Author Topic: Sandcast #97 restoration (Read 202989 times)

markb · « **Reply #225 on:** March 09, 2011, 12:32:10 PM »

I'm meeting my welder tonight. I remembered I have a scrap valve cover that came off my K0. It had a build date of 11/69 so the material is probably as close as I can find to the sandcast alternator cover. He's going to do some test welding to see if he can get a close color match. I'll post the results.

markb · « **Reply #226 on:** March 10, 2011, 04:02:17 PM »

I didn’t get much done last weekend; I picked up a basket case sandcast engine. Because of all the water in the crankcase of #97 the transmission and clutch are pretty rough so when I had a chance to grab a parts engine I figured I better take it. Following the rule of not leaving anything behind, I asked the seller if he had any other parts. He said he had a set of carbs. I asked him how much and he just threw it in with the engine. Which was good because the cases have some repairable issues but I figured with the carbs I’d come out OK. Here are a couple pics of the carbs.

Magpie · « **Reply #227 on:** March 10, 2011, 08:50:57 PM »

"Just throw it in"! You lucky.................................. Are you also buying lottery tickets?

Cliff.

markb · « **Reply #228 on:** March 11, 2011, 06:05:34 AM »

I was wondering if anyone would notice the 28's. I've had a little bad luck on this project (not complaining really) so it was nice to have a little good luck. I think I'll buy a few tickets today.

754 · « **Reply #229 on:** March 11, 2011, 07:19:06 AM »

Long choke handle I presume?.. nice find..

markb · « **Reply #230 on:** March 11, 2011, 10:34:02 AM »

Actually it's the short one but still a nice find. I'm not sure when they changed but #97 has the long handle.

Old Scrambler · « **Reply #231 on:** March 11, 2011, 06:38:45 PM »

No 28s ever get past me! Birthdate, Age and date of wedding, I just don't know if I have a long or a short handle!

markb · « **Reply #232 on:** March 13, 2011, 12:38:48 PM »

I picked up the painting this past week. Everything looks pretty good but it seems glossier than I remember. The painter swears it’s the same as my other bikes so I guess I’m good with it.

I guess my only complaint is the paint looks like it got a little heavy on the VIN. It’s really hard to get a good shot when the paint is so new and it’s more readable than it is in the pic. I’m not real pleased about it but I think I’ll let it go.

I didn’t do the top fork bridge yet because I think the paint is less glossy than the rest and didn’t want to do it in this batch. But I can’t remember if the lower part of the fork stem is glossy like the frame or more matte like the top fork bridge and my other bikes are in storage so I can’t look to compare. Anyone know?

neverendingproject · « **Reply #233 on:** March 13, 2011, 01:16:45 PM »

That frame is beautiful! I like Eastwood Underhood Black for a nice semi-gloss finish that you can vary by spray technique and number of coats. What kind of paint are you using?

markb · « **Reply #234 on:** March 13, 2011, 01:57:54 PM »

I'm not sure the brand or anything but it's a single-stage black urethane paint. If you want more details just let me know.
Mark

markb · « **Reply #235 on:** March 13, 2011, 02:00:28 PM »

I had a minor setback with the oil tank but I got it taken care of. They’re a PITA to get painted.

I had cleaned it out and de-rusted it with the Safest Rust Remover before painting. It looked pretty good. I was tempted to put oil in it to coat the insides but I was afraid that if any leaked out when painting that it would be a problem and if any blasting media got in it would stick to the oil. I just use the standard plug for the drain hole and plug three of the other holes with rubber stoppers and tape to make sure they stay in place.

For the smaller breather tube I use a ¼” nylon screw (lower right, it was white before it got painted).

For the main fill (this is a tough one to mask) I machined a press fit plastic plug and used a soft o-ring to seal it up.

Well, the problem was, when I got it back the inside had some rust in it again. It’s been about three weeks or so. I suppose going in and out of the cold caused some moisture to condense inside. Not real bad but I just couldn’t leave it in there. So I plugged it up again and filled it with the Safest Rust Remover and let it sit over night. I put it in a box so it would sit upright.

This morning I dumped it out and it looked real good. I flushed it out with tons of hot water and used compressed air and then a hair dryer to dry it out good. Then I poured ½ quart of oil in it and rolled it around so everything inside is now covered with oil. It was a lot of extra farting around. I’m gonna half to think this through better next time around.

Old Scrambler · « **Reply #236 on:** March 13, 2011, 02:52:13 PM »

Flat or mat-black on the tree................I think they used several different blacks over the years.....but never a gloss. I use Kerosene to 'coat' tanks when in storage for short periods. It mixes and flushes well with gas or a cup of "cheap" oil.......also keeps used oil lines from drying and cracking.

The factory paint process was some sort of electro-plating but with liquid paint.....possibly baked-on as the hanging frames emerged from the paint-vat. I agree with you........they were never as glossy as most re-paints are.

markb · « **Reply #237 on:** March 15, 2011, 07:46:35 AM »

Crankshaft update:
I heard from APE last week. They recommended repairing the rotor end main journal and also one rod journal that was marginal. I decided to do what they recommended. That will take about 8 weeks but I will feel much better about using it.

thrutheframe · « **Reply #238 on:** March 18, 2011, 07:24:52 AM »

What a great motor number

[/quote]

I love the motor number, I call my shop where I work on my bikes "Ones and Zeroes Motorsports"

markb · « **Reply #239 on:** March 23, 2011, 04:24:25 PM »

I’m still trying to figure out my options for repairing the alternator cover so I decided to take a look at the air box. The top half and middle were stuck together. I’ve been warned they were glued at the factory, but I felt that they should come apart to properly paint them and repair a crack at the carb rubber holes. I had tried soaking them in hot water a couple of times with no luck and I was afraid to use anything stronger. It was loose on one side so it seemed like it could come apart. I was successful using a razor knife (box cutter) without causing any additional damage.

Looking at the loose side, it appeared that it had only been stuck at the mating surfaces where the knife could be inserted (as seen in pic). So I slowly and gently and carefully inserted the tip of the knife and worked my way around. I didn’t do any slicing motion. Then I stuck my hand through the center piece and slowly and gently and carefully pushed on it. It took a few more pokes in a couple of areas and Bob’s your uncle. (I can’t believe I just said that. I learned it from someone here.)

I would like to maintain the parting lines and ejection pin marks to keep it identifiable as correct so sanding to remove the paint is not an option. The bottom half was warped (you might be able to see it in the close one below) and I found another in great shape so I’m going to use the warped one to experiment with soda blasting. I saw a post on the site where it was tried and it looks like it worked great. Supposedly it only removes the paint without harming the material.

supersports400 · « **Reply #240 on:** March 28, 2011, 11:31:38 PM »

Hi,

Top yoke and lower tree are satin black,

Jensen

MCRider · « **Reply #241 on:** March 29, 2011, 05:20:10 AM »

"... experiment with soda blasting. I saw a post on the site where it was tried and it looks like it worked great. "

I used soda on plastic tank emblems and it just took off the paint. I can't remember the PSI I used, but i always start with 60 or so and work my way up to the lowest possible to get the job done. Don't start with 110, IMO

markb · « **Reply #242 on:** March 31, 2011, 11:07:09 AM »

Thanks for the tips guys.

Well, I talked with APE today. Bad news. Their opinion now is that the crank isn’t worth repairing and they wouldn’t put their name on it. After further inspection they have told me that at least 5 of the journals are undersize. I’m not sure if that puts the clearance out of the 0.0008-0.0018” (0.020-0.046mm) standard clearance range or beyond the 0.0032” (0.080mm) maximum clearance. When I measured them I thought they were OK. But I never checked the calibration of the mic or maybe I got bad readings or who knows what. In any case, APE has a good reputation and a high standard and if they don’t feel they can bring it up to their standards then so be it. So I’m back to not knowing what to do. I’ve got a good sandcast crank with a 12mm rotor bolt but I’d really like to keep the 10mm rotor bolt. I guess I won’t do anything until I get it back.

lone*X · « **Reply #243 on:** March 31, 2011, 01:33:17 PM »

You may want to do some Google searches on "crankshaft welding" or "crankshaft rebuilding". Undersized journals are brought back to spec all the time using several welding techniques. Plasma welding and spray welding come to mind. Brother was a Machinist for a major engine re-builder for years and specialized in doing journal build ups on hard to find cranks. We read of folks using hard welded cams all the time on this site, why not an irreplaceable crank.

fastbroshi · « **Reply #244 on:** March 31, 2011, 07:28:28 PM »

Well that crank with the 10mm bolt may be repairable, but at what cost? Is it worth that much money and time to be able to say "Yeah, it's got the small bolt"? Maybe you could modify the good crank's bolt to have the smaller 10mm head. You could always keep the genuine one until a fix becomes more apparent or cheaper.

supersports400 · « **Reply #245 on:** April 01, 2011, 02:12:51 AM »

Hi,

I agree, everything is repairable, but at what cost ?
If it's only the bolt size, there are more options, but if you really want to fix the 10 mm bolt crank because you want everything to be perfect, it has it's price.

I work with twin cranks, those are not made out of one piece, which make repair somewhat easier.

I'm curios what your decision will be,

Jensen

markb · « **Reply #246 on:** April 01, 2011, 08:17:47 AM »

After doing an (another) internet search, I came accross this site:
http://www.crankshaftsupply.com/crankmoto.htm
I wish I would have known about them before, they're only a few miles from me.

So I haven't given up yet. When I get the crank back I'll definately check them out.

lone*X · « **Reply #247 on:** April 02, 2011, 02:59:02 PM »

Fastbroshi, Jensen,
Yes, everything has its cost. But Mark is going to great ends to do a "correct" restoration of a very valuable bike. The more parts totally correct to his #100 , the better the restoration. We can toss out suggestions based on our experiences but Mark will be writing the checks so only he can say if the cost of restoring the "original crank" is justifiable, and then only after he gets some estimates. It's not just about getting an old bike to run. It is about bringing a piece of history back to pristine condition.

Plus, remember, he has another sandcast waiting in the wings. That other crank may well be spoken for.

supersports400 · « **Reply #248 on:** April 03, 2011, 12:39:29 AM »

Hi,

It shows not only character, but also perseverance in the long road to a perfect resto, and I admire that.

Jensen

markb · « **Reply #249 on:** April 19, 2011, 03:24:16 PM »

I got the crank back from APE last Friday and dropped it off today at Crankshaft Supply. It's too bad I wasted almost 8 weeks on it, but I should hear by tomorrow if they can (or will) do anything with it. There hasn't been much else going on with this. Too busy with work but I at least got my other sandcast and the K0 out of storage. Working on getting them ready to ride.

News:

Author Topic: Sandcast #97 restoration (Read 202989 times)