Progress

Thank you to all my contacts who were concerned about the absence of posts in this blog.  I have given priority to family matters, so the Lykamobile has been languishing with little attention.

The wild winter winds have played havoc with the tarpaulin, so I must either repair it with duct tape or replace it with something which is fit for purpose ( and more expensive!)

Although I must be well behind some of my more capable fellow builders, I feel that progress is being made.

 The first stage has been reached, with a trial fit of the main moving parts, without piston rings or gland packing.  Bearings were fitted without too much of a problem, once the plain bearings had been put in the freezer for a while.  I had the right tools to drill and tap the mountings for the updated water pump design. I was also reminded from a long time ago the advice that an undersize tapping drill makes the operation much more difficult.  I re-finished the steam ways through the valves, to reduce possible drag.  My biggest challenge was to enable the crank pins through the cross heads to be a good fit without movement but enabling a push fit by hand. 
I also had to avoid screwing the piston rod too far into the crosshead as the small end of the connecting rod wanted to be in the same place.

 The whole thing will need to be dis-assembled, cleaned and painted before putting it back together again, not forgetting to make everything tight and secure - loctite will be good on all but high temperature parts.
I think I shall press on with the next stage before taking anything apart; I really want to see how the 'modified Hackworth' valve gear works in practice.
Putting everything together is a bit like those metal puzzles sometimes found in party crackers.

 As another builder has commented, the engine is getting heavy.  I am using a block and tackle to help me.  I had my eye on some high temperature paint just at the time when Bunnings gave up and sold out to Homebase, so I have stockpiled some cut-price spray cans of paint for the cylinders and anything hot nearby which might need paint.  I was thinking of making a wooden cover for the hot bits, which should reduce heat loss and reduce the risk of getting burnt.  It might help with reducing condensation in the steam ways and cylinders - we don't want hydraulic lock in the cyclinders, although I have been assured that the slide valve to be used does help to minimise the effects.

The engine can be turned over by hand, but will be much easier when there is some steam pressure available.

As an aside, I have been thinking about moving the steam car when it is not 'alive'.  The obvious answer is a trailer, but a local supplier advises that there are too many people about who like the idea of driving off with someone else's trailer.  With that thought in mind, plus the lack of space for a trailer, it occurs to me that an A-Frame towbar would work and take up less space.  It works for motor homes towing small cars, so should work for a Lykamobile (with the chain removed, of course).  There only need be two fittings at each end of teh front axle.