Split to Pieces

Don't let the title of this entry fool you. This was a good day. My clutch removal tool arrived today and worked beautifully. It took about two turns of the center bolt, which presses down on the main shaft, pulling the clutch center off, and POP it was free. With the clutch center removed it was a piece of cake to get the cases split so I could remove the crank. A couple taps with a soft mallet and the cases were sliding apart.

In order to get the crank out of the case I had to get the distributor drive gear off the other end of the shaft. It was stuck a bit, but with some gentle taps with the mallet again it slid right off the shaft. As you can see from the picture, there is quite a bit of corrosion on the flywheels. I'm hoping they clean up well.

This means the bike is completely torn down. I have everything on a shelf and on my workbench. The third picture here shows mostly the engine pieces. I now start the task of cleaning everything up so I can assess what needs to be replaced, fixed, or just put back together. I'm hoping there aren't too many parts which need to be replaced but know right off there are going to be a few: piston, rings, valve guides, gaskets, to name a few.

I guess I'll fire up the parts washer in the next day or two and try not to pass out from the fumes while I wash everything. I'm pretty sure I will need to get the cases media blasted. I'm torn between investing in the equipment myself or having it done by someone. I think I may be too picky to have someone else do it but I don't really want to spend the $'s necessary to get right equipment. I don't like buying cheap tools. You just end up buying the good one after you waste the money on the less expensive version, or you break a part because you think you can make the inferior tool work. You don't have to break many parts, or scrape many knuckles to make the investment in quality worth it.

More research, more shopping, more buying. Although, I haven't spent much to date. A couple of tools, some rags, and two of books is about it. That will certainly change once I send the frame out for blasting and powdercoating then start buying new engine parts for the rebuild. Maybe Santa will bring me something shiny for Christmas!