Wanted: BSA A10 PLUNGER 1954 con rods

[Acecafe100]

Hello everyone thank you for allowing me to join your Forum

I am currently rebuilding a BSA A10 1954  650cc and I have discovered I need 2 con rods as mine are bent
The part number I believe is 67-268. 


Cheers Derek

[Swarfcut]

 Welcome to the Forum.

   If you are sure the rods are bent then replacement is the only sensible  option. While straightening steel rods is sometimes undertaken by specialists, I reckon no one would consider straightening alloy with any confidence.

 If unmolested your engine will have the "small journal" crank, a rod complete with small end bush, cap, nuts and bolts  carries that part number. Look for the casting number 67 270 on any rods offered, but importantly the rods are the same forging but differ in part number, timing side and drive side, the difference being the drive side rod has a small oilway drilling from the top big end bearing shell. Look closely at you existing rod, find the tiny hole, it should point inwards towards the flywheel. Plenty on the Forum about this curio.

 New old stock rods sometimes appear, and expensive aftermarket ones are available. Plenty of used ones on ebay, but all carry the same risk of being not quite perfect.

 Meanwhile order up a hard copy parts catalogue, readily available.  Have a look at the Forum topics about crankshaft sludge traps, crank grinding and setting up the crankshaft in the cases, the so called "crank end float".

 Now over to the intro section and tell us how you got into this goddam mess!

 Swarfy.

[Acecafe100]

Thank you for a quick response
We think it had driven dry and seized
On return from Athens in 1965
Taken apart 1974 and left to rot in someone’s back garden

Glasgow

Cheers Derek

Great info...and YES attached pics of conrods I took earlier confirm both Part No 67-270, and oil hole on the one rod (pre-cleaned pic).
Cleaned rods are of the reverse side - so you can't see oil hole.
I'll get the old rods back tomorrow for reference use.
Stuart.

[CheeserBeezer]

I can supply a pair of 'small bearing' rods. Just give me a ring at Priory Magnetos Ltd. £40 the pair?

[RichardL]

Taken apart 1974 and left to rot in someone’s back garden

Ah! The best kind. Welcome to the forum, Stuart.

Richard L.

[BagONails]

I'm sure I saw a post the other day on Seager Engineering's Face Crack page, talking about new steel rods. They may have been for a Trumpy but worth following up. Taiwanese made and being marketed under the Hepolite brand (Wassell - I know, I know!) BUT 360 GBP a pair!!

Might be worth enquiring if they are making any A10 parts or what their future plans are?

Here's the link

https://www.facebook.com/share/15ywVivHhT/

[Rex]

Cant Thunder rods be obtained anymore?

[Acecafe100]

Thank you all for input most valuable
Cheers Derek

[groily]

Cant Thunder rods be obtained anymore?

https://www.thunderengineering.co.uk/products says they can Rex.

Not always got everything in stock for delivery the very day you call (I had to wait a shortish time for the last pair I bought just before Christmas). Haven't needed them for an A, but they say they have 'em for 'small and large journal A7/10' along with other Beesas.

I've had three pairs so far and I think they're the dogz wotsits.
But if BON wants steel specifically (??) - then there's the choice. About the same price.

With VAT & postage my last pair from Thunder were just under 400GBP.
In the case of the latest pair (for a mate's motor), the cost of rectification of a 60 yr old pair was going to be 150GBP per rod from T&L Engineering (rebushing in ali at the small ends in that case, eliminating oval at t'other, crack testing and polishing etc etc).

So - 300 squid for sorting 60 year old bits as well as 60 yr old bits can be sorted by a very competent shop, or 100 more for brand new  . . . Not a difficult decision.

[CheeserBeezer]

[/quote]

................So - 300 squid for sorting 60 year old bits as well as 60 yr old bits can be sorted by a very competent shop, or 100 more for brand new  . . . Not a difficult decision.
[/quote]

or £40 for a perfectly good second hand pair?!

[a101960]

or £40 for a perfectly good second hand pair?!

But can they be guarunteed to be absolutely free of defects and fit for further use? I'm no spendthrift, but I know what I would opt for.

[berger]

my take on this is i haven't been to the pub nor have i been slurping in the house today, so i would go for cheesers rods because before i had the money for thunder rods for the berger build i was going to use the rods i took out of betsy that i had thrashed for years  so i knew they were good rods. then along came a pair of rods on evil bay that i fitted to betsy hence saving the rods from betsy for the berger build.  i then  found out a bearing cap had been shaved to tighten up a big end, someones bodge years ago . i had this rod made round again at the engineers and fitted it to betsy and this resulted in a 10thou difference of piston heights but causes no problems and betsy still gets treated like a screaming two stroke. after fitting the thunder rods to the berger build betsy's rods were put away and eventually sold for 50 quid as a good pair of rods. i don't think cheeser would sell a pair of rods that were visually damaged so i would go for them. right now to open the bar and sample that very expensive cognac my mate bought me , it would be rude not to.

[groily]

................So - 300 squid for sorting 60 year old bits as well as 60 yr old bits can be sorted by a very competent shop, or 100 more for brand new  . . . Not a difficult decision.
[/quote]

or £40 for a perfectly good second hand pair?!
[/quote]

Oh Boy! 40 squid for a decent pair's great CB. That wasn't the issue.
I was responding to Rex' query as to whether Lightning rods were or weren't an option, and how much. 
Then explained why I went that way on that occasion, given that in the case in question the rods weren't up to much and there was no 'good value option from reputable source' (like from you).

A decent pair at 40 smackers is obviously good. Rectifying a damaged pair at a cost in the case I referred to of 75% of new Thunders wasn't worth it imho. Had anyone come up with an option like you're offering here I'd have been tempted, of course. But decent bits you can trust  for some other marques aren't so plentiful sadly. BON was looking at options. Rex referred to one. I followed up, is all.

---------------------

Psst - anyone want any of these crankshafts  . . . . take yer pick from the pile! Free to collector, all need work - and new rods!

[Rex]

I only mentioned Thunder as after I rebuilt my ST using the original rods (checked over for truth, 1 new small end and obviously new big end shells) others seem to say "75 year old rods? I wouldn't use them and risk a blow-up" so it's concerned me ever since.
Given that she only gets thrashed for short bursts and never ridden on Mways, I reckon the original rods will likely see me out...touch wood!

[KiwiGF]

Small journal Thunder rods, they do look good but only you know there are in there eh.