Hello All,
Upon disassembly it appears my 1957 AJS Model 18CS is a bitsa. Neither of the two crankcase halves or the timing chest have the same three digit number, which apparently is indicative of a matched set from the factory. So, my question to the Club is, does anyone have a matched set of '57 500cc CS crankcases and timing chest with which they would be willing to part for a suitable price? Cheers, Norm Roller (Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA)
Looking for 1957 AJS 18CS Crankcases
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Hotspurr
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- Location: WASHTENAW, MICHIGAN USA
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Colin F
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Looking for 1957 AJS 18CS Crankcases
I would think that there are a lot of "mismatched" cases out there, if anyone damages a timing side they tend to only replace that to keep the original engine number on the drive side.
If the cases bolt together and allow the crank to turn freely and the faces where the cylinder bolts too are flat, level and perpendicular to the con rod I would not worry unduely.
The cases are probably in better shape than a "matched" set you could pick up, the question I would ask if the cases are that good why has the engine / bike been broken?
If the cases bolt together and allow the crank to turn freely and the faces where the cylinder bolts too are flat, level and perpendicular to the con rod I would not worry unduely.
The cases are probably in better shape than a "matched" set you could pick up, the question I would ask if the cases are that good why has the engine / bike been broken?
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Hotspurr
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- Posts: 11
- Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2000 12:00 am
- Location: WASHTENAW, MICHIGAN USA
Looking for 1957 AJS 18CS Crankcases
Hi Colin,
To respond to your question about why I am concerned, it all started when I had trouble timing the bike after getting my magento rebuilt. We eventually traced the problem to worn cam bushings. To replace the bushings we had to split the cases. When we did so, we found that I had the CI and SH cam combination and they were a bit worn. So I ordered new cams/bushing and followers from James Holland. Then, we decided to also look at the crank bearings since we had everything apart. They were marginal, so I decided to replace them, too. With everything ready to assemble, we noticed that some of the machined edges of the cases did not match up very well where one might expect them to if they were machined at the same time. This led to an inspection of the numbers and that was when we found out that the cases and timing chest did not match. My mechanic friend who is helping me is concerned that without a matched set of cases and chest, we can't be sure that the bearings will line up properly, and that if they don't we will likely damage some very expensive bearings in the process of removing them to work on the cases. He also doesn't think much of trying to turn the existing cases into the equivalent of a matched set. So, that's how I got to where I am and why I looking around. It may be that I can do not better than the set I have, but I at least wanted to explore options before going down that route.
To respond to your question about why I am concerned, it all started when I had trouble timing the bike after getting my magento rebuilt. We eventually traced the problem to worn cam bushings. To replace the bushings we had to split the cases. When we did so, we found that I had the CI and SH cam combination and they were a bit worn. So I ordered new cams/bushing and followers from James Holland. Then, we decided to also look at the crank bearings since we had everything apart. They were marginal, so I decided to replace them, too. With everything ready to assemble, we noticed that some of the machined edges of the cases did not match up very well where one might expect them to if they were machined at the same time. This led to an inspection of the numbers and that was when we found out that the cases and timing chest did not match. My mechanic friend who is helping me is concerned that without a matched set of cases and chest, we can't be sure that the bearings will line up properly, and that if they don't we will likely damage some very expensive bearings in the process of removing them to work on the cases. He also doesn't think much of trying to turn the existing cases into the equivalent of a matched set. So, that's how I got to where I am and why I looking around. It may be that I can do not better than the set I have, but I at least wanted to explore options before going down that route.