I Understand Now

I used to read restoration blogs that spanned years and thought to myself, "how can someone take so long to rebuild a bike?".  I didn't think I'd be here, seven years in, without a finished product.  Hell, I thought I'd be riding the thing after the first 12 months and have sold it to start something else!

Well, here I am, years!! past my "hoped for" completion date, still no finished bike, no progress made in a couple years, the bike a thorn in my side and  taking space I could use for other things.

The weather here is starting to get cool enough to work in the garage and I need to get this project out of my life.  The goal now, different from when I started, is simply to get the bike running and road-worthy, leaving it to someone else to provide the finishing touches to complete the restoration.

Hopefully, there isn't that much left to do.  The engine work is done - provided it will start and run without discovering something internal that still needs attention. I need to finish building my wiring harness, add hoses for fuel and oil, add said liquids, then try to start it.  If it actually starts and runs I'm golden, almost. I still need to get a seat.

I hope my next post will be soon, show great progress, and a couple photos.  Photos are always fun.

Engine Home To Roost

First I just want to say it's HOT in my garage.  The temp here today was 106.  It was all of that in my garage but I thought I could stand a few minutes to drop the engine back into the frame.  Nothing ever goes as planned so I spent about an hour sweating and cursing before getting the engine nestled back into the frame.

Triumph did NOT plan for this engine to be easily removed or replaced.  The lower oil drain bolt interferes at the bottom and the cylinder head interferes at the top.  Couple that with the fact that I'm working alone in a hot garage with the bike on the ground and you have for  a frustrating process.  The one thing that did go well was that I didn't mash even one finger.  I'm either getting better at this stuff or was lucky today.

There's more to tell but I'll save that for another time and will just add a few pictures. There's nothing wrong with your eyes or computer. I blurred the background to save myself the embarrassment of the cluttered garage.

Carb Completed

The weather in Phoenix, Arizona this time of year is not conducive to my restoration project as it's VERY hot in the garage and the humidity is too high for my evaporative cooler to be effective.  I was motivated to get some work done so I moved inside for the carb rebuild.

One piece of disassembly I hadn't done was removal of the jet block. I wasn't sure how it was connected but a bit of searching led me to believe that it is simply pressed in. It is, in fact, a press-in assembly and a few light taps with a dead-blow hammer using a deep-well socket as a "punch" knocked it right out with no damange.  here is a small screw in the carb body that keeps the jet block from rotating  that must be removed. The block had a fair amount of oxication holdin it in place but it cleaned right up. My rebuild kit included the paper washer which fits below the jet-block.


I did all the cleaning outside in the morning while it was relatively cool.  I'd done some rubbing with scotch-brite pads to get the worst of the grime and oxidation off of the main carb body and used carb cleaner on everything else.  I read somewhere that a dip in a 3:1 mix of water:muratic acid would brighten up the aluminum so I figured I'd give that a try too.  This treatment helped remove most of the oxidation, especially in the hard to reach corners and crannies.  It probably would have done more if I had let the parts soak longer.  I only put the parts in the mix for a couple of minutes before reinsing them and neutralizing the acid.  A quick spray with silicone lube once dry gave everything a nice luster and should help protect the parts from oxidation.

My rebuild kit included all the gaskets and I also ordered a new float needle.  Everything went back together without any issues.  The slide and barrel look good and slide well without slop. I shouldldn't have to open her up again unless I have to re-jet one of the circuits after I get her running.  I put the needle back in the same groove I found it - assuming it ran that way some time her distant past.  I won't know if that was right until she runs.

I need to find a new o-ring to fit between the carb and engine, an air intake tube, and some type of filter and I'll be ready to mix air and fuel.

Here is a picture after the clean and rebuild.  The carb is an Amal 376.

Starting On The Carburetor

While I wait for parts to arrive in the mail to finish up engine assembly I decided to get started on the carburetor rebuild.  The carb. on the Triumph is an Amal 376.  I ordered a complete rebuild kit.  All the o-rings, washers, gaskets, and a new float valve.  All of the jets looked shockingly clean so I didn't order new ones.  I may regret that later but they're not hard to get and I'm not under any real time pressure.

I took a LOT of pictures.  Even though I have a parts manual and a service manual for the bike I've found having pictures when you start reassembly to be worth the few minutes it takes to capture them.  It also gives me good visuals for my blog posts, which would be boring without without them.

To that end.  Here is a before shot of the carburetor to compare with an after shot which I'll take once I'm done.  So far I've only got the tear-down complete and some of the parts washed.  I'll start polishing up the body next.  Not looking for a really shiny finished product but, as you can see from the picture, it's pretty oxidized and dirty right now.

Amal 376 - Before

Headless No More

I'm one step closer to a complete engine.  I've just ordered a few miscellaneous parts that will allow me to button it up but here's the latest shot of my progress.  After some fiddling and improvising a tool to align the pushrods to the rocker arms I got the head bolted on... twice.

After some struggling I found a 'tool' that holds the pushrods in place while fitting the head down onto the bolts.  The tool, along with a rubber band between the two rocker arms to hold them against the top of the rods, once aligned, made the job MUCH easier.  Even with that the rods switched places on me the first time I got the head on.  The exhaust valve was opening on the down-stroke of the piston, instead of on the exhaust stroke - DRAT!  I had to remove the head, reposition the rods, and start the frustrating procedure of lowering the head back onto the bolts while aligning the rocker arms with the rods.  It went together a bit more smoothly the second time but not without some problems.

Attempt number two and the rods were opening and closing the valves at the proper times.  I then set the valve clearances and put the rocker arm covers in place.  Once I get the timing pieces and a few other bits I'll finish up the assembly of the engine and get ready to put it into the frame.  I've got to get the carb rebuilt first.  I'd like to do as much work on the bench before putting the engine into the frame.  I don't have a stand on which I can put the entire bike so once the engine is in the frame things become more uncomfortable to work on.  I may look into building some sort of stand for the final assembly.

Here are a few pictures of the engine.  One of it nearly complete, the second is a shot of the pushrods being held by my fancy 'tool', awaiting fitment of the head.

Piston And Barrel Mounted

P4170004
Originally uploaded by Gym_x

Today was the third day in a row I've worked on my Triumph Cub restoration. I installed the new piston and mounted the re-bored and painted barrel. I had the barrel and head machined a while back and the parts have been waiting for me to get moving again.  Well, movement is happening and I hope to keep the momentum going.

I'm ready to put the head on next and hope to get to that tomorrow. I started fitting pieces tonight but didn't have the patience to install the push rods in the tube and get them mated up to the rockers.  It seemed like it was going to be quite the chore; one to be saved for an evening when I can take my time.

Two In A Row!

Two posts in two days! Can you believe it?! With the progress I made yesterday I decided to keep the momentum going by doing a little work tonight after dinner. I finished up the gear case side of the engine, stopping short of sealing it up until I'm closer to 'done'. Then flipped it over and fitted the clutch basket, drive gear, primary chain and rotor. I didn't think this would take much time but, like everything else with this project, it did. Party because I'm careful to check everything two and three times to be sure it's right before proceeding. I can't claim to be in any hurry now and if being methodical saves me a tear-down and rebuild because I missed something I'm better off anyway.

I'm not making predictions but I don't have anything planned for tomorrow evening so I may go 3 for 3!

Only one picture tonight. Nothing very interesting really. I'm getting to the timing and ignition which should be more interesting. What would we do without Ziploc Bags? I forgot how much my hands hurt after doing this type of work.

Engine Work Gets Going... Finally

Engine 1
Originally uploaded by Gym_x

I finally got the engine work started again on my Cub. Working on a friends old BMW this weekend was the motivation I needed to get moving.  That and the wife being out of town provided the inspiration and opportunity for some serious garage time.

The first photo is the engine as I left it on  the bench after today's work.  I started with the cases just having received their new bearings and seals.  I did that work but by bit over the past few weeks.  Today I installed the crank, rejoined the cases, installed the gearset, oil pump, cam, timing gears, tappets (or cam-followers, or lifters or whatever other term you want to use), and installed the inner cover.  I think that covers it.  No issues really, other than the main shaft binding when I tightened up the inner cover.  Had an extra washer on the mainshaft which caused the binding.

There is still a looooong way to go but I'm happy with the progress today.   Here are more pictures from the day.


I did have one other problem. The oil level tube on the drain plug had a bit of a hole. Have to get a new one on the way before I fill her up with oil.

Head and Barrel

In order to get things moving forward again I sent some parts off to a machinist who specializes in restorations and has experience with old Triumphs, some of them Cubs.  I packed up the head, barrel and old piston and sent them off to Baxter Cycle in Marne, Iowa.  About 5 days after dropping the box off at the post office I got a call from their machinst.  After a brief chat about my options and extimated costs we had a plan.  The very next day the phone rang and my parts were ready to be shipped back.  In the reassembled head I had: 2 new valves, 2 new valve guides, miscelaneous washers and a cleaned and painted head.  The barrel got a re-bore and a new piston and rings to match.  It was also cleaned up and painted to match the head.

This post can't go without a few pictures.

As you can see, Baxter Cycle did great work and I was shocked how quickly they got my little job finished up.
I've got to get some parts ordered so I can start reassembly.  There is still the hi-gear bearing to remove from the case and some general cleanup but that can happen while I wait for parts to arrive.  I'd better get ordering.
More pictures again next time.

Let's get this thing back on track

Well, it's been quite some time since an update was made here.  Since this is my first restoration project I can't compare my progress to past persona experience.  From reading about other people's restorations it seems as though there are two types, in general.  Those who get a bike, collect everythign they need to restore it, then set about doing the work in, more or less, one continuous stream.  The second type are those who get a bike, do some work, have a delay for whatever reason, get back to it, have another delay, maybe waiting for work or parts, then make more progress.  I have definately fallen into the second type.

Like some others my work is fairly seasonal, although opposite of most.  I can't work in my garage in the summertime because it's too hot.  Mostly I read about people not working the winter because they don't have a heated space in which to work.

NEW GOAL:
I'd REALLY like to be able to ride this bike by the end of this year! The weather is good. I've got some funding for my project, having sold a bike, and I'm making progress again.  Step one.

CURRENT STATUS:
It's pretty much like it was after my last post.  The rolling chassis is still sitting in my garage ready for more part to be bolted onto it.  I sent the barrel and head out to a machinst who rebored the cylinder, provided me with a new piston, fitted new valve guides and valves the reassembled the head with some other new parts and gaskets.  He also blasted and painted the cylinder so it should be ready for reassembly to the lower end.

I sealed my gas tank with a 2-part epoxy last weekend.  That process was fairly simple and as described in the instructions.  Now it's ready for sanding then painting.

NEXT STEPS:
Engine reassembly.  I have to remove the old bearings from the cases and order a hi-gear bearing before reassembly can begin.  Everything is apart and cleaned up so it should just be a matter of fitting everything back together.  I'd like to build an engine stand so I can do the engine work on the bench, instead of in the frame.  That may just be more work than I want to do, however. It's far easier to just put the bike up on the bench, so we'll see.

There you have it, an update at last. Hopefully it won't be months before the next one.  I promise pictures too.

Now We're Rolling

Now it feels like I'm really making progress. With a day off for Memorial Day I decided I'd better make some progress on the Cub so I assembled the fork and mounted it, along with the wheels, to the frame to complete the rolling chassis. I had a few problems but you can see the final results. I'm happy with the way things are looking and can't wait to get more work done.






I'm putting together a list of parts I'm going to need to get the engine back together.  That will be the next endeavor.  There is still a long way to go but having a sub-assembly complete is very motivating

Frame Assmebly Time

FrameAssembly1
Originally uploaded by Gym_x

I planned this post to be a shot of the before and after pictures of the shocks since I spent quite a bit of time rehabilitating them, but I got on a roll and started bolting things together last night.

Since I'm working by myself and didn't have three or four other hands to help hold things I strapped the head to my shelving with the frame sitting on a make-shift work table (a cardboard wardrobe box with a piece of masonite for a top). It isn't perfect and would have been better if I'd have built some sort of frame holding jig, but it got the job done last night.

What you can sort of see in this picture is the completed frame with the rear sub-frame and shocks mounted. the fabricated bushings are great and everything bolted up with only a few headaches. For some reason the rear sub-frame shrank, or was bent, between disassembly and assembly. I had to put the lower bolts in then really pull on the top to get the upper mounting stud in place. I don't remember it being difficult to remove but it was quite a while back - November 2008.

I'm really happy with the results so far and can hardly wait to get the fork reassembled and the wheels on. You can't tell from the cluttered picture but I've actually cleared a spot for the rolling chassis to wait for the engine work to get finished - started first, then completed but you get the gist.

I'm energized to get things moving along more quickly on this project now and need to get on top of ordering parts for the engine work. I only need a few pieces and some gaskets to get thngs moving forward. I'd better get on that.

One more shot of the frame from another angle.



FrameAssembly3
Originally uploaded by Gym_x

Rear Shock - Before

Just a quick teaser. This is a "before" picture of the old shock. You've already seen before and after of the bushings. The whole enchilada is next.

Originally uploaded by Gym_x

Can't Beat These Bushes

New and Old
Originally uploaded by Gym_x

I got my rear shock bushings fabricated this evening and am very happy with how they turned out. The material I got from McMaster Carr was perfect. It seems to be the right hardness, was the right O.D. and wasn't too bad to cut to size and drill to fit the spacers. Only time will tell how it's going to hold up but for the price of two bushings I can make two complete sets for my bike and have some material left over.

I'm painting shock bodies now and will get them reassembled this weekend so I should have a roller by Sunday night, provided I can get a few hours in the garage this weekend. That's provided the leak from my Jeep's radiator doesn't get worse so it takes a higher priority.

The photo shows one pair of the old bushings along with the new ones and the rest of my raw bushing material.

Rear Shock Bushings

P5180048
Originally uploaded by Gym_x

I'm almost ready to assemble the rolling chassis. I'm putting the finishing touches on the rear shocks and the forks now.  Once those are finished I'll be ready for assembly.  The fork gaiters arrived last week and I'll get those mounted this weekend to complete the front.

In the back I'm refinishing the rear shocks and, as you can see from this picture, the bushings are shot. The left is the bushing from the bottom of the shock after it was removed. On the right is the internal spacer from the other side after cleaning it up. I've got some material that's the right outside dimension for the top and bottom and all I need to do is put the right sized holes into it and I'll have bushings as good as new. I hope to get that done this weekend as well.

Hopefully, my next post will have pictures of the rolling chassis.

Frame Painted

I've got several coats of beautiful glossy black paint on the frame, swingarm, sub-frame, side stand, foot rests, and a few other miscellaneous parts. I’ve got the wheels assembled with their old brake shoes – new ones on order. Forks are painted and assembled minus their oil, which I’ll add when I’m closer to having a running engine. Here’s a shot of the rolling chassis. I’m pretty happy with her so far. I chose to paint the frame myself, rather than powder-coating, because: a) I wanted to do as much of the work myself as possible and b) it’ll be easier to touch up, although probably easier to chip in the first place.

I’m sealing the tank next. Get the caustic chemicals over with before putting on a nice coat of paint so as not to wreck it when they leak all over, which they’re sure to do. With that, and some fort gaiters I’ll be in pretty good shape.

I’ve started making a list of engine parts I MUST have and those I would probably replace if money were no object. I really don’t want to do an engine rebuild a few months after getting it all back together so I’m trying to achieve a balance between expenses and long-term investment/rework. I suppose this is the classic struggle between the wallet and the wrench.

I’ll get some parts ordered and use the time it takes them to arrive to build myself an engine stand, polish up the side covers, and brighten up the cases, head, and barrel. I can’t get the barrel to look as nice as I’d like so I’ll likely paint it. I’ve seen a lot of Cubs with black barrels and I like the way they look. I hesitate to give myself any sort of schedule because I seem to miss every deadline I set for myself but I’m shooting for an assembled engine by the end of May. We’ll see how that plays out.

FINALLY, moving ahead again

I didn't get anything done last weekend as I had planned. I blame the rain but I could have painted in the garage. I didn't want overspray on everything so I opted out. I was busy with a lot of other stuff so I'm using the rain as my excuse for the week.

This weekend I got started early, Thursday actually. I managed to get things setup in the back yard and sprayed the rear sub-frame, sidestand, and pillion support (one of them). They turned out pretty well. I'm using Krylon from a can and am trying to be as patient as possible, spraying multiple light coats with a bit of drying time between each. This method seems to be working so I'm sticking with it. I think I'm going to tackle the tank and fenders using this method too. I'm getting ahead of myself.

Last night I started spraying the frame. I'm being even more careful with it as more of it is going to show when the bike is back together. I sprayed one side and the top last night. I'll be spraying the other side and the bottom later this weekend. It's supposed to rain again here tomorrow so I'm hoping to spray some again today. Who would have thought that RAIN would be hindering my progress HERE, IN PHOENIX! We get an average of 9 inches a year. That's effectively none but it's falling at the wrong times for me.

Oh well. I'm making progress again and feel good about it. I'll get some pictures and will post them soon.

Safe riding.

Time To Get Moving Again

Frame
Originally uploaded by Gym_x

I hate to make plans for the weekend but I'm going to anyway in the hope it will motivate me to act. Saturday morning I'm going to setup a temporary paint booth in my back yard and start painting the frame and sub-frame. They're all primed and ready so all I need to do is wipe them down and start spraying. If all goes well, by the end of the weekend I'll have a painted frame, ready for assembly.

My aim is to get the rolling chassis assembled. I don't have the fork gaiters or new brake shoes yet but I can add those later without much disassembly required. The other decision I've made concerns the engine.

I'm going to rebuild the engine and only replace the items I know to be in need of attention. That means, new main bearings for the crank, new valve guides, new piston rings, and that's it. I should be able to get all the parts I need without spending a lot so that will help move it along. I'm planning to do the work myself because I'm not doing any machining. We'll see how it goes. If I get stuck I can always go to a pro. I'm pretty good at recognizing when I'm over my head before doing any damage.

Ok, there's the plan. It's 'out' so I have pressure to follow through. I'd love to have this little bike running in a couple of months. If I don't run into any real mechanical issues with the engine I think that's possible. I've done all the reconditioning of the parts as they came apart so it really is ready to reassemble.

In case you forgot what the frame looks like here's a beauty shot. Wish me luck and stay tuned.

Better Weather

Well, the weather has been better for working in the garage for quite some time now (at least two months) but I haven't really done any work.

I have made a few advances but I'm nowhere close to where I had hoped, even conservatively. I have rebuilt forks, minus gaiters; rebuilt wheels, minus brake shoes; and a frame that's primed but not painted. In order to get the rolling chassis finished I need the parts just mentioned and rear shocks. I've been putting off the purchases until after my Christmas shopping is finished so I'm planning to do some real work on the bike again in January - provided I don't overspend on presents for the kids.

I've managed to find a local guy to do the cylinder rebore and fit a new piston. There are a couple of place specializing in engine rebuilds who are willing and able to do some of the engine work I'm not setup to compelte. I was hoping to find someone local so I didn't have to spend money shipping heavy engine parts around the country but it's been difficult finding someone local. I think I'll spend some time in January doing some searching before shipping parts around.

Consider yourself updated on the latest. I'll try to get a few picture of the rebuilt forks and wheels. They've turned out pretty good. I'm pleased with them at any rate and that's what counts.

Happy Holidays.

All is true

Just a quick update this time and no pictures, sorry.

It's been 105+ for about two weeks now, which has made it far to hot in the garage to do any meaningful work on the cubbie. I did manage to spend enough time this morning out there to finish truing the wheels. I need to get the brakes relined and assembled and shod the rims with rubber to get to 100%. I hope to order the brake lining material and tires today. Thankfully, it's not too hot to shop on-line.

I've been trolling e-bay for some miscellaneous pits and pieces. I missed a steering head lock by about 13 bucks last weekend. I've started setting my max bid then forgetting about the auction until it's over so I don't get caught up in the last minute price escalations. That's working so far but I do miss out on some parts because I'm cheap. The steering lock went for about $40. The only other options I've seen out there are over $100. I don't really need the lock as I don't plan to commute on the bike or leave it out where someone is likely to ride it away.

Anyway, I hope to have more done and more pictures soon. I may have to start sleeping during the day and working at night.