'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Final Assembly & Startup

So now we're getting down to the final bits and pieces of the build. The speedometer and tach cables were purchased from Vintage British Cables in Canada. They also rebuilt the gages and did a superb job with them. The brake and clutch cables were NOS BSA items which match each other nicely and provide the level of detail I like to perform. Yes I am a rivet counter on my restorations, my riders not so much. 

Final details coming together with gage cables in their place and wiring wrapping up.  

I had an epiphany on this build. I made a tool to measure the fuel level in the bowls but have only used it with the carbs installed on the bike. It occurred to me that the head is mounted level to the ground so this process could be done on the bench where it is easier and cleaner to do. The process worked well and should produce the same results as when the carbs are mounted on the bike itself.

The carb slide height was set with my tried and true 3/16 drill bit method under the slide cutout....which didn't work on this BSA. I scoured the internet and found a better way to set the slide height is with a .015 inch diameter wire under the non cutout side. I used this technique and the bike started and idled well. Method duly noted.  

Setting the float levels with my home made tool worked well.
Performing this task on the bench simplified the process. 

New throttle and choke cables were purchased and the original brass junction boxes were cleaned up and reused. A few of the original shorter choke cables also had to be reused as new ones were not available and they were in decent shape.  I elected to use the original style single pull throttle for originality. 

Control cables mounted and adjusted. I normally use the 3/16 drill bit method to get the slides synched but switched to a .015 diameter wire when it didn't work. See the notes above for details.  

The original pipes were in rough shape and were replaced with a set of UK made reproductions from Klemp's in Minnesota. While they were very well made tweaking to get them to fit correctly was required. I have found this common with reproduction pipes.  Since there is no connector on these headers I am using high temp Permatex copper silicone to seal the head pipes and hold them in place.

Tweaking the tabs on the pipes to get the proper fit. I find this common on reproduction pipes and prefer to use the originals when they can be restored. 

The center stand was bent but I was able to repair it with a little heat and a vice. I compared it to another BSA stand and thought I had it good but alas it was not to be. When the exhaust was installed there was about a quarter inch of interference with the muffler. Paint was stripped and it was heated and bent to clear the muffler while installed on the bike.  Not a bad method with hindsight being 20/20. Surprisingly the side stand came out well the first time even though it had a broken mount.

The center stand lever was heated and bent to clear the muffler while on the bike. 
This process worked well. Repainted and ready to go. 

Final assembly of the air filters, tank and side panels. 

Everything covered up to protect from an errant bit putting a ding in my shiny parts 

The fuel lines coming together. 

Not a bad job if you take your time and use the proper tools.

Petrol lines crimped and ready for assembly. 

The tap plungers are being removed to install new corks. 

The cables all fit as planned with the exception of the throttle cable which was eight inches to long. I found a process for reworking these bits that provides good results. I unsolder the cable end which is made of steel and reuse it on the shortened cable. I silver solder the cable where it will be cut to stop it from fraying. Using a Dremel with an abrasive wheel to make all cuts keeps the ends clean. Silver solder bonds everything together.

 

Cable end removed to be reused. 

Silver soldering the cable before cutting keeps it from fraying allows the original end to be easily soldered back on. 

The kick lever rubber required a little persuasion to mount. 

A bit of tire paste and a wood clamp to hold it until it set did the job. 

So paint nicks happen....mixing Testors enamel to  match BSA "Flamboyant Red"

The build is finally finished. Time to add all fluids, prime the oilways and start it up. 

Startup Video:   https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GE5AYmh0zIg

The Lightning Rocket performed well in the 2024 Gilmore Car Museum Antique Motorcycle Show by winning 1st place in the Master Class. Scoring 99.75 and starting on the 1st kick made it a good day. Time to hunt down an original throttle housing to earn that last 1/4 point.......

Competing in the "Master Class" at the Metro Triumph Riders Battle of the Britts show in Milford MI the Lightning Rocket was awarded Third Place. Not a bad way to end the show season.....

'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Electrical

The wiring on the Lightning Rocket was in poor shape. The original wiring harness and switches remained while someone had started a 12V conversion. There was a Zener diode with its cooling plate mounted on the front end, a 12V ammeter in the headlight shell, and a 12V transistor block in the back. Pieces were disconnected in various places showing it was still a work in progress. Time for an intervention. 

The "as found" wiring on the Lightning Rocket. A mish mash of 6V and 12V bits. 

The electrical system in the '64 BSA was a bit funky if you ask me. In the days before NASA's space program there was not a good solution for voltage regulation in a size that worked well for a motorcycle. Fortunately Lucas had an answer. 

Their solution was a 6 volt system with a dual output alternator to keep things supplied with power. One winding powered the ignition system and another powered the lights. The lighting coil put out just enough juice to keep the lights on and with its limited output overcharging the battery was not an issue. The more power that came out of the alternator the brighter the lights became. If the battery was drained you could engage an AC current path from the alternator directly to the coils to fire it up. This was called an emergency starting circuit. I thought very briefly about keeping the 6 volt system but ultimately moved to 12 volts. 

Sorting out the wiring....6V to 12V......Trispark ignition...Podtronic unit. 

I decided to go with a reproduction 6V "made in England" wiring harness attached to a  high output Lucas alternator controlled by a Sparx box. A Trispark ignition is mated to Trispark coils.  The funky 6 volt bits will be unhooked and taped up. I also routed a ground line, using the unhooked 6 volt bits, to the headlight as the original system relied on frame grounding. This was problematic in the good 'ol days and not workable with a powder coated frame. A ground wire was also run to the tail light housing.

     The hybrid harness starting to take shape..... 

My solution for the Sparx box mounting....

 
All grounds came to this point. Powder coating on the frame was removed to leave bare metal between the ground post and one lower engine mount. 0.0 ohms resistance is measured.  

New old stock Lucas headlight switches and a repo ammeter. 

The Ducon was restored from original parts, repo gaskets and new wiring with original stripes. 

The reproduction harness was very authentic but missing all of the extensions. They were reproduced with soldered bullets and the correct Lucas wire to keep it all straight. 

A great tool for the toolbox, an accel coil wire crimper. 

The Trispark unit was wired and setup using a degree wheel as the '64 BSA did not have timing marks. My first time using this method....think I got it. 

Timing set with a degree wheel & indicator.  

The head on and plug wires connected. . 

We have spark and lights which is a good sign. Onto the fuel & control systems. 

'64 Lightning Rocket - Engine Rebuild PT VI - Top End

The top end was tired on the LR to say the least. The cylinders were scored and the valves were significantly worn. A complete intervention was required. The cylinder was blasted bare and sprayed with VHT primer and paint. The head was chemically cleaned and walnut blasted. I considered vapor blasting for the aluminum parts on the engine but in the end I decided not to do so preferring to keep the casting glaze with which it departed the factory. To each his own I guess. Maybe vapor blasting will be used on the next build as I do respect the clean surfaces it produces.  

As found....a bit tired inside and out. 

Cleaned, painted, re-machined and ready to go

The cylinder was bored +.020 and Hepolite pistons were purchased for the build. Threads were chased and and the deck was ground to get it flat. The rings were gapped to specs greater than I have used before. Hepolite called out .012 - .018. I split the middle with .015.  

Rings being gapped for the new pistons and reworked cylinder. I use a fine file held in a vice to work both ends of the rings simultaneously. 

New guides were installed in the head which had its face skimmed. Kibblewhite black diamond valves were used and EV Engineering springs were installed. Elephant foot valve adjuster screws finished off the updates.           

Disassembly in process.....

Rebuilt and ready to go onto the power egg....

Copper annealed via MAP gas torch. I have not used head gasket sealer in the past but am giving Permatex copper spray gasket sealer a try this time. I have had issues with the oil holes leaking and am hoping this does the trick. 

Silicone gaskets work great if you don't overtighten them. 

Thanks Tennessee Real Gasket!

Torqueing down the head nuts with my home made offset spanner.

Ready for carbs, cables and final assembly. 

'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Engine Rebuild PT V - Timing Side & Transmission

The plan was to install the engine in the frame without its heavy bits to make the process easier for the two old dudes performing the task.  The primary was rebuilt with its new parts staged on the bench ready to go including a large zip tie fed into its cavity to pull the alternator wires out. This makes a tough job relatively easy.  It's time to start staging and assembling the engine's timing and transmission components.  The oil pump and timing gears will be installed but the pump itself will go on later. 

Timing bits prepped and ready to assemble. The new SRM oil pump is a real beauty. 

I hope it works as good as it looks. What a shame to hide it behind a cover. 

The transmission bearings and seals were renewed even though they didn't look bad. The layshaft end play was checked by installing the mainshaft in the case and measuring to the workshop manual specs. A play of .002 was measured and will get that "butter smooth" BSA shifting I admire. The selector plate had very little wear on it and was reused with minimal cleanup. One shifter fork was worn and both were replaced as were the kickstart pinion gear and bushing. 

Worn and replaced.

New bearings, seals, shifter forks and kicker bits. Oiled and ready to assemble. 

Transmission bits assembled and ready to install

The last order of business on this side of the egg was to mount the kickstart spindle and its washer/spring from hell combo. I have fought this in the past but not as hard as on this one. A stiffer spring than others, I'm getting older and weaker, maybe my biorhythms were off???  Not sure but I stuck with it and was victorious. There is probably a factory tool I will never own to simplify this task. There has to be, otherwise I would call it a piss poor bit of engineering from a home mechanics perspective at least.  Too bad I don't drink beer anymore. This would be a perfect time for one or six. 

What a bugger of a job....until I figured out how to do it then it was a moderately difficult task. I'm putting a picture of my process here so I can reference it next time.....Push the washer on over the spring, put a hose clamp on the shaft to hold the washer in place and then pull the spring on with a hook tool all while trying not to impale yourself. The wrench was used to work the washer tab toward the spring hook. 

The '64 LR speedo drive is off of a gear mounted on the layshaft. Interesting. There are a series of gears you can swap to calibrate the speedo if you make drivetrain changes. There is also a badge on the outside of the case that denotes the installed speedo gear's ratio. 

Getting ready to assemble and prime the new SRM oil pump. Good lord that herringbone oil line is hard to find and expensive when you do.....

Turning stainless steel into CAD ....kinda....

Oil pump assembled and primed with oil running out the PRV mount per SRM's instructions.  A final check will be completed before starting the engine by pushing the bike down the road in gear with no spark plugs. Oil will flow into the tank through the return line if all is right . 

The SRM pump was very stubborn and did not prime easily. I turned over the rear wheel in 4th gear while my wife added pressure to the oil tank via my trusty propane air tank. 15 PSI did the job. 

Assembled and ready for the Trispark unit.....onto the ignition. 

'64 Lightning Rocket - Engine Rebuild PT IV - Primary

 The clutch was a bit knackered but still probably functional as it was found. The primary chain was stretched out as the "Wardmaster socket" under the adjusting pad would indicate. This has been a common occurrence found on old bikes when I tear them apart, although two out of three had lug nuts under them. Chains must have been expensive, hard to find. or not considered worth replacing "back in the day".

Tired but still serving its purpose.

"Wardmaster socket" taking up the slack. 

New bearings & rubbers ready to bring together.

My secret weapon for putting in cush rubbers, 

It makes a seemingly impossible job very possible. 

New bearings, friction plates, greased and ready to go. 

Sprockets fit without the chain to check alignment. All is good....

Primary parts ready for final installation & a timing disc setup being worked out. The final assembly will be done in the frame. On to the transmission & timing side.....

Timing/'TDC setup sorted. 

This will be revisited when the wiring is finished and the electronic ignition needs to be set. 

Assembly of the primary side was pretty straightforward. The rotor and stator went on passing the dollar bill test with no adjustments needed. The stator wires were fished through the case via the zip tie I had installed earlier. I am glad I did not forget that step as it is a real time saver 

Although I have never done this before I lightly oiled the clutch plates with type F automatic transmission fluid. I have always assembled them dry and they are usually oil soaked when removed. An expert in the field recommended lightly oiling them so I will give it a try. One thing that gave me fits was installing the clutch springs. Try as I might I could not get the retainer nuts to catch. After working a short while I decided to check the new springs I purchased to the originals. To my surprise they are .50 inches longer. The Lightning Rocket is specked for these longer springs although the standard Rocket springs came out of my clutch. I ordered a set of standard springs which are .25 inches longer than the originals but could not get them in either. Back to the original springs. The situation will be addressed at a later time if necessary.  Maybe a special tool?  Longer retainer screws?

The initial kick over of the LR found the clutch slipping. Luckily the '64 BSA had an access hole in the primary cover to adjust the clutch springs. Maybe this was more of an issue with the 4 spring clutch? Three turns in of the springs and all was firmed up. This will be reexamined when the LR hits the road and torque is applied. 

Primary assembled and it's on to the timing side.