Hi All,
OK, It’s time to open up the story again with the final components of the restoration in two or three parts to accommodate the photographs (limited to 10 to a reply).
The final steps to completion!! Part 1
Can I just take a moment to remind all that this started as a top end overhaul and check due to some smoking from the exhaust during running with many warnings issued from VOC members that I was potentially going to be opening my wallet in a breeze. I have to take it on the chin that this is exactly what has happened.
What have I got to show for it:
I will soon learn if the bike is still generating smoke after this summer’s running in. And I am pretty sure that it will still leak oil, though not badly (it didn’t before, just a dribble now and again).
I have, frankly, thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, especially the last 5 days when I locked myself inside the garage refitting the refurbished carburettor. Martin Bratby did a fabulous job re-working the main bore, fitting a brand new brass slide and replacing all other worn internals, and a few externals, springs, screws etc. All replaced parts were also returned as part of the job. No more rattly carburettor internals!
Everything was finished off with a label on the float bowl. Very professional….
Whilst Martin did a bit of refinishing on the external carburettor, I decided to repaint the body for “completeness and so the enamel heat resistant aluminium paint was brought back into service along with the domestic oven to help cure it (after all it was still February and pretty chilly)!
Thanks, Martin.
Moving onto the wheels, hubs and brakes…….
Now, I have to admit that I didn’t know the hubs and flanges originally should not have been black as that was how they came off the bike. I had them powder coated and then regretted that after this was pointed out to me a by my friend, Rob!
Also, shame on me for not using the excellent Vincent reference books to check this. So while I had these powder coated black, I then had them stripped again by bead blasting!
Then my attention moved to begin the process of fitting the bead blasted hubs (casting marks and “Made in England” all still visible) and flanges (now powder coated silver) ready for the wheel building process where the SS spokes and correctly painted rims fitted together beautifully (according to the wheel builder). I set the hubs and aligned the flanges with a couple of bolts, added the bearings and sent them off to the wheel builder who had received the SS spokes and rims directly from the Devon Rim Co (excellent to deal with). Five days later, I got a call and the wheels were packed into the car and ready to bring home. After removing some trace grease from each nipple, I was able to admire the wheels. What a super job, and great to see them back together. The process of rebuilding after all the hard work is very motivating!
Putting tubes and tyres back on the new rims was very easy for the front but the rear tyre had me beaten (the first side went on OK but the second was really tough and my fingers couldn’t take any more, so it was put on by a professional. I should add that one of my 3 tyre levers mysteriously disappeared only to turn up when I finished putting the bike back together!
The newly wet-painted drums were fitted to the hubs with some gentle persuasion and then I fitted the steel eccentric bolts and stainless steel nuts/washers (after refinishing them on fine wet grit to get that shine back again).
I removed the aluminium water excluders before sending the brake plates off to the painters, so had the job of refitting new water excluders, though I opted for stainless steel alternatives, after they were returned. Not original, but I liked them for their shine and ease of future care. The originals, which I am sure could be gently reshaped and polished back to their new condition are all packed away for any future owner to do that job. I just didn’t have the time or dollies to do that. I refitted all the brake parts (drums and brake shoes were all matched up again as the chamfered shoes were matched to the skimmed drums (each set was marked up differently to identify them for correct fitting back onto the wheels). I am now feeling confident that I will have an excellent functioning front brake. The rear was actually pretty good, I am pleased to say.
At this stage, I am so pleased I did not have this stuff powder coated (apart from the flanges which were professionally machined back on the mating inner edge of the flange to fit back onto the hub) as everything is such a tight fit anyway and with the added thickness of powder coat, I would have been filing ALL internal surfaces back to bare metal and even though any threaded holes could have been fitted with bungs, there would bound to have been one or two missed with so many parts to repaint!
I refitted new springs (as I lost one – though I believe in my heart of hearts that only one was fitted on one side when I dismantled them and boxed everything up) and new grease nipples on the brakes, swingarm and also on the front girdraulic forks. Again nuts were cleaned up on fine wet and dry.
I stripped and rebuilt the rear spring boxes with freshly painted parts and they went on fine (before the wheels were fitted). I left the damper alone as it seemed to do what it should and was in fine condition.
The remainder will follow in the next reply due to the limitation of images per reply.
BR, K.
The final steps to completion!! Part 2 to follow....
OK, It’s time to open up the story again with the final components of the restoration in two or three parts to accommodate the photographs (limited to 10 to a reply).
The final steps to completion!! Part 1
Can I just take a moment to remind all that this started as a top end overhaul and check due to some smoking from the exhaust during running with many warnings issued from VOC members that I was potentially going to be opening my wallet in a breeze. I have to take it on the chin that this is exactly what has happened.
What have I got to show for it:
- I have a cracking Vincent Comet to show for my efforts. It was a nice bike before, but now it’s a beauty with a very nice (albeit restored look to it). Anything removed from the bike has been wrapped up and kept in a box (except old gaskets), in case any future owner has a masterclass in parts restoration
- Increased knowledge about the mechanical workings of my Vincent Comet and a better general knowledge about Vincents
- A better knowledge and experience of a range of other specialist suppliers for chroming, painting, carburettor refurbishment, wheel builders/suppliers etc
- That this is a fantastic forum for immediate, helpful, and thankfully, humorous responses ( I am a member of the DOC GB club as well on account of my latest two wheeled acquisition J and the forum is less responsive though the moderators have been helpful in the background)
- Some fun dialogues and experience of a super Vincent Spares team who delivered parts that arrived in their multitude on occasions as I exercised my credit card at the online Spares shop
- Peace of mind as I now know the condition of the inside as well as the outside of the main parts of my bike. For me this has given me huge confidence with the bike. I cannot underestimate this
- My annual bonus this year has gone up in smoke! Such is life……..
I will soon learn if the bike is still generating smoke after this summer’s running in. And I am pretty sure that it will still leak oil, though not badly (it didn’t before, just a dribble now and again).
I have, frankly, thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, especially the last 5 days when I locked myself inside the garage refitting the refurbished carburettor. Martin Bratby did a fabulous job re-working the main bore, fitting a brand new brass slide and replacing all other worn internals, and a few externals, springs, screws etc. All replaced parts were also returned as part of the job. No more rattly carburettor internals!
Everything was finished off with a label on the float bowl. Very professional….
Whilst Martin did a bit of refinishing on the external carburettor, I decided to repaint the body for “completeness and so the enamel heat resistant aluminium paint was brought back into service along with the domestic oven to help cure it (after all it was still February and pretty chilly)!
Thanks, Martin.
Moving onto the wheels, hubs and brakes…….
Now, I have to admit that I didn’t know the hubs and flanges originally should not have been black as that was how they came off the bike. I had them powder coated and then regretted that after this was pointed out to me a by my friend, Rob!
Also, shame on me for not using the excellent Vincent reference books to check this. So while I had these powder coated black, I then had them stripped again by bead blasting!
Then my attention moved to begin the process of fitting the bead blasted hubs (casting marks and “Made in England” all still visible) and flanges (now powder coated silver) ready for the wheel building process where the SS spokes and correctly painted rims fitted together beautifully (according to the wheel builder). I set the hubs and aligned the flanges with a couple of bolts, added the bearings and sent them off to the wheel builder who had received the SS spokes and rims directly from the Devon Rim Co (excellent to deal with). Five days later, I got a call and the wheels were packed into the car and ready to bring home. After removing some trace grease from each nipple, I was able to admire the wheels. What a super job, and great to see them back together. The process of rebuilding after all the hard work is very motivating!
Putting tubes and tyres back on the new rims was very easy for the front but the rear tyre had me beaten (the first side went on OK but the second was really tough and my fingers couldn’t take any more, so it was put on by a professional. I should add that one of my 3 tyre levers mysteriously disappeared only to turn up when I finished putting the bike back together!
The newly wet-painted drums were fitted to the hubs with some gentle persuasion and then I fitted the steel eccentric bolts and stainless steel nuts/washers (after refinishing them on fine wet grit to get that shine back again).
I removed the aluminium water excluders before sending the brake plates off to the painters, so had the job of refitting new water excluders, though I opted for stainless steel alternatives, after they were returned. Not original, but I liked them for their shine and ease of future care. The originals, which I am sure could be gently reshaped and polished back to their new condition are all packed away for any future owner to do that job. I just didn’t have the time or dollies to do that. I refitted all the brake parts (drums and brake shoes were all matched up again as the chamfered shoes were matched to the skimmed drums (each set was marked up differently to identify them for correct fitting back onto the wheels). I am now feeling confident that I will have an excellent functioning front brake. The rear was actually pretty good, I am pleased to say.
At this stage, I am so pleased I did not have this stuff powder coated (apart from the flanges which were professionally machined back on the mating inner edge of the flange to fit back onto the hub) as everything is such a tight fit anyway and with the added thickness of powder coat, I would have been filing ALL internal surfaces back to bare metal and even though any threaded holes could have been fitted with bungs, there would bound to have been one or two missed with so many parts to repaint!
I refitted new springs (as I lost one – though I believe in my heart of hearts that only one was fitted on one side when I dismantled them and boxed everything up) and new grease nipples on the brakes, swingarm and also on the front girdraulic forks. Again nuts were cleaned up on fine wet and dry.
I stripped and rebuilt the rear spring boxes with freshly painted parts and they went on fine (before the wheels were fitted). I left the damper alone as it seemed to do what it should and was in fine condition.
The remainder will follow in the next reply due to the limitation of images per reply.
BR, K.
The final steps to completion!! Part 2 to follow....