"Bitsa" '67 BSA Lightning 650 project

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

Some time back, a few years ago, a guy got my number through a local all-brands dealer that knows I have old Brit bikes, and offered me a "twofer" deal on an old Triumph and an old BSA, plus some spare bike parts. He called me every few months wanting to sell, with the price going lower each time. Finally, he called with a price that matched my stack of play money, and we closed the deal.

What I ended up with was a "mostly" '62 Triumph 6T Thunderbird that kicked over, and a "mostly" '67 BSA A65L Lightning that seemed stuck.

This is what the BSA looked like when I got it, although it didn't have a seat when I picked it up (I had a spare one on the shelf)

I finally got around to messing with the BSA about a year ago and for some reason I took a look underneath the engine...

Brilliant, eh?

"Less hoses must be better"

I have my critics, but even I was very concerned about this. No, it's not some secret drag racing trick, either...

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

I checked the shelves and bins, and got some parts swapping done, working with the best stuff I already had -

At least it was starting to resemble an actual BSA, and not a Japanese Sportster (not that there's anything wrong with that)

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

(From 1 year ago)

Sure enough, the bottom end was seized from oil starvation.

Here's a shot of the replacement lump I bought on BritBike.Com, although there's not much to see...

And these are the mufflers that ought to look 100% better than the baloney slice turn-out that are on it right now.

I figure one good weekend or a couple of good late nights once the lump arrives, and I'll FINALLY have a running, rideable BSA big twin for the first time in my life. It'll round out my "British big 3" (Triumph Norton BSA).

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

(Apr 29, '14)

First order of business was to pull the tank, exhaust and carbs...

Many spider webs, egg bundles and whatnot...

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

Rockerbox looks to be in fair shape-

Made a few notes before double-checking against the book during re-assembly-

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

4/29/14

Can you tell which cylinder's exhaust valve was left open?

Apparently the PO was trying in vain to pour oil (or whatever) into the stuck cylinder...

That's as far as I got in only an hour and a half, although I had to wrangle the bike from the garage to the shop, set it on the lift, tie it down, and then haul the new lower lump from my office around back to the shop rear door, to have it close by for inspection tomorrow evening.

At least it was only in the 90s, and the little A/C unit fired right up after about 8 months since it was last used.

Baby steps...

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

4/30/14

Engine and frame are now divorced.

One of the rear frame brackets was bolted in at the top, but set on the outside of the lower mount nut. Also, one of the rear through-bolts was missing.

Started with 1/4" drive sockets set on the cylinder studs all the way around and started pounding on the pistons with a 5# sledge and a custom-made "big bearing" spacer tube for a Dreer Norton that has large round threaded lugs that sit on top of the piston dome real nice.

By this time I had graduated to taller 3/8" drive sockets and the pistons were moving right along. I marked and pulled the cam followers, they are in fair shape, a quick polishing will show whether they are better than the other set (I doubt it).

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

About an inch of travel where the pistons started out with the bottom of the skirts about 1/2" short of the base of the cylinder flanges.

A few more light slams and... walla! (that's voila for all you Francophiles)

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

This was the stuck piston (well the worst of the two)-

The other one isn't so bad-

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

4/30/14

Decision time regarding which parts to use, then back together with the new(ish) lower end.

I am going to pull the other jugs and inspect bores, ring & piston gaps & clearances, and cam/follower condition.

The cam on the previously stuck engine is in good shape. The rods have a lot of slop. I WILL NOT be using the old lower end.

That's not bad for 2 hours on a nice 75 degree evening.

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

5/6/14

Lower lump in place loosely with the help of my son last weekend-

Clutch cable was a bugger, seems the cast-in abutment in this set of cases has a taller shoulder. I need to work on the spacer length.

Points wires were a pain to re-pull.

Head gasket cleaned up, need to anneal it-

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

Head cleaned up nominally-

Comparo shot, some improvement...

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

5/6/14

Picking the better of these two is not that hard, the one on the right you can't see the crack below the shifter, and they sealed it with some good stuff.

I'll probably pasted some JB weld in here just to make look smoother-

Not gonna mess with this one-

Glad I stayed with the stuff I had decided on right at the start. I wasted a couple of hours verifying I made the right choices.

Got the head installed, for the most part. It turns out the '66 cylinders take slightly smaller diameter headbolts on the rear two. NO WONDER those suckers didn't want to go in! Had to pull the head off with the sticky copper-coat all over the head gasket. I'll be asking the guy I got the head from, and a few other folks, if they might have a spare pair, cheap.

The engine has good (not great) compression. I believe it will be better after it gets a little running time. Either way, it'll be fine for what the bike is destined to be until the time it ever makes it to the total restoration stage (probably not in my lifetime).

Lots of stuff still to do, but we're heading downhill and picking up speed.

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

5/7/14

Not much to see, just snapped this on my way out to work...

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

5/10/14

Finally got 3 straight hours in the shop uninterrupted.

First, pulled the "new" lower end primary cover, not too bad (but had spiderwebs)...

Note the clutch spring adjusters in place of alternator stator nuts...

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

5/10/14

Contrast the seized lower end cover, horrible oil condition, and note blue RTV silicone seal...

I used all the best parts for the runner, leftovers for the old lump.

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

Left footpeg had been welded in place, my guess is they lost the LH nut & special splined spacer with one flat side.

I cut the welds as carefully as possible, dressed the threads and installed a freshly cad-plated OEM toothed/keyed spacer that I remembered having (funny, it was right where I remembered seeing it months ago)

LH nut will have to be sourced.

Installed the newer primary cover with timing window-

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

5/13/14

Thankfully, I'm getting in a fair amount of time in the shop these days; did 2-1/2 hours this evening.

Received the 2 headbolts from Freddie and promptly installed them.

Next was the oil lines. It was somewhat of a "leg bone connected to the neck bone" thing, had to remove the rear fender, tool kit, then oil tank (to flush it out). Broke the original Lucas "beehive" tailight lens when the dang fender went walkabout on the last nut. It was already cracked, but in good shape otherwise; now it's smashed

Here's what was in the bottom before flushing the oil tank, nearly an ounce of solidified crud-

Oil tank installed, with new oil lines-

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

5/13/14

Also took the opportunity of a clear work area and installed proper hardware to hold the chainguard on, it had only one rusty old screw with a loose acorn nut on it. (no photo)

All 4 rear engine mount bolts & nuts in place, and you can just make out the galvanized sleeve to hold the clutch cable abutment in place on the cast-in shoulder of the timing side inner cover-

I wonder if the original abutment sleeve must have had a thinner shoulder that slipped into the cast-in shoulder?

It will be a bit tidier under the seat, there was a strapped on hunk of aluminum plate with the zener diode on it, I don't think that was original. I need to have a look at the parts book soon.

I don't think there were the minimum number of wires on the bike for it to have been running since the last time the wrong color wires were messed with...

grandpaul · Mar 3, 2015

5/16/14

Here are the headlight ears-

Springs are quite rotten at the bottom, that's the price of BSAs wonderfully tall dust cups run with no gaiters-

Running a WTB ad in the Garage Sale section on BritBike.Com, for a set of springs...

"Bitsa" '67 BSA Lightning 650 project

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

Author, "Old Bikes"

DTT Light or Dark

Spread the Love