'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Chassis Assembly Pt 1

 This is the point where it starts feeling as if progress is being made. I have spent the last year or so tearing assemblies down, noting what can be used as is, what can be refurbished, or adding "must buy" parts to my list. My shelves are getting full of parts and its almost time to make the BSA look like a motorcycle again. 

Running out of room on my storage racks. It must be time to start assembling.....

So, where to start?  On this go around I am beginning with the chassis. Although I usually start with the engine components they are not ready due to the machine work that has yet to be sourced. Time to assemble but first a few things must be prepared to make life easier and the final result better. 

The frame ID number was taped off so it didn't get filled with powder coat material. The numbers were covered with a thin coat of brushed acrylic.

Before the build up began I decided to add the "Made in England" script while the frame could be set flat to work on. I used a varnish transfer and coated over it with varnish. A bit of a fussy process that looks great when finished and is quite durable. Hint; buy extra decals and practice. 

Front and application sides of the transfer. 

Backing removed and varnish applied to the transfer. 

How is it done? (taken from print, internet sources, and my experience) The mounting side of the transfer is coated with varnish and applied to the part when it is tacky. The transfer is pressed gently to smooth and remove bubbles. Next the backing paper is dampened and removed. The transfer is then cleaned of excess adhesive left by its paper with a damp cloth. The surrounding area is cleaned with mineral spirits to remove varnish that escaped during the transfer's application. When all is thoroughly dry, about 24 hours, the transfer is varnished over for durability. Sounds easy, right?

The practice piece.....My shop dustpan is not actually "Made in England" but it was powder coated black making it a good practice part. The decal has been varnished and applied in this photo. It took about 20 minutes for the varnish to get tacky enough to apply. Not enough varnish and the decal will not stick. Too much and it will not dry properly when applied....too dry or not tacky enough and it will pull up when you remove the backer.....don't ask how I know.....

Transfer in location and pressed flat to remove bubbles. 

I let it set for 10 minutes before removing the backing paper.

Wetting the paper and removing it from the transfer taking care not to lift the transfer. I pressed down the decal as I removed the paper to keep the decal in contact with the part.

Excess varnish being removed with mineral spirits. 

Adhesive can also be wiped from the transfer with mineral spirits after it has dried.

Varnish being applied to the transfer after it has dried for 24 hours.

The completed frame transfer looking better than my dustpan. An incremental improvement in my process I think. In full disclosure this was my second attempt on the frame. I did not let the decal set long enough on my first attempt and it lifted while removing the paper. Mineral spirits easily removed the botched transfer before it dried so don't be afraid to try..... just buy extra transfers.....

The powder coating looks great although it has added thickness in some areas that needs to be removed. The rear hub spines were not masked - my bad as I forgot to point this out to the coater. I used Citristrip to clean them. Citristrip is applied as a gel and then covered with cling wrap which keeps it from drying. As long as it stays moist it will continue to work. It usually takes twenty four hours to complete the process. The paint comes off as a soft layer and usually requires one application although the splines took several goes at them. 

Stripping a few items that lent themselves well to this process. Others will be drilled or worked off with sand paper or abrasive discs. Most areas were plugged or masked before powder coating

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The Norton guys strip the powder coat from their engine mounts to stop them from working loose and elongating the holes  Having an engine with a fair amount of vibration I decided for the same treatment of the BSA. Once stripped the engine mounts were painted with a thin coat of enamel to keep them from rusting. The bottom engine mount was left bare to facilitate electrical conductivity, and let's be real, no steel below a BSA engine will rust anyway.....

Frame mounts and stand pivots being cleaned and repainted. 

BSA used silent blocs on the Lightning Rocket. They are tubes bonded together by rubber which flexes as the swingarm rotates. They were off center showing degradation and replaced. This is a pretty straightforward process although removing them is much more difficult than installing them.  

My campfire worked  well to remove the rubber and inner tubes. 

The outer tubes were cut through with a Sawzall and pried out which sounds simple but was quite the pain in the ass....

Threaded rod and tubes just smaller than the swing arm inner diameter were used to pull the silent blocs in place. The outer tube should end up inside the end of the swingarm while the small diameter remains outside of it. They hit a stop in the center of the swingarm when fully installed.

Pressed in place and ready to install on the frame.....almost

The silent blocs were slightly offset, which is normal, making it difficult to get the swingarm tube through. Next time I will chamfer the end of the inner tube before assembly to facilitate spindle installation. 

The offending silent block was chamfered after the fact with a pencil grinder providing enough of a start to let the spindle tube align the two units. The spindle tube could have been chamfered but CAD coating would have been lost on its end. Chamfering the silent bloc before assembly would work best. 

All of the holes of the triple trees were cleaned and threads were chased. 

The fork legs received the same cleanup and prep work.....

I used Emgo shocks on my first restoration and was not very impressed with them. While the ride is not bad they squeak quite loudly which is annoying and does not emanate quality. I used Hagon shocks on the Interceptor build and I am very happy with their ride quality. The only issue being they are a bit larger and have a few finish differences from the stock units. I reworked them to look closer to the originals although I do not think they would score 100 points in a AMCA meet. I plan to show the Interceptor when they resume after Covid is gone and I will learn the deduction for them if any. 

The Hagon units disassembled and ready to be "Girlingized" The offending bits below....stainless retainers were sandblasted to replicate Cadmium and the adjusters painted black. 

"Girlingization" complete....not perfect but not bad. 

Another detail that needed attention was the "shakeproof" washers. They have a blue black finish that I have not found on ones manufactured today. Brownell's Oxpho-blue paste was used to recolor them. I am very happy with the results. 

A sad sight....my"riders" covered for Michigan's winter.

Sleep well 'til spring my little friends. 

Sidetrack....building a barn door to seal off my workshop from the rest of the house....

'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Engine Rebuild PT I - Disassembly & Inspection

The Lightning Rocket started but ran roughly when I brought it home several years ago. The monoblocs were in poor shape and the wiring was very dodgy. With no odometer I was not sure of the miles but the title listed 12k on it. 

Engine cases coming apart which was not a problem on this one. 

I was optimistic that the engine would be in pretty good shape once it was torn down even though it looked a bit rough on the outside. The primary appears to be in decent shape but once inside the head and main cases it looks like a thorough rebuild will be needed.

The drive side main bearing felt good but most of the bushings are worn. The rod journals, large and small, looked fine although one rod bearing was a bit galled. The transmission appeared as new but one main shaft bearing felt a bit rough and will be replaced. I might as well do the needle bearings while I am in there too. The cylinders measured just a bit out of spec and will be bored one size up from stock.

A bit of scoring on the timing side bearing and piston. 

The engine cases & head were in good shape but needed a thorough cleaning. After hand scrubbing with petrol and then simple green to remove thicker chunks of goo, engine cleaner and the power washer were used to get to bare metal. Walnut blasting was applied to remove stubborn items and get the metal back to its original surface. Purple power aluminum brightener was used to get the remaining tarnish off all parts and provided very good results.

Cases cleaned, inspected and ready for new bearings. 

The cylinder was cleaned, blasted and painted with VHT gloss black engine enamel. 

It's ready for new bores.....

I had the crank ground and cam bushings replaced on my last BSA build and it looks like it will be necessary on this one as well. I have not had the cylinder or head decked in the past and have had head gasket sealing issues. I will check into decking the head and cylinder on this build and maybe the cases?  Not sure if this is needed but will check it out. This is all part of the learning process and building better bikes every time.

The head rocking a bit on the cylinder.....time to resurface one or the other...or both.

Which bearing to use on the Timing side? I am told the stock bushing lasts well when taken care of although both of the BSA's I have taken apart needed its replacement. A roller bearing conversion sounds like a good solution although I'm not sure this BSA will need it as it will have a relatively easy life once it is back on the road. More research to do.....

The main bushing journal measures .002 under, the bush measures .0015 over for a total clearance of .0035. The correct measurement should be .001. If there is to much clearance the oil pressure will drop causing increased engine wear. Looks like it's time for an intervention.

The factory punch stakes drilled out and ready to remove the plugs.

Both plugs removed with my home forged removal tool. 

All of the parts will go to my local British motorcycle machine shop in Edmore, Michigan. I will deliver all of the critical bits for them to inspect, re-machine, install new bushings and bearings as necessary. This will provide a great start for my engine build.

Heading out for machining. 

Michigan fall & the best riding of the year in this part of the country. 

It's time to get the RE out for more tuning and tweaking. Oil leaks fixed....transmission shifting good....but what to do with the oil coming out of the breather????

'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Cadmium Plating Hardware

The hardware on the Lightning Rocket was a bit rough. While much of the original bits were in their correct places, many had been moved to other spots or replaced. Most pieces had been removed and painted either black or gold. I wondered for a while why this had been done and realized that the Corunna Cavaliers, the local high school where the BSA spent its life, has black and gold for their school colors. Maybe the owner who hailed from the fine town of Vernon Michigan was a supporter? A plausible theory although we will probably never know. Go Cavaliers!

Some of the rusted bits that made disassembly a bit difficult. 

To my surprise much of the hardware was difficult to remove. Slight rust held things together while lock-tite or some different bond had been used in other places. A rather large number of fasteners had been replaced by course thread UNC nuts and bolts which were easy to identify. Some were metric with a British type flat head showing no markings. Dome headed UNC lock nuts were also put onto some of the bolts whether they were BSW, Metric or UNC. 

Boogered beyond repair or just plain wrong. 

Bits were cataloged as removed. The older BSA spares manuals are not as detailed as later ones and more notes had to be taken. Some of the pictures were not even a close match and appeared to show "home market" models and not the US version. The Lightning Rocket seems to have many parts in common with the older A10's and the Rocket Gold Star to be specific.  

Notes were taken to get the right bits back into their spot and an excel spreadsheet was kept noting what had to be hunted down. On our side of the pond the few Cadmium plating sources still in business charge by the pound and most have minimums. If you miss a nut or bolt it is difficult to get just one finished at a reasonable cost. Each time I send out a batch I add a few extras in case I lose something or a bit gets buggered. My lot ended up weighing about 31 pounds. 

Hardware being logged for return to its original spot. 

My order list taking shape....stuff to acquire before plating. 

I spend a lot of time prepping hardware to make sure results at the Cadmium plater will be good. The best way to have good luck with a process is to spend a lot of time making sure you will have good luck. Although I have developed a bit of a lengthy process it seems to work well. 

All hardware is cleaned by de-greasing it in a crock pot. I found one rectangular in shape which just fits my axles. Once all hardware is de-greased it is inspected and repaired as needed. Filing flats, fixing Pozi drive impressions, and chasing threads as needed. Axles go into a lathe for filing and polishing as most have had channel locks violate them at some point in their life. Many bits end up in the lathe and if I had one machine tool in my shop it would be just that. I have been using my father in-laws lathe. It is an old "Wardmaster" made by Logan of Chicago and fits the bill quite well. 

Bolts boiling in my crock pot. I use Simple Green de-greaser and water to assist cleaning. 

The lathe is my friend and we work together often. I am polishing an axle in these photos. 

Distorted metal is moved back into Pozi drive heads and then a Pozi bit reforms them. 

Missing bits must be replaced. I can purchase BSC bolts with flat heads but I don't have a source for domed bits. I make them by reshaping flat headed bits with a form tool. 

Once all bits are compiled I soak hardware in white vinegar for a week. This removes the original CAD plating and zinc plating from recently manufactured replacement bits. 

After stripping hardware in vinegar it is soaked in baking soda and water for 15 minutes to neutralize the acid.  Rinsing with boiling water provides a final cleaning and evaporates moisture before rust sets in. 

The final step in prepping hardware for Cad plating is bead blasting. I have made various simple fixtures to prevent losing bits in the blaster. I still have to sift sand when finished to find errant pieces. 

My bead blasting setup rolled outside to keep abrasive from covering the contents of my garage. Don't laugh, it works quite well. 

The last piece acquired from Dotler MC on ebay. A NOS front brake cam with its antique part number and a price of $2.75 still taped to it.....I paid a bit more and was happy to get it!

About 30 pounds of hardware heading to the Cadmium plating source in Plymouth, Michigan. It will be hand delivered and picked up to prevent being "lost in the mail". 

The hardware is one of those rather fiddley things that requires the appropriate amount of attention and I put a lot of effort into this task. It's the attention to details that make a bike stand out from others. Hardware plays a large part in achieving a high quality result. 

 

Back from Plymouth Plating Works and looking fine. Let the sortin' begin!

After going to its only show this year and bombing around back roads a bit the Hornet is back in its safe place. It really takes off at 4000 RPM with its open pipes and is a blast to ride.