Villiers 148cc I think ????

[rickburnout666]

Hi new to the group and always been interested in the old Brit bikes and been messing around with bikes now for 40 years, usually Japanese & Italian bikes, Recently in a deal of sorts I got a Villiers engine, it had been sitting in a leaky shed and had been exposed to the elements the engine numbers are 051D 1723 & Model 31C it will need a complete rebuild as the piston was missing, the bore is rusted and may be able to be rebored i need a carb too but when i went to http://villiersservices.co.uk/ i could not find the 31C parts i will need, Can anybody help me as I am a newB with Villiers ? Is the 31C known as anything else and what bikes was this engine from and the years it was produced all help will be greatly appreciated Thanx, Rick

[R]

The basic history of Villiers
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pattle/nacc/arc0596.htm
says
"31C (appeared) in 1956.  This had a bore and stroke of 57mm×58mm giving a capacity of 148cc.  A choice of 3 or 4 speed boxes was available and variations included fan cooling with either kickstart or self starter for scooter use."

Some knowledgeable Villiers folks on this site, sure they will add to this.

[33d6]

The 31C was always known as the 31C. Your particular engine with prefix 051D was originally supplied to Excelsior from 1960-65 which was about Excelsiors last gasp. Lots of bikes and scooters fitted the 31C. Too many for me to sit down and list. The survival rate is pretty good as 148cc isn't a convenient size for competition. It doesn't suit the common capacity classes.

The standard Villiers 31C operators handbook and spare parts list is available from the usual sources. I use the VMCC Library myself. Look at their website, www.vmcc.net and go through their library holdings.

In latter years Villiers made variants of their engines to suit various uses. Eg, fan cooling for scooter use and the Siba Dynastart for electric starting. The VMCC have all the info.

These will also tell you which carb and I'm sure one will appear on eBay once you know what you're after. Villiers stuff isn't rare. I would expect a piston will be available from the usual sources. Either Vintage Motorcycle Pistons in Shropshire or Red Lizard Classic Motorcycles. 
Cheers,