1930 OEC and 1929 AKD Restoration Progress

In the latest captivating episode of “Restoration Files”, join Sammy and Jim as they delve deep into the intricate world of motorcycle restoration, focusing on two classic gems from the past: a 1930 OEC motorcycle and a 1929 AKD motorcycle. With their extensive expertise and a passion for bringing history back to life, this episode showcases the meticulous process of restoring these rare machines to their former glory.

Witness firsthand the challenges and triumphs faced by the team as they navigate through the restoration of the 1930 OEC, known for its unique engineering and design complexities. From sourcing rare parts to overcoming unexpected hurdles, the journey of reviving this historical motorcycle is nothing short of remarkable.

Simultaneously, the episode also highlights the restoration of the 1929 AKD motorcycle, a rare find with its own set of restoration challenges. Watch as Sammy and Jim employ traditional techniques and modern methods to breathe new life into this piece of motorcycling history, preserving its legacy for future generations.

Featuring close-ups of the restoration process, expert commentary from Sammy and Jim, and a glimpse into the rich history of these motorcycles, this episode is a must-watch for motorcycle enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone fascinated by the art of restoration. Join us at the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum for an unforgettable journey into the heart of motorcycle restoration, where the past is brought back to life with every nut and bolt! 🔩

Right another Dan Paradise um two projects we’re underway with this is the oec um 1930 with a matchless 4cylinder engine we’ll go through that later but we’ll drop onto the akd first um this has been in the museum collection for a long time for those who are not familiar Abington King

Dick King dick where the one of the British Top tool manufacturers King dick when I was a boy that was all the tools that was on the market so we’ll be using that tool in a moment um we’ve got a few jobs to do on it yet Moss engine Swiss it was quite

Interesting in the early days most of the British manufacturers bought foreign engines this is 175 very Advanced outside flywheel we’re going to have that flywheel off in a moment cuz I want to Chrome it it looks a bit sad there so we’ll get it Chrome to match up vertical vs quite unique uh

175 almost Square born stroke I think the boore 60 stroke 61 he actually at won the 1929 Swiss Grand Prix its class the 175 class in the early days welding was n on Impossible it was only developed the second world war Spitfires and Lancaster bombers really developed in those days

You just made lugs break the lugs onto the tube and then bolt up jobs Francis barnets cotton they all were the same back end here you can see it’s just a engine it’s a bit of metal board out all manufactured and all bolt up job that’s very cottonish way that runs back like

That to the back end Jim’s just whipping the fly off we’ll stick it on the vice here Jim and so we’ll use the king dick spner and a big socket to get this not off here so there’s the king dick spanner in action on a king dick motorcycle we’ll also send off

Um these petrol caps and this engine need a bit of a cleanup gym you see it’s um quite small little crankiest for a four stroke frame looks look at that casting there that’s serious you see with the made all that casting machine and then Dro these pipes in and brazed

It uh and the engine clumped on there those look like Mickey mice clumps but um that’s that’s the way it was in the early days see those there Jim queer queer old things aren’t they we’ll get that Chrome we get these chromed up sharpen it up a bit and um there you go

1929 akd 175cc so we’ll move on to the um o oec Osborne engineering company um Portsmouth we’ve got quite a lot of history with this bike it came and um so there’s a sales catalog of um o Osborne engineering works and they were stationed at the Atlantic Works hury Street Portsmouth

Hampshire so that’s some of the models they also made a car to a three-wheel Runner B job Advanced Forks these were oec Soul design um they call them duplex Forks weird things to drive but they were very successful Joe Wright on the world on his record breaking excels

Here with those folks on the reason why the record Breakers used this oec chassis was it gave very high speed St stability no tank looer us it was very stable in a straight line high speed O’s they never made engines they just made rolling chassis and fitted jop engines Blackburn engines matchless

Engines um whatever uh they could do all sizes thousand CC down to lightwe 250s so back end swinging arm suspension again very advanced modern GP bikes you all notice that the swinging arms are that shape because when you work it out if you hit a bump like that you’re pushing

The Swinging arm up like that but if the swinging arms horizontal you’re pushing The Swinging arm back so that’s why all the modern GP bikes have got this big banana shaped swinging arm so the early boys on the case they need they had the the same idea 1930 internal

Springs in here which uh no main task uh Miller’s actually updated them rubbish old bloody things um multi- RIT little Springs like all this lot here so uh that’s the remains of a Motocross Baka spring and I cut them cut them to length put them in there so

Much better job so we’ll be able to set that up better with those uh late Springs than the early old multi Springs things you know so the same again with the springs in the front serious multi rate and a damper spring in the bottom these are little covers that put on the

Front of that cover those uh movement slots because you don’t want all the dirt going into the um sliders they say why did um put um O’s use gray paint well put it together British Navy Portsmouth docks good supply of gray paint so lots of the

Oecs were gray for some reason I wonder why so handlebars they’re another nightmare of a design thing um just complications money mustn’t have entered the equation if you look at the complications of these levers and took Miller most of a day to put all that back together and if you

Look at the twist grips and you see that spiral job there and how it lifts the nipple pulls back and forward on that spiral so that’s the throttle this is the advancing you can see it again here you see how that opens so that pulls the nipple up and down uh

Cable inside neat job but a total nightmare if you broke a throttle on the side of the road You’ be half a day trying to get it going again the whole frame is very complicated how you ever design those folks be me you know can you imagine trying to design that to get

All that to work you know and and and work well so uh we fitted the the guards you remember we had those made got the valances in them uh I’ve got the front one here I’m just working on the front one um you lot are showing up production

But um I’ve got to get all that lined up and that’ll pop pop in here there’s the front stays that go through there they hadn’t got Miller’s influence in those days but the weight of that is just it’s the Kush drive rear sprocket stick it on the scales Jim and

We’ll see what weight it is brass that’s why just how heavy it is there you go 9 and2 weight and then it’s even worse when you come on to the hubs over here the white of the hubs actually oecs they always made interchange they use the

Same Hub front and rear which was quite clever really so that’s the hubs not generously you can see why they’re Universal because that’s the back one with the sprocket holes this was the same with um for the front right we’re on to Twin leading shoe brick single leading shoe so you

Have two Cs on the front here right so when you do it like that you can see both them open so what’s the advantage of that against the advantage of the single if you see the single right if you have a look here closely when you push that there like

That they open like that you’ve only got that much contact on your breaking area because this part of the shoe doesn’t get engaged you see it only opens from there so if you’re opening from there you’re only hitting here not the bottom bit so it’s probably about 40% less efficient

Move on to this one here this is the twin cam job right so the pull together like that which is quite nice but if you look at this one both the cams push the brake shoes parallel out you see that work on tandem they push them out so you get full contact as

Soon as you’re using the brake so that’s why everybody’s gone to Twin Cam front brake this is 1930 so quite Advanced really this is some of the other stuff that Jim’s working on some nickel stuff uh the M that’s the you need to do a bit of

Serious work on that thing it’s the Dynamo distributor for the ignition which is actually offer aerial Square four that’s what we’re playing with at present these are all the rubber got those at Kempton the other week there handlebar grips knee grips foot rest grips all ready to go we got all

The instruments ready to go I’ve rebuilt that that’s early early Smith job right I’ve had a lot of belts associated with belts after 1955 and of course all my Charles career we did the bof Charles Master jacket which is really the semi Miller Charles jacket that one there

Miller’s name is on the inside of it there so then Bell staff decided to get me sharpened up a bit so for for shows which I do and um events this is the new bell staff jacket and uh I hope you like the style of it and um looks quite smart

Quite comfortable beautiful quality and uh there you go they’ve even put a pocket inside which Miller demands to have an inside wallet pocket it’s too shallow because highly dangerous nothing would stay in there not a good idea so there we go another day in paradise and uh onward and forward cheers