Great thread, hadn't seen that one. Sunset Orange is the same as my (ex David) MK28, which is a pink red...

After going round the block a couple of times re the colour have settled on 'gas tank red' if Mercs did paint it red there's no red/orange listed in '53 so I guess they would have used what was to hand...'gas tank red'.

Quick update... have spent hours and hours easing the filer blocks into the engine block using blue hi spot and removing a little each time with a small router and end mill, then lined up the ports in the filler blocks with the engine ports, transferred the filler block position to the stack plate and lined up the filler block and stack plate ports, then lined up all the stack plate mounting holes with the block...phew!

Next to sort all the iffy studs and tapped holes in the engine block and a big clean up.

Moving on...Crank assembly now into the block , waiting on more shims to arrive for the top and bottom bearings, new seals fitted. The filler blocks have been bonded in to the block, the exhaust stacks have to come back off once everything has set so I can make up the exhaust cover plate gasket etc.

Shims arrived and everything cleaned up, crankcase fitted, filler blocks bedded in to the engine block, I've used a filled silicone which seems resistant to heat by my blow lamp test and will allow everything to expand and contract. have made up a paper/graphite gasket for the stack plate with the graphite rings around the exhaust ports slightly thicker than the paper as it is s bit more compressible...fingers crossed!

Crank assy shimmed up and everything bolted up...and it all goes round!!!!

Quick update... lower unit re assembled and ready to go, mid section ditto, next to sort the carbs and magneto.

Done a bit more... carbs serviced and the spindle wear sorted, magneto/distributor dismantled and the bearings packed with fresh grease, new coil and condenser all assembled on the power head. Modified and lightened the flywheel now set up for rope start.

Still got to sort the water pipe in the leg and the fuel pump system

oh my goodness - getting all giggly waiting to hear it fire up! will we be making noise at Ivy Lake?

I wish....very tempting but just a bit too much to do so Spring meet at Ivy Lake is the target

Movin' on...All the bits mostly in one place now! I've fitted a suction fuel pump remotely on the top of the engine (no room behind the cowling) to replace the original pressurised tank tank system, although i've got all the bits it looks to me to have just too many potential leaks, These very early Mercs had twin fuel lines and the crank case pressure was collected via non return reed valves on the transfer ports and fed to the fuel tank, the pressurised fuel tank then pushes the fuel up to the carbs via the second fuel line. Also it seems to me a good way of reducing the crankcase pressure...not the best idea for performance.

What's left?...cowling, that's done at least as much as there is going to be, I've got to fit up the linkages and time everything and sort the paint...gas tank red for the cowls and dull silver for the midsection. Oh, and sort a steering arm Last job is to find my ear defenders...

Finally got it finished just before Christmas...just need to add fuel and water oh and make a steering bar... anyone got one?