Advice on a non-rotating pushrod

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Thanks Trevor

Reply much appreciated (especially as I hear you've got quite a bit of experience behind you). Top cup nice and free, adjuster lifts easily off the top of the pushrod. I may do a few more miles then......


Cheers

Stuart
 

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
So I decided the pushrod should come out.....

Mmmm, been musing, anyway decided that the tank should come off again and open up the rocker covers. Adjuster out and take a gentle hold on the pushrod with some rag to soften the jaws of a pair of mole grips. A steady upward pressure and eventually "pop" out she came shooting northwards. It was rather well stuck into the follower.

I dressed it up with an oil stone and finally some emery and a little oil - it took three goes of popping it back in and checking then removing it and polishing a little more until I could get it to spin freely. It now does.

Let's see if after a few hundred miles I am back to square one!

All buttoned back up again and tank back on - but it's rather too late to fire her up tonight so it will have to wait until Tuesday evening.

Fingers crossed one and all - but this technical novice may just have begun the long and slippery slope into Vincent home maintenance.

Hopefully all will be well when she starts up again.

Thanks to all you posted. The advice was much appreciated.

Stuart
 

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
It just gets better,

Evening all,

Started second prod this evening - thought I would use the kickstarter rather than the electric leg to feel what was going on - started and ran fine - settled quickly into a nice slow idle.

Took it out and ran 20/30 miles - no problems - all just as it should be.

So tomorrow, when cold, we'll see if we have a rotating pushrod again.....

Regards

Stuart
 

Real Rocker

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Pushrods

Stuart, if you don`t fix things yourselve even if you **** it up you won`t learn your machine or enjoy it. I have had work done in the past by experts & not been happy with the results & have in every case had to do it again myself. It`s the only way to learn & I have found it cheaper to make my own mistakes than to pay someone & wait months to get the work back! In the late `70`s I had an expensive rebuild [£300] by Furness & Searle who were respected ex-factory employees only to have the big end fail after 100 miles. Re-built it myself with the aid of Harper Engines manual & it ran for another 20 years. Do not be afraid,it`s only chunks of metal[albeit nowadays ludicrously expensive bits] not a human with the complications they present. I think your solution to your pushrod problem was very sensible.
 

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Thanks for the encouragement...

Hi Real Rocker,

Thanks for your words, this will sound odd to serious long time Vincent people but I'm actually quite chuffed with myself.

Cold engine tonight - cover off - pushrod spinning easily.

Right - having the carbs sleeved, bored and re-built is next on the list......

Cheers and thanks.

Stuart
 

nkt267

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Stuart you are right to feel good about tackling your own repairs.As your experience builds you will take on more complicated jobs.The Vincent engine is not overly complicated in my view,sure there are lots of shims and bits,but within a good section and by using the forum and litrature that is available most of the mechanical work can be tackled.I'm now starting to tackle the 'black art' of paintwork(unfortunate pun),I'm not brilliant but I'm pleased with what I've done so far.Just don't let the beast get the upper hand.Use specialists when you need to.Happy spannering..John
 

BlackLightning998

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
My father used to do that stuff too......

Hi John,
Thanks for your kind words. One of my great regrets is that my Dad is not able to help me, he's in his late 70's now and not in great health. As an engineering apprentice on the LNER railway and a life-long motorcyclist there is not much Dad hasn't done, and at least I can have him on the end of the telephone when I'm doing something. I'd love to have had his lathe and milling machine but I can just about reduce a bit of bar in diameter and part it - end of story.

He re-painted and lined the tank on Ian Hamilton's racing egli - to put it back to black. I've got some superb 9by5 black and white pictures of it. He taught me that preparation was one of the big keys to good paintwork, careful rubbing down and then using a "disclosing" primer coat which showed up the small imperfections in the underlying metal. He would spend several days rubbing, filling, rubbing, filling, priming and so on until he got it where he wanted to and moved onto the final colour.

He also used to warm the object and spray onto gently warmed metal - the paint flowed better and resulted in a superb shiny finish.

He actually handpainted several of the smaller parts on our Rapide back in the 70's and when I bought the bike back from Australia last year those very same parts are still on, and still in that handpainted condition looking great (you can tell from the small chips and showing red oxide primer underneath).

I cheated, my headlamp shell had a poor finish on it and as it was one of the big expanses of black you looked down onto when riding along I stripped everything out and had Templeton's in Coventry do it for me - wow what a great job, I'm really pleased with it.

Thanks again for the encouragement, great fun isn't it.

Regards

Stuart
 

piggywig

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Furness & Searle

Real Rocker,
I noticed your remarks about a big end problem and your naming the engine rebuilder. Big end failure has many possible causes, sometimes the owner! At about that time, early seventies, I also had a twin engine totally rebuilt by the mentioned Furnes & Searle who worked in the old Stevenage Vincent works (Alf & Jack? I seem to remember). In case they are no longer around to comment, the job they did was excellent and after many thousands of miles touring Eastern Europe and a number of long tours to Southern Europe and Nth.Africa the engine required nothing more than routine maintainance. Two years ago when a complete bike rebuild was undertaken, (nothing replaced in all that time) the engine was found to be not unduly worn and serviceable, but rebuilt anyway due to needing repainting.
This customer was happy with their work as no doubt were many others.
Col.
 
F

Flatout

Guest
Oz.

Real Rocker,
I noticed your remarks about a big end problem and your naming the engine rebuilder. Big end failure has many possible causes, sometimes the owner! At about that time, early seventies, I also had a twin engine totally rebuilt by the mentioned Furnes & Searle who worked in the old Stevenage Vincent works (Alf & Jack? I seem to remember). In case they are no longer around to comment, the job they did was excellent and after many thousands of miles touring Eastern Europe and a number of long tours to Southern Europe and Nth.Africa the engine required nothing more than routine maintainance. Two years ago when a complete bike rebuild was undertaken, (nothing replaced in all that time) the engine was found to be not unduly worn and serviceable, but rebuilt anyway due to needing repainting.
This customer was happy with their work as no doubt were many others.
Col.

Hi Col,
Are you over by Brisbane? I'm down in Perth just now currently contracting as a plumber. This place is booming and no shortage of work so I hope to stay down for another 3 months to get some money behind me then head home. My Comet is currently being rebuilt and should be finished for me coming home. Brisbane is a bit far away but if I happen to be heading over that area I'll drop you a line.
What a great lifestyle down here.
 
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