Misc: Everything Else Stainless bits

[Cyborg]

Anyone know what original components came in stainless on twins that were post 1950?

Were the original front spring box lower tubes FF16AS originally stainless or cad plated ms?

 

[Michael Vane-Hunt]

Some early kick starters and parts of the tommy bars. Inside part of the chain adjusters. Brake cable trunions and brake motion blocks and slotted motion blocks. Banjo bolts. Rear fender hinge tommy bar maybe. My front lower spring boxes were cadplated steel. Rear brake rods. Rear stand tommy bar. Part of the battery strap. The FT99 springs. FT31 maybe. I am sure there are more ss parts.

 

[greg brillus]

Its all in Eddy Steven's book from memory towards the back pages........far less stainless on a vin than most people think........Would be nice to be able to buy all the small bits in genuine cad plated steel........ Not enough numbers to make up these parts........as most restored bikes done in stainless.

 

[Gordon Ryley]

Its all in Eddy Steven's book from memory towards the back pages........far less stainless on a vin than most people think........Would be nice to be able to buy all the small bits in genuine cad plated steel........ Not enough numbers to make up these parts........as most restored bikes done in stainless.

 

[Cyborg]

Thanks for the replies.
Greg... always good to point out the obvious when I ask a question. The six pages that list the different fasteners get referred to on a relatively constant basis, but never thought to look for information on finish.

Interestingly it states that all series D engines had black covers, but cases, barrels, and heads were unpainted. First bike I think of is the Len Hardy Lightning with the black cases.
I was surprised to see the inner rear spring boxes listed as dull chromium except for the early black ones. Two sets that I have and believe to be original (one appears NOS) are cad plated. They look nothing like dull chrome. If the honourable member from the Saltspring Island section had cad plated front lowers, why would they have done the front in cad and rear in dull chrome. Probably more likely that both methods were used In both locations?

Cad plating is still available here, but the fear of them loosing stuff is a little overwhelming.

Also interesting that the book says spokes were zinc and nipples were cad. At least I can do spokes now.

 

[Gordon Ryley]

Hi Greg,The biggest user of Cad plated nuts & bolts was the A/C industry as you will know, if they were exposed to the elements they would corrode so they were painted over before being lanolined not so pretty no corrosion.if they were undone for servicing
they were replaced unless you were in the field,when bikes low value were left in the
elements 24/7 home & work the the same problems happened the Cad had become
less effective rust appears and all that goes with it worn spanners ?,this before the
restoration era when Vins were £20 owners also painted new Cad plated bolts black.
One excuse for scuffed stainless, If you worked in industry new nuts & bolts were rounded and Cromed for looks mainly & restored interferance much the same as
al alloy being replaced by S/S where exposed.Most modern Vins draped in S/S don.t
go out in adverse weather.what is the answer Greg.

 

[greg brillus]

I like to use cad hardware where possible........I had boxes of steel BSF bolts and nuts that I had done a while ago.......The bolts are now hard to get as the manufacturer has stopped making it. The cad hardware does last ok if you are careful with the spanners/sockets on assembly.......but yes it does damage quite easily and living next to the ocean will deteriorate it with time. I always think of all the replacement stainless hardware as a form of "Cheating" but it does a good enough job.......I like originality especially where the bike itself has not been got at too much........But I understand that sometimes practicality comes first.

 

[Cyborg]

I have started making some fasteners out of mild steel and then will either get them cad plated or zinc plate them myself. Been playing with stainless a bit to see about making it look more like cad... speaking of cheating. I haven’t tried bead blasting it yet, but dragged the carcass of a small blasting cabinet into the shop, so will see what happens. First photo shows a stainless bolt on top, then a stainless washer and then a NOS cad plated washer and a NOS cad plated nut. The nut has been sitting for half a century, so would likely clean up to look similar. The bottom part was replated in cad (I think) around the late 80’s. The second photo is a previous try... stainless washer on top of a cad washer next to some interesting parts. Took me a while to figure out the one with the groove.

 

[Glenliman]

Phil Irving mentioned in MPH that both he and Phillip Vincent wanted to use a lot more stainless on the bikes, but the high cost of stainless dictated that they opt for cheap cad plating instead.
With that in mind I happily order the Spares Co. items with SS added to the part number.
All in an effort to get the bikes up to the standard desired by the two Phils.


Glen

 

[Cyborg]

Matter of choice I suppose. When I did the B, it had pretty much everything done in stainless. The bike I’m working on now is a slightly different ball game and I would like to have cad plating so it looks original and so it matches some of the rare NOS cad bits.

 

[Glenliman]

The cad looks decent when new, but over time, the black polka dots of corrosion get me down.
If you find a way to distress SS so that it looks like corrosion free Cad, it should stay that way.

 

[oexing]

I did a lot of stainless items on this 1935 four valve 600 cc Horex - because it´s my bike and I like it that way. So lot of bling-bling in stainless like the foot brake lever and oil lines. But so is the carb elbow in stainless - but glass bead blasted, to mount the Brit Amal in a better position. What´d you say, does it look out of place , a lot like dull nickel ??? Would you have diagnosed it as stainless - honestly ??

Vic

 

[Glenliman]

Looks really good to me, however I'm a bling lover from way back.

Glen

 

[oexing]

Funny thing, did you notice,they had gear lever and brake lever at the same side for a while, so each time - not very often - when I do a ride it takes quite a while to find the right lever - bad when you are in a hurry. Anyway, there is a ridiculous mix of bikes in the garage quite different to handle: The 1935 Guzzi got British/Italian gear change but rear brake lever left side for heel action. Some bikes are modern standard, the 1928 BMW got right side hand change but rear shaft drive brake with right shoe heel. The 1955 Horex all Italian/British brake and gear change - can be very confusing when actually thinking about and not relying on instincts.

Vic

 

[Marcus Bowden]

Graham Jamison NZ built a (black shadow completely with a few original components even MADE IN NEWZEALD cast into the c/case) then a few years back restored an Arial square four OHC 600cc I think with forward facing carb, all fasteners in S/S but had a light dusting of fine glass blasting and looked like freshly cad plating as I use to have a mate in the EEM department who use to get cad plating done for me and it doesn't deteriorate.
I too like bling and love the smell of s/s. It does smell ask my son he will tell you.
Having now finished the "A" Comet that Bill built up for me and while the "A" Rap tank was being painted maroon I've removed my rocker pins that I'd made in s/s. After 24-k miles can't see any sign of wear what so ever. They say it work hardens. Anyway seeing as they were off I decided to mod them further, originals are 7/16 Whit spanner size and its awkward to get a spanner on so made it 3/8 Whit but the hexagon looked too big under the banjo so reduce them to 5/16 Whit size, much easier to get on a ring spanner. the idea of using the banjo's is to get the oil feed lines out of the way to fit the second plug.
bananaman.

NOS FROM 1966 COLLECTED FROM TONY FOX-MALE HAVE QUITE A FEW NEW "A" ITEMS LIKE THIS A LOT HAVE BEEN ZINC PLATED, ANY ONE DOING AN 'A" THEY CAN HAVE AT REASONABLE PRICES.