1955 BSA A10 engine build

It sure is cleaning up nice! The engine that is, I can't see your driveway. ;) The parts are looking good considering the pile of iron oxide that you started with. :)
 
I love this! Always had a thing for the old brits but never enough time or knowledge(or cash) needed to keep them alive. Did a complete overhaul of a '67 t100c engine for my first bike though. Took me about 4 years..
 
Well, octane, I can't see my driveway ether :) ...actually, I'm telling stories. Took some time, but over the past two weeks I took the axe out almost daily and chopped the ice out of the part of the driveway that goes up hill, can actually see the gravel there now...as for the top part where I park my truck...still about three inches of ice there and it can stay until spring comes.

datadavid...IMO, those T100 Triumphs may be the best overall package that Triumph ever put together, I did my first engine job on one in about 1980 and have always had a soft spot for them.

Went out in the shop today and disassembled the head...no real surprises except that nothing is really worn out. Got the head and valves all cleaned up, the head gasket surface has been lapped. After I get the valves ground and lapped I can put that back together. Pics after that. This is going to be an inexpensive job what with not needing much in the way of parts.
 
Ok, over the past couple of days I have finished the cylinder head.
Pic one shows the head and valve gear after disassembly, pic two has the valves and head cleaned up, the head gasket surface lapped, all ready to recut the seats and lap the valves in. Pic three is all back together and ready to install. New rod bearings, piston rings, drive side seal and gasket kit arrived today. :)
 

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Jumped in late, Just went through an A-65 looking for another after I finish the CB for a street tracker.

Carry on!!

RD :eek:
 
Just signing in. Saw this thread and got hooked. Always liked the look of the old Brit stuff. Had an 850 Commando for a while and had to let it go. I still miss it. A fine ride it was.
I'll be watching!
 
Today's progress. Fitted the crankshaft clean out plugs and confirmed oil flow to the journals before fitting the connecting rods, then fitted them with the new bearing shells, installed the caps and torqued them down....clearance measures up at 0.002". For those who are new to these BSA twins, there is a difference between the connecting rods...drive side rod has a small oil jet hole that is supposed to go on the outboard side to provide a little extra spurt of lubricating oil to the drive side roller bearing.
I was getting a little ahead of myself as I still had to confirm and adjust the crankshaft end clearance; this is a little easier done without having the con rods on the crank, but at the same time, not a really big pain in the arse ether. Having said that, since there was no end play at all, it was definitely in need of adjustment. After an hour of fiddling and changing shims, I eventually got it set at 0.003". Following that, I slipped the camshaft in place, applied a thin coating of Three Bond to the case halves and bolted them together. All bearings and bushings got a good smear of lithium engine assembly lube prior to being put together.
Then it was out to the shed to see if I could find any of the fiddly little bits and pieces that live in the timing chest. After poking around through a dozen coffee cans and little boxes, I managed to locate most of the required items and fitted some of them in place. I also found what I decided was the best in terms of the inner and outer timing covers and spent some time cleaning them of crusty old grease and oil sludge. Before calling it quits for the day, I ground away most of the digs and scrapes from the outer cover and gave it a quick polishing...the shop is getting pretty dirty, maybe I will spend a little time tidying up tomorrow, after all, its garbage day!
 

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Nightmare on Elm Street, Unit Engine Gore! Man, that's Freddy Kruger stuff...I won't sleep tonight! :D

Seriously, nice clean looking job!
 
goldy said:
Nightmare on Elm Street, Unit Engine Gore! Man, that's Freddy Kruger stuff...I won't sleep tonight! :D

Seriously, nice clean looking job!

Thanks!

Red pre-lube, when I get stuff done and specked in I squirt some on and put on a fresh set of blue gloves and massage it all over before putting the lid on... good sticky stuff stays up there a good while so if you don't plan to run it for a while it will hold up for you until you do.
 
Got a bit more stuff looked after. Found the best looking of four oil pumps and took it apart for cleaning, only very little wear, so it went back together without any lapping etc and was mounted in place under the crank. The drive worm and lock nut went on after that. Then the breather rotor was cleaned up and went in place on the inner timing cover which was screwed in place. I put the outer timing cover on to keep the mice out and after fitting the tappets to the cylinders and the rings to the pistons, slipped the jugs down over the pistons and tightened the flange nuts...next up...fitting the head.
 

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Man, are we ever getting kicked around by old man winter this March. This week we got two huge blizzards in three days...total of about three feet of snow from both storms...and the drifting: Holy crap! It seems like we get ourselves dug out of one icy mess when another on hits us. Was supposed to put on a vintage bike display at our local exhibition grounds, but so many of us were literally snowed in, that I cancelled our participation...I had been looking forward to it, but I guess that this year it was not to be. Supposed to be another system on the way for tomorrow, they say mostly rain, but after this winter, I am nervous that more ice and snow may slam us again. This is the first day of spring...HA!

Anyhow enough of the bitching! Between bouts of snow blowing and shoveling, I did manage to get a little more done to the A10 ENGINE. Got the head torqued down with a new gasket..the new ones are solid copper and need annealing before fitting, but the good thing is, they can be reused indefinitely. After that I dug out the best looking rocker box and disassembled it for cleaning...In hindsight I suppose I should have took a couple of pictures. Anyhow, it was pretty crusty and needed to be stripped and cleaned to make sure all rust was removed and all oil passages were clear. After that I slipped in the pushrods and mounted the rocker box on the head.
A decent looking sump screen was located and fitted as well and then it was on to the generator. I had two to chose from, and decided on the one that turned the easiest. A quick test by feeding power through it caused it to motor, which is a good indicator of a properly working unit. It was remarkably clean inside, with very little wear on commutator, or the brushes. The bearings were also in very good condition. At the time of writing, the stator case is waiting for a fresh coat of silver engine enamel to dry, then it will go back together with fresh grease in the bearings and and be fitted to the cradle on the front of the engine. Sorry about the blurry pics.
Oh yeah...just for the fun of it, I tried out the grubby, dirty old magneto without even cleaning the points...amazingly, it still has spark!!!
 

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Got the generator together and mounted it temporarily in place...he's going to have to remove it again to get the right front engine mount in place anyhow, but at least I know it fits and nothing is missing.
After that I had a look at the magneto. As mentioned before, it is still making plenty of spark, but is sorely in need of a clean up. There was plenty of wear left on both pick-up brushes and the ground brush. The bearings were dry, but in good shape, so after a clean up and repacking, they were put back into service. Cleaned up the rotor and slip rings and put it back together. The points were a little crusty, but cleaned up well and should be good for another 60 years or so. :) now all I have to find is an end cap to cover the points (I think I saw one in the junk pile somewhere) and fit the advance mechanism and timing gear...more on that next time.
The pics show the finished generator and couple of before and after shots of the mag and it's internals.
 

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Unfortunately not much progress the rest of the week. An elderly relative who relies on me has taken a tumble...after finding her in a heap in her apartment mid week, I have been in and out of the hospital. Seemed like every time I got the shop warmed up, the phone would ring and I would have to drop work and head in to the city. It is a bit frustrating to say the least, but hopefully things will settle down a bit next week and I can get back to work.
 
Magneto mounted and timed. Decided to clean up a set of front engine mounts and fit them loosely in place...the left side has to come off to mount the engine.
New magneto points cover is on the way, for now I have covered it with a plastic pill box just to keep it clean.
And that is about it for the engine...now on with the primary drive and then the transmission. Wore a good little path out through the snow banks hunting through the junk piles for suitable parts to assemble the primary drive shock absorber (cush drive). Have not taken the clutch pack apart yet, but everything looks like it is all there and the best looking of four aluminum primary cases was selected. Now to clean it all up and see what I have (or don't).
 

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Today, I got the cush drive cleaned up and installed, although I had to machine a stainless steel spacer that goes between it and the drive side bearing that despite searching several times through the piles of bits and pieces could not be found. After that I took apart the clutch basket to see what was inside...lots of rust. Anyhow with the aid of the varsol bath, the machine lathe, some emery cloth and a lot of elbow grease I got that all cleaned up fairly nicely. The clutch bearings are still all there and in nice shape, but the friction plates are beyond hope, besides that I find they tend to harden over time and cause clutch slippage, so it is best that they simply be replaced. Luckily, despite just hanging around loose in the primary cover for years and years, all the clutch springs, nuts and spring cups were still there!

Pics show the assembled cush drive, then before and after of the clutch parts.
 

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The primary is done and the cases all polished up. Now it's time to dive into this dirty old transmission and see what's inside.
 

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