45WLA, what would you do?

[kevscrivener]

Originally Posted by Squiz

There you go, I'd risk saying you can't get a better opinion on your chosen route than that one.

Nice of you to say so Squiz but I'm willing to bet others will differ!

If I had a pound for every time someone's asked me when I'm going to restore the GMC....... I'd be able to afford it!

[45Brit]

I'm intrigued with the provenance of this bike - when and where did your father buy it?

It's been suggested to me that the rims may be restoration items with Russian tyres from a Ural or similar for a 'period' look.. ?

[English Steve]

It's been suggested to me that the rims may be restoration items with Russian tyres from a Ural or similar for a 'period' look.. ?

I've been thinking along those lines myself - the tyres are just too good to be 65 years old. I rode a Ural (Neval) a few times back in the 80's and from memory the tread pattern on those tyres was similar. Only question really is, why go to the bother of changing rims when 18" tyres are readily available over here? Not that it really matters that much, but it would be nice to know.

Kevscrivener, thank you for your comments, they are very much appreciated and mean a lot to me, particularly as I have no previous knowledge of 45s.
Squiz, yes I know what you mean.

I have to say that to my eye an old bike should have character which can only come from being old. A full restoration would destroy that character, and I'd be afraid to take it anywhere in case it got scratched. Full restos do have their place, of course, but that's just not my way.

I really do appreciate all the help and advice you folks are giving me here. My wife has told me not to be so tight, and to get on and join the club in a proper fashion - "it's the least you can do" she said, so I'll get on with that shortly.

[Limey_Dave]

Steve
There is one way of more or less sorting out the Russian connection.
The first thing is this thread is re 45WLA,I asume this has come about following Kev saying that these are collectivly known as 45's,a 45WLA never existed.In another thread you list it as a '43.Is this from the belly numbers or did someone state it as that year in the log book?
All WLA's from 1942 up to at least 1949 had engines stamped 42WLA.
They are known by type numbers from 1 to 7 but this is just,I think,by people listing them by changes in spec.I don't know if the MoCo ever knew them as such.
The bikes built for the main Russian Lease-Lend contract were all Type 7 built between 1st September 1944 and 16 August 1945 when the contract was cancelled.
Engine numbers ran from WLA62481 which is fairly certain as the start of the 1945 production year,to WLA70681 which could be out a few as it's based on production of 8000 units but number sequence was carried over all models.Belly numbers would start 44 or 45,43 isn't impossible but not likely as the cases would have been machined prior to September 1943.
This is all based on the engine not being changed during or after the war.Post war alot of even civy WL's ended up with WLC engines as they could be bought new cheaper than the cost of rebuilding.
The Type 7 does have a few unique features that can help.The air cleaner has brackets brazed onto the frame where before they were clamped on,also the clutch release arm aswell as having the later extra hole used for hand clutch on the WLC,is wider at the base and has an ear or projection sticking out each side in line with the pushrod.

[English Steve]

Dave, 1943 is based on the belly number starting 43XXXXX, and items such as cast air inlet connection and canvas apron (I appreciate these are easily changeable parts).

From this, and according to the dates supplied above, the Russian connection is quite probably a red herring and may well be the result of an earlier change as 45Brit mentioned.

By the way Dave, thanks to your earlier link a speedo needle should be winging it's way over the pond shortly.

[45Brit]

you have a PM... from your earlier PM I would say this is a Russian bike, imported after the collapse of the Soviet Union and partly restored in UK using NOS or repop parts.

but I wouldn't be dogmatic about it, there is no real evidence either way. There have always been more engines than bikes, and any part of the bike may have been changed.

those Russian tyres were manufactured up to the mid-80s at least with little or no change.

[yobtaf]

Steve, just caught up with this thread (work nights)
Looks as it should to me ,think you got the right idea "dab of drab" &good to go

[Noddy]

Cracking pictures thanks Dave & Steve, even the setting seems right. If it was mine, it would remain the same as it is now.

Im watching for the next installment of 'Is it a Russian spy to gain our technology from 1943 ?' the next thing you know the Berlin wall will be coming down and we'll all be friends again!

[dodgyloner]

Very nice

Its quite common for WLAs to have parts in different shades of OD3 olive drab. It was up to individual manufacturers to match the US Army paint specification so anything that wasn't made and painted by HD could vary in shade. The paint applied by the Factory also varied from time to time so replacement parts can be different too. Some original parts have undercoat, others none at all, some parts were sprayed and some seem to have been dipped.

[English Steve]

Right then, tyres are sorted (new 19" jobs on their way), paint finish is sorted (leave it alone except where absolutely necessary), speedo sorted (freed-up, cleaned out and new needle on it's way).

Next up will be the wiring. Currently has the original fabric covered wires in most places, although some of it has been replaced with plastic sections. My intention is to replace the lot, because I don't want it to catch fire or be forever breaking down through corroded connections or broken wires.

Can anyone recommend a decent replacement loom supplier? - there seems to be a lot available from various parts of the world, but I would prefer to do this once only so want a good set.
Where possible, the plan is to cut some of the fabric covering off of the old cables and stick it over the new ones to make it look right. Unless of course there is someone making them that way already?