Fox
I've still got those patches...
I posted this over in my build thread but figured it would be helpful here as well. A few notes from my experience tapping a few holes in my CL360. Hope they help.
1. You're best bet if you want to start working is to buy a kit and start building from there. I tried to buy piecemeal, but found that I got mixed up with what exactly is the right thread, and does this tap actually fit what I've got... Not something you want to be thinking as you grind off metal inside your engine. A set makes it nice and easy to know what you've got, and if you find you need more taps, you can always add later. I just ordered this one. I'll post some pictures and notes on quality when it comes in.
2. If that price tag is a bit scary, you can get by without buying T-handles and all that and just use an adjustable wrench. Not as easy when the engine is in the frame, but it does alright. Sonic also made the point that you can buy a cheaper set (I saw quite a fe 40 pc. sets for $35ish) but I'd rather have good tools up front and not have to worry about whether they'll stand up to the task later.
3. Put a few drops of oil in the hole or on the bolt when you're rethreading. Helps make things turn smoother and makes the metal shavings stick to the tap/die better so they're not staying in your engine. I bought a bottle for like $3.50 at Lowes and it does just fine.
4. Don't turn the tap ALL the way down on the first go around. Give the tap a half turn and then backtrack. Imagine on a clock. Go from 12 to 6, then back to 12. Return to 6, turn to 12, back to 6. And so on.
5. If you sand blast your engine YOU MUST TAP YOUR HOLES!!!! Someone told me to do this when I was asking about blasting my engine block, and I didn't listen and now I have a broken bolt in my head because of it. The amount of crud I've pulled out of some of these holes is pretty incredible. No wonder the bolts wouldn't turn...
6. Go slow.
7. Make sure your tap is straight when you start it. It should go in with a little resistance, but just make sure you've got it on right. I was worried about messing this up, but most times the tap sort of found it's own way.
8. CL360s needs a 10x1.25 for the 8 bolts on the head and a 6mmx1.00 for the 6 other bolts, for anyone out there wondering. 10mm and 6mm are a pretty common bolt on this and many other bikes, so they're not bad to have around.
9. A toothbrush works wonders for cleaning off the goop when you pull the tap out.
10. After you've run the tap through once to set the threads, reapply oil and run it though again to get anything else from the hole. Repeat until tap comes out clean. No seriously. Some goopy crap comes out on that second run.
And a photo to show you what it looks like when you run a tap in an old engine...
1. You're best bet if you want to start working is to buy a kit and start building from there. I tried to buy piecemeal, but found that I got mixed up with what exactly is the right thread, and does this tap actually fit what I've got... Not something you want to be thinking as you grind off metal inside your engine. A set makes it nice and easy to know what you've got, and if you find you need more taps, you can always add later. I just ordered this one. I'll post some pictures and notes on quality when it comes in.
2. If that price tag is a bit scary, you can get by without buying T-handles and all that and just use an adjustable wrench. Not as easy when the engine is in the frame, but it does alright. Sonic also made the point that you can buy a cheaper set (I saw quite a fe 40 pc. sets for $35ish) but I'd rather have good tools up front and not have to worry about whether they'll stand up to the task later.
3. Put a few drops of oil in the hole or on the bolt when you're rethreading. Helps make things turn smoother and makes the metal shavings stick to the tap/die better so they're not staying in your engine. I bought a bottle for like $3.50 at Lowes and it does just fine.
4. Don't turn the tap ALL the way down on the first go around. Give the tap a half turn and then backtrack. Imagine on a clock. Go from 12 to 6, then back to 12. Return to 6, turn to 12, back to 6. And so on.
5. If you sand blast your engine YOU MUST TAP YOUR HOLES!!!! Someone told me to do this when I was asking about blasting my engine block, and I didn't listen and now I have a broken bolt in my head because of it. The amount of crud I've pulled out of some of these holes is pretty incredible. No wonder the bolts wouldn't turn...
6. Go slow.
7. Make sure your tap is straight when you start it. It should go in with a little resistance, but just make sure you've got it on right. I was worried about messing this up, but most times the tap sort of found it's own way.
8. CL360s needs a 10x1.25 for the 8 bolts on the head and a 6mmx1.00 for the 6 other bolts, for anyone out there wondering. 10mm and 6mm are a pretty common bolt on this and many other bikes, so they're not bad to have around.
9. A toothbrush works wonders for cleaning off the goop when you pull the tap out.
10. After you've run the tap through once to set the threads, reapply oil and run it though again to get anything else from the hole. Repeat until tap comes out clean. No seriously. Some goopy crap comes out on that second run.
And a photo to show you what it looks like when you run a tap in an old engine...
