Vincent Series C Shadow Wanted

[PRG]

Howdy Chaps,

My Red Vin, in the link at the bottom, camps out in the house these days. Advancing age - but mainly laziness - means it's wrestled out for a ride less and less often. In the theme of my 46 Chief , would like to get a semi crusty old complete stand-up basket/barely running/non running Series C Shadow to mechanically resusitate as my dusty trail horse to be kept out in the garage for ready access.

Will purchase straight up or have cash and one of the last and better documented 1970 Velocette Thruxton's in existence as trade - if you're like me and can't bare to have a vacant spot on the floor where a cherished machine once stood. Also have a perfect 1954 Steib LS 200 Side Car and accessories if that might interest you.

As spammer's routinely harvest email addy's off of vBulletin posts, you can contact me from my Velocette web page link above.

I work for the big purple/orange express company so shipping is absolutely no problem. Could send you an empty crate knocked down for you to insert your beast in.

[PRG]

..thread bump and update

Howdy Chaps,

The lust remains for a grizzled Shadow - or multiple greasy lumps thereof - but previous lures on this fishing expedition have since been sold and I'm now down to casting with less appealing (and lamentably now devalued) currency only.

Contact me via my website in my sig below using the feedback button at the bottom with whatever you might have.

Thanks in advance.

[PRG]

..thread bump, update, individual parts now needed

Howdy Chaps,

Patience on this pursuit has now been rewarded. Pictured below is the dusty powerplant/UFM ready to be pulled from 29 years storage, the rest of it had been co-mingled in many boxes of other British bike bits.

Alas, not all of it can be accounted for. Need the following to get this Beast fully mocked and standing up on its feet as pictured at my site in the sig below, namely, upper/lower fork links/riser caps/eccentrics/spindles and bushings - do have the bottom triple clamp, fork stem, both risers, spring boxes, blades, backing plate and shock assembly.

Thanks in advance.

[chiefj48]

hey peter,

nice find, and i'm sure you will be busy putting it back together!!!

good luck, and enjoy your new project!

[PRG]

..from the shadows

Howdy Joe,

Thanks, this is just what I was looking for, an unmolested but crusty piece awaiting resuscitation, a starting point I'm way more acustomed to than writing a check for a nice original paint piece just requiring a new custodian. Tried that, wasn't nearly as intriguing ...nor required hundreds of hours out in the shop which is what I'm programmed to do, basically, with everything.

Between the VOC - factory build sheets on hand for most every machine built prior to 54 - and devoted owners, it's generally not to difficult with Vincents to trace the winding road of their history to your doorstep. This one's no different. Sold out of King's of Oxford in 1950 and known as "Fear Naught" thereafter for the bronze medallion affixed to the tip of the front fender by its military owner, it arrived in the colonies in 1959, wound up in Monterrey, CA, was sold by a British chap to yet another military man in 73 with 5,000 or so miles on the clock. He rode it 1,000 miles and sold in in late 76 in excellent condition to the estate I bought it out of and that guy rode it about 145 miles before completely disassembling it, for some unexplained reason, and had the powerplant rebuilt by well know motor builder in Vincent circles at the time. Upon its return it was skidded on the floor to a corner of the garage with three other motors and that's where it sat till I bought it two Saturday's ago, 31 years later.

When I pulled the timing chest cover off, there etched into the spindle steady plate against machinist blue background was "rebuilt 6/77 W.I.Tragle". Little did Rip know then, his handiwork would wait a third of a century before even finding its way back into the chassis, alas, the three other motors may never be so fortunate.

Like my others before it, it'll be restored and returned to the road as its makers intended.

[chiefj48]

hey peter,

that is a great story!!! my only question is what happened to all the other parts??

[PRG]

Howdy Sir,

You know, that's a good question, and his widow is trying sort through the other stuff to find them. Coincidentally, the only missing parts of consequence all relate to the girdraulic front section at the top that you rebush similar to a girder forked chief. We speculate he took those over to Rip's to be machined and they either came back to be stowed away from the other parts, or were never returned as Rip moved back to rural NY state at some point. Thankfully these are re-pop'd by the VOC spares scheme but this machine is such low mileage, numbers matching and unabused, hence the quest for original parts. I hope tomorrow to be assembling my forks under the VOC Hillbilly section tent at Barber from a big box of spares being brought by a club member.

Back to the history thing for a moment though. To show you how much of an impression Vin's can leave on riders, though the middle owner's custodialship was brief, say 73-76 and mileage low, he contacted a well known Vin broker here in the US recently, Somer Hooker, and inquired as to where Fear Naught might be to which Somer replied, give me a couple of weeks and I may be able to tell you exactly as a friend of mine may buy it. This gentleman and I now communicate regularly via email and I send him photo updates. This chap's since retired from the military and still rides regularly. Funny, I feel like a knew him before his first note as I have spent much time since July going through 32 years of Chicago VOC section STOP newsletters which regularly chronicled this exact machine and both chap's club activiites over the years.

My next step is going to be much like my father locating and now chatting with his German captors from WWII at the Stalag forum is to inquire about LND940 at the VOC forum to unearth the history on the other side of the pond - this should be interesting - I've seen some chronicles on their board that would do Sherlock Holmes proud.

[chiefj48]

wow there is more there then i thought!!! i hope she can find you all the original suff, as it should be together with the rest of the bike.

you are a very lucky man to have found it, and i like the history of it!!!!

[PRG]

Howdy Chaps,

In the likelihood these girdraulic parts do not turn up, this is what I'm looking for from the factory parts manual M0063 drawing highlighted in yellow.

Yup, alot of those are merely fasteners/studs and commonly available through VOC Spares, VinParts, etc.. but alas, mainly in stainless. I want to keep this machine original. True died in the wool AMCA'rs understand, there's nothing like cad!

[chiefj48]

hey peter,

i hope you find what your looking for! sorry i can't help ya!!

[Chris Haynes]

A customer brought in a restored Shadow to Tri "C" Engineering/Trackmaster. He wants a complete dirt track frame built for this bike. They have torn it down to the bare engine they are fabricating a frame with racing forks ETC on of. all the other Vincent parts are in a pile.

[PRG]

Whew! Assume this is in 2008 and not 1958, he should have started with this instead. In a likely rare moment of soft reflection, one of my favorite hard headed sages, A.J. Foyt, was once heard to say, words to the effect, listen to everyone....and then do what you want. This guy gets the gold star.