I added the year to the month and day above as this project seems to drag out over several years.

It is not THAT bad though. I think I got started  in September/October 2015 so with a bit of help from God, Mohammed and the last of my suppliers I may get to fire this thing up before it turns 2 years.

I have spent the last few weeks drawing/having made more versions of the front and rear engine plates and now finally I seem to have made it. Have also made the oil lines, connections, shut off valve, check valve and filter and now it slowly turns into what I was expecting. Shot some pictures tonight that I will share with you.

Above: Right hand side (obviously). Missing is a cylinder head, carburettors, fuel tank and exhaust system.

Below: Shot from behind of right hand side. Black oil lines with a check valve which is there to prevent that oil flows from the highly placed oil tank, through the not 100% leak free oil pump and so filling the crankcase during longer periods of storage. Also seen is the adjuster mechanism that allows the gearbox upper attachment to be moved in an arc around the lower attachment, so allowing the primary belt tension to be adjusted.

Below is a close-up of the right side lower engine/gearbox mounting plate. As you can see, I have extended the plate rearwards so it can double as a bracket for the oil filter housing and the rear brake torque arm attachment. The latter will need a reinforcement to alleviate the bending moment on the bolt. Not sure how I am going to solve this yet. A drag brace from the spherical bearing down to the lower engine plate bolt (lower right hand corner) seems likely.

Above a shot of the left hand side. Front engine plate is cut out of 7075 aluminium with a water jet. 2 bolts attached to the frame and 2 to the engine. Then comes the crankcase & cylinder assy, rear engine plates and last is the clutch. Big gaping hole in the crankcase to be filled by the crankshaft, supposed to be shipped from the manufacturer in Canada tomorrow.

Below close-up of the rear engine plate and clutch. I have left extra meat in the plate as I may need to drill a couple of holes for supporting the transmission belt protecting cover.

Finally below a close-up of the front engine plate. I had it cut in 8 mm 7075 instead of 6 mm 6082 and therefore decided I could afford a couple of lightening holes. Only time will tell if I was right…….