'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. 

'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 ???

'64 BSA Lightning Rocket - Chrome Parts

The front rim ready for lacing....OEM lettering intact. 

Chrome work is one of the most expensive items of a bike restoration. I inspect parts to see if they can be cleaned, polished, and reused. If so they get reconditioned and put on the shelf. If there are issues they will be repaired and re-chromed. When all if this fails it's time to search for replacements or reproductions. This BSA was a mix of all worlds. Here's what I found.

The front fender was dented, cracked and  twisted....time for a replacement. 

Both of my BSA's have had cracks on the fork shroud fixing tabs. I attempted to weld them on my first go around with no success. (a better welder may have been able to accomplish this task). As a result of that experience I  decided to "restyle" the grooves to remove the cracks on this go around as they were small. The results look good and no one will notice. Let's see how it holds up.

Extending the tab groove a bit to remove the stress cracks.  
In theory it sounds like a great idea... 

The offending area taped off for enlarging...

Lengthened and ready for chrome...

The final parts looking as new. 

Fixing several small dents in the rear fender...

The chain had violated the fender and it was squared up a bit....

The rear fender ready to go.....

I have two die cast air levers and both have base metal which is beyond repair. I have found reproductions that are very good with the exception of the center screw which is domed while the original unit had a flat top fastener. My solution was to re-tap the hole in the reproduction body to fit an original screw which had been re-plated.

The reproduction choke body with the original re-plated screw. 

Parts saved via the Ultrasonic & buffer ....

On to the chrome plater with these bits....

Back from plating and looking good. 

Off to a Plating with this batch...

Back from plating and looking great. Time to put the chrome bits on the shelf until the rest of the build catches up. Next in line is the frame and all its painted parts. 

Killing time during Coronavirus lock down. 
Hoping it won't be long until the bikes are out.