And the bottom bracket is ...

in. Actually both of them are. Today, felt brave enough to give it another go since the tool's back from surgery. I'd fitted the Lambert's bb and couldn't get the drive-side bearing to sit flush in the frame which, to put it mildly, was rather frustrating. The tool is easy enough to use (once you know what you  have to do, that is) and should press the bearings in nice and square while holding the spindle in place. The bearing on the non-drive side sat perfectly, hence my confusion about the drive side being a tad tilted. I thought to myself: must be a user error and pulled the spindle again. Easy with the tool. Unfortunately, unlike normally, it came out without taking one of the bearings with it. Great! Now I had to tap the drive side bearing out; not exactly how I planned this operation. Luckily, I'm quite experienced on that side and, as long as you carefully tap around the bearing, it'll not get wedged. It requires patience and perseverance, but that comes with the territory when dealing with Viscounts--or bikes in general, for that matter.
Back to square one: Lambert BB fitting the 2nd:

Precious tool for a precious bike

In my previous test fittings, I'd experimented with spacers and washers, bent and dented a few thinner ones and, eventually, found the right way of getting it to work. The bottom bracket is in place, but it still doesn't want to sit flush in the frame. It sits in an ever so slight angle, exactly like it did beforehand. It seems as if the bottom bracket shell has previously been damaged, which may well have been caused by riding the bike with the BB being shot, or someone tried to remove the BB not knowing what s/he was doing. Not uncommon, as I've heard from my mentor, Steve. However, even though the angle is minimal and hardly noticeable, it still annoys the perfectionist in me. I'll most likely take it out again, see if I can find the cause and think of a solution. Bearings not sitting perfectly won't run as smoothly as they should, and also wear out earlier. But see below the bearing sticking out by about half a millimeter on one side.

Hopefully it's a case of 3rd time lucky!

And because I needed some kind of success, I grabbed the freshly powder coated (and very precious to me) frame of the rally bike, put a generous amount of grease into the wonderfully--thanks to sand-blasting--clean shell and went ahead with the fitting. What a difference! Both bearings are flush in the frame, the spindle in the right place, only the circlips need to be fitted, must have a rummage in my bike box to see if I find some. Result!

Now this is how a perfect BB should look like!

The spindle's turning can only be described as smooth! You won't believe how happy I am as it proves that I'm well capable of using my super tool. It's good news, especially since I'm going to fit Joe's bottom bracket some time this week. I want for it to be perfect. My guess is that it's an easier fitting with a newly sand blasted frame as there's no rust, no remains of Loctite--if it was used, or paint in the way. 

The date of the Death Fork Rally 2 is getting closer ...

And I'm getting more and more excited with every day passing. I've even thought about chiseling marks into my bed post for the count down, but that would possibly be a tad over the top. Still, it's going to be end of this month and I still have a bike to build for this special event. Got the frame powder coated, the transfers sorted, the bottom bracket tool repaired, parts and accessories waiting to be put on the bike--did I mention I'm excited?
And I'd love to share pictures of the bike, to woo you, to make your jaw hit the floor, your eyes pop out, and heart beat faster, but I'll have to contain myself as the master piece won't be revealed until the day itself. One thing I can promise you is that this is a very special Viscount; one the world has never seen before. Oh, yeah, I'm on a secret mission. Appetite whetted?
Well, tough, you'll have to wait! I can reveal one part that'll go on the bike:

Sexy Titlist GS rear derailleur for a Viscount

Yes, that's right, a NOS Shimano Titlist GS rear derailleur, which has finally landed safely in my loving hands, after over four weeks of waiting for it. Trust me, I feel as if I haven't left my spot on the window for the past two weeks, looking out for the postman. The floor shows signs of wear ...
So happy it made it in one piece, as did the BB tool, by the way. Which I'll test drive tomorrow before fitting Joe's BB. I'm still working enticing him to come to the rally. What better place would there be to show off a newly restored Lambert?
And to any of you who are reading and would like to come, please check out this forum thread.