Endplate hoohah

[Daggs]

Right! It's like this. I have a spare engine casing (Li 150) I've gradually sourced all the parts to build this up. So today i began.
All going swimmingly, until i attempted to fit the gearbox endplate. No go. The hole centres for the layshaft and Xmas tree appear to be a smidgen too close. Not to worry! i've got another endplate. Kin'ell this one is the same, only a bit worse.
Now i know casings are usually supplied with an endplate, but this one wasn't. How the chuff am i going to overcome this?

[RICSPEED]

the only thing you can do is keep trying different end plates ,as plate and case were machined together and as such are a matched pair

[Daggs]

I was so hoping no one would say that!

[jason frost]

Over the years I have fitted loads and loads and loads of end plates to miss matched engines and they have always been fine, how have you checked yours ?

[Daggs]

Yes! exactly. I know they are supposed to be matched. But this job ain't. But i figured it's got to be O/K they can't be that far out
Now when you say checked !! It's not a case of checking.
When i attempted to fit the endplate, it was obvious it wasn't going to go easy. But i carefully tapped the plate down, but it wouldn't go, so i then less carefully hammered it down. This resulted in a gearbox that wouldn't turn When i finally managed to remove the endplate again i felt the layshaft bearing had suffered a bit from this exercise.

[jason frost]

Have you fitted it with out the gearbox in ?

[joespeed]

try a process of elimination,fit the cluster and no gears then put the endplate on and try turning the gear cluster if it is not tight fit one loose gear ,keep throwing in the cogs till it locks up,i 'm almost certain you have some gears with the correct teeth numbers but larger in diameter,
or if you have some verniers measure the cogs as per 'stickys' book.
have fun!
regards
joe

[Daggs]

No Jason i haven't and i think i have an idea about what you are thinking. Because thinking back over the day i had some difficulty fitting 2nd loose gear, it seemed a bit .....well... big. But eventually it went in.
I did double count the teeth on both tree and loose gears, but i'm now wondering whether the 2nd loose gear is not the correct one for an Italian Li box. I sourced this box months ago, i guess it could have been 'put together' from oddments.............mmmm.

[Daggs]

Thanks for that 'Joespeed' I was typing my reply to Jason when you posted. As you will see from what i typed, i have some suspicions about loose 2nd gear.

[jason frost]

oddments.............mmmm.

They will always get you