Quick make over.......or so I thought.....The ubiquitous XS650 - UK
Rear swing arm next.....
Bought a generic needle bearing kit which came with all the seals etc. Was a right pig to fit as the sizes were a bit out and there was some ovality in the swing arm. It was way too tight to be any good so ended up scrapping the needle races and turning some phos bronze bushes up on the lathe. The original set up was some sort of hard plastic material? OEM? All working lovely and chocolaty smooth now....
Bought a generic needle bearing kit which came with all the seals etc. Was a right pig to fit as the sizes were a bit out and there was some ovality in the swing arm. It was way too tight to be any good so ended up scrapping the needle races and turning some phos bronze bushes up on the lathe. The original set up was some sort of hard plastic material? OEM? All working lovely and chocolaty smooth now....
Back to it...where was I?..........the engine. My favorite part of any build is the detailing on the engine!!........probably the most satisfying part turning a rusty, leaking lump into something a bit more appealing. This was no exception, lots of leaks and lots of rust. Degreasing, power washing, sand blasting and lots of scrubbing
The engine cases...........
Had some mixed results over the years with the VHT wrinkle finish paint I like to use, its very hit and miss. Its requires some real heavy coats which is sometimes difficult to control. These were no exception........eventually the paint stripper was deployed after 3 attempts
Had some mixed results over the years with the VHT wrinkle finish paint I like to use, its very hit and miss. Its requires some real heavy coats which is sometimes difficult to control. These were no exception........eventually the paint stripper was deployed after 3 attempts
After years of losing bits and bobs and the poor turn around time in my local platers I did some research on home plating kits, and whats needed.
Must say I was a little skeptical, but as I found out cleanliness and preparation is the key, a bit like a paint job.............and you cannot polish a #### as they say
I've been refining my setup and this was the first attempt which turned out ok. The ultrasonic cleaner was being used to heat the nickle plating solution, I've since setup up an old baby bottle warmer for the same task
Must say I was a little skeptical, but as I found out cleanliness and preparation is the key, a bit like a paint job.............and you cannot polish a #### as they say
I've been refining my setup and this was the first attempt which turned out ok. The ultrasonic cleaner was being used to heat the nickle plating solution, I've since setup up an old baby bottle warmer for the same task
Looks awesome.
On to the steering head. A problem Id thought about then promptly forgotten about was sorting out the locknut assembly and covering up the nuts which were visible when the top clamp was in place. Bit of machining later and a cover sorts this out. Wanted to reduce the nuts to one, add a locking grubscrew into it, and then machined a fancy alloy securing screw Aprilia style for the top. The scabby finish from the casting porosity during powdercoating finally got to me so this was removed later
Time to get that Ducati disc mounted and the hub centralised between the fork legs.
After blasting it I was going to mask it up then just simply repaint it.....but the though of all those little nooks and crannies with no paint got to me so ended up machining all the bobbins out to to it properly. Ordered a set of stainless replacement and set about tidying up the disc.
After blasting it I was going to mask it up then just simply repaint it.....but the though of all those little nooks and crannies with no paint got to me so ended up machining all the bobbins out to to it properly. Ordered a set of stainless replacement and set about tidying up the disc.
After the disasters with the wrinkle finish paint Id manage to source some wrinkle texture powdercoat to have a go at. Its used on MG dash restorations apparently? Anyway, I'm well impressed with it and compared to the VH1 spray paint the finish is far more superior and even.
