Got my new bits for the seagull - well done SOS, really quick service - and a nice used part. New cover, new ht lead, Amal 25:1 jet and fibre washers - new plug.

see here for engine pics - lower unit removal -

Wow - looking pretty - a bit of a strip and they are back to their original castings. I'm not going to paint them - I'm doing them in clear shellac. Sounds a bit odd - but I've had impressive results with shellac as an anti corrosive on cycle bits. It also leaves them with this nice casting finish.

My middle bolt problem needed attention. Someone had really bodged it - it would seem trying to drill out the old bolt, veered off line a bit - then badly retapped ?

It was a mess - and not pulling up central to the original hole. I originally decide to drill it right out to 8mm - to suit some 8mm alloy dowel I had.

To attempt this - I first epoxied it all in, to give me a fighting chance of drilling it out again. I could fix the alloy plug with a small pin, then re-tap a hole to suit M6. Looking at the casting, with a careful re-drilling at 6mm, I figured I could expose the bottom of the hole by just relieving around the casting - it would not need to go through the casing wall - just enough for the flat of an M6 nut.

The fix

Since this lower hole was exposed anyway, the little notch hardly makes any difference to the unit strengthwise.

Also the thrust is from the front bolt with the engine under load, forcing the tube back towards the exhaust flange. Took some very careful allignment to drill it out - with all the mixed rubbish in there from old bolt bits. I made a 25 thick hardwood jig, matched to the top cover - then bolted it to the front hole - and alligned the rear by eye to the centre of the propshaft - as the castings are a bit awry for centering. It went down the original hole so well - I actually was able to screw the original bsf socket screw into the remaining bit of original thread. WOuldn't have trusted it much though.

Nice strong fix - not truely original - but there is not that much meat around the casting there to drill it out that much. This is nice and simple and strong - and easily undone.