove the points cover from the underside of the magneto. Rotate magneto shaft until the points begin to open, and tighten the aforementioned nut.

This all needs to happen with the power head off the leg ie as otherwise the tiller bracket is in the way and does not allow access to the points cover or slot in the magneto shaft that's there to facilitate turning with a suitable driver.

I find it difficult to put some of these things in to words, so I hope the above makes sense.

Regards,
Spiro

I can't think of any other post war 2-strokes that run timings as retarded as zero degrees BTDC, Seagulls depending on model & combustion efficiency seem to run best at 23 to 45 degrees BTDC.

Is there a lever on the mag that adjusts the timing while it running?

Hi Charles, no lever on the magneto.

As for the timing, I do not have sufficient knowledge to give an explanation other than this is essentially a low revving water-cooled stationary engine sat atop an outboard leg. The little I know from my stationary engine collector friends is that most fire at TDC, some slightly before and some slightly after. Another collector with a Commando outboard also has his firing slightly after TDC, he says to ensure it does not kick back and proceed to run backwards?

Below, a couple of images of the engine in it's original configuration (red) and an air-cooled model (green). All pics are "borrowed" from the internet.

Hope the above helps.

Regards,

At little bit more progress on the Commando.

Bottom half has been painted and dry assembled for easy storage. Need to replace a bearing and source a few nuts and bolts before finishing this part of the project off.

Magneto is currently in NSW and about to receive a full overhaul. It should be back in a week or so which gives me some time to sort out the paint for the engine and tiller assemblies.

Coming along slower than originally anticipated, but to be expected I guess when there's a few projects on the go.
Regards,
Spiro

Well I got a text around 10:00pm last night to say that the Magneto had been repaired ..... yippy.

Seems it was in quite a state with the coil and condensor needing replacement. The points were cleaned, repositioned and gapped correctly. HT lead was serviceable, but had a few cracks in the insulation so it has been replaced also.

It throws a real nice spark now. If anyone can give some advice as to how to attach a video file (mp4) it would be much appreciated.

Regards,
S

What a beautiful motor.