When I get the stuff back from the machinist I will be taking a bit of leave to put humpty back together.
Monday 31 August 2009
On the bus
It is the first day of spring and o am riding the damn bus.
When I get the stuff back from the machinist I will be taking a bit of leave to put humpty back together.
When I get the stuff back from the machinist I will be taking a bit of leave to put humpty back together.
Thursday 27 August 2009
Wednesday 26 August 2009
New shoes for the dark lord
The old ones had plenty of meat. They were just in the wrong way. No surprises there.
A mixed Box and an Over-tyred kid
This is my last grumble about the cost of this stuff. I promise. Today I discovered some interesting stuff about my gearbox. I am typing down what I currently understand (or think I do) before I forget.
Ok, here goes. Please comment or email me with corrections.. derek at astralyte dot com dot au
IN the late 60's the company Quaiff built 5 speed gearboxes for triumph. Truimph bought the rights in early 70's and proceeded to make a very crappy version. Gears too narrow, hardening shite, etc. These are called a-series 5 speed boxes
. In June 1971 some T120's were released from the factory with 5-speeds. the engines and frames were stamped T120RV. Some say they don't exist. Some say there were 2-300 made to allow them to use them in 'stock' races. I have one of these bikes.
These boxes were blowing apart withing sight of the showroom and made redundant after 2 years and replaced with the b-series. Due to the general shiteness of the a-series very few remain as they have long since been replaced with b-series boxes.
There are many interchangeable parts, as the mainshaft is pretty much the same. The layshaft is different and can only accommodate a top-drive (5th) gear changeover. There are different levels of updates available, but none are my concern... YET
You can probably guess by now the great news I got today. Being a bit of a murphy's law magnet, I couldn't have guessed the crazy combo.
Mainshaft seems normal. Absence of serial numbers on most of the gears means They are (I can't remember now) probably quaiff or custom made????
The Third Main Gear with no remaining case hardening has 18 teeth. This is odd as the matching laygear still has the correct number of teeth. It is also suss that the mismatched numbers are on the same gear that is worn beyond the case-hardening. Perhaps mismatching has worn it, OR it is a custom gear that was NOT hardened as well as the genuine ones.
The third Layshaft gear is marked only with a small X instead of a serial number. This could mean it is a custom gear, or maybe has had the teeth re-profiled to fit the 18 tooth main 3rd.
The layshaft, driving Dog, 2nd, 4th and fifth are all A-series gears, which is diabolical news. To set this right (really and completely) will cost up to a thousand dollars.
In the meantime I have sourced a genuine B-series Main 3rd to replace my worn out custom one. I will assemble it and assess whether the profiles still match. On the bench my lay-3rd rolls ok with the other gears, so there is some hope.
I have also ordered a B-series lay-5th (high drive) to replace the chipped one. This is a straight change over. (famous last words I know).
Tomorrow I count ALL the gears as I have just realised that it may have a custom close ration conversion. Doubt it tho'.
Buying parts can be upsetting at the best of times, but when you have a kid with you the opportunity to pick the brains of the triumph guru goes out the window. Here's one solution....
Ok, here goes. Please comment or email me with corrections.. derek at astralyte dot com dot au
IN the late 60's the company Quaiff built 5 speed gearboxes for triumph. Truimph bought the rights in early 70's and proceeded to make a very crappy version. Gears too narrow, hardening shite, etc. These are called a-series 5 speed boxes
. In June 1971 some T120's were released from the factory with 5-speeds. the engines and frames were stamped T120RV. Some say they don't exist. Some say there were 2-300 made to allow them to use them in 'stock' races. I have one of these bikes.
These boxes were blowing apart withing sight of the showroom and made redundant after 2 years and replaced with the b-series. Due to the general shiteness of the a-series very few remain as they have long since been replaced with b-series boxes.
There are many interchangeable parts, as the mainshaft is pretty much the same. The layshaft is different and can only accommodate a top-drive (5th) gear changeover. There are different levels of updates available, but none are my concern... YET
You can probably guess by now the great news I got today. Being a bit of a murphy's law magnet, I couldn't have guessed the crazy combo.
Mainshaft seems normal. Absence of serial numbers on most of the gears means They are (I can't remember now) probably quaiff or custom made????
The Third Main Gear with no remaining case hardening has 18 teeth. This is odd as the matching laygear still has the correct number of teeth. It is also suss that the mismatched numbers are on the same gear that is worn beyond the case-hardening. Perhaps mismatching has worn it, OR it is a custom gear that was NOT hardened as well as the genuine ones.
The third Layshaft gear is marked only with a small X instead of a serial number. This could mean it is a custom gear, or maybe has had the teeth re-profiled to fit the 18 tooth main 3rd.
The layshaft, driving Dog, 2nd, 4th and fifth are all A-series gears, which is diabolical news. To set this right (really and completely) will cost up to a thousand dollars.
In the meantime I have sourced a genuine B-series Main 3rd to replace my worn out custom one. I will assemble it and assess whether the profiles still match. On the bench my lay-3rd rolls ok with the other gears, so there is some hope.
I have also ordered a B-series lay-5th (high drive) to replace the chipped one. This is a straight change over. (famous last words I know).
Tomorrow I count ALL the gears as I have just realised that it may have a custom close ration conversion. Doubt it tho'.
Buying parts can be upsetting at the best of times, but when you have a kid with you the opportunity to pick the brains of the triumph guru goes out the window. Here's one solution....
Tuesday 25 August 2009
Macgowan gears
3rd main has worn through the case hardening and the 5th lay has a chipped tooth. That is at first glance.
Just found out the cost of gears. Fark. !!!
Just found out the cost of gears. Fark. !!!
Monday 24 August 2009
SHOPPING - taking the plunge
The cost of rebuilding these things is phenomenal. Every little parts order seems to cost another couple of hundred bucks.
Today I bought clutch cushion rubbers, a couple of seals and a gear selector plunger setup. I decided to change from the leaf spring system that Triumph not so clevery adopted for a couple of years in the early 70's.
I am told the thing will change a lot better and have far less neutrals with the plunger system. I will take pics of the process.
Today I bought clutch cushion rubbers, a couple of seals and a gear selector plunger setup. I decided to change from the leaf spring system that Triumph not so clevery adopted for a couple of years in the early 70's.
I am told the thing will change a lot better and have far less neutrals with the plunger system. I will take pics of the process.
Saturday 22 August 2009
Cleaning cleaning and more cleaning
Amazing what we do with our leisure hours on a Saturday. 8 hours of scrubbing parts and cases.
Today I ...
Stripped the clutch and inspected the cushion rubbers (see pic). Cleaned and did a 'practice' assembly with new friction plates.
stripped, cleaned and tested the oil pump - AOK.
stripped and cleaned the rocker boxes - awaiting o-rings to re-assemble.
stripped the oil pressure relief valve and the oil pressure switch.
cleaned and blew out the oil junction thingy.
stripped and cleaned the timing side cover.
Replaced the kickstart shaft and cotter pin. Unfortunately the cotter pin drives almost right through the hole. This is weird as ALL parts are new. Most odd.
cleaned out the oilways in the cases.
soaked and cleaned the primary chain.
Soaked the big chain.
Gazed at the empty frame wishing I could ride it.
Today I ...
Stripped the clutch and inspected the cushion rubbers (see pic). Cleaned and did a 'practice' assembly with new friction plates.
stripped, cleaned and tested the oil pump - AOK.
stripped and cleaned the rocker boxes - awaiting o-rings to re-assemble.
stripped the oil pressure relief valve and the oil pressure switch.
cleaned and blew out the oil junction thingy.
stripped and cleaned the timing side cover.
Replaced the kickstart shaft and cotter pin. Unfortunately the cotter pin drives almost right through the hole. This is weird as ALL parts are new. Most odd.
cleaned out the oilways in the cases.
soaked and cleaned the primary chain.
Soaked the big chain.
Gazed at the empty frame wishing I could ride it.
My wife calls me lathey
I have to confess that I have had a lathe for 12 years and haven't used it... until yesterday.
My centrestand mounts were elongated by around 2mm, so I had to make bushes for them.
The first task was trying to ream out the holes. This proved difficult as access is impossible from either side. I welded a length of 8mm rod to a 9/16 drill bit, then tapered the bit at the blunt end up to the weld. I was able to then feed the drill bit backwards in the opposing hole then fit to the drill. Worked a treat.
Next I dusted off the old lathe and use a bit of logic. Drilled through the centre first, then put shaved a bit off at a time until it was 14.3mm. Used a parting tool to cut it off and bob's yer uncle.
Tapped in nicely. These were meant to be practice ones as I am not sure the correct internal diameter required. New bolts are on order as the old ones are all kinds of fifferent sizes depending on where you measure.
I also put some weld on the 'stopping point' of the stand then ground it back, replacing some worn material.
My centrestand mounts were elongated by around 2mm, so I had to make bushes for them.
The first task was trying to ream out the holes. This proved difficult as access is impossible from either side. I welded a length of 8mm rod to a 9/16 drill bit, then tapered the bit at the blunt end up to the weld. I was able to then feed the drill bit backwards in the opposing hole then fit to the drill. Worked a treat.
Next I dusted off the old lathe and use a bit of logic. Drilled through the centre first, then put shaved a bit off at a time until it was 14.3mm. Used a parting tool to cut it off and bob's yer uncle.
Tapped in nicely. These were meant to be practice ones as I am not sure the correct internal diameter required. New bolts are on order as the old ones are all kinds of fifferent sizes depending on where you measure.
I also put some weld on the 'stopping point' of the stand then ground it back, replacing some worn material.
Thursday 20 August 2009
Sludge trap trapped sludge.
As I stated earlier, the sludge trap appeared to have never been opened, despite having had two top end rebuilds, a bottom end job all in maybe 100000 miles.
Well, the crank oilway was so restricted the bike was DEFINITELY on the verge of a stroke.
Well, the crank oilway was so restricted the bike was DEFINITELY on the verge of a stroke.
Wednesday 19 August 2009
RIGHT NOW
my first post in the present.
Summing up.
cylinder - at machinist
head - at machinist
Crank - at the balancer
the rest - on my new lift (the scooter one proved a little small for the triumph, and I wanted air-hydrailic anyway)
clutch - seems ok, but i have new friction plates ready to go in. Tangs on steels seem ok. Ordered new rod. The square ended studs were very lightly tack welded on. As the welds were small (and two of them broken off) I will clean them up and pretend they never happened. I made a cutch screw tool by welding a washer to an old screwdriver , then linishing half of it off. easy.
centrestand - my big chance to sort this out. Today I found the holes in the frame very elongated, the contact seats worn away, the spring bent and the whole stand bent. Still deciding what to do about all this. I 'unbent' the stand (I am a blacksmith of sorts). I will explore making bushes to go into the frame holes, and reface the contact seat on the stand itself. nything to avoid welding onto the frame.
Fuel tank - I should strip it back and sort it out, but I won't. No time.
Gearbox - Look, the thing changed through the gears alright, so I am going to reasswemble as-is. Welcome comments as to "while you are in there you really should...." One third of one tooth on one gear is chipped.
Carbs - have alredy sorted out a pair of very well refurbished carbs . 930 concentric Amals. hand made slides and remachined air screws.
Rocker boxes - will clean up a bit and replace o-ring. That's about it.
Summing up.
cylinder - at machinist
head - at machinist
Crank - at the balancer
the rest - on my new lift (the scooter one proved a little small for the triumph, and I wanted air-hydrailic anyway)
clutch - seems ok, but i have new friction plates ready to go in. Tangs on steels seem ok. Ordered new rod. The square ended studs were very lightly tack welded on. As the welds were small (and two of them broken off) I will clean them up and pretend they never happened. I made a cutch screw tool by welding a washer to an old screwdriver , then linishing half of it off. easy.
centrestand - my big chance to sort this out. Today I found the holes in the frame very elongated, the contact seats worn away, the spring bent and the whole stand bent. Still deciding what to do about all this. I 'unbent' the stand (I am a blacksmith of sorts). I will explore making bushes to go into the frame holes, and reface the contact seat on the stand itself. nything to avoid welding onto the frame.
Fuel tank - I should strip it back and sort it out, but I won't. No time.
Gearbox - Look, the thing changed through the gears alright, so I am going to reasswemble as-is. Welcome comments as to "while you are in there you really should...." One third of one tooth on one gear is chipped.
Carbs - have alredy sorted out a pair of very well refurbished carbs . 930 concentric Amals. hand made slides and remachined air screws.
Rocker boxes - will clean up a bit and replace o-ring. That's about it.
big End
not too bad.
Despite all the talk from a p/o about rebuilds etc., the sludge trap appeared to have never been tampered with . Centre punch mark intact and not a mark on the screwdriver slot. The small ends have never been changed despite several re-bores, and the con-rods were on backwards. I am told this is not that relevant but does indicate that they have been removed at some stage.
The machinist reckons we may stay in spec on the journals as the ridging is very very shallow.
both crank bearings seemed fine. I cleaned them out thoroughly, lightly oiled them and they were smooth as.
I have ordered new ones anyway. Seems like the right thing to do.
cam bush movement is negligible, so they will stay.
The gearbox sprocket was a 21 tooth and each tooth resembled a surf wave. I have ordered a 19 to put back on. Normally I would have stuck with the long gearing to reduce vibrations at higher revs, but I have sent the crank off for dynamic balancing, so I hope to enjoy the best of both worlds sometime this year. I also expect to leave Marcus' 71 bonnie in my dust, but that is another story.
that all pretty much brings the story into the present tense. Tense being the operative word as I reassemble this beastie.......
Despite all the talk from a p/o about rebuilds etc., the sludge trap appeared to have never been tampered with . Centre punch mark intact and not a mark on the screwdriver slot. The small ends have never been changed despite several re-bores, and the con-rods were on backwards. I am told this is not that relevant but does indicate that they have been removed at some stage.
The machinist reckons we may stay in spec on the journals as the ridging is very very shallow.
both crank bearings seemed fine. I cleaned them out thoroughly, lightly oiled them and they were smooth as.
I have ordered new ones anyway. Seems like the right thing to do.
cam bush movement is negligible, so they will stay.
The gearbox sprocket was a 21 tooth and each tooth resembled a surf wave. I have ordered a 19 to put back on. Normally I would have stuck with the long gearing to reduce vibrations at higher revs, but I have sent the crank off for dynamic balancing, so I hope to enjoy the best of both worlds sometime this year. I also expect to leave Marcus' 71 bonnie in my dust, but that is another story.
that all pretty much brings the story into the present tense. Tense being the operative word as I reassemble this beastie.......
Tuesday 18 August 2009
Sometime you gotta make a stand.
The top end came off first. It looked surprisingly fine with no scores, cracks or holes. Just carbon, and plenty of it. Upon further inspection I found the following. ....
Bores larger near the top
Ring gaps as big as 1.5mm. (should be 0.24) This to me means the wrong ones were installed and confirmed the dire need to pull the whole motor down.
Small end bushes very sloppy.
Valve stems tapered
Valve guides conical.
Valves were sealing very well.
One bent head bolt
One stripped rocker box bolt hole (in head).
Blue silicone inside the top of head around the valve stems.
I made the decision to get the head done professionally, and get the bore done with new pistons, rings etc.
MEANWHILE...... the big end awaits inspection.
Bores larger near the top
Ring gaps as big as 1.5mm. (should be 0.24) This to me means the wrong ones were installed and confirmed the dire need to pull the whole motor down.
Small end bushes very sloppy.
Valve stems tapered
Valve guides conical.
Valves were sealing very well.
One bent head bolt
One stripped rocker box bolt hole (in head).
Blue silicone inside the top of head around the valve stems.
I made the decision to get the head done professionally, and get the bore done with new pistons, rings etc.
MEANWHILE...... the big end awaits inspection.
Monday 17 August 2009
The rise and fall of the dark lord as a daily ride
The bike ran ok. Pretty rich and not super powerful, but coming off a 150cc 50 year-old scooter it seemed pretty good.
In an attempt to tune the carbs up I rejetted, changed air filters to old style, changed to milder pipes, rejeted again.... I ended up getting some accurately re-machined amal 930's with hand made slides. Very nice, but still fouling plugs and backfiring.
A friend brought in his Bonnie of hte same year to my workshop for me to change his oil and his kickstart shaft. I rode it and was amazed at the available power. Meanwhile, with the quieter pipes, I could hear some whining sounds coming from my engine when hot. Power loss when hot led me to the fear of a spun main bearing or soft seized piston.
TIME FOR A REBUILD..... to be continued . Below is an example of the first Bike I owned. MIne was a very rough example that I used in the dirt only from 1982.
In an attempt to tune the carbs up I rejetted, changed air filters to old style, changed to milder pipes, rejeted again.... I ended up getting some accurately re-machined amal 930's with hand made slides. Very nice, but still fouling plugs and backfiring.
A friend brought in his Bonnie of hte same year to my workshop for me to change his oil and his kickstart shaft. I rode it and was amazed at the available power. Meanwhile, with the quieter pipes, I could hear some whining sounds coming from my engine when hot. Power loss when hot led me to the fear of a spun main bearing or soft seized piston.
TIME FOR A REBUILD..... to be continued . Below is an example of the first Bike I owned. MIne was a very rough example that I used in the dirt only from 1982.
Initial findings
Testing the blog from telephone thing.
Things I had to do immediately.
1- change all fluids
2- replace front wheel. A p/o had bashed in a lh thread locking nut and cracked the hub.
3- New battery
4- rebuild forks, handle bar mounts, clutch cable, clutch mechanism, speedo mount,
5- steering head bearings
6- reline fuel tank to stop leak
7- front brake cable
8- rear brake shoes
9- replace blinkers
10- rewire switches
11- align rear wheel.
More when I remember ....
Things I had to do immediately.
1- change all fluids
2- replace front wheel. A p/o had bashed in a lh thread locking nut and cracked the hub.
3- New battery
4- rebuild forks, handle bar mounts, clutch cable, clutch mechanism, speedo mount,
5- steering head bearings
6- reline fuel tank to stop leak
7- front brake cable
8- rear brake shoes
9- replace blinkers
10- rewire switches
11- align rear wheel.
More when I remember ....
starting at the beginning
1988 - I am getting around on a yamaha XT 250 and decide that the Triumph bonneville is my dream ride.
1989 - I am getting around on a Suzuki Gsx750es and test ride a chopped and raked 59 thunderbird. Cant afford the asking price of 1800 bucks
FF>> many years and I am getting around on a 1959 Lambretta, have another 1962 Lambretta tv175 and two rare vespas. I own and run a classic scooter repaor workshop in Collingwood Melbourne, Australia.
I speak to a mate in a cafe and he tells me he wants an Enfield Bullet. I explain how I have always wanted a bonnie but could never keep up with the rising costs. As I am saying this the epiphany kicks in. Next day I sell two vespas and start looking for a bonnie.
MY BONNIE (the dark lord) was sold to me sight unseen from rural queensland. The seller had no knowledge of it but put me on to the guy who had it for 25 years up until two years ago. He sounded like he really knew his stuff and was very enthusiastic about the bike, the rebuilds, etc.
I bought it and had it shipped down to Melbourne, and so the story begins.....
1989 - I am getting around on a Suzuki Gsx750es and test ride a chopped and raked 59 thunderbird. Cant afford the asking price of 1800 bucks
FF>> many years and I am getting around on a 1959 Lambretta, have another 1962 Lambretta tv175 and two rare vespas. I own and run a classic scooter repaor workshop in Collingwood Melbourne, Australia.
I speak to a mate in a cafe and he tells me he wants an Enfield Bullet. I explain how I have always wanted a bonnie but could never keep up with the rising costs. As I am saying this the epiphany kicks in. Next day I sell two vespas and start looking for a bonnie.
MY BONNIE (the dark lord) was sold to me sight unseen from rural queensland. The seller had no knowledge of it but put me on to the guy who had it for 25 years up until two years ago. He sounded like he really knew his stuff and was very enthusiastic about the bike, the rebuilds, etc.
I bought it and had it shipped down to Melbourne, and so the story begins.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
