I remember having that concave groove in my shoes from doing that !  thank you for bringing back that memory !

Hi there     the light coil wire should be grounded on one end under the flywheel and with the engine running , should be about 2 - to 8 volts A_C current , depending how fast the engine goes ,, be sure to put meter on the a-c  mode , if you pull the flywheel then it should be that old orange wire color and not look ( or smell) burnt    best wishes    Larry.

  Hi there   ,  spongy stuff in the intake port drain is felt , to keep the outside air from entering the crankase ,  ( other end of hole exits between the two ribs that support crankcase .   the funny shaped port is supposed to prevent flooded fuel from filling op crankcase ) .   port timing can be altered , but there always will be consequences ,  earlier servicycle engines had more restrictive port timimg and benefitted the direct drive models by providing more low end torque at push start speeds ,  increased port opening time worked better for transmission models,    I have used coils from old style point system briggs engines , ( flathead twins ) and modified by square fileing the center hole to fit Phelon bikes  resist the temtation to spin and let the spary try to jump a big gap , this practice is detrimental to coil integrety ,  I have not experimented on wico replacements , ( yet ) though I have the winder and materials ,     fingers starting to hurt ,   bye,   Larry.

  Hello ,   Thank you all for the replies ,    This will give me something to do later on .  much obliged  ,   Larry.

   Hello    the stationary half of the rotary valve is the cerankcase between the two big main bearings ,,, the rotary half is the crankshaft ,  It will be apparent when it comes apart ,  feel free to call me    314 609 6568     all the best ,,  Larry.

  When I felt the need for  top end work , the engine came out for total overhaul , ( meaning new bearings , that way the rotary valve assembly would stay in check , " the old watched pot adage "    )  I use premium bearings from skf ,   I've learned to toss them before they get loose to prevent rotary valve failure ,   cheers   Larry.

 I think I'll pull some of my stuff out of the mothballs tomorrow , and see what I can come up with , I was thinking of a solution to the flywheel priblem myself ,,, maybe a two inch wide piece of seven inch pipe with magnets attached ,  4 inch wide  3/8 bar across the middle with a hole to accept the taper hole center and key ?    all it is is work.