'92 140,000Km rebuild.

[Woodsman]

Fair play to ya there boss, you're doing a great job ensuring she turns out to be a thing of beauty.
Keep up the old spannering on the bike to. All the best to you and your wee lassie.

[tmkaos]

Well, I've been away for the last few weeks on holiday with my family around the South Island, towed a caravan 3634km and had a blast.. Been a pretty shitty return to work this week after that, I can tell. Here's one of things I got up to..

http://www.ididit.co.nz/ididit/profile/30907/album/18833/

And here's us parked up at the sub-tropical rainforest campground at the Franz Josef Glacier on the West Coast. See, NZ rocks, rainforests and glaciers right next to each other..


Back into the rebuild, I finoished off re-lapping the valves, so they're good to go. The head just needs another wash out then I can paint it, bake it to set the stuff and then fit my new valve stem seals and valve springs and reassemble it all and get the shims right.

In between all the other jobs, since I sent my bores out to be re-honed I've been scraping away with a razor blade at the base gasket, and I have come to the conclusion that after 140,000km it has trasformed into the hardest substance known to man. I've spent more time on that damn gasket than any other part of the rebuild to date!!

Once I've got it off I can paint this too and bake it and then I can actually start to put it all back together..

This is taking a while I know, I optimistically entitled my accompanying Facebook album 'The Great Motorbike Fix of 2012" and after a few comments it's now been edited to 2012/2013.. But a baby, full-time job, part-time study and life in general isn't leaving as much time as I'd like.. Still, at least I'm progressing..

So far I've done from the top down:

Slotted the cam gears
Checked cams for runout and cleaned up the scores on journals
Mild port cleanup
Ultrasonically cleaned all the valves
Lapped the valves
Honed the bores
Done the 5 degree timing advance mod
Cleaned the motor/gearbox of all crud dropped in there from the pull-down
Cleaned 140,000km worth of oil crud out the sump
Dismantled and cleaned cam chain tensioner
Polished all the ali covers on the motor
Flushed and cleaned out oil cooler
De-rusted and painted exhaust
Rebuilt the rear brake caliper

After I've painted the head and reassembled that part with the new goodies, I plan to pull apart the starter motor and do the brush kit replacement I bought, also the regulator mod, then onto motor reassembly with the new rings and spin on filter kit.

Good things take time I guess..

James

[The General]

  You are one mad basted...I couldn`t do it!...Did ya end up taller?  That caravan Park doesn`t look like sheep country ta me. You sure ya didn`t cross the ditch?       ummmm...I could make good use of that caravan next March. 

[tmkaos]

You are one mad basted...I couldn`t do it!...Did ya end up taller?  That caravan Park doesn`t look like sheep country ta me. You sure ya didn`t cross the ditch?       ummmm...I could make good use of that caravan next March. 

I reckon I might have stretched a bit, not that at 6"2' I really needed it.. The hardest part was telling myself to jump. The engineer in me had kept a fairly beady eye on the 2 jokers who hooked me up to the rubber band so i knew i wasn't going to come off but still, jumping off a 43m bridge isn't something you do everyday. The little Asian guy before me had to be pushed, and he fell in the fetal position, really didn't look too classy so I decided if I was going to do I had to make it look as gracefull as a 118kg un-co man can be..  It was a hell of a rush and I'd do it again! 

The caravan park was really good, little bays all nestled into the native bush, if anyone passes through Franz Josef on their travels I'd highly reccomend it, free spa pool too..
http://www.rainforestholidaypark.co.nz/

James

[oldktmdude]

You are one mad basted...I couldn`t do it!...Did ya end up taller?  That caravan Park doesn`t look like sheep country ta me. You sure ya didn`t cross the ditch?       ummmm...I could make good use of that caravan next March. 

Forget the caravan Doug, I've got some accommodation already sorted for you. I've even organised a "once only" discount for you. Sorry the continental breakfast offer has been withdrawn due to somebody already eating it.    Pete.     

[tmkaos]

This is taking a while I know, I optimistically entitled my accompanying Facebook album 'The Great Motorbike Fix of 2012" and after a few comments it's now been edited to 2012/2013.. But a baby, full-time job, part-time study and life in general isn't leaving as much time as I'd like.. Still, at least I'm progressing..

Okay, so things have been a bit busy lately and I've had to make a shit decision.. As I have absolutely zero time to work on the bike as I'm now job-hunting as well as studying, working and being a dad I'm going to close my eyes, open my wallet, take a deep breath and give the motor to a mechanic to re-assemble. I've done all the machining and bits and pieces I needed to do so it's now a case of me getting the head and barrels painted professionally, then sticking it together. Today I finally had a chance at work to do the new Racetech regulator mod, and I also replaced the brushes in the starter motor, so that's the electric side of it done.

Anyway, i'm going to get some quotes, I'll keep you posted..

James

[ribbert]

open my wallet, take a deep breath and it's now a case of me getting the head and barrels painted professionally

James

James, I can save you SOME money.

This is my engine at about 20,000k after painting, it has done at least twice that now and looks exactly the same. Not even a fly speck of paint missing.
Preparation was no more than a kero wash and high pressure clean after.
No other prep or cleaning, no primers, no undercoats, no baking, I use any brand engine enamel, it can be touched up and is impervious to fuel and oil. That is what it is designed to do.

Unlike body finishes, I don't believe there is anything a "professional" could do that would be an improvement over a rattle can job you did yourself.
After a bit of selective masking, the paint job takes about 10 mins total, and that's if your fussy.

Whether you paint it yourself or give to a professional to paint as far as I'm aware ALL engine enamels need to heat cured and remain soft until then.

That means making it the very last job before installing and even then handling carefully to avoid fingerprints and knocks.

I decided last time I would in future leave it until I had the motor hanging from the back bolt and before fitting the down tubes at the front so I wouldn't have to handle it after painting.

You certainly would not want to paint it before giving it to someone to reassemble.

I sanded one side of the fins as per original and left one painted and after looking at it for a few weeks decided I preferred them painted.



A shame the exhaust paint doesn't perform as well.



Noel

[FJSpringy]

VHT SP124 gloss black  

run the engine to get it warm, not hot, mask, spray, wait half an hour or so, then run the motor to warm it up, don't ride it to try and dry the paint.

[Steve_in_Florida]

Nice engine, Noel. Good work.

[ribbert]

VHT SP124 gloss black 

run the engine to get it warm, not hot, mask, spray, wait half an hour or so, then run the motor to warm it up, don't ride it to try and dry the paint.

That's true, don't ride it to dry it but you do need to ride it to cure it, for at least an hour, a couple would be better or oven bake it at 200F which is impractical and not necessary.

The first of the last two motors I painted I rode straight out the door for my first ride after a rebuild into the rain, which never stopped all day. The front of that engine still looks like crap today.
The second one I let sit in the bench for a couple of months and all the dust settled on the horizontal surfaces, and that's still there to this day.

Noel

[tmkaos]

Excellent advice from you all as usual.

I have bought the paint already, it's the POR15 proper stuff and it needs to be cured just as everyone has said but I was planning on painting the head and bores and then baking them in the oven to set it so that I could reassemble without fear of sticky fingerprints.

But I'm thinking i can give the head and bores to a paint shop along with the paint i bought, they can spray it on (I can't spray, no gear, paint is in a tin) and then bake it in the booth to set. No sticky finger issues..

Once that's done then I can get the motor put back together...

James

[ribbert]

Excellent advice from you all as usual.

I have bought the paint already, it's the POR15 proper stuff and it needs to be cured just as everyone has said but I was planning on painting the head and bores and then baking them in the oven to set it so that I could reassemble without fear of sticky fingerprints.

But I'm thinking i can give the head and bores to a paint shop along with the paint i bought, they can spray it on (I can't spray, no gear, paint is in a tin) and then bake it in the booth to set. No sticky finger issues..

Once that's done then I can get the motor put back together...

James

What are you doing about the cases?

I still reckon all that transporting, handling and assembling is begging for some paint damage before it makes it back into the bike. I say this from experience.

Also, any auto paint shop will put loose paint in a spray can for you.

The product Dave (FJ springy) mentioned, VHT SP124 is also the proper stuff and comes in a spray can for $19 with enough paint for about 3 motors and you can always touch it up if need be.

If time is an issue, unless your professional painter lives directly over the road from you it would still be many times faster to paint yourself than delivering and then picking up from the painter.

Once clean this REALLY is a 10 minute job, 30 mins if you are fussy about the masking.

Noel

[tmkaos]

Okay so we're getting back up to speed with the rebuild now...

I walked next door to the dodgy panel and paint shop at work, and Stan the Russian was more than happy to sort out painting the barrels, head and valve cover for me with the paint I previously bought. So hopefully pick them up tomorrow.

I gave up trying to clean up the kickplates as the clear coat had peeled off them in places, so I had attempted sanding, buffing, and then resorted to a mild bead blast to totally clean them up. I then came to my senses and took them to a polisher and now they're almost - almost! - up to Simichrome standard, photos to come.

I tried a few mechanics about building the motor back up for me, and was pointed back out the door accompanied by bursts of hysterical laughter, which wasn't encouraging, but eventually someone gave me a name and I dropped in, a tiny, tiny unit in an industrial area, with enough room to roll a bike in and swing a spanner and not much else, the remaining room taken up by a HK ute under restoration (a man with commendable taste) and approximately a shitload and half of old bikes. He's agreed to take it on, piece of piss was his exact phrase, and he knew FJ's so that was a bonus.

So I'm just tidying up the last few little things before handing it all over, bagging and labelling all the random parts, replaced the starter motor brushes, did the alternator regulator and buffed up the sump on the wire brush wheel. It's all looking a million dollars now...

I'll get some pics together over the next few days, tomorrow is a day of rest, ANZAC Day here in NZ, day off from work and a chance to remember all those brave Kiwi's and Aussie's who gave their lives so many years ago..

James

[The General]

tomorrow is a day of rest, ANZAC Day here in NZ, day off from work and a chance to remember all those brave Kiwi's and Aussie's who gave their lives so many years ago..

James

+1 For remembrance of the Kiwis and Aussies that fought and those that continue that fight for us. A special day to all our Anzac mates

[movenon]

tomorrow is a day of rest, ANZAC Day here in NZ, day off from work and a chance to remember all those brave Kiwi's and Aussie's who gave their lives so many years ago..

James

+1 For remembrance of the Kiwis and Aussies that fought and those that continue that fight for us. A special day to all our Anzac mates

Also +1. Spent ANZAC day in 1969 in Brisbane marching there parade. A week later I was in Wellington.  here's to all that served.
George