Greg Brillus Racer

[Magnetoman]

Hi there MAGNETOMAN, and welcome back by the way.....

Thanks very much. It's a much quieter place than it was a few days ago (not completely quiet, mind you, but much improved).

To answer your question, I am using Dupont 2pac enamel,

Greg. Thanks very much for this information. I'm collecting advice on paints for use on mine, of course, and my two major concerns are that it retain its look for as long as possible, and have good adhesion so it doesn't flake off under repeated heating/cooling cycles.

Related to this, twenty or so years ago Dupont Imron (also 2 pac) was recommended by various Vincent rebuilders so it would be nice to hear of peoples' long term experience with it. Not that just because it is the same brand such observations necessarily would apply to the formulation you used, but it would be helpful to have general information on the factors of durability and adhesion of epoxies like this when used on an engine.

 

[davidd]

Damper with some more bracketry:

Photo 18

Photo 19

Photo 20

Photo 21

David

 

[clevtrev]

Will the tommy bar be on that side? Maybe needed with the brake configuration? Also, where will the cable anchor be?

It better not be, there`s nothing on the LH blade to stop the nut from turning.

 

[davidd]

It better not be, there`s nothing on the LH blade to stop the nut from turning.

Trevor is quite right. The stock axles are for mock-up. the axle on my racer had been re-threaded for an American nut. I liked the original Vincent set-up so much I welded a flat onto the smaller axle nut just so I could use the stop on the fork blade. It is much quicker and tidier than a cotter pin or wiring. The new guys in tech often ask why the front and rear axle nuts are not wired. The old guys don't ask.

Photo 22

David

 

[greg brillus]

Thanks every one and especially Davidd for your interest and help. I am going away with my boys over the Easter weekend, and back on Sunday arvo. So I'll catch up again then......Cheers for now...........Greg.

 

[davidd]

Head lug prep:
Photo 22

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Photo 24

David

 

[greg brillus]

Thanks David, For the photos. These are the alloy cylinder head brackets made by Bob Larmor in Canada ( hope I've got the spelling right) Anyway we decided to lighten them down a bit more, and now two of these weigh in at the same as one original steel item...(About 890 grams ) .Although they seem to vary a bit from one to another. Still working on the cutaways on the fuel tank. Hope to have it finished this Saturday, although I might put in another fuel tap on the left side, due to the small cutaway for the front carby. The right side of the tank has not needed anything changed at this stage. The open mounts at the front works really well, and will make quick removal of the tank a breeze. I had to cut a reasonable size piece out of the inner front corner to make room for the steering damper, as I did not want it sticking out in the normal spot, diagonally past the front head. I haven't lost much in capacity, and I think I will need a bit running on Methanol. Made up some brackets to mount the remote Amal 302 float bowl, and I think I will secure it using a "P" clamp next to a vertical stay......I'm damned if I know what I've done with the rear inlet manifold, Can't find it anywhere.....!!! I'll keep looking I guess. The carbs are original clip fitting type 32 mm 10 TT 9 which I have stripped, and vapor blasted, then rebuilt with all new parts used as per the original specs. I have main jets from 1400 through to 1700 so I hope that these will do. I have also fitted up the front forks and front wheel, just as a check to see how it all looks. The cylinder heads are nearly finished as well, so it wont be long before the engine is complete. I will send some more photos very soon. Cheers.......Greg.

 

[vibrac]

You may need to lag the UFM if you are running with Methanol that vincent engine is a cool runner I used aluminium lagging the trolley boys use on the underside of the "bonnet" (US hood?)
Great day when I dumped Methanol back to petrol terrible stuff for paintwork ,people and engines and only marginal improvements in road racing terms

 

[BigEd]

...... Great day when I dumped Methanol back to petrol terrible stuff for paintwork ,people and engines and only marginal improvements in road racing terms.

Similar thoughts to Tim. We ran my old Sunbeam racer on meths for a season or two but performance wise it didn't make a huge difference and it was a pain in the bum to source the meths. Are you planning to use meths because you are running a very high compression?

 

[greg brillus]

Thanks for the tips Tim and Ed, only when I was looking for pistons, the only descent comp ratio I could find was 12.5:1 CP's, which I think is too high to run on petrol based fuels. The undersides of the crowns were not thick enough to machine down, and I don't really want to go down the path of decomp plates under the barrels, due to pushrod length and so on.....not forgetting we have a fairly warm climate in Australia. No one that I tried had pistons around 10:1 which is what I needed, and I can always convert back if I need to. As far as the fuel is concerned, my boss whom I work for, runs a top alcohol funny car at the drags, and said that for his contribution towards my racing, he would supply me with fuel......he buys it in 205 liter drums. But at any rate, methanol seems to be a common choice for the classic bike racers that I have seen in this country. I think to get the full benefit from methanol you need to run at least 14:1 and a lot more ignition timing to compensate for the slow burn rate....I guess some things are a compromise.....How deep are your pockets. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, especially on technology this old, but experimenting around without really spending a million dollars.....At the end of the day, I think I will have quite a quick machine, most probably more than a novice racer like myself can handle, but at least I'm going to have an absolute blast and a lot of fun. Cheers......Greg.