Hi all,
No more leg pulling
, I would like some good advice.
I am in the re-assembly stage. And all has gone really well until tonight!
The head and barrel was returned from Simon Linford and the liner was deglazed by re-introducing the x-hatching.
Probably not my best image but your can see the x-hatching and this time it goes all the way to the other end (which is the end I should have photographed (sigh). Too late for that. Pressing on.
I decided to spruce up the engine as well, so masked everything over on the barrel (head side)....
and at the base to protect the liner.
Then I masked off the vulnerable parts of the head.....
.
Ok after every nook and cranny was protected, it was painted and using the left over gentle heat from my wife's oven (after she baked a rather fabulous Victoria sponge) the engine enamel was cured. Couldn't have been easier. The hardest bit was explaining whay I had motorcycle parts in her oven. For the safety conscious amongst you, I switch the mains electricity off for the oven (avoiding any sparks from the thermo stat or fan for cooling and opened all doors to the outside from the kitchen and utility room to ensure we were not all as high as kites from the solvent. Oh yes, the kids were kept out too!
Ok, so with that done it was time to press on with the new piston rings and barrel assembly.
Well I bought a proper piston ring compression tool and it was way too big. Not only that, its design did not allow the compression sprung steel to unwrap from the piston to aid removal underneath the barrel and with conrod attached. It was designed for engine short block assembly to introduce the piston and conrod into the engine block with connection onto the main crank with shells, not for a barrel over piston assembly. Aargh.
Ok, so I resorted to a 70-90mm jubilee clip, purchased as a pair from B& Q for the princely sum of £2.57. Another hour wasted.
It actually worked beautifully, with the piston crown square (?) to the liner and it pushed over beautifully with gentle even force by hand. Oil was only added below the scraper ring.
And the ring gaps; the lowest oil control ring was offset from the thrust face, the middle ring 90 degrees round from that offset on the front of the piston with the top ring offset by 90 degrees again offset at the other side , still at the front of the piston. None of the rings overlapped onto the gudgeon pin at the sides . On the base of the barrel, I used a standard paper gasket and coated it both sides with a little Lithium grease. That held it nicely in place.
Viola! (please indulge me a little in making progress with the old girl!)
Ok next stage, the pushrod tube glands were replaced as well as all the paper gaskets above and below the flange, the head introduced to a tiny bead of rhodorsil around the outer part of the barrel well away from the liner. I actually regret this now, as I recall how nicely the head slipped off on dismantling. The next time I do it, it will need a bit of a pull and I will have to be careful where those darn strings of sealant go. No going back now!
The plate for the UFM is also fitted. Everything 30ft/lb on the head bolts and also on the top 4 bolts and tightened diagonally, to prevent distortion ( I hope).
Ok so a bit of tidying up. with the pushrods to be fitted.
The shiny new inspection caps were loosely fitted with new gaskets, as were all the oil lines onto copper gaskets (or original brass with rubber coating on the inside diameter (very neat) as found on the major connector past the oil pump brass screw (OP32) which incidentally, I cleaned up and added to the back threads a little Rhodorsil. It was leaking here before, so I hope that should be OK now.
Then on with the carb onto a new gasket (dry)....
I polished and refitted the aluminium shroud at the front of the engine.
Ah yes, Someone will think I did not bother to re-route the spark plug. Actually, it was too short and I forgot to order some cable so back on with the previous one for now and it is cable tied to the oil pipe which never seems to warm up very much, except maybe through conduction.
Ok, so the whole front end was reunited with the engine, rear of Comet, the cables refitted, the carburettor slides, needle and cap refitted, wiring loom rerouted but not yet affixed into the headlamp. The horn button was re-affixed to the handlebar and to be honest I was done in after that! In fact too tired to write this up last night and too far behind on family chores!
So its all coming together...
Still to do list:
- Electrics to fit in the headlamp and do a full wiring check
- Tank to fit
- Exhaust valve lifter and clutch cables to adjust
- Recheck all oil pathways (I also fitted an oil drainer to the underside of the main oil tank. Very neat design and lock wired.)
- Add 20wt running in oil (Millers) (I am not going to change the filter as it is only 11 months old and only 100 miles used.) I will of course change it after the running in oil has done its job and been drained later next year
- Recharge battery and fit
- Kick into life!
Ok , THE problem (at last)!
I took off the valve inspection covers and positioned the pushrods until they were centrally in the tube and felt seated at the base and then tightened down the top adjuster (ET27) at the top end of the rod until it would not move up and down but I could turn it. I checked and rechecked this. So I gently turned over the engine with the kick start and wow the pushrod went ping and popped out from under the top ET27 fitting! I pulled it out and looked at the bottom of the pushrod and it had marked. In fact when I removed them during dis-assembly, I noticed they had been marked before. I sanded them gently with 400 grit and took the marks out. The ball ends are not perfect but they do still look moderately round, not flattened. I thought they were serviceable. The ET 27 fittings themselves look fine. The pushrods are currently 5 7/8 long. I see there are longer ones at 6" from the spares company.
Would the longer push rods reduce the angle and stop the pushrod from popping out from under the adjuster or should I be checking something else.
This is where I need your help.
Thanks in advance!
Kenny.
