Vincent Tools
- Thread starter davidd
- Start date
Greg,
If you think that's impressive, you ought to see the number of special tools I've made for my BSAs. Actually, now that I think of it, you can see those special tools in the following post and the ones that follow:
http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=468027#Post468027
Keeping in mind I haven't used it, so it might well be useless, it viewed that bottom tool as something that must slip over the ESA to hold it from turning while a nut is tightened. A tool that does this for BSAs is shown in the above link, consisting of two clutch plates bolted together (one with inner splines and the other with outer) to lock the clutch while a gearbox nut is tightened. In any case, I got the design from some old issue of MPH and made mine out of a single piece of stainless instead of how it was described there.
However, the fact you don't know what it is makes me now think that when I get to the point I might need to use it I'll see that there's no need for it...
Bruce,
Here it is, with the photo taken from above to eliminate visual clutter:
The engine stand is a standard 3-wheel version. Removing the pin in the top allows it to spin 360 deg. with holes in the inner shaft to allow reinserting the pin every 30 or 60 deg. (I don't remember which). The spacers allow the UFM to be bolted parallel to the plate with enough standoff not to touch. My idea in making this is it would serve as the "rotisserie" car people use in frame-off restorations allowing me pretty much full and easy access to all parts of the machine as I assembled it. When it had served its purpose I would use my (modified) engine hoist to move it to an elevated work bench.
When I built my Grey Flash replica I made 2 C shaped stand legs that bolted to the bike hydraulic platform (with the C the other way) and the top of the C stands used two bottom studs holes of the crankcase with longer than normal studs to mount the crankcase assembly on. I built the entire engine and then the bike on that stand. going up and down as required. When completed I lowered the bike onto a plank strapped it up to my sky hooks removed the legs replaced the studs and wheeled it away
The half time pinion puller, needs three extra tapped holes in it for the Comet dynamo sprocket removal.
I realized I have two more items that might count as Vincent "special tools." I have an hydraulic lift that is very handy for maintaining my bikes that are already running, but I don't want to tie it up for months (years, decades, ...) on a restoration. Instead, I made wood rolling benches that also have the advantage of taking up a lot less space. It's easy to lift a bike onto one of these benches with my customized engine hoist (discussed below), and then to lift the restored bike off again the same way when it's done. I have stands for each of the three bikes I'm pretending to be actively restoring. The photograph shows one of these rolling stands (it's 25" high and 2x6 ft.) onto which I was lifting my Vincent at the time:
This photograph also shows my customized Harbor Freight 1 Ton engine hoist. I increased its height by 15" using 1/8" wall steel pipe (not water pipe) and its lifting capacity to a full 1 T with the boom fully extended. The 1" square tubing and aircraft cable at the base were temporary stabilizers to allow experimenting with different heights, however I was happy with 15" and subsequently welded brackets to it. I used this modified hoist with the boom fully extended to lift my ~1800-lb. milling machine on and off a trailer when I bought it, and again when I moved to my current house, without it showing any sign of distress so I don't have any concern using it with 400-lb. motorcycles.
As can be seen from this photo the height and configuration of this modified hoist make it easy to lift bikes on and off these stands. The reason I customized a 1 T hoist rather than just using a standard 2 T version is because my modifications give me one that is both taller and takes up quite a bit less floor space when in its folded configuration than the 2 T, while providing the same lifting capacity. Ideally the arm of such a hoist would be nearly horizontal when used so the load would be lifted straight up (and dropped straight down) for precise positioning and with the 15" increased height it comes close to that ideal.
This photograph also shows my customized Harbor Freight 1 Ton engine hoist. I increased its height by 15" using 1/8" wall steel pipe (not water pipe) and its lifting capacity to a full 1 T with the boom fully extended. The 1" square tubing and aircraft cable at the base were temporary stabilizers to allow experimenting with different heights, however I was happy with 15" and subsequently welded brackets to it. I used this modified hoist with the boom fully extended to lift my ~1800-lb. milling machine on and off a trailer when I bought it, and again when I moved to my current house, without it showing any sign of distress so I don't have any concern using it with 400-lb. motorcycles.
As can be seen from this photo the height and configuration of this modified hoist make it easy to lift bikes on and off these stands. The reason I customized a 1 T hoist rather than just using a standard 2 T version is because my modifications give me one that is both taller and takes up quite a bit less floor space when in its folded configuration than the 2 T, while providing the same lifting capacity. Ideally the arm of such a hoist would be nearly horizontal when used so the load would be lifted straight up (and dropped straight down) for precise positioning and with the 15" increased height it comes close to that ideal.
I wanted to do something like John's, But didn't have the Metal, So I got some old wood etc, And a Bucket, At one stage it started to look like a Toilet !!, Always handy !!. When you have a bad back you have to do these things. Well I thought it was Funny. Cheers Bill.
Here's 2 of my many Vincent tools - most of which I didn't mark and have forgotten what they're for!. I sometimes wonder if I don't have the bikes just to make and use tools on............ The most complicated gets used the least and the least complicated the most.
