'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Fixing Metal Bits / Painted Parts

Having spent years in tooling and  engineering organizations continuous improvement is a part of my process. I am always looking to improve cost, quality and timing without sacrificing any one area. This build is no different and although I have not found any revolutionary methods I continue to try new things.

PMP sprays quality worthy of a museum piece. 

Painting the frame and its parts is pretty straightforward. Blast everything, fix what is broken and then have everything sprayed gloss black or powder coated. Spraying parts provides an edge on surface finish. Powder coating is a bit wavy but more durable. How to blend the two?  

The RE's sump guard was powder coated and looks great. Let's try more of this. 

Spraying the tank and side panels is the only option in my opinion so those are out of the equation. The remaining parts are fair game but what to spay and what to powder coat? I decided to go heavy on powder coat this time as I have had issues with durability on previous builds. I also know some very reputable builders who use significant powder coating on their projects. My approach? Flat and highly visual parts will be sprayed, anything that is not a primary piece or has contour will be powder coated. 

The Lightning Rocket's frame and parts had been painted hiding sins that were uncovered upon closer inspection. Some ills were easy to see; The side stand lug had been broken off and chicken pooped back on, both foot pegs and the center stand were bent, and a muffler tab had been re-welded.  Much rust had been painted over causing a bad situation. The tail light bracket, one of the worst offenders,  had been glued together, filled with bondo and painted. A couple of screws were added for good measure.

The licence plate holder was beyond repair. A "Made in England" reproduction was ordered. 

The headlight shell was a bit beaten from both inside and out. Maybe a crude attempt to fix a dent in its past life?  Luckily the damage was on the bottom side and came out relatively well. I also had to weld a small crack from the headlight opening. It appears to be strong and will be submitted to the painter and ultimately given a test on the LR.

Crack welded, removing dents and blocking the outer surface in these pics....

Although the frame and swing arm were straight as measured to BSA workshop manual prints they had a few issues. A muffler bracket had been broken and welded on crooked and the side stand had been "farm welded" back on. Both areas were cleaned up and re-welded strong as new. 

The side stand lug repair was strong but looked very bad. The offending globs were ground off and it was welded back together. 

The center stand spring tab had been replaced with a bolt. Although very strong it was not the look I was going for. The bolt was cut off, a hole drilled for a new fixing mount, a pin was pressed in and  bent back into its factory position.

Cutting off the offending bit with an air grinder

Bolt removed, hole drilled and ready for the new tab. 

The front brake drum was lightly grooved and could probably have been used as it was. While it was apart I decided to true it up. The new brake shoes will be fit when they arrive.

Turning the drum on a "Wardmaster" lathe made by Logan of Chicago, IL in the 40's or 50's. Although a bit light duty it has a 10 inch swing and is well suited for motorcycle restoration work.  

My last attempt at replacing silent blocs did not go well. This time I cut them through with a sawzall and burned out the rubber bits with a fire instead of a torch. An incremental step to my process and not the quantum leap I was hoping for. More to learn....

A piece welded to the dummy axle to get it apart. I still boogered the swing arm a bit...weld and fix. 

The swing arm welded up and being worked back into shape.

The foot pegs were bent. Heat, bend, check and repeat....

Once repaired the frame and its bits were taken to TLR Coatings in Scotts Michigan for powder coating. A few parts will be sprayed. Although I have been very satisfied with the sprayed finish on my "black" parts for past builds durability has been an issue which powder coating can improve. We will do a side by side comparison when parts are put into use.  

Parts repaired and heading out for powder coating........

And they're back.....Some of the primary components on display.  

It looks like TLR Coatings did a great job!

Pondering my next project...... I purchased a chopped '69 Commando thirty plus years ago and have done very little with it. I also have a set of P11 bars and a Long Range tank which are bikes I have always been fond of. Maybe a replica or special of some sort ???