Rapide series C, valve lifter broken

Chris W

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
So after removing the timming chest and timming plate and gears , I found a roller at the bottom of the chest just behind the idle. Stripped it all down adjusted it and replaced everything back in order , surprisingly on inspection there was hardly any wear on the cams a d look very good.

Just one more question before I tighten the timming plate, all the shims are in order no groves etc and it sits level , do you have a torque setting for these nuts only one has a l8ck plate like in the book (Middle) , the rubber seals are also very supple and have not gone hard .

Thank guys you have been very helpful.
 

vibrac

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VOC Member
Welcome to the world of 1948 engineering! Torque was what happened in the pub, they were fitters not assemblers, the only torque figure I ever use is 32 ft lbs on the head nuts and I am sure there are variations on that figure. Certainly I have seen those 5/16: nuts on the spindles snap them but perhaps that was a fault of overhard spindles because there was a load of old tat for sale in the late sixties onwards before the club formed a spares company and bikes were cheap.
 

oexing

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VOC Member
A lot of torque on the spindles will not help much for the timing gear assembly, only good fits in all bores corresponding with spindles will be desirable. So just fit with new nyloc nuts - in case you like them, I don´t, prefer Loctite of the suitable grade, never have nylocs anywhere on bikes.
These rollers on valve lifters are a no-go definitely !! They are known to become loose for decades so why risk to fit them after all this time ?? Simple to have the levers welded up with hard material and blend this on the grinder, not a difficult job at all.
I did not like the design as found so learned from bad stories here and came up with this mod below.

Vic
P1070799.JPG
 

vibrac

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VOC Member
Be careful with omitting those lock tights on the spindles back in the day they fitted nuts with a rounded profile there (98 simmons stop nut) they form a connection on the spindles with the seals in the timing cover you may not get a good seal with hex heads (see MO13).
 

Chris W

Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Be careful with omitting those lock tights on the spindles back in the day they fitted nuts with a rounded profile there (98 simmons stop nut) they form a connection on the spindles with the seals in the timing cover you may not get a good seal with hex heads (see MO13).
Yeah they are Nylock nuts with a round profile to fit in the seals on the timming chest plate , do these have a part number?
 

oexing

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Vibrac, you are quite right, you have to keep the nylocs with standard spindles and seals unless you find other ways to seal this place. I made new spindles with o-ring recesses so no nylocs in my case.
Again, Chris, how did you deal with the loose rollers ? I would not want to go the risk with these.

Vic
 

vibrac

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
98SS on the Vincent spares web site is a stainless Nylock simmons themselves introduced nylon nuts in their range in the 70's
 
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