Intrepid,
Your build is coming along so nicely...
The gas tank behind the seat might also look good lengthwise rather than crosswise. Might try it for a comparative stare.
I also found it interesting that you were able to fit the Villiars carb onto the China Girl engine which does a lot to giveit a more vintage flavor. It was of special interest because my Villiars engine has a leaky carb which may or may not respond to a repair kit (which you gave me the link to). I have not yet ordered it, but will before spring has come. At least I know that if the repair does not solve the problem then I can use a china girl carb as a substitute until such time that I can locate a vintage Villiars carb should I need it.
Your mention of spanners earlier brought back memories of my first real attempts at doing mechanical work. I had owned a couple of cars before and did things like spark plugs and oil changes, but no real repair work. My oldest brother found himself the owner of a 1951 (maybe 52) MGTD which was not running and needed a good bit a tender loving care. Someone owed him money, was leaving the area and settled the debt the the MG. Being a British sports car he was not at all interested in it and asked me if I wanted it. His interest was fast cars with big motors. My favorite until then had been an Austin Healy 3000 roadster, a car I still sometimes have dreams about five decades later.
I looked at the radiator which was reminiscent of a model A Ford, long sweeping front fenders, leather seats with the steering on the wrong side and said "Yes"! The first thing I did was go the the MG dealership in Baltimore and purchase an original shop manual. I studied it and got familiar with differences in terminology, with things like "boot" instead of trunk, "bonnet" instead of hood, etc. The first thing straightened out was the wiring harness which was all loose and had to be re-wired. With patience, that got sorted out and I got it the engine to run after that... woohoo!
Next up before getting it licensed and tagged was to repair the front brakes. I ordered repair kits and turned to the manual to follow the directions. First problem was that I needed certain sized spanners, I didn't have a lot of tools, pretty much just the standard home owner stuff of screwdrivers, sockets and wrenches, but no spanners. I couldn't even find a picture of spanners. I tried calling several auto supply places and asked about purchasing spanners and nobody knew what I was talking about. Great! I was guessing that I'd have to have these specialized tools sent from England and who knew what that would cost and how long it would take to get them!
I studied the manual some more and also stared at the brake parts and got to wondering why I couldn't maybe use a couple of wrenches instead and kind of fudge it. Worth a try. Of course it worked and later on I discovered that spanner is British for wrench. What a dummy. Eventually I had had a set of the right wrenches in Whitworth sizes and a set of sockets as well.
I loved that MG and drove it to work for several years before blowing the engine. Replaced it with an MGA engine and drove it some more which led to a second MGTD restoration and what has become a lasting interest in things mechanical. Anyway, that's my spanner story.
Your bike is looking real nice, a step through to another time in motor bicycling.
SB
It must be more than two years ago since I first tried to get that China Girl engine into a Mixte frame. Then when Mum started to develop dementia and needed a lot of care I parked the bike up in the garage and over time it disappeared under piles of cardboard boxes and other junk.
