It Had a Hard Life

The build continues.

As mentioned previously, the frame had some damage that needed repair, and Jonathan and Derek at Trillion Industries did a great job. The area around the brake pivot post has been completely rebuilt, reinforced and I suppose should now outlast the rest of the frame ! Just ‘click’ on any image to see a larger version. As well the rear shock hanger threads were repaired so all I did then was clean up a few areas in preparation for having the frame and associated bits powder coated.

The powder coat was done at Top Gun Coatings in the north east of Calgary and it all came back looking better than new. They bake off all the oil and old paint on the parts in an oven before doing some touch-up sand blasting prior to the actual powder coat and I have to say that the finish they have achieved is excellent.  Recommended !

I have the frame on the bench and have started bolting bits back on, checking for fit and seeing what is still missing, what can be repaired or will need to be replaced. I print out copies of the parts manual and go through each sub-component so it isn’t the fastest process, but focusing on the sub assemblies makes the whole project much easier to deal with.

The engine had seen some hard usage. At some point in its life, someone had managed to take it apart, and in the process had very nearly destroyed the barrels. The upper crankcase above the alternator had been broken and then repaired with what looked to be JBWeld, The front upper engine mount carrier had been broken and the shard of aluminium casting stuck back on with silicon and there was lots of damage elsewhere, including one of the water jackets being compromised.  Quite sad to see really – I described the engine elsewhere as looking pretty good apart from the bits that were terrible ! The repair work was done by Trillion Industries , and like the frame repairs is excellent – recommended !

The next step for the engine is to have the engine cases and covers vapour blasted (also called liquid honing) by a company in Medicine Hat. This process is pretty common elsewhere, but not in Canada and I’ve only been able to positively identify three companies in Canada that will do the work. It is a glass bead process using high pressure water as the carrier rather than air, and so gives a softer, cleaner  finish than can be obtained using just conventional glass bead and air.  It will be interesting to see how they look !

Elsewhere, I have some parts back from plating and more to send out, both zinc and chrome, and I have to build some wheels. At least I am unlikely to be bored !