Start by centering the table and locking it. Put the knee all the way down and lock it. Move the saddle all the way in and lock it. This is to get the center of gravity as low and central as possible.
The best basic moving tool is a 5' crowbar. You can generally get the machine up off the floor a bit and put some form of roller under it using a crowbar. I use 4 old Jaguar head studs (7/16") as rollers. ½" pipe works well too.
If you can find a toe jack, use it to get the machine onto a couple of 4X4 blocks about 12-15" long.
Then, you can pick the machine up using a pallet jack. I have found this to be the safest and easiest way to move it a short distance.
For loading it onto a trailer or truck, you have a couple of options. The easiest is to find someone with a backhoe or bucket loader to lift it. Use straps if you have them, and have the operator lift the machine with the front bucket, not the backhoe. I recommend having them go a vertical lift only, then back your truck or trailer under the machine and set it down gently. I move machines standing up. Some would argue that they should be laid down, but I believe this can cause extreme and unnatural loads on the feed nuts etc.
If you cannot find a suitable backhoe/ forklift/ tractor/ etc. (99% of humanity lives less than 2 miles from a backhoe. OK I'm making that up, but it probably isn't far from the truth), it is possible to load it with an engine crane or a chainfall. I do not have a chainfall, but I have seen one used (make SURE the beam or gantry will support the weight of the machine!) When using an engine crane, generally the boom needs to be in the shortest position and the ram needs to be in the outer position. I recommend removing the head/ ram assembly to reduce the height of the pedestal. Use as little chain as possible, but enough that it keeps the pedestal from contacting the boom when you reach max height. I recommend against using hooks; use threaded locking D-links instead, and tighten them with a wrench, not just your fingers. (I once dropped a mill about 6" because a D-link wasn't tight, and it stripped and opened like it was a piece of wire. It was OK, but smashed the crap out of the casters on my crane.) I still recommend the backhoe!
Once loaded, make sure that you tie it down using 2" wide ratcheting tie-downs, like truckers use. When I use a trailer with a wooden bed, I nail 2x4s down around the base of the machine to help keep it from sliding around. Tie it down like you are planning to have an accident. Lots of people have been killed by heavy loads that shifted forward in a wreck.
A few other basic pointers:
Recognize your limits. Don't try to do something that you don't have the proper equipment for. The equipment is available everywhere; it is just a question of getting you hands on it. It may cost money, but less money than replacing your pedestal if you crack it. (or your leg if you crack it!)
Don't rush. I tend to do my moves while the kids are at school or in bed. Plan on moving things slowly and deliberately. Don't put anything heavy down on any body parts you value.
Don't try to man-handle anything. You will lose. The only way to move machinery is with lots of leverage and mechanical advantage. Be smarter than the machine, not stronger.
Tom Corrales, NM
11/28/07
MO 19
FT 80 is not only drawn backwards, it should be mounted inside the
fuel
tank lug
MO 22
Item 502 Round head 1/4" BSF screw should be used to blank off the
unused chain guard mounting hole
Two G90 bushes needed in FT111
MO 64
The large idler should read ET 50, not E 50
Item 30, a grub screw, is drawn but not labeled (it's just above 'E2/4')
6 screws, Item 220 are needed for the clutch cover E 62
Gear change rubber is G80, same as the Twin's
Bolt, Item 978 should read 872
No Gasket shown for ATD cover ET136/1, nor on MO32 to which MO64 refers.
F111 The upper two threaded holes are not drawn, later F111s only had
the two upper holes.
E228 is the dynamo drive pinion and
ET141/5 is the breather pinion, not as shown
Frank,
The Hague, Holland
Any Non-hardening sealer is okay for the threads on T30AS but it is important that the Steel washer 448 be used since there otherwise is a tendency for an annoying oil seep at this point, despite the sealer on the threads. Just one of the many mysteries of life with Vincents.
It pays when servicing the UFM to get the oil tank as clean as possible because 'clay' tends to build up on the floor of it that conceivably could block the opening that admits the oil to the screen assy T30AS. The traditional treatment is filling the tank with a mixture of Gunk and Varsol and letting it sit overnight. Then flushing out the solvent with boiling water, taking care to avoid the obvious dangers, and obeying all OSHA and EPA regulations! In recent times people have taken to cutting 'manholes' in the top rear of their UFMs to enable more positive cleaning. I understand the reason for this, but I hate the idea of altering original UFMs! If it can be avoided, anyhow.
The hex on T29 is really too small to be very positive sealing against a fiber washer. For decades people have just plugged the opening where it goes with a crankcase drainplug and fiber washer, because the chain oiler was never really satisfactory, just making a mess on the back of the bike. 90wt gear oil is much better on the back chain, applied once in a while with a utility brush.
T29 is NOT a tapered thread, no tapered threads exist on a Vincent. It is 1/4 BSP. If you use T29, it can be installed with the same non-hardening sealer noted above. If something like Red Loctite is used with steel on steel, it grips so hard you may find it impossible to disassemble later without torture and heroic measures that may result in serious damage to the parts. I "suppose" Blue Loctite 242 would be okay for both of these applications, but regardless what is used, the threads must be clean and dry for the sealers to work. Operators try this kind of sealer and that, and find something they like, and have joints that leak, as time goes by; and it's all part of the experience. Bill Hoddinott 10/25/04
I might add that Roland had in his precious private stash a can of Wellseal,
brought over to America with him from England. When he occasionally
built an engine for himself, or family members, he used this sealer in
preference to any other.
Bill Hoddinott 3/30/04
I made the piece out of a 6 inch length of 1 3/8 tubing, which had an ID of 1". The end pieces are out of 3/8 or so plate. All TIG welded and then the tubing rebored (the small tubes which carry the stands have to break through the ID of the larger tube). I went with 8 degrees instead of 10 and am very happy with that decision.
A couple of things which deserve attention when
building: Firstly, do not just copy the original castings' left hand
end piece. Rather, make the bit that the securing screw (for keeping
the stand locked UP) a bit larger, then you can set the angle of the stands
fore and aft and then use a transfer punch to mark your hole for drilling.
I found the original location a bit too far back (the stands aren't far
enough forward to "feel" secure) and ended up welding the holes up and
redrilling. Also, plan a LOT of time for adding weld and grinding
away in order to make the stands lie properly and open evenly. George
Beweley 7/6/03
There are a great many types of rear
chain available. Mine, sourced from
Sprockets Unlimited in the UK is an 'IWIS' and has been nickasil coated
before assembly. This means that it is extremely hard wearing and
will even manage without lubrication for a while without detriment.
I've done 850 miles on it and have yet to adjust it. The imperial
size you should ask for is 5/8 x 3/8 and you need 106 links for a Twin
and 108 links for a Single. My twin primary chain broke asunder and
came out through a big hole in the chaincase/crankcase - seizing the back
wheel at 80mph on the outside lane of the motorway. The moral of
that story is: replace the primary chain - and check sprocket alignment
very carefully. Peter 6/16/03
Picador Drone: (ML
Aviation U120D target aircraft into which the Picador engine was fitted)If
the question is "why off the coast of Wales" as opposed to somewhere else,
it's because the airfield used for testing and operating remote controlled
drones is on the coast of Wales, so that the ironmongery falling to earth
does so into the Irish Sea, not onto the heads of us innocent Brits. I
believe it is still used for the same purpose. If the question is "why
the sea is full of Picador engines", it's because the radio control systems
of the 1950s were very rudimentary, the range was limited, the telemetry
was non-existent, and the operators inexperienced. If the aircraft went
out of sight, behind a cloud, or had any problem, they lost control and
the aircraft came down. It did have a parachute, but as it was or should
have been over the sea, the plane was still lost. Dick Sherwin 5/1/03
A little more research on the Lifeboats.
There were Mk 1 Mk 1a Mk 11 and
Mk111. The Vincent engine was only used in the Mk 111, and the boats, all
34 of them, were made at Saunders- Roe, I would imagine on the Isle of
Wight. Mk1 and 1a utilised a Seagull `Middy` engine Mk 11`s
an Austin 8hp Marine engine. These boats were built by various firms
, H. Woods, as I previously mentioned, Uffa Fox, Woodnutt, Ranalagh, Aldous,
Brooke, Sycamore, Woodrow, and Vospers (1). So it would appear that only
the Mk111`s were used with the Shackleton aircraft. Trevor 4/3/03
My propstands
clang against the front engine plates when flipped up. To cushion
that, I put a tie-wrap (black, of course) through one of the small holes
on one side that is at the contact point. On the other side, the
tie wrap goes around the propstand shaft, since the hole isn't in the right
spot. Bruce Metcalf 2/4/03
The "down and back" theory is valid but insufficient.
I got a couple cans of spray electronics cleaner, something like BrakeKleen
will work too, to clean up everything after a ride and a session with the
black light ready to go out for another ride.
Got it down to about 6 leaks now, 2 of which
will require structural work or better sealant. BMW had a service
definition of leakage, seepage and weepage. Only leakage was covered under
warranty. I still have 6 leaks. J. Severs 1/9/03
On Vincents its a different matter: the thread is too fine (good for self -locking but easy to crossthread). The real problem is the low quality of Vincents machining. Trevor once stated that he had heads for repair with the exhaust track 1/4 inch out !!!!(think he states that fact in the technical articles in "thevincent.com") No wonder that the fabricated exhausts (original or reproduced) never fit properly thus leaving you with the only option to have an exhaust produced ON your bike.(will fit only your bike of course). On my own bike the threads were worn of course so I took the easy way out: milled them out completely and fitted a tube - welded around and bingo - I have a solid tube where I push my pipes over (only secured by two springs each) and have that extractor effect as well as my welded tube is not tapered out to the inner dia of the pipe.
So what do I do when a client wants his ruined thread repaired? I mill out the thread completely and make an aluminium threaded insert. This is shrunk in and welded on the INNER end and on the outer end.After welding most of the outer weld is dressed away while the inner weld is squared in the mill. The repair is invisible and solid forever.I saw many bushes (steel,bronce,brass) come loose - they have to sooner or later - so I prefer aluminium. Hartmut 12/7/02
I used an entire 1-oz. bottle costing $5.00 in
the tank of F10AB/1/399 but I think you could use half the bottle
or less, especially with a powerful UV source. The brighter the UV light
source, the easier it is to see the leakage. I'm using a dual-purpose 4W
light obtained from http://www.glowowl.com the normal use of which you
will see if you visit their web site. It is very handy to use in a dark
shop. 4W is ok but it's effectiveness declines quickly as the batteries
drain. Rechargable batteries are very handy as well. Severs 6/19/02
Rollie Free Postcards:
This post card was reproduced in the mid 80s - I have ten of them bought
at that time. The one on the web site appears to be original; the
repros have the picture, but the colors are much brighter and only the
legend on the top is included, and it has been moved to below the painting.
On the back is the legend [sic] "Ronald R Free of Los Angeles, Calif.,
riding a British-Vincent Motor-Cycle in a prone position to cut down wind
resistance, on Sept. 11, 1950, established a
new American speed record for 1 mile @ 156.71
miles per hour. Mr. Free's picture was taken from an automobiile
running parallel to the black line while traveling in excess of 100 M.P.H.
just before the auto reached the measured 1 mile zone of the 13 mile straight-a-way
course, Mr. Free caught up with the automobile and immediately after his
picture was taken, he gave his Motor-Cycle the gun; the photographers say
it seemed like they were standing still, the way he left them with his
sudden burst of speed".
The card was printed by Quantity Postcards, 1402
Grant Street, San Francisco, CA 94133. Tel (415) 986-8866.
It also says "reproduction - postcard circa 1950" in the lower left back
corner. So, maybe these are still available if the company is still
in business - shouldn't be hard to find out! David Stein
6/19/02
Head Lug Bracket:Before
the slotted type FT3 Head Bracket came into use there were 2 patterns of
the earlier type FT1 Head Lug casting that fitted over the solid FT3. The
very early FT1 has a round section going down to the fork where the FT3
fits in. On the later type this part of the casting was changed to a rectangular
section. N. Videan 6/19/02
Series
D Tail Section
Looking nothing like an engine, the lumpy rectangular thing might be anything at all. Only the two spark plugs sticking up out of the block and the brass-bodied Amal carb give it away. It's in pretty good condition, wearing mostly its original coat of Admiralty grey paint, somewhat chipped and worn as one might expect. It has all its tags and plates, being number 14 of a single batch of fifty made. The only thing that is missing is the ancillaries cover that covers the starter, generator and magneto.
I've not tried to start it yet, but there is no
reason to expect it won't go - it was last started ten years ago. I'm stuck
for someone to give me a hand with it tonight, so will still have it in
the back of the Volvo at the Sodbury Sort out tomorrow if anyone wants
to have a look at the strange device. Kim 5/3/02
Lightening camshaft pinions:
Drilling holes in the cam wheels between the teeth and the center of the
wheel, in order to lighten the valve train, is always a good thing in my
book. A rotary table is a machine shop fixture which allows you to
rotate a workpiece in very tight tolerances under the cutting tool. Basically
a superfly lazy susan. They have threaded centers to which you can
mount a stud or whatever to first center the table under the cutter.
In addition to the 1.5 inch centering stud I made a .501 inch center in
order to easily mount my cam. Having mounted the cam dead center
on the table, I could move out in one direction a prescribed amount (can't
remember the figure just now) and drill the first hole. Then, by
releasing the table, I could rotate the cam 30 degrees for each successive
hole, ending up with 12 holes (30 degrees x 12 locations = 360 degrees).
When finished with the first, I just lift it off, drop the next one over
the 0.501 center, and it is in line ready for drilling. George Bewley
3/12/02
Motorcycle Insurance:
JC Taylor, limit 2500 miles per year. For 4 vehicles runs about $170
per year. Full comprehensive, fire collision, liability, theft, etc. They
permit me to use the vehicles for non-event or club related activity as
long as none of them are my primary vehicle. I also had to send them
pictures and value estimates, plus state that I store them in locked,
weather tight storage. Carl 2/22/02
A few years ago I bought an Eastwood
powder coater. The thing is
just great . The powder that it uses is polyester for colors and polyurathane
for clear. If you want high gloss use the one called mirror black . They
also have a body filler that you can powder coat and it can stand 500degF
vs 400degF for the powdercoat. When you use the filler it should be degased
by heating it to 400deg for about 20mins, if you don't you will get bubbles.
For doing a frame, heat the frame up to 400deg and
shoot it while its hot, then get a couple of
quartz heaters and finish melting it a section at a time, Of course a big
oven would be best, but they cost money. Little parts can be done in a
little toaster oven or an old kitchen oven. So far I've powdercoated many
small parts, two moto X bike frames one motoguzzi frame and both my ex
wives . The moto-X bike frames were used for racing and
the most wear occured where the riders feet were in contact with the frame.
The paint wore off just like enamel paint would. Experiment-- if
you screw it up you can sand it down a little and shoot it again. Small
parts can be striped of powdercoat by letting them soak in a bucket of
acetone overnight. The coating will gell and can then be removed by whatever
means you want. And YES you can do a professional job. Why? Because
you can take your time and be more meticulous than the jobbers. To get
back to the heaters, they are the convection type not the ones that have
a fan. Also they have to be positioned very close to the part to work well
. I have two heaters made by a company called Marvin. I found them on the
internet and they cost about 35USD. T Monte 2/4/02
A consultation with Phil Irving when I was building my
racing bike about exhaust pipe diameters
bought this response. Two large bore 2" pipes suit top end power as in
drag racing, sprinting and record breaking. For circuit racing and track
work smaller diameter pipes are more suitable. I ended up using 2" pipes
because they looked good and sounded the part and I figured I could forego
a couple of horse power for that. I think that would probably apply to
2 into 1s as well. Ken Phelps 1/28/02
Base gaskets.
I always follow the local guru's advice and make my own paper gaskets from
the thinnest material I can get my hands on, and never had a leak or a
problem and have never had to re-torque anything. I would never use any
silicone rtv type stuff anywhere near any cover except the primary. One
little spec of that can plug an oil gallery faster than you can think about
it. I have used (on our BSA R3 racer) locktite gasket eliminator
both on the base and on the rocker boxes. Anyone familiar with these engines
will know that these are two problem areas. This stuff does not congeal
and is not a threat to oilways. Robert Watson 11/29/01
Insofar as oils go, I have a buddy who successfully campaigned a Guzzi. He had gone to iron liners and was breaking the engine in at the track (fresh top end only). Couldn't get any power and was using Synthetic. Ended up doing the age old trick of throwing a teaspoon or so of Bartender's Helper down the carb to bed in his rings. Don't laugh, it really works. So, go with Dino oil until broken in.
You will most likely find that you must use gaskets on the covers, but this is because the covers most likely aren't flat. Next time you have the machine down all the way (may it be a long time), glue some 120 grit Al-Oxide sandpaper to a large, thick sheet of glass and true all the surfaces to themselves. For right now, you could get some engineers' blue and check your covers. If you get good contact, you would be alright to run Hylomar or some other non-setting sealant. Glenn Bewley 11/29/01
Never had a pushrod leak at the top. I've had the bottom seals
work there way up. Just pushed them back down with glue.
I only use sealer on the timing chest, being carefull around oil holes.
I have valve seals with no metering wires and no smoke, so I would leave
them out and see. Agree with Ken, don't use synthetic for break in.
Non-detergent mineral base is what many people use for ring break in.
I use a HD Dyna coil, mounted inside
the mag cowl. One thing to keep in mind, instead of one end of the
secondary winding being grounded as in a regular coil, it goes to the second
plug, meaning the current goes from one coil pole through the plug
electrode to ground, then back from ground through the second electrode
and back to the coil. In other words a complete circuit using both
plugs is required to fire either plug, if one plug goes open the other
cylinder won't fire either (the affected cylinder can have it's plug wire
grounded to get you home). The Dyna coils come in different resistances,
get one that falls in the Boyer spec range. You will have a wasted
spark but it has never been a problem. Paul Zell 11/28/01
(1) length of 24" ( 610mm) long x 5/8" (16mm)
dia. threaded rod. eg 5/8BSF, 5/8UNF or M16
(2) lengths of 10 1/2" ( 267mm ) long x
7/8" ( 22mm ) OD polished stainless steel tube. Wall thickness not important
but suggest 16SWG ( 1/16", 1.5mm ).
(2) stainless steel full nuts to match threaded
rod.
(2) stainless steel dome nuts to match threaded
rod.
For a 1/4" ( 6mm ) length reduce the hex. on all
nuts to a diameter equal to the ID of the tube.Polish the nuts. Insert
threaded rod thru' upper front s/car mtg. lug and equalise, spin on the
full nuts and tighten, slid on the tubes ( locating them onto the reduced
diameter ), spin on dome nuts and tighten. It took longer to type
this than to make it. Jeff Bowen 05/06/01
One of the best modifications to the sidestand
is to change the angle of the "bosses" on the FTll8/lAS Front Stand Bracket
Assembly to give the sidestands themselves less angle. You need to mill
away the old bosses, re-install new ones. Trevor Southwell performs the
job perfectly. Then, if you are also running longer rear springs,
and modified front springs, even the aforementioned mod is not enough,
especially if you try to park the machine on the side stand along with
some panniers on it.
You can extend the stands themselves by cutting
at the point where they are brazed into their "feet", drilling, and inserting
a length of suitable tubing.Some careful fitting and the mod will not be
noticeable to most. This business of fitting a block under the feet will
look, well, it will look like a block under the stand. Plus, you will encounter
problems when you want to actually utilize the stand for its intended purpose
of holding the front wheel off the ground. Carl Hungness 04/27/01
Regarding the longer "feet" for the propstands,
actually Tony Maughan & Sons Phone 01400 230212 (in the United Kingdom
of course) makes the extended feet.Thus, they may be available from your
favorite dealer . You can extend the stands themselves by cutting at the
point where they are brazed into their "feet," drilling, and inserting
a length of suitable tubing. Some careful fitting and the mod will
not be noticeable to most. Carl Hungness 04/19/01
1. You can shoot digital photos of the original
decal positioning on all the parts.
2. You can reproduce Every decal on a motorcycle.
3. After shooting the paint, apply the
decals, by grabbing images of motorcycle parts in the digital camera
and then overlaying the Original digital images to perfectly position the
decals.
4. After the decals are in place,
shot clear over them.
Cost? $150 over the basic paint job.
Standard bearings with quarter inch balls measure
.640" in height when assembled. The taper roller bearings that I posted
the numbers of are .510" overall. So theres a .130 spacer needed
somewhere to get back to standard dimensions. Trevor 12/29/00
I can't count higher than 50 so everything else
is academic. I'm sure there are some prewar statistics I don't know (TTR's).
There were about 117 Red Vincents and 80 Series B Black Shadows, including
4 that were sold with "Vincent" embossed cases and Brampton forks. They
also made Touring Shadows and Comets. Experience has taught me that rarity
and value do not go hand in hand. The most common one seems to be
the Basket Case that someone is going to fix one day. If I've
erred, let me know as some of this is based on "Lore" I've heard over the
years. Somer Hooker 12/09/00
Repainting cases and covers
with Plastikote Hot Engine Enamel:
After a super good cleaning and a final spritz off with
electrical contact cleaner {PJ1} to remove any
finger prints and a blow-dry, the real artful work begins. Provide
floodlights all around as the color black eats up illumination. This
so neccessary to good even coverage and between lower fins and other
obscure spots. I prefer to do the cases with all covers held
in place by old dingy but clean screws, all inspection caps in place,
all other holes plugged with rolled-up masking tape, all machined
surfaces covered with tape, and any openings sealed off. I
have a set of old scarred caps I use just for this purpose. Be sure your
hands are grease/oil free doing this job.
The room and cases should be warm, about 78 -
80 degrees F. I prefer to start with the cases upside down,
resting on the tips of the big cylinder head studs, working my way around
and down towards the studs . This way the bottom messed up spots when flopped
over onto the bottom are easily touched up, and are not seen anyway.
Warm the cans in water to body temperature before use to get more consistant
flow and pattern .
Some nozzles do better than others so swap the
good one to the next can. Blow clean with the PJ1 through the nozzle
in both directions. Light fog coat first, allowed to setup a few
minutes to create tight base tooth. Now, walking around the motor,
this sitting on a bar stool - about level with your belly and well flood-lit
- spray with fairly rapid but smooth passes left to right and back again,
distance 12 to 14 inches away. Light overlapping passes across
the case bottom {now upwards facing you} keeping
up that smooth motion as you walk slowly yet steadily around the motor
on its stool. Keep a keen eye out for any
signs of a run developing - thus the need to
use only light repeated passes while moving constantly - all to limit the
thickness of the paint deposited in any one place.
When you reach past the halfway down location - stop. Rest a moment. Now a test of your strength ! Grasping the long studs now beneath, now focusing your effort, you raise upwards the wet and glistening case and while held aloft you rotate it so that studs now point upwards -and sit it back down on its bottom without marring its shiny coat. Take up the spraying process once again where you left off a moment earlier, the paint still wet from the last pass. Blending in an overlapping pass, continue to walk around as before. Work upwards until you are covering the cylinder mouths and have painted all covers and every crevace with care.
The final judgement to stop is a magical moment when that glisten is apparent over the full surface like a wet piece of hard candy. You cannot go back over it to just correct a small thin spot because the overspray will futz up other areas, even the other side and kill that flawless glisten so desired. Make the decision and leave the room, allowing no one to enter that room for 48 hours.
Leave the floods on to warm the surface, thus
assisting it gassing off. The final bake off will need an oven temperature
of 170 to 200 degrees F. for about 4 hours continous. I leave
the oven door cracked open about 1 inch to allow the paint vehicle
gasses to leave the surface freely. Allow it to cool until cold sitting
undesturbed in the cold oven, its door propped open about 3 to 4 inches
to allow a more gradual cooling process . Sid Biberman
11/27/00
In the case of the mudguards, I experienced some "crazing" whereby the powder appeared as though it cracked under a bolt head, and turned white.The headlight and forks turned out great, no bubbles at all.
I am now in the process of doing the procedure over again. To strip you can utilize the expensive aircraft stripper with very good results. Plus, MEK (methyl ethyl keotone) also works, but it is best if the part is completely submerged. The aircraft quality stripper works (n my estimatio) best, and you won't have to worry about blasting. If you will brush the stripper on, in one direction, in a warm room, then cover it with Saran wrap (a clear film) it will be most effective as chemicals will not evaporate immediately.
You do have to worry about is masking the part before coating. Make sure you mask all flat gasket surfaces, plus plug any holes as the process is electrostatic and will attract the powder to oil galleys, threads, holes, etc. Removing it with a file is possible, but tedious. Overall I would not be afraid to powder coat a set of cases (Black for example) or even clear with proper preparation.
On flat areas (such as the chainguard) you will experience some orangepeel (waviness). The problem can be addressed by actually sanding the powder coat and spraying with a clear lacquer. I did mine with good results.
I just polished the fins of my cylinders, spent
HOURS cleaning off the residue, and then had the cylinders coated black.
White the paint is wet, the powder coater wipes each fin with his finger
and leaves it shiny...I'll do the same with my cylinder heads.You can see
the same procedure on custom Harleys in the bike magazines today.
To my eye, the fins now sparkle and look great. For those in
the Midwest looking for a conscientious coater, I recommend Indy Powder
Coating at 317 244-2231 Carl Hungness 11/19/00
I've used Imron.
It is a two part polyurethane plastic that is as thin as lacquer.
It dries very fast and coats can be applied in 20 minute intervals until
the desired thickness is achieved. I found it very easy to apply.
However, breathing the vapors is lethal!!! I devised
some very sophisticated breathing aparatus and do all my painting in a
plastic film tent so no vapors escape. I cover all exposed skin,
wear goggles, and breath only outside air through my special aparatus.
Some stores, I'm told, will not sell this paint to anyone but recognized
paint shops due to it dangerous nature,
however, I had no problem buying mine.
I believe the final finish to be non-brittle--it's polyurethane plastic,
but I
make no claim that is correct. Jay Schaffer
11/18/00
Beware of powder coating
on the engine. It is difficult to get
powdercoaters to apply it evenly and thinly. Original paint was very thin,
as it should be. Barely enough to color. Any more retards heat transfer.
I suspect parts were dipped originally. Contamination
in old castings is difficult to remove and troublesome in powdercoating
because it keeps coming out as parts are heated. I've tried both powder
and wet painting. I prefer wet painting with catalyzed urethane for
the most authentic look and performance. Steve Hamel
11/18/00
Info on building a "D"
Comet: I used an upper frame member
from a Prince and then reinforced the necessary triangle with two additional
side members running from the head bolts to the hole at the top of the
F106. I had previously obtained an unmachined F106, from Ron Kemp,
which I had suitably reinforced with weld and slotted to accept the rear
lug of the UFM. Incidentally I also had the two lugs at the bottom
of the F106 lengthened with weld and remachined the bottom of the casting
to accept an AMC box. There are many problems you will encounter
along the way if you follow my method. The seat fame will not line
up at top and bottom mounting points without resiting the lugs supporting
the oil tank to allow the tubes to be closed up about an inch at the mounting
points. This is due to dimensional differences between the singles
and twins. I also was unable to fit the petrol tank between the front
of the seat frame and the steering head lug without enlarging the cut-away
at the front of the petrol tank. Again this appears to be due to
dimensional differences on the different models. Incidentally, Paul
Richardson refers to dimensional differences in his book, but does
not give any details. I also manufactured stand plates, centre stand
and several other parts peculiar to the "D" single by scaling them up from
photographs of the original. I would think it must be possible to
modify a "C" UFM to accept a "D" spring/damper unit, but I
would suspect you will meet all sorts of similar problems to myself if
you want to use other standard "D" parts.
D.J.P. 11/03/00
All was well until last week, when I disconnected a carb and found the float bowl full of fine rust. Looking through the filler opening with a flashlight revealed that rust had formed beneath the Kreem, causing big sheets of it to separate from the tank's roof - I pulled out a couple of large sections through the opening.
The situation was fraught with peril, since most
things that remove rust or tank coatings can also be relied on to damage
exterior finishes. With input from Kreem Inc., Allan Johncock and
Somer Hooker I determined that Kreem dissolves in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)
or acetone. Both these will attack paint, so I needed a way to protect
the finish during the operation.
Fortunately, the Kreem people had useful
advice: use a product called Liquid Overspray Mask. This is
made by 3M and others, and used in auto body shops. It's a water-based
coating that you brush or spray on, and when dry it protects a surface
from paint spray (and acetone - I checked). The good part is that it's
water-soluble, so cleans up easily afterwards.
After giving the tank a couple of solid coats of LOM, I dissolved out the Kreem with repeated doses of acetone. It took most of a gallon before the Kreem was all gone. Naturally, having protected the paint I managed to do all this without spilling a drop of acetone...
Next step is to remove the rust with a phosphoric acid solution - the tank's been sitting for a couple days filled with this, and should be about derusted. To protect the exterior from the acid, I gave it a thick coating of wax.
I'm planning not to recoat the tank, as the coatings
seem to cause big trouble unless applied perfectly - quite possibly I would
mess it up just like the PO did. Instead, I figure on keeping the
tank full to avoid condensation. Dave Hartner
10/27/00
From what I've read, one reason for using
phosphoric acid to remove rust instead
of, say, hydrochloric, is that the former leaves a phosphate coating on
the metal that deters rust to some degree. Whether this is actually
true I can't say, not having tried it yet, but it sounds plausible.
I drained the acid this evening and found some rust remaining in the tank, so I put it back in at a higher concentration. May take a few more days, though. I'll report on the eventual outcome.
Don't know why Kreem sometimes holds up well, other times not. Most problems seem to relate to inadequate surface prep, but apparently you can get away with that sometimes. My tank was probably coated about 11 years ago, though, so the Kreem had plenty of time to loosen. Dave Hartner 10/27/00
Everyone knows half a thousand is 500, but the bike I was riding about nearly 30 years ago had more than one onlooker looking mystified, to say the least.
Perhaps I'd better start from the beginning when Eric Winterbottom was successfully campaigning a single seat racing car with a 1,000 cc Vincent power unit and wanted to switch rapidly from 1,000 to 500, in order to compete in two classes in one day.
The problem when presented to Stevenage was soon solved. The rear rod, piston, barrel and head was removed and a few necessary bits and pieces added or subtracted, plus a spot of re-balancing and hey presto!, a quick change power unit mounted VIA the identical bolts, brackets, etc.
With a compression ratio close [sic] on 14:1, the
Lightning specification single-lunger needed a diet of ethanol/Benzole/petrol,
on which it motored along quite respectably, if not sensationally.
In order to run it in and
check for unseen snags, it was mounted in a standard bicycle using
a non-operative rear head and barrel to provide the UFM rear attachment
point.
Externally it looked like a standard Twin except for the following omissions: rear carburetter, rear exhaust pipe, rear plug lead.
First, how'd did it go? Strangely enough it felt exactly like a Twin with the rear plug lead missing, no carburetter and no exhaust pipe--and sounded like that too. Handling was inferior to the Comet and maximum speed was also down on a similarly tuned standard-type 500, 100 mph only coming with reluctance. It was of course heavier than a Comet with more transmission drag and a much less rigid flywheel assembly. The bottom half of a Comet is probably the best in the business, with a tremendous margin of safety (look at Brian Chapman's 'Mighty Mouse').
My first contact with the unsuspecting public was
whilst thumping along towards Cambridge at about 80 plus; I overtook
a 998cc side-valve AJS Twin. Stopping a few miles further on to check
for anything loose, etc., the AJS man stopped to enquire [sic] after my,
or my bikes, health. I replied that my rear carburetter had fallen
off, but I would proceed with one, which I did
without more ado. I met the same chap some time later when he
came to work at Vincents [sic]. He lost no time there reciting the
story of the Vincent tester who carried on testing the bike even after
the carb and, whats [sic] more, the exhaust had both fallen off!
The next incident was with a caller at my house one
evening, who had frequently badgered me for a ride on a Twin. To
his surprise, he was actually asked on this occasion and was soon astride
kicking lustily. A couple of stalls and he was away, returning 10
minutes later smiling and full of enthusiasm, not wishing to appear ignorant
or ungrateful and having experience
of nothing better than a 350 AJS, plus a long line of less potent devices,
he chose to make no comment--only gazing somewhat blankly at the rear cylinder
head!
It was at the local motor-cycle club night where he really got the odd looks, enquiring [sic] if it was possible to run a Vincent Twin without a carb, exhaust or connected-up plug on one cylinder.
Finally I connected up the exhaust, fitted a carb
and stuck a plug lead on and rode to a local friendly motor-cycle dealer,
complaining of loss of power. Still relatively new to many motor-cyclists,
a Vincent Twin was always guaranteed to bring out most of the curious of
any motor-cycle shop, this one being no exception. Advice and assistance
was volunteered from all
directions.
Spark and fuel were checked and found OK. However,
a compression check soon had eager hands unscrewing plugs, inspection caps,
etc. By which time I had withdrawn from the hum of activity.
Suddenly an excited voice said 'The
piston's gone'. 'Gone where' said I. 'Damned if I know,
I only know it's bloody gone' came the reply. 'What about the rod,
that's gone too! 'Not much I can do here then, better button it up
and I'll get it back to Stevenage' said I. 'I'm going that way' said
the Foreman, 'I'll come with you in case you pack up completely'.
'Thanks' I said, kicking up and accelerating off.
The Foreman never did catch up with me, although, as he related to his Fitters on his return: 'My Inter Norton was absolutely flat out for nearly 25 miles, just imagine how those bloody things must go on two pots--and what a way to ride a bike with a broken up rod and no piston!'.
You'll want to know how it went in the car, no doubt. Winterbottom's comment: 'Bloody awful, like Half a Thousand!'
Ted Davis 10/13/00
Build done just in time to make rally. Literally 3 min run time before shipping. First mile done on grass airfield at Ken Bloomfields farm north of Coventry. 150 miles to ferry. Another 50 or so getting settled before parade lap. Scraped the pipes @ Sulby, full throttle on the mountain.
Currently using 15/50 Mobil 1, oil temp runs 145F on 90F days, changing to Amzoil 20/50. No oil leaks, zero oil from breather, 50 plus rear whl hp@5500, 61.5 fp torque@3300. 2500 miles to date, engine is strong and quiet.
Does anyone know why I should not continue to
use synthetic oil or plugs in the cyl oilers? Steve Hamel
9/14/00
A very good description of oils and their uses (what the numbers mean,
additives etc.) can be found at
http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/editorial/features/dino_juice/index.html.
Steve 9/14/00
Of course big ends will skid and seize go whilst using Mobil F1, or any other synthetic, because in its action of lubrication, it removes built up sludge and gunge which then allows worn rollers and balls to skid and woggle freely. This is especially so in the well known situation with engines that have breathers and elephant trunks all over the place that attempt to relieve the foggy oil mist generated by worn bearings. The big end of HB and the big ends of Private Benjamin seized after some 4 to 5,000 very hard miles where no respite had been given. Pte Benjamin mostly pulling Jet 80 with oversized ET50/2 installed. When split open, the crankcases were as clean as new. In fact they shone as if polished. All surfaces, bearings and cams had good surface film and there was no sign of carbonise sludge despite the intervening years. In HB, all bearings were replaced, and running in was done with Mobil F1 and after 3,000 miles running in, she was thrashed hard almost from start up. We also installed a two start pumps. What I did notice was that after five years there was little breather haze and low oil consumption. With standard oils, oil changes should be carried out as per Rider's Handbook, but with Mobil F1, all one needed to do was to top up the tank on occasions with very long oil change intervals. Oil filters still being changed regularly. It all depends on the individual's approach to the machine and how one cares for an over priced almost irreplaceable pleasure asset. Even my Kawasaki Vulcan went better on Mobil F1. It's four valves per cylinder and twin spark plugs never giving trouble despite being used flat out almost everywhere.
This is long winded, but why pay so much for machines
and parts, then neglect the lubrication. I always considered that
when it comes to lubricants, most people opt for cheapness under the guise
of originality, but for me, the extra cost was worth it when considering
how synthetics, stick to the Balls. WOR 9/14/00
You're right in your'e analysis of the effects
of sulfur in gasoline (well actually the combustion product is SO2 and
not SO3 and forms H2SO3 not H2SO4 on contact with moist air. However the
effect is the same). It's actually technically fairly easy to remove sulfur
from gasoline, at least down to less than 10 parts per million..This can
be done through simple hydrotreating, a
process which removes sulfur as H2S. The resulting
gasoline product however loses octane (particularly RON) as a resut which
must be regained through other refining processses (isomerization
for example) or addition of ethanol or MTBE
as an additive (the latter soon to be banned
for evironmental reasons). There is a significant cost to do this though
and refiners will resist the investment to install equipment to do
it unless required. They are in business after all.
In the USA the pressure to "do it" is politically
now very strong and comes from the environmental lobby. The bulk
of SO3 in the air is actually formed mainly from fossil fuel combustion
such as coal in power generation and it forms the imfamous "acid rain".
Gasoline combustion is however a contributor. This presssure for clean
up will continue to be applied, driven along by
legislation in California, the leading state
in this area of legislation.
The net result of such legislation is that gasoline will continue to get reformulated to meet the new laws on emmision control. This reformulated gasoline ("RFG") is the one we complain about w.r.t our Vincents regarding engine timing, carburetter settings, valve wear, melting tank sealants etc. etc.
Well it ain't going to go away as you chaps in
the U.K will find out soon enough, so you all have to decide which
side of the fence you're on! Here in the USA the design of Mr. Vincent
and Mr. Irving has proved remarkedly resiliant to changes...with a little
added ingenuity! Tim Holcroft 9/14/00
Regular motor oils reallyt are the best cost effective compromise of these duties with variation provided for certain conditions such as winter/summer grades and certain engine bearing characteristics. As the duty of an engine becomes more specific (e.g. racing under extreme conditions BUT for short periods) you can formulate oils for just that service but they will lack long term maintainance of their properties. Remember Castrol R?
In a modern engine the job becomes a little easier because they are intrincically cleaner, bearing materials and design are much improved with very close working tolerances, and they run over a narrower temperature range. No doubt synthetics can do the job.
I guess my point is why would you go to a synthetic on a Vincent when regular oils will do the job, certainly far better than the oils available than at the time when it was in production, and risk an expensive failure? Is there a dramatic cost saving to be realized here or are we just embarking on a theoretical excercise into a realm none of us really understand. There is a phrase for that activity but it escapes me just at the moment.
Arthur Farrow's Dad, who was an expert, would no doubt have had it right
if, as Arthur suggests, he would have said you can probably use anything,
but steer clear of sythetics. Tim Holcroft 9/14/00
If you check out the D.I.D. line, you will find
that there are differences in the thickness of the plates, and this is
reflected
in both the price and the strength of the chain.
I don't think you need the top of the line for Vincent power, considering
that
these are made for bikes with two to three times
the horsepower, but if you've opted for 1/4" sprockets you have retained
the option of using the very strongest 0-ring
chains available. And if you will be able to, should you have to
use a chain of
greater width in an emergency (on desert bikes,
it used to be common to deliberately use a rear sprocket narrower than
the intended chain, so it would be self-centering
if there was a quick-stop for a flat repair, or the like). It should
go without
saying that the strongest 1/4" 0-ring today is
stronger than ANY chain short of an anchor chain of the post-war era.
But
strength isn't the reason to go to an 0-ring
chain--it's the lifespan, since, to a great extent, the inside lubrication
is sealed
in. The outside of the rollers still need
lube, and the plates also are still exposed to all the terrible stuff out
there. And the
0-rings are not impermeable -- the Cassiar Highway
killed an 0-ring chain of mine in a day, being mostly a slurry of calcium
chloride and mud, with the combined attributes of valve grinding compound
and my mother-in-law's personality.
Speaking of strength, although 100hp is generally
considered the practical limit for longevity in motorcycle drive belts,
I
suppose it's possible that by reducing the width
by 1/3 you compromised the strength of the belts to where they couldn't
handle half the horsepower, either by destroying
the integrity of the weave (as you suggested) or by just reducing by a
significant amount a structure whose strength
is dependent on a multiple of its surface area rather than an arithmetic
factor.
Hope you're still awake after all that.
Good luck, j caraway
I am still not sure why the belts simply snap, (after nearly 10,000 trouble free miles) but now since I have to replace much of the bottom end of the machine, I have decided to forego my belt conversion and return to a chain. I have been told that either a "520" or a 525 O'ring chain can be made to fit if I narrow up the stock Vincent sprockets to fit inside the chain's links. Does anyone have experience with the O'ring chain modification.?.Which chain should I look for, the 520 or the 525?
I dearly love the smoothness of the Harley belt, but it now occurs to me that just possibly the belt is sealed in manufacture and when I narrow the unit, I am disturbing the seal. The Harley belts are intertwined with Kevlar, and the strength of this material is literally unbelievable. As I have mentioned in earlier writings, a single strand of Kevlar is strong enough to hoist a full size Harley Twin off the floor.
At any rate, I'll leave the Harley belt test to another time and return to a chain, but this time I'd likew to run the largest O Ring chain I can, so all suggestions are welcomed.
Best, Carl Hungness 8/06.00
My problem with the heated grips is similar to most other problems I've had with the bike, (self-made problems that is) inasmuch as I have run ALL my wires inside the handlebars in order to maintain the clean look I really prefer. Consequently, I continually break the connections as not only my throttle side turns, but I had a Twist-Dip to operate the high low beam, and have broken both sides on more than one occassion.
My specific question is, are there any of you out there who are successfully running heated grips? I'm looking for advice, and tech info. I need the grips heated as I have very poor hand circulation due to surgeries on my hands.Has anyone had experience with the BMW heated grips?
I am currently installing a Harley-Buell Turn signal-horn-hi-lo beam module on the left side in place of my great old Twist Dip and want to revamp my heated grips once again. Carl Hungness
I had to do it twice because I did not want to use a proper enough fastener for the distance tube at the two fastening ears at the rear, The nut vibrated off, lost the bolt and the tube and then more cracks appeared. This weak spot was warned about in "Know thy beast" and many other places. Now I have a very carefully measured-up distance tube, a new bolt, serrated discs and a ny-lock nut and no problems.
My tank developed the first crack (should have been the only one!) after the final new paint job of the tank - off course! So in my repairs I did not want to destroy the finish either.
Take off the tank and thoroughly clean the inside with household dishwashing detergent and lots of water. In the end I left my tank on the lawn with the garden hose flushing and flushing. ( see safety item next message - ed)
In the crack I cleaned just approx 10 mm of bare steel on each side of the crack and quickly discovered that this was not the firs time this area had been repaired, -both with welding and brazed. The brazing repair rules out any new welding... (If one welds close to an area that has remains of bronzes from brazing, the bronze will have 200 -300 degress lower melting temperatures than the fusing steels and the bronze will flow into the steel weld and alloy.) The result will be a porous brittle material that will have to be removed totally.
Use a top degree silver solder melting temp in the 500-600 degrees C range; safe for the old brazing and the steel. If the crack is clearly visibly and wide open, use a fillet making silver solder. If it is a tight crack, use a cappillary type (a good plumber or model engineer will know). You may find you need both types. Absolutely do not go for the tin/silver solders of 200-300 degree C range. They are not strong enough..
Clean and clean and clean out the cracks to bare metal; if possible with a disk on a Dremel or some jewelers files. Wash with acetone. Make a jig or a stand or just a stable holding for the tank so that the crack is at the uppermost position. If the crack is long or you have several cracks you must do this in several separate turns.
Make sure your tank lid is leaking a (vent hole open) a bit. Fill the tank totally with water and place it , crack thoroughly cleaned at the top. Some water will seep out through the tank lid.. I also applied some wet rags of cotton around the spots to be repaired to help cool down and protect the paintwork. You won't need these if the tank paintwork is of no importance.
This is "miniature surgery" , very long preparation time. When all this is prepared properly, it is just applying some heat and the laws of physics secures a top result - if you remember to keep it vibrationless afterward.
Apply liberaly the recomended flux powder, made into a slurry...
I use a fine tip Oxy acetylene torch, heat gently; the flux will turn dry, the water will rumble on the inside; the cloth will hiss on the outside and the tank will try to squirt its water as the little air pocket on top expands. (At this stage you will be grateful the the steam coming though the crack is dry water steam and not gas....) The oxy acetylene is needed to be able to quickly heat a bit above of what is needed to melt the silver solder. Remove the flame tip and the cold water and rags will quickly make the crack into a "suctioning " crack. Apply the cappillary silver, reheat and do the next centimeter and in a very short while the crack is tight. Clean up, look it over, and if possible fill the remains of the crack with more silver solder to a wide ridge so as to give it a better contact with the surrounding steel.
Pressure testing? : -Block off any vent holes, remove taps, keep the tank filled with water; a pressure gauge in one tap and a pump connection in the other tap and pump away to what pressure you would want.. Ouch!
I mean a motorcycle petrol tank is not a pressure vessel, never meant to be, and any applied pressure might do harm. I usually just put my mouth to the filler opening and blow to "feel" any leakage. Much better to apply some oatmeal to an outside cleanned supected area , water inside; blow gently and any seepage will show. More silver solder!
In the end clean off any excess material and repaint, polish up the beautiful black and (almost?) nothing shows.
Per Erik Olsen pereo@east.no
5/27/00
Very well presented set of instructions, especially noting the variance in heat ranges of silver solders - Johnson Matthey Easiflow No.2 is good for this (630') and also available is a matching Easiflow flux... Johnson Matthey are on 0044+ (0)20-8804-8111, address Jeffries Road, Enfield, Middlesex, EN3 7PW...
Silver solder has excellent capilliary creep properties,
allied with fair strength, plus it flexes well with the work, whereas welding
gives more fracture-prone hard-points (weld prone to being stronger than
its surrounding host metals, especially when they've been annealed with
thehigher temperatures involved in the process...). Hope this all helps...
Tigger. 5/29/00
Rx. My paint man uses the regular water transfer decals. Some clears will
attack them. Every time he gets a technique figured out, the EPA changes
the formulas of the clear. Put a decal on the bottom and experiment. Also
if you are adept with a paint brush go around paint black over the small
border around the transfer. Otherwise there will be a small white border
around it. The vinyl "peel and stick" are about one mill thick. They will
stand proud once applied and cleared. I guess you could clear it alot.
I think the water transfer ones are best. Make sure they are new too. Some
of thee old ones seem to deteriorate with age. Tank covers are cheaper!
The above ramblings are not nesesarily those of a sane mind. Somer
Hooker 4/24/00
The "nutshell" version of the application procedure involves applying "varnish" (as the adhesive) to the back of the transfer and letting it "touch dry" before removing the thicker backing paper (leaving the tissue in place)and applying to the applying tank. The tissue paper is l