So I finally found what appears to be a decent UK based supplier for the recommended oils.. RHR tools are able to supply them for a reasonable cost in 1L bottles - which is much better than having to buy them in 25L quantities. I should have thought about the fact that the 1L bottles wouldnt have any way of pouring, but a quick trip round the local craft store provided me with several little fine tipped applicator bottles which seem to work perfectly.
Next up - Spindle refit. After a few days soaking in cleaner with my mangineered shaker bath, the spidle wicks came out really far cleaner than I expected. A days drying and then a quick test to see how well they soak the new spindle oil has convinced me that I dont need to get replacements from the US (which is good because in my opinion the only ones I can find are stupidly over priced for what they are). They went back in, a generous helping of spindle oil both in the in oil wells, and around the bearings and spindle too.
Reinstallation was pretty much the reverse of removal - same wooden jigs, threaded rod.. slide it in from the tail stock end, seat the bull gear and pulley set, do not forget the thrust bearings.... Thread the rod through the spindle and tighten. When they describe the bull gear as an interference fit, they are NOT kidding...
Once its all sat properly screw the locking ring on and tighten into place and gently try to turn it. It spins nice and smoothly by hand, so the tumbler gear assembly can go back on along with a set of change gears.
Thread the chuck back plate on, attach the chuck and it finally looks like a lathe!
And just for comparison... where it all began - Hasnt scrubbed up too badly I dont think.
Thats as far as I have got whilst I figure out how to drive it and get the gear cover sorted. I am hoping to acquire a rear mount idler set this week, im not sure if I will run it rear mounted, but at least I will have options. I tried to do the math to work out if I could drive the spindle direct from the motor with one or 2 pulleys but I dont think it will have quiet enough range. I also had a look at the gear covers for a rear mount, but they wont fit the headstock that I have, so I suspect I will end up making it run as an undermount setup.
Things left to do:
Acquire idle shaft /pulleys
Acquire a tool post (there appear to be many options to this)
Mount the 3HP bargain motor.
Find a VFD that will run the 3HP motor that I have (Bob - if you have any suggestions as to where I could find one that would be worth a thank you pint! ebay appears to be full of cheap chinese vfd's but I have seen mixed comments on them)
Make or acquire a pully to fit the motor shaft @24mm its a big bugger!
And finally adjust it all to be nicely inline before turning lumps of metal into (hopefully) rounder/smaller lumps of metal!
Sid.