New Swingarm Busings

Here is an area that provided several learning opportunities (I am getting tired of saying this). It started with the removal of the old silent blocks which is detailed in my “Rebuilding the Swingarm” post. New bushings were pressed in with the only observation being that you should press on the large diameter of the bushings to get them in. I accomplished this on a small hydraulic press using a couple of large washers to provide clearance for the inner tube.

The washer mounted for clearing the center tube. 

One was put on the opposite end before moving to the second bushing. 

A small press was used to push in the bushings. 

My first learning opportunity was that new bushings should have been fit before painting the frame. The new bushings were a bit too long and removed some paint upon installation. Lesson learned. I filed a bit off of the silent block small diameter tubes which let them slide into place. The frame is too rigid to press apart for the assembly to slide in. (Lesson two learned).  The third lesson is that Cadmium plating adds enough thickness to the spindle diameter that it will not go in. I filed it on a lathe until it was a tight slip fit. It went together well and was tightened until the silent blocks flexed for swingarm movement and not slippage on the spindle shaft. New shocks were fit, completing the process.  Now it’s on to the steering head and tapered roller bearings.

Recovering the Seat

The seat was in pretty bad shape; torn, painted and the pan was cobbled together with course thread studs and braze. This was done with the seat assembled which wasn’t kind to the foam. The braze was removed from the pan and threaded inserts were turned and mounted to plates that cover the damaged metal. This was tig welded into place and the pan was painted with my other frame parts.  A picture of this fix is in my “Fixing Metal Parts” post. My seat edging, which keeps the pan from tearing the cover, was worn through so I purchased new edging from McMaster car. It is very close in dimension to the original.

New edging going on the pan. 

A cover was purchased from Northwest Classic Seat Covers, an ebay store. After it arrived I stretched it out over the foam and let it sit for a while to ease out the wrinkles, which were not too bad.  The cover is very well made and I found it fit the original foam and pan well. Directions were provided and marks on the cover indicated the location of the edge and trim holes. A tip of heating the vinyl was closely followed and key to good results. 

The simple fixture I made to wrap the seat. My best friend the hair dryer along side it. 

One thing I did not like was wrapping the seat with it upside down on the table. I did not get a sense of how well it was being pulled over the pan. I made a fixture which put the seat in its upright position. I found this to work well and like the final results. Pictures follow. 

Chrome Plating

While working with my painter I inquired about chrome plating sources. He had tried nine and liked two of them. One he recommended was a thirty minute drive from my home so I decide to give them a try. Other local bike restoration folks used them which was a plus. Proctors Custom Chrome Plating in Muskegon Michigan was the source chosen and I am not disappointed with their work.

I took my parts to Proctors and when they found out I worked in automotive prototyping they gave me a tour of their facility. I found the process quite fascinating and their system very good. They had an assortment of parts in process. From antique bicycle, boat and car restoration parts to new furniture and chopper parts. They spanned a large array of customers.

They offered two grades of chrome, OEM spec and show chrome. Show chrome was about half again more than OEM. My Hornet is being taken back to its original form so I chose OEM finish. My budget is stretched to the point of not getting my money back if I sell the bike which is another reason I went this route. The show chrome was also wavy and heavily buffed distorting original features. I was not disappointed with the route I chose and will use OEM spec again.

Although the lesser spec is cheaper I found good reproduction parts less expensive than plating originals, even if you already have the part.  When I started I set out to use as many OEM parts as possible but this will be one area for me to ponder in the future. My previous post “fixing chrome parts” shows pre-chrome finishes and repairs made to parts. Pictures of the final results follow. 

Parts fixed and ready for plating. 

Finished fender and chain guard. 

A spot where a dent was removed. 

I requested that the stamping remain. The down side is that some tiny pits were not removed. The pits are barely visible but something to consider for future jobs. 

Ready to lace.....my next adventure. 

Small parts came out great but plating was more expensive than purchasing good reproductions. 

Fixing Chrome Parts

My initial attempt at prepping chrome parts was to fix the fork covers, which didn't go well as the metal was thin and warped when I welded it. I wanted to use original BSA fenders and found a front and rear on Craig’s list. The front fender was dented and the rear one had extra holes in it. I used a rubber block to hold the fenders and contoured aluminum blocks to remove the dents from the inside. This worked well. The front fender had a crack that needed welding which I did with TIG. I also filled a dent over the bracket that I could not remove and ground the contour back in with a right angle grinder. While the front fender came out good I was not able to get the holes in the rear fender filled without warping the sheet metal. When I tried to take out the warp I cracked the weld. Lesson learned. I will purchase a replacement which will make a good comparison between “Made in England” reproductions and re-chromed original BSA. 

Simple tools for removing dents. 

Parts were sanded to a 120 grit finish and blasted with aluminum oxide media. 

Removing dents from the chain guard which was an eBay find. 

The chain had damaged the rear section. Dents were removed and it was re-finished. 

Tank & Side Panels

The Hornet came with two fuel tanks. The filler neck was loose on one and it was removed, cleaned up and cad plated. The fuel tap threaded inserts were loose in the second tank and adapter pipes were epoxy cemented into the tank when it was lined by the previous owner. The taps were odd looking and probably not for a motorcycle either. The first tank, without the filler neck, looked pretty good so it was taken to Precision Motorcycle Painting to see if it was worth fixing.  Upon inspection it was determined a new tank was needed due to deterioration of the fiberglass. They preferred not to put labor into paint that would peel off as this makes unhappy customers. An aluminum tank was ordered from a source in India and will be impervious to ethanol fuels which are common here in the US. I may have the fiberglass tank painted to put on the bike at shows. Although I wanted to keep the bike in original condition I also want it to be a rider. The aluminum tank should remove a major shortcoming of the Hornet’s ability to be used as such. 

The aluminum tank looks good, unlike some of the steel tanks I have seen. With that being said there are a few issues. It had a few waves that were smoothed out, lug bolts on the bottom that were removed, and the center mount hole was 3/8 of an inch rearward of the factory tank. This should not be an issue as there is adjustment in the frame mount that gets me to the correct location. The fuel tap holes were also smaller than the originals, which mean I will need different taps. This is another area of improvement over the original Ewarts cork sealed taps that are prone to leaking in my experience.

As far as issues go there were a few with the filler neck:

• The cap hinge hole was drilled through at an angle and one side had to be enlarged to get it to fit straight. 
• The distance across the top was also to long by about a sixteenth of an inch which I "corrected" with an aluminum punch. 
• The sealing surface was out of flat by about .020 which was filed to correct.
• The filler hole diameter was too small. The metal center of the cap hit when closed and not the sealing washer. I fixed this with the addition of an o-ring behind the washer. 
• The filler neck sits higher than the glass tank by about .25 inches.   

Studs are for later model Firebird reflector mounts. The smaller holes are for later model fuel taps as well. 

The bottom edge of the catch was moved back and the corner filed enabling the cap to shut. 

The sealing surface was blackened and filed flat. 

The "Made in England" cap came with no spring and the tank did not hold it open. 

Removing a spring from an old cap and installing it on the new one. 

An o-ring added to hold out the washer, spring fitted and hold open working although the cap will fall back and hit the tank if you go to far. 

The final result looks good although the cap sits a bit high. If you are looking for a show bike tank this is not it. If you are looking to build a rider I think this is a good way to go. I am happy with the final results. 

The side panels were in surprisingly good shape. Holes were elongated slightly and there was a small chip on one but there were no cracks. They were reinforced in the back and reused. The paint was color matched to the original tank which still had finish showing through its bottom. (It looks lighter in these pictures than it actually is) Decals were applied and clear coat was used to cover everything up. The results are great. They are on the shelf and ready to assemble this winter…..ride bikes in the summer….work on them in the winter.

Finished and ready to go.....

Back sides of the panels reinforced with a thin layer of glass. 

Painting the Frame & Parts

Painting is an area that I elected not to tackle. The finish of a vehicle makes or breaks its value. Not only do I have limited skills in this area I am not interested in investing the time and money necessary to be successful in it. I enjoy the mechanical aspects of restoration and will stick to that. Precision Motorcycle Painting in South Bend Indiana advertises with the International Norton Owners Association which I have been a member of since 1989. I have had good luck using sources that work with my fellow Norton club members and thought I would give them a try. The work on their web page looked good too.

The Hornet was purchased from a family of very successful demolition derby car drivers. They won events all over the mid west and dominated our local fair 18 out of the 20 years in which they participated in it. The reason this is brought up is that the bike must have been in the barn where they sprayed their cars. It had a tint of many colors with gold, green and blue being the most prevalent.  I cleaned all of the oil off of the painted parts and sandblasted those that needed fixing. Most parts were still painted when taken to Precision Motorcycle Painting.  They sandblasted, primed, and then sprayed all parts with three coats of paint. Overall I am very pleased with the paint work. It looks as good as or better than new. The Hornet has matching numbers and the frame number is visible through the paint. One of the reasons I elected not to powder coat the bike was that I did not want to cover up the number as I figured this would reduce the final value of the bike. People who have gone the powder coating rout also told me it is difficult to touch up. They also said not to go the powder coating rout if you are after an authentic restoration.  Painted parts are on the shelf and ready for reassembly this fall.

Side Case Repair

I put a significant effort into repairing the dent in my primary cover. It had been broken out and welded back together. It was functional but looked very poor. I attempted to fix it and made it worse. I will document this debacle in a later post. Attempt number two was made on a slightly dented case purchased relatively cheap on ebay. The dent was about an eighth of an inch deep. I put clay in the dents and made a plaster cast of the cover. I then put the cover in the cast and used MAP gas to heat up the case. Light tapping and rubbing with a ball peen hammer removed most of the dent. The cast stopped the case from being over corrected. I was very happy with this process, especially after the poor result fixing the original case. I would not hesitate to use this process again. 

Tools for repairing the primary cover. Plater cast, ball peen hammer,

and a map gas torch. 

Dent smoothed and ready to sand out. 

Rebuilding the Primary

I have rebuilt several primary units in the past making this one pretty straight forward. One issue encountered has been torquing down the spindle nuts without spinning the rear wheel. To head this off the cylinder was left off and a steel rod was put through the connecting rod small end bearings to keep the engine from turning over. This also worked well for the transmission & timing gear assembly.  

The primary was shot on this bike. One of the inspection plugs was left out and covered, somewhat, with tape. The primary had a lot of dirt in it as a result. A used primary was purchased from the same seller on ebay that sold the transmission to me. I installed new seals, rubber buffers, and fiber plates in the clutch. An old BSA dealer told me that Emgo plates do not stick as bad as Barnette plates, which I have had issues with. Since I will not ride this bike hard I went with the Emgo plates.  The steel plates checked out flat on a surface plate and are being reused. While I had it apart I also filed the burrs off of the clutch basket. They were not very big but cleaning them up should facilitate smooth clutch plate movement. Once the pulleys were fit I checked sprocket alignment with a depth guage.

 The primary chain had also run out of adjustment. To make up for this a previous owner had welded a lug nut under the adjuster, which can be seen the photo above. The down side to this is that the chain had slapped against the case and worn groves into it. They look bad but no significant damage had been done.

Primary assembled except for the clutch springs and pressure plate. 

An Emgo fiber plate with a factory steel plate. 

The ET ignition system is going away on this hornet. While putting on the rotor I found it was mounted to a plate with location holes in it. It seems this is an adjustment for ignition advance with the ET system. I turned the spacer plate around which put the pin to the inside of the bike and then located the rotor with the key. I also put a stator from a 1970 thunderbolt on the bike. I am not sure if the ET stator would have worked with standard coils. The stator wires were cracked which was rectified this with “liquid tape”, a pointer from a friend in Idaho. Thanks!

Cadmium Plating Follow up

One issue I have been dealing with is tight threads. All of the plated screws and nuts go together very hard or will not go together at all. Taps and dies have been purchased for all the threads I have encountered on the bike; BSW, BSF, BSC and a number of odd ball threads such as 13/16 -20 & 9/16-20. These taps and dies have mostly been found on ebay. I have gotten into the habit of running a tap and die into every nut and on each bolt before putting things together. This takes off the new cad plating but leaves the original cad film in most cases. Threads work great. I have been holding all bolts and studs in a lathe and then hand tapping them while nuts go in a small aluminum jawed machinist vice.

My “plan B” for parts that missed the plating process was to paint them with a finish similar to cad. A “high temperature ceramic aluminum header paint” was found at my local “Autozone” that fits the bill. While I would much rather have cad this will work for now. When I send parts out for my next restoration they will go too if the paint does not hold up.

Rebuilding the Transmission

The transmission was pretty used up on the Hornet. Gears were abraded and worn to the point I did not want to use them. A person was parting out a ’66 on ebay and a complete transmission was purchased which was in great shape. While everything was apart the needle and roller bearings were replaced. The bronze bushings looked good. The BSA factory workshop manual was a nice guide for putting everything back together and for explaining what size shims to use and where. Once assembled, I checked the end play to assess the shims. The layshaft had .02 end float which was excessive. I installed the mid size shim BSA made and put the float at .005 which should be good. Optimal is .002 from what can be found on the internet.  It runs through all of the gears and should be a good transmission for this bike.

The original transmission above & below. 

17 (stock), 20 & 21 tooth final drive sprockets. I will be using the 21 to keep the revs down at highway speeds, which has been a problem on my '70 Lightning with a 20 t sprocket. 

One thing that works work well when replacing bearings is to heat the aluminum up to 350F in the oven. My wife is not real fond of this but has not thrown me out of the house for doing it….yet. The bearings come out very easy when the cases are heated up. I install them in the same manner. This came in handy for the needle and roller bearings and was used for the steel pinion crankshaft gear too.

New bearings installed. 

An additional point of focus was to clean up the shifter plate. The one purchased on ebay looked good but was bent. It must have been a common problem since the '67 plate was much heavier. I polished up the '67 plate as it was a little scraped up. This included polishing the detent surface as well as the track the shifter dogs slide in. I did not remove much material and only cleaned up the rough spots.

Rebuilt & ready to go in the case. 

The Oil Pump

The oil pump tach drive was broken off and there was a small chip out of the die cast body. A used one was purchased on ebay that looked good but would not turn free. I tried to fix this with poor results and ended up taking the tach drive off of the ebay pump to put on my old one. The worm gear was worn and a NOS one was bought from an internet site. It was rusted a bit but cleaned up alright. One issue was that the threads did not go all the way through and it would not start onto the shaft. I am now the owner of a 9/16 – 20 LH tap which was used to remedy the issue. The gear is case hardened but it tapped alright. I am sure it was not good for the tap as it squeaked all the way through the hole.

To test the pump I hooked it to a drill per Mike Brown’s “Building a Better BSA” video and pumped oil through it. A quart went through pretty fast which means it should work fine. There is not an oil pressure gage on the ‘67 so pressure could not be checked. An internet site from a shop in Howard City Michigan, E & V Engineering, gave a run down on checking a BSA oil pump when you have no gage. Oil should pump out of the crank bearing and there should be output from the scavenge side.  The line to the head also pumped oil. Check out the notes on E & V’s site for more info. I will put the bike in gear, take out the plugs, and push it down the driveway before starting it to make sure oil flows back into the tank, but I should be good to go.