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to the Archive indexIt didn't really just turn up in Ohio, I bought it from a friend, Michael Dumale, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. He purchased it to get some needed pieces to complete the restoration of his Sun. So I did not get all the pieces that the photo shows.
I went to Canada late in April to buy it. Michael had it all apart so that I could haul it in my van. While we were there Mary and I did spend a couple of extra days at the Falls. The weather was cool this time of year and it was nice in the daytime, but cold and windy at night, so we did not get to see the Falls when they were lighted with the coloured lights.
When I got it home I laid it out to see just what I would need to get for it. Quite a few pieces were missing and other parts were in bad condition, to say the least.
Right away I placed an ad in BUZZING and also one in THE INDEPENDENT, the magazine for the British Two Stroke Club. After a couple months of waiting for a reply to my ads, I came to realise that I was going to have go another route to get the missing items, so I decided that I was going to have to get busy and start making the pieces that I needed.
At this time I have made a new pedal crank assembly, using the original sprocket, a new bicycle chain guard, using a Hercules bicycle one that I just had to trim the face side to the measurements of the Sun one and adding the rear mounting hole and making a front bracket. I have also made a set of mudguard braces for it, repaired the rear stand and the handlebars and levers.
The start of the project...
I have a new seat cover coming for it, also the engine parts that are missing and the ones to rebuild the engine. I sent and got the tyres shortly after I brought it home. I still need to make a chain guard for the drive chain. I am in hopes that someone can help me with a front lamp and an exaust pipe and silencer. The front lamp is the same as used on many autocycles, the one with the rubber insert in the mounting bracket while the exhaust pipe and silencer are the ones that the '49 & '50 autocycle & the '51 & '52 motorcycle, with the 1F engine used.
I will send some pictures and a report as to my progress later when it starts to look like it should.
First published: December 2002