'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Disassembly

It's always fun to take something apart. Most people like doing this even if they are not mechanically inclined. I take my time when things come apart to make sure I know how they go back together. This was especially important on the Interceptor as it had most of its original bits. The Lightning Rocket has been apart and back together so what is there is not necessarily what is right. I will still take pics and make note of what I find. Digital pics and a copy of the spares manual are cheap so I use them to their full advantage. It will be a year or longer until this goes back together. My notes will aid in placing all of the unique fasteners in their proper place.

Disassembly in full swing. Taking the top end off of the power unit so it clears the frame and is easier to lift. Time is taken at each step to log what is removed.   

Taking notes on a copy of the spares manual. They will be used to make sure I have at least one of everything when the hardware goes to the CAD plater and to know which piece goes where. 

The disassembly is also the time when I start making my "parts needed" list. Each page of the spares book is reviewed as things come apart and my list of bits grows. I like to keep as many original parts as possible and save what I have where practical. The headlight shell and fender are good examples as both need a lot of work but are probably fixable. If repairs cannot be made I will look for used originals to restore. If originals are not available I will go to reproductions. Some "Made in England" reproduction parts are of excellent quality and a viable alternative in my opinion.

Many bits were not original or out of location. Rounded Vs flat head bolts were mixed up and someone had an affinity for UNC domed nuts which were threaded onto many BSC bolts...very creative. 

Hardware can be problematic on a bike that has had many bits replaced. Most can be identified as original or replacement when they are removed by checking thread types. Having a couple of BSA's to compare against helps too. Some pieces will need a bit of research to find out "what it was".  I also make duplicates of many pieces as something always gets lost or misplaced somewhere in the process. Parts that are not needed can be used on future projects, and after doing several of these builds, I am getting a bit of inventory built up.

Bits left over from previous builds. A great fall back to have when something is lost, vibrates off going down the road, or gets rounded by a wrench. 

So what surprises did I find on the tear down? While there were not any big revalations there were many little ones. The biggest surprise was that many of the fasteners were rusted together. Most came apart alright with the help of PB Blaster, although a few twisted off. I don't know why this occurred as overall the bike is relatively rust free. Maybe things were damp when put together....exposed to rain at some point....Maybe the bike was washed and not dried well? I will never know I suppose.

The last two bikes I disassembled for restoration used lug nuts to compensate for a stretched primary chain. Did they not sell new chains in the late 70's? It seems this mechanic took a step up with a chrome 7/16 "Wardmaster" socket.....nice....

To make the power unit easier to get out of the frame I removed the heavy pieces. A couple of the valve cover studs must have been stripped at some point as two of them were peened over to hold the nut on. It took me a while to figure out why the nuts turned but would not come off and it was a bitch getting them off without mucking up the cover. Heavy use of silicone gasket sealer on all joints increased the efforts to get things apart as well.

Valve cover studs peened over to compensate for stripped nuts. That's a new one for me. Gasket sealer was heavily applied to all sealing surfaces further complicating disassembly. 

To get the primary apart and the counter-shaft sprocket off the rear drive was left connected. (OK, truth be known I forgot once again and took off the final drive chain which had to be put back on).  I could not get the nuts on the clutch and crankshaft off with a breaker bar so I called on my old friend PB blaster and an impact wrench. This dynamic duo worked wonderfully.

Time for another tool in the collection. Why did you change the clutch hub threads in '64 BSA???

Now this fits much better....off pops the hub. 

The Lightning Rocket is the oldest bike I have worked on and I am running into a few learning experiences.  My A65 clutch hub puller would not thread into the hub on the LR.  I did a bit of research and found BSA switched threads around '64. Luckily there were many for sale on eBay. Time for a new tool. The 6 volt alternator looks a bit fragile and where in the world are the timing marks?  So it was on to the shop manual to discover how this is overcome. I finally understand why so many old time BSA guys have a degree wheel and TDC tool. I have both and have never used either one. Time to put them to work. This A65 is also pre-timing notch lock making these tools a must.

The second BSA in a row with a bent center stand and broken side stand lugs. I know how to fix them both.....been there....done that. The foot peg also needs attention. 

I didn't notice the Allen head bolt welded on to the center stand until I went to remove the spring. Very functional but I will clean it up. 

The side stand lug cracked and welded or brazed back together....I may want to clean that up a bit too. Time to sandblast and see what I have. 

The engine out.....the rest should be pretty straightforward.   

With the engine out it's time to finish sorting things out and assessing what I need to do. I break the project into a series of small tasks to keep it manageable. The gauges are off to Medicine Hat, the tank and side panels are in Southbend Indiana, hardware is heading to Broomfield, and engine machining will go a bit North of here. In the meantime I will rebuild the head and carbs and fix all of the metal parts. The wheels will take a tad bit of work and the forks will get rebuilt. It looks like I will not get bored next winter while I am sorting all of this out.

Projects bagged up and heading to work for attention during my lunch hours. 

The Hornet has been doing a few miles this summer. Jetting is sorted out with the open pipes and it's running quite well. It also smoked a woodchuck. I tried to dodge it but it seems those little buggers are faster than I gave them credit for being. I should not have swerved I guess.