Rebuilding my 1972 Commando combat. Removed the carbs for strip down and clean etc. The slides in both carbs were seized and took a fair amount of effort to get out of the body. what is the best (and safest) way to free up the movement? The engine has not run for 40 years. Any advise appreciated.
A good start would be to…
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Overtightened
Amal carbs, both Monobloc and Concentric are notorious for distorting when the mounting studs have their nuts overtightened. This can affect both the O'ring mounting faces and the slides.
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When I rebuilt mine which…
When I rebuilt mine which had been in the garage for many years, I thought these will be close to worn out and bought a set of new premier carbs.
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I have wondered what is the…
I have wondered what is the mechanism that bows carb flanges. Certainly the nuts (or bolts on Rudges) dont want to be tight. Nylock nuts or nutlock and an O ring detail seem to reduce the issue. My thinking is that heat with the attendant expansion is the culprit and the effect is magnified if tight fixings force the expansion to that path. Filing the flange flat is not the best answer and does nothing to correct distorsion of the slide chamber. It is possible to use a jig and vice to correct all the problems. A good thick heat insulating spacer between manifold and head seems to fend off the issue but then we have to think about carb icing !. A timed or thermostatic electric element as used on some bikes would be ideal.
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A Hose Clamp
I have found a good but unsightly bodge for this problem is to fit a hose clamp around the carb about where the brand Amal is and place a small bit of plastic (in my case a piece of 1/2" garden hose about 3/8 wide and sliced in half) under the hose clamp. You have to try various positions to locate the plastic and tighten the hose clamp just enough to un=distort the throttle body to prevent the slide sticking.
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Emery
Clean slides with wire brush, remove any bruising & emery slide with 600 grit approx. to smooth over score marks. Clean out slideways in carbs. the same. If slides still stiff, emery off high spots in the carbs, may have to use 240 grit for high spots. Slides should drop to the bottom on their own. Flange & float bowl surfaces can be flattened with a piece of 120 grit emery on a sheet of glass (window). Can be tedious.
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Don's suggestion is…
Don's suggestion is ingenious, but I worry about the possibility of the plastic bolster working loose — if this happens with the throttle wide open you potentially have a big problem.
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Good point.
Good point Julian.
I solved it by fitting a single Mikuni.
Not without its challenges but does get a sizable increase in fuel economy.
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Why do we like Commandos ?
My feeling is for the instant throttle response and smooth pull through the mid-range....If you want that then there are probably two choices - Buy new Amal Premiers or get the existing carbs to Martyn Bratby.
Applying force to mazac castings is always fraught with danger.
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A good start would be to give everything an ultrasonic clean and see if it is still tight. The pilot chamber will definitely need a clean out anyway.