Roadholder 370 - October 2018

9 The crankcase as-is None of the Dominator covers that I have even come close to fitting the engine. My original plan was to cut up an old Model 7 cover and weld a large chunk from a 16H cover to it. This would have produced something that had the extra depth and shape outline as a starting point for further welding and machining. However, this was rejected in favour of a computer scanning of the timing case and then a CNC carving made from alloy billet. Problems with another special project going wrong, plus a backlog of other orders meant that my originally non-urgent commission dropped down to the bottom of the production list. I got a 50% reduction in cost by declaring my order as non-urgent. 'Plan C' is a shaped wooden former followed by sand casting and machining. There is still much uncertainty as to what is going to happen next with this bike. The problem with the timing cover is very annoying and, like the replacement pistons, could have been circumvented with a little better planning. I have now gone from enough parts for one-and-three-quarter engines to two unfinished halves of two completely different engines. It is fairly obvious to me that the second engine, which is actually engine number three, was adapted to take larger bore barrels and then used to test out the main components for the Model 7 engine. I had suggested 3D printing of the timing cover yonks ago, when the first option was to use a spacer behind my first engine's timing cover, and do a lot of bodging. This cover is not deep enough to fit to my second engine and the profile across the top edge