If you can't buy it - - then you must build it.

    The saga of the dissolved front wheel hub continues..........

After trying to obtain a spare front disc brake wheel from various sources I began to despair of ever getting the Enfield back to having 'real' brakes.  Seeing as no one had a wheel in stock, I was left with the only option. "If you can't buy it - - then you must build it."     The first thing was to build the original 'dissolved' hub back up to size using body filler.  Then, have a replacement hub cast, using the built up original as a pattern.  Many thanks to Andy, a fellow Moonshiner who just happens to work at a place that produces aluminium castings.

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Once the hub had been machined to take the bearings and the disc, the next step was getting the rim laced up.  I decided to change from a 19 inch steel rim to a 18 inch aluminium rim. . . . much greater choice of tyres in 18 inch.  Once again, thanks to Lefty for the tool room machinery, and to Ray Phillips, who has been building wire wheels for as long as I can remember. ( Just looked, and it seems he started back in 1954. )
    The final step was digging out the original fork legs, mudguard, brake cylinder and the umpteen other 'bits' that make up a disc brake front end.

Did it work ?

It most certainly did.

    Ok - so it's taken me a fair few years, but the Enfield is now back up and running with its original disc brake.   The cost of rebuilding the hub was much cheaper than the cost of replacing the wheel for a drum brake set up..... £ 125 for the rim and rebuild - £ 49 for the new front tyre.  Well, the original "Nylo Grip" Indian tyres were due for replacement.
    The next thing is the removal of the rear wheel and getting a 18 inch aluminium rim laced up to it.