Some pics of what we go through to properly rebuild these. No more big end bearings existed for these engines that anyone knows about. Custom made bearings were the answer but complicating things is the 4-5HP Bamford used two different I D.s in the big end of the rod, early thick she'll bearings and late thin shell, both use the same 3.000 crank pin. Now, when all the possible I.Ds and undersizes are considered the number of stock bearings becomes quite large AND expensive. Also complicating things is there isn't a market for 1000s of bearings. The answer became having one size custom bearing made that would be as adaptable as possible. I had bearings made for the large rod bore and all of the them are 030" undersize. It's much cheaper to grind the cranks 030 under than to stock all sizes of bearings or than having them welded and ground to standard. Pictures show the current Z2 4.5HP project. Boring the big end on the mill, then it was honed to size and locking tabs machined. Also shown is the finished rod and the newly made inserts. Now off to the crank grinder to have the pin sized to my bearings.

Bruce, the Bamford are worshipped by certain Amish. after being thoroughly abused for many years they could no longer keep them running so they put them away. Now that my little operation has been discovered they are coming out of the wood work for rebuilds.

Bob, I make my fasteners from 1044 bar, known locally as Stress proof. it is fine for applications to Grade 8. I don't substitute in crucial areas such as big end bolts and nuts but all others are fair game.

A customer 4.5 HP Bamford arrived today, mostly torn apart. Amish,, save some money by doing it themselves,, Grrrrr.
Me; uh where are all the nuts and bolts?
Amish; uhhhh don't you have any?
Me;  No, I make what I need on the lathe.
Amish; OH
Me; Where are the Gibb keys??
Amish; shrug shoulders???
Me; more time and materials on bill.
Amish; Not included in cost estimates??
Me; No, you pay for that time and materials.

 Turns out they had tried to rebuild it.
Also picture of crank, this happens when you use a standard bearingon a 020 under crank shaft,, more saved money LOL.

I'd really rather work with someone who has done this before. I understand that finding a seller willing to work with unusual requests might be difficult.

Importing isn't unduly complicated but understand that fees on top of the cost of the engine and freight add up quickly, everyone who touches it or even looks at it at the port will have thier hands out. Many people have tried the group buy deal and to my knowledge none have went through. Problems arise with paying up front and who is responsible for problems with delivery or product. Don't mean to be a negative Nancy but those are just the facts.

Ive known about half dozen of them, guessing there are quite a few more around that I don't know about.

The governors just plain were not designed to precisely control RPMs as sone would like them to. This is one area where the Listeroids work better than the real deal,, and why is that??? Because most of the India engines have 8MM elements in the fuel pumps VS 7mm which is standard for a CS 6/1. This is about a 15% increase in delivery thus with any given increase in load the 8MM element gives more fuel with less rack movement than the OEM element. A large element is no substitute for a free working no slop linkage but it does give a very noticeable improvement of the stock pump. There was one fellow who used to post here that used 10MM elements die to running waste fuels.
RPM
There were several modifications to the 5/1 6/1 engine that allowed it to be sped up to 850 RPM and 8HP. Disk flywheels on 8\1s don't add power but are a safety modification. The governor weights on an 8/1 are significantly lighter. The piston on an 8/1 is aluminum to reduce inertia loads. One has to think that Lister found these modifications necessary, or they would have simply sped the 6/1 engine up.

 

Hi Bruce, you were certainly involved with these engines a few years before me. I know very little about the early experiments carried on, just what was posted after I arrived, which was pictures of sand ruined bearings, apologies for any inaccuracies.
 What I do know is Lister changed the upper shell material for the 850RPM  8/1 and all heavy flywheel engines long prior to all of this due to identical spalling failures of the upper shell that you mentioned. India of course despenced with that in the engines sent here and supplied regular babbit shells in everything even to this day. Every heavy wheel and high speed engine that sees my little operation gets bronze backed babbit coated shells.  The same heavy loadings that kill the upper shell in an 8/1 or SOM flywheel engine can be duplicated in a spoke flywheel 5 or 6/1 engine by having the injection timing advanced from the Lister specifications.

Are you in farm country? in the states Rural King and TSC both have it. Not sure what your equivalent stores are up there?