I have to apologize to those that have been following this thread and are wondering just where the heck I've been... just too much going on to keep it all straight, not to mention report on it, and I'll admit I've been ignoring the thread and motorbikes in general for a while, now...
The bike was sent out to a "professional" shop for final adjustment just because I wanted "experts" to dial it in. When I got it back, it started on the first kick and ran like a bat outa hell. I cranked the throttle for the first time and, frankly, nearly pissed myself... I'd forgotten just how quick these bikes can be. She ran straight and true and I was very impressed. I did come across some problems with it that I'll get to later.
After the bike was finished and sent out for tuning it went onto the way, way back burner and I turned my attention to four-wheeled vehicles; specifically a 1965 Corvair Corsa that I bought/inherited from my uncle. Before I even finished it (while it was in the shop for paint) I got an offer for it that I just couldn't refuse, so I sold it and used the money to pay off quite a few bills (some of which were incurred by the bike work). With the money left over I bought yet another Corvair, this a 1962 convertible, and I've been having fun tearing into it; it will be another long range project, just like the bike was. When I'm done, I'll probably sell it as well; these cars are still cheap to buy as a fixer-upper, but are starting to command fairly decent prices in restored condition.
I finished and sold the VW Beetle, as well. That car belonged to SWMBO and she decided the kitchen floor we just laid down a couple of years ago wasn't what she wanted, so she sold the car to pay for floor replacement. Fair enough. I like and am well versed in old air-cooled VWs but enough is enough and, frankly, I'm glad to see it go.
The 74s - 1974 Honda CB550, 1974 VW Beetle. Gone but not forgotten.
My Mother fell ill and was admitted to the hospital in February, so that became my priority during that time. She died in April, and it's fallen on me to administer her estate, as Dad went some twenty years ago. That's meant running back and forth between here and her farm near the Wyoming border, setting up things like farm auctions and generally cleaning up and preparing the property for sale. All of that good stuff. Very time consuming and emotionally draining.
In addition, I play bass in - and write music for - a band and we've been busy in the studio putting an album together. Very expensive and takes a lot of time getting things right, but it's something that's unavoidable if you want to make any money in the music biz. I'll have to say that the band has been useful in keeping me sane over the last few months; our biweekly practice sessions and the occasional gig have proven to be quite cathartic.
And, if that wasn't enough, I've been doing some model building. I've been a model builder, on and off, since the time I was eight years old and still like to assemble an occasional kit when I have some spare time (like that ever happens). I find it very relaxing and therapeutic; it gives me time to mull over everything else while doing something simple and creative...
At any rate, I'm building a 1/48 scale B-24 to be presented in mid July to my wife's father on the occasion of his 93rd birthday. He was a flight engineer/top turret gunner in a B-24H named "Little Iodine", flying 35 missions over Germany with the Eighth Air Force from June through November of '44.
Sgt David "Huck" Huckabay, 8Th AF, 849BG, 487BS Halesworth, England 1944
Little Iodine
The crew. David is forth from the right.
When we visited my step daughter and her family in Salt Lake City back in March, we went to the Hill Aerospace Museum (part of the Hill Air force Base near SL) and they have an excellent B-24D on display. They're in the midst of restoring it, but have it on their main floor and you can view it there. Additionally, they've removed the top gun turret, and it's being displayed on a stand near the airplane, so we got to get a close-up look at what was her father's "office". Pretty amazing to think of what those brave folks went through in order to restore peace to the world...
Anyway, when we visited the Museum gift shop, Casey (my step daughter and Gracie's mother) found this old Monogram kit and decided to buy it so that I could put it together so that she could present it to her grandfather. This is the way things go in families; she gets it from her mother (think of the VW).
Don't get me wrong; I'm more than happy to do it, but to do it properly and with respect takes time and has meant a lot of research into "Little Iodine", then assembling and finishing the kit with various washes, filters, metalizers etc, etc, etc; all of which has taken up all of the spare time I have... I haven't even watched the effing TV since February, for cryin' out loud...
So, I'll have it done on time and the whole fam damily is expected for the unveiling in July, some coming from as far away as Texas and Arkansas. Should be a fun day, and I'm sure David (my wife's father) will get a kick out of "Little Iodine".
David and his daughters Marcia (L) and Catherine (my wife), with Witchcraft, a B24J, in the background. Witchcraft is one of only two flying examples of her kind (out of 19,000 produced during the war), and you can buy a ride for $450. We offered to buy a ticket for David to have a flight - 71 years after his last mission, he said "I've spent all of the time that I care for flying in one of those things... you couldn't pay me $450 to go up in one again!" He did, however, enjoy going through the plane on the tarmac, and had great stories to tell at each manned position. This, of course, took up some time, but when we offered to let another couple touring the plane go on by us they refused, saying "This is wonderful! We want to keep listening to him!".
All of the above should culminate in July; The estate should be (mainly) sorted, the album will be completed and the Monogram produced Consolidated B-24 "little Iodine" will be winging back to David's home in Arkansas aboard a Boeing 737. Sometimes I think I go to work just to get a little peace and quiet in my life...
Which brings me back around to the bike (clever how I did that, eh?).
I got the bike back from the "experts" the weekend after my Mother went into the hospital and I didn't take the time to look it over as I should have - I started it up and ran it up and down the street a couple of times just to make sure everything worked; then it sat for the next two months while my Mother fought for her life. I spent a lot of time between the hospital and work and, frankly, the bike was the last thing on my mind. When at one point she appeared to rally, I was preoccupied with tending to her property and commencing work on the album, though the bike was always hovering at the edges of my awareness. Unfortunately, my Mother turned for the worse and lingered for some time until she finally passed away. The truth is that I didn't make time for the bike until after my Mother's death and burial in late April, so it was early May before I finally rolled it out and had a good look at it.
With the bike running, first thing I noticed was that it didn't want to idle very well. It smoothed out at @ 4 grand, but below that the bike sounded like it was fighting against itself in order to run. Lots of noise coming from the bottom end and from the cam chain; I suspect that the crab sync was either not done (as requested) or was done poorly and that a vacuum sync is in order. I hope.
I noticed dark exhaust leaking from around the right muffler balancer tube; tightening the screw fixed that right up.
There was some oil leakage from the top end; when I repainted the breather cover I was just too gentle with those 7fp bolts and they just weren't tight enough. A quick tighten-up sorted those, as well.
I went around the bike checking all of the nuts and bolts but everything seemed to be in order. Looking at it, I could see greasy fingerprints from the mechanic's hands everywhere. The tank, in particular, was covered in grease and grime, and there were some scuffs in the clear coat, particularly noticeable in the black field below the decals. It was a mess. With a microfiber rag, some Windex, Armor-All and Flitz metal polish I went over the bike and managed to bring it back to near pristine condition; all but the tank. It was scratched and scuffed and just looked awful.
I thought that the scratches might be buffable, so I contacted the folks that originally painted the tank and made arrangements to bring it in for them to evaluate. I yanked the hoses and drained the tank, then pulled it off of the bike. As I brought it out of the garage into the sunlight, I noticed a red speck of something just inside the filler neck (I had taken the cap off). Closer inspection revealed more, larger specks. I brushed at them, but they seemed to be adhered to the surface, so I angled the tank into the sun and had a look inside.
In order for you to understand what follows, there's something I have to admit. I had a hell of a time getting and keeping the rust out of the tank after it began to develop. I used phosphoric acid; it did a great job, and after washing the tank with water and acetone, I lined it using Caswell's Dragon's Blood sealer. The Dragon's blood looked great and it was easy to tell where it had covered or not due to its color. I let it sit for a couple of weeks, then added fuel so I could play with the engine and all was well.
I sent the bike out to have it "professionally" tuned... I could have done it myself, but I just wanted the initial procedure performed by someone who was more familiar with the work and might have a few special tricks up their sleeve. I went with a shop that was recommended by the service manager at the local Honda dealer and asked them to set the timing and vacuum sync the carbs.
Well, they had the bike for a couple of weeks when they called and informed me that the lining was coming loose. Damn. I asked them if they could reline the tank and they said that they could. I told them to do it and chalked it up to the fact that applying coatings, whether it be paint or linings, is something beyond my understanding. Give me a wrench and hammer and I'll get it done; applying coatings correctly seems to be a form of Voodoo as far as I can tell...
So, when I got the bike back I found it in the state already described; it wouldn't idle and was a mess. It was hardly the "professional" result that I had hoped for. And when I removed the tank to have it worked on, I found that they had relined it, but hadn't taken out the old, peeling liner. Looking inside I saw chunks, bits and large wavy slabs of the old liner still in there, but now locked into place by the new liner. I couldn't believe my eyes. I stormed into the house and called up the cretins that had so thoroughly ravaged my beautiful motorcycle, demanding that they explain what had happened to the liner, and this moron, this dullard, this mouth-breather with the intellectual capacity of Bantha poo-doo had the unmitigated temerity to lightly say "Oh, that should be fine. It's done all the time; as long as the new liner traps the old one in place, you should be good to go."
What? Am I wrong? is this really "done all the time"? From my experience with this site after many years it seems that the general consensus is that the old liner should be removed before the new on goes in. I, personally, have never heard of putting a new liner in over the old, failed one. And a tank full of liner bits hardly fits the overall theme of the build.
He refused to acknowledge that there was a problem and that's where the conversation ended. Frankly, I wanted to take the tank back to him and shove it where the sun don't shine, but it was obvious by this time that his head already filled that particular cavity and the fit might be tight, although I was willing to give it a try. More than once I tossed the tank into the back of the van with that specific procedure in mind, but, in the end, I never did. They already had their chance and screwed it up, and I didn't want them to lay their filthy mitts on it again. To be honest, my emotional capacity was pretty much a disaster at that point and I just didn't have the heart (or energy) to pursue it any further.
So, the bike now sits waiting for the tank to be rescued. I'm not sure how to proceed from here; I (apparently) am incapable of doing the lining job correctly so, when I get back 'round to it, I'll probably send it to another "professional" to do the work, which (most likely) will complete the job of destroying the paint work and I'll have to start again on that. Sucks.
Anyway, that completes the "non update update". Sorry it ran on for so long, but it would have been difficult to relay everything in just a few short sentences. I'm uncertain at this point exactly when I'll get back 'round to the bike, but I will, eventually; and I still intend to finish up the thread. I'll let you know after I've had a month (or two) of just sitting on my ass. I think I deserve it.
