Engine Rebuild Part VI - Timing and Primary

Mounting the engine went well although devising a method that wouldn't damage my nice paint job required some thought. The process took about 20 minutes after I had a plan. Once the engine was in place it was time to install its components. Most parts had already been cleaned up or replaced as necessary.  I elected to start with the timing side.

A bit rusty but overall in pretty good shape.

One of the things I like about antique motorcycles is that they are mostly mechanical. I enjoy learning about mechanical designs I have not run into before and the Interceptor has provided a number of them. For example it uses a unique layout for its timing side.  The camshafts are mounted high and rather far apart with an offset pin idler sprocket to adjust chain tension. Turning the pin adjusts the chain tension. A rather clever assembly. The camshafts can be removed without splitting the cases which enables relatively quick changes if needed.

After inspecting everything I placed my final parts order (I hope) to RE specialist Hitchocks Motorcycles in Jolly O'l England. Time to button up the engine! 

The camshaft lobes and bearings measured minimal wear but the idler sprocket bushing was well worn and replaced. The exhaust cam timing end oil seal journal was a bit corroded but polished up well in a lathe. The cam sprockets were pulled to inspect the bearings and to check for corrosion. Although there was a bit of discoloration no issues were found.

The cam sprockets were removed to inspect bearings. All looked good. 

The idler sprocket bushing was worn and a new one was ordered. 
A clever design using an offset pin for adjustment. 

Assembled , three sprocket timing marks aligned, and ready for the cover. 

The oil pump is also a rather clever setup although an odd affair for a BSA guy. I rather like it and hope it works well. I have read that it does. So how does it work? The crank drives a worm geared shaft that has an offset pin in its end. This in turn drives a plunger residing within a pump body which pumps in both directions. It seems like a lot of moving parts for what it does. I bought the Interceptor for many reasons and its unique character is one of them. This is a great example of that character. 

The oil pump parts set. Note the "home made" lower oil seal retainer which is documented in a previous post:

http://keepingtherockersrolling.blogspot.com/2017/02/timing-cover-oil-seal-retainer.html 

The oil pump plunger and body. An interesting design. 

The timing side with its cover....waiting for points and condensers. 

Although the timing side appeared like it had not been apart, it was obvious the primary had been worked on over the Interceptor's life. The clutch plates had been replaced, one of the clutch bolts was new and the chain tensioner adjusting pad had been lengthened to possibly accommodate a stretched chain.

The Primary side "as found".

The RE clutch has a drum with bonded sections in its bottom. The plates had been renewed at some point but these sections were not and were soft. I scraped the old ones out and bonded new ones in place with an epoxy called JB Weld. This stuff is touted to work miracles if you read the package and is actually quite good. The bonded plates all measured close to new and the steel plates were flat. I renewed the springs while I had it apart. The chain appeared stretched and the nylon pad on the tensioner was deeply grooved.

While assembling the clutch basked a bolt broke off quite easily. My lovely redheaded assistant purchased me a set of left hand spade drills many years ago which made quick work of removing the broken bolt. One of these bolts was new and probably replaced one broken by a previous mechanic.  All three were  renewed before final assembly. A good note to take for future rebuilds.

Parts inspected, cleaned and new sections bonded into the clutch basket. 

Time for a new wear pad. 

Chiseling off the old rivets and installing a new wear surface on the tensioner shoe. 

Final drive assembled and the primary housing in place. 

Building up the clutch ....don't forget the retaining clip!
Although it is mentioned in the workshop manual I did not see it in the parts book. 
(Since posting this I have learned not all SII's have this clip)

Primary components installed and ready for adjustment. Check out Don Morely's "Greabox Rebuild PT5 Clutch"  for tips on setting it up.

A recent read and a very good one. 
If you own an Interceptor you would enjoy Andrew Strait's "The Mighty Interceptor"  

Also.....The Hornet recently took 3rd in the Masters Class at the 35th Annual Battle of the Brits in Milford Michigan. It was another great show put on by the Metro Triumph Riders. Check the pics out on my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Britishmotorcyclerestorations/photos/?tab=album&album_id=327478124381207

Engine Rebuild Part V - Engine Installation

Getting the power unit back in the frame was a milestone I was looking forward to achieving. The chassis was built up, the engine cases were together, and this was the next step in turning my parts pile back into a functioning motorcycle. I was a bit apprehensive about this step as I did not want to mess up my paint in the process.

Taking the engine out was pretty easy...no worries about scratching paint.

The RE engine and transmission is rather large and difficult to manage as an assembly. I wanted to minimize its weight and simplify the installation process.  I elected to leave off the primary, timing side, and top end to make it more manageable. It seemed like a common sense approach.

Setting up the engine to roll into place....attempt one...this alignment won't work....

Being a stressed member of the frame the Interceptor's engine could be loaded from the bottom or so I thought. This line of thinking ended quickly as I surveyed the parts in the way for this approach. I ended up putting it on a rolling RV jack with the trans end tilted up and positioned it between the mounts.  This seemed to be the best way to get a clear shot into the frame. The lower frame rails were spread slightly with a reversed wood clamp to facilitate entry of the rear transmission bracket. This meant the swing-arm had to be loosened and side stand had to come off to allow movement.

Opening up the frame slightly to facilitate installation of the rear mount. 

I chocked the front wheel in a "Pingle" mount, took off the side stand, slackened the swing-arm nuts and put in my clamp to open up the frame. Once the rear trans mount was installed the front bracket was put on to secure the engine. From there it was a matter of affixing all of the components. I was finally able to mount my new skid plate and oil cooler. Overall the approach worked well.

The engine front mounted and ready to fit all of the components. 

Engine installed...time to finish its assembly. 

Another sidetrack....replacing the steering arm on my F150. Ironically I drive an old truck so I can afford to work on old motorcycles. I am not overly excited about working on four wheeled vehicles these days.....   

Engine Rebuild Part IV - Crankcase Assembly

The engine bits were rebuilt and ready for assembly. The cases were soda blasted, questionable threads had a die run in them, the crank was rebuilt, and new bits were ordered  from England. The cam bearings and lifters looked good so they were cleaned up and left as is.

The crankshaft ready for the drive side bearing to be installed. 

Once everything was cleaned and reconditioned the cases were heated in an oven and a new drive side bearing and timing side retainer were drifted in. The drive side case and bearing returned to the oven and were heated together to facilitate installation on the crankshaft. Per the manual I tightened the drive side roller bearing down using a spacer to hold its location when the cases were brought together. 

The drive side ball bearing in place.

 The crankshaft fit into the drive side bearing and a spacer holding things in location. 

The timing side roller bearing outer surface staked into place.

The engine case was propped up on blocks with the timing side up. The roller bearing was heated and installed with 1/8 shims between its bottom and the crank cheeks to maintain a 1/16 spacing from the journal outer end. This spacing is called out in the manual and was measured before the old bearing was removed.

Timing side roller bearing in place. 

An oil cooler and skid plate were options for '69  and I am putting them on my Interceptor. The oil cooler came with longer bolts to accommodate its brackets but not the width of the skid plate. I also missed on the rear engine mount as it requires a longer bolt for fitment of the skid plate. Back to the RE parts store for more bits. I find many parts added to a build need to be fit. The skid plate was no exception as its bolt holes were off by 1/4 inch. The rear brackets were bent to get things close and the holes were opened up. The front holes had to be elongated by 1/16 of an inch to put things right. It lost a lot of paint in the process and was refinished. Another lesson relearned. 

Checking to see if all the holes line up and finding they do not. Brackets bent, holes opened up a bit, items repainted and on we go.....  

"Honda Bond"  was applied to the drive side case and the assembly was bolted together. The hardware was tightened down and excess sealer was removed. The Honda Bond seals well and is grey in color which I like. 

Bolted together.......

The transmission installed and the whole unit prepared to go in the frame.

Now that the engine cases are together it can go back where it belongs. All of the pieces have been refurbished or replaced with a few exceptions. Top end assembly should be pretty straightforward...so the thinking goes. 

Out of the archives.....Dad was building Chevy's in '55. 
#baseballhotdogsapplepieandchevrolet 

2017 Gilmore Car Museum Vintage Motorcycle Show

The Gilmore Car Museum Vintage Motorcycle show is one of the largest of its kind in the region. It is hosted by the Wolverine chapter of the AMCA, the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club, and the Battle Creek BMW owners club. All great organizations that do a nice job with the show. The great thing about this event is for the price of admission you also get access to the automobile museum which is one of the finest in the country.

The show has something for everyone; a swap meet, a judged "Masters Class" and categories for "Exhibitor's Choice" awards. My Hornet was entered in the "Masters Class" while the 1970 BSA lighting was in the "Exhibitor's Choice" area. The Lightning highlighted its upgraded electrics featured on this blog. While there is a lot of interest in this topic I find some purist quite put off by modern electrics. I think there is a place for each and will continue to embrace both. My Interceptor will be true to the core and retain its points, Zener diode, and rectifier while my daily riders will be upgraded. To each his own.

Lined up for judging with a mostly original 1913 Indian twin in front. 

The 1970 Lightning set up and ready to go.

My brochure showing what's under the Lightning's covers. 

Backing up a bit...... the Sunday show is preceded by a Saturday ride through the country surrounding Hickory Corners Michigan, which is the show's location. This is an area with many lakes traversing  nice farmland. The ride features the twisty roads us motorcyclists like to explore. There are slow groups and fast groups consisting of about 20 bikes each which are led by AMCA members. A great ride to partake in if the opportunity presents itself.

Nice country for a motorcyclist. 

The Lightning barely made it to the end of the ride last year due to electrical issues. I didn't want to repeat that performance at this year's event or anywhere else for that matter. During the past winter I upgraded the BSA electrical components to make it a solid rider. My effort paid off with an uneventful ride from a maintenance standpoint. I hope this holds up throughout the season. A couple of pics from the ride follow.

A 1964 Ducati. Check out the tank...a work of art. 

A 1955 Triumph Canadian Military motorcycle. The flat head twin ran quite well.

Now back to the show....once again it was one to remember. The weather was sunny and 90 degrees F with a bit of wind to cool things down. The swap meet was quite large this year and I was able to bring home a Lucas 679 tail light lens for the Interceptor. It needs to be polished out but has no cracks. Score! The Japanese and custom classes continue to grow as a new generations of enthusiasts enter the scene. There were a great number of bikes to check out no matter what marque you prefer.

One of several very large and packed parking lots. 

A sizable main show area - people's choice contenders. 

A fine line of machines. A Craig Vetter Mystery Ship, A Triumph Hurricane, a Gold Star, a Norton Production Racer Replica, a Kawasaki Z-1 Turbo, and a John Player Norton. Wow!

A 1950's BMW factory racer and one of twenty four made. 

A '63 Bonneville in the Masters Class. Don Hutchinson Cycle's last retail paint job and a fine one at that. The Bonneville was built and shown by Jack Pine Cycle.

A fine looking JPS Triumph in the Custom Bike Class. 

One of my favorites. A 1946 Indian Chief  in my preferred color.

Masters Class judges giving the bikes a once over. 

The detail work I completed last winter paid off as I took home 1st in the Masters Class. I will give the Interceptor a go here next year if all goes well this winter.   

Another side track.....At a previous swap meet I found a new tire to replace the Norton's rear which had about worn through its rain grooves. This should have been an uneventful early Sunday morning job but was not. The axle was a bugger to get out requiring me to fasten a puller and slide hammer for its removal. It was rusted in between the drum and wheel bearings.

Pulling the Norton axle with a slide hammer. 

Out...lets remove the grease and see what we have. 

Although it was greased when installed there was rust between the wheel and brake drum which had to be pulled through the wheel. 

The cush drive buffers were rough too. 

Cleaned up and ready to go. 

With all of the bonking the bearings will need to be replaced at some point. The chain and sprockets are also in need of attention soon but will make it another 500 miles or so along with the bearings. It's all back together, it's summer and time to ride.

All cleaned up and back together with a new tire and buffers. Lets go riding!

BSA Wiring & Mechanical Upgrade - Follow Up

The upgrades completed on my 1970 BSA Lightning last winter required a bit of tweaking but are working well so far. (links to previous posts are below) The spark is good and the Beezer starts well with the timing set at the factory spec.

The lights all work as they should including oil pressure and high beam indicators. The head and tail lights are bright at idle including the brake light. The bike will not start if the lights are on which  I accounted for by wiring a setting on my headlight switch that turns all lights off. I confirmed this was necessary when I was showing a friend how well my new setup worked and I couldn't get the Beezer started. Off with the lights and it started right up. The LED headlight has not failed as it did last year when I first went battery free. My starting capacitor blew just before the LED failed which may have contributed to its early demise. I have four hours on the bulb now and will report on my "LED Headlight" post if it goes out again.

Off, pilot, and main beam settings work well. Nice and bright at idle.

The LED tail light showing up quite nicely at idle. 

What didn't work? The horn blew its 5 amp fuse promptly and was replaced with a 7.5 amp unit which blew as well. On to the internet for a bit of research. It seems that Lucas horns draw 3.5 amps each which make a 10 amp fuse a reasonable choice. It is installed and both horns are working now. The only problem is that the engine must be at 4K RPM before an audible blast is made. The horn button almost substitutes as a kill switch as the bike cuts out when its pressed below 4K RPM.  One reasonable argument for a battery in the system I guess.

Sorting through fuses to set the horn right. I like the individual circuits. 

The bike ran a bit rough at the start of the season but smoothed out with a bit of jet tweaking. The heat sync for the Podtronics unit works well as it gets a bit warm but not hot and I will declare success on the this setup. I am running 90 octane RV gas (non ethanol)  with Marvel Mystery Oil to lube the valves. Although I do not have spark knock I am looking for higher octane RV gas since knocking may occur when the weather heats up this summer.

No speedo.....Time to take the drive out and see what's wrong although I think I know. 

Let's grease the cables while we're at it. 

The speedometer gear drive cogs looked a bit rough when last apart and I thought they may be an issue this year. When the speedo quit working this spring I knew what the likely culprit was. Apart it came and my suspicions were confirmed. A new unit was purchased, the cables greased, and it all went back together and is working fine now. 

The bad Beezer unit on the left next to one with its drive cogs.

The 21 tooth counter-shaft sprocket which replaced the 20 tooth one puts me a bit under 4K RPM at 60 mph which is perfect for the roads I like to ride. I took the BSA up to 70+ MPH but don't want to tempt fate by running there very often. The new cork clutch plates connect well and have eliminated the sticking plate syndrome I had with the old ones. The SRM tapered roller bearings in the steering head are silky smooth and will be put in all of my Beezers. Finally, the welded cracks on the headlight and fender have held up so far. I am not ready to declare success but am feeling good about them. Time to go riding.... 

This post is a follow up to previous entries:

http://keepingtherockersrolling.blogspot.com/2017/01/70-bsa-lightning-maintenance-and.html?_sm_au_=isVmkJPQ3pP50Pks

http://keepingtherockersrolling.blogspot.com/2017/01/70-bsa-lightning-electrical-overhaul.html?_sm_au_=isVmkJPQ3pP50Pks

http://keepingtherockersrolling.blogspot.com/2014/12/an-led-headlight-bulb-take-that-lucas.html?_sm_au_=isVmkJPQ3pP50Pks

Tach & Speedo Cables

One of the enjoyable things about antique motorcycle restoration's is working with people sharing my passion for bringing old bikes back to life. I have run into many great companies and people in my mission of  "Keeping the Rockers Rolling". My latest quest for authentic SMITHS cables led me to yet another purveyor of fine spares, Vintage British Cables.

Vintage British Cables is a company located in Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada, our friendly neighbor to the North. In addition to making some of the world's best beer and bacon, Canada is a home to many people passionate about keeping British bikes running. I have purchased parts from several Canadian suppliers which are listed on my supplier page. Vintage British Cables specializes in SMITHS instrument repair and cables. They have a variety of product and service offerings.

Rev counter cables for comparison. 

The cables on my Interceptor, although serviceable, were nicked up and rusty. Being very visible components I wanted to replace them with exact, high quality replicas which I was pleased to find in Medicine Hat. Vintage British Cables' site provides an overview of their product and process "Using NOS Fittings & Original SMITHS Presses and Dies". Their products are also presented well on their site making purchases simple. I had a few questions about my application and sent them an inquiry. The response was quick and thorough and my order was filled promptly. As advertised the cables were authentic replicas, but don't take my word for it, check out the comparison pictures above and below.

Old Vs New

Authentic knurls and crimps. 

Another modelling job well done Marvin!

While cables won't make or break a rebuild they are one of the details that can make a restoration stand out from others. I am glad there are companies like Vintage British Cables keeping us "fanatics for detail" in high quality parts. Thanks!

So where are "Keeping the Rockers Rolling" readers from? The order by most views; USA, France, UK, Canada, Australia, Brazil, and Germany. I started a journal to document my BSA Hornet restoration process and to guide my future projects. After keeping notes for a while it came to me that others may benefit from my "learning experiences".  I have been surprised at the amount of interest in my foibles. Thanks for checking out my blog and especially for sharing your comments with me.