Another vintage project from Great Britain, target Speed Week 2011

[ol38y]

Patrick, for battery power the drag guys use a rechargable 18v drill battery. There's also the back-up batteries used in home alarm systems. They're small and can be had for about $20 here. Just charge them between runs... Lovin your project...

[thefrenchowl]

Thanks, guys, for pointing me in some directions I did not know of before... Will google these parts after work tonite to see what's involved, once the overtime is over... By the way, woke up early this morning and started drawing the belt guard on AutoCAD< Simple enough, will cut it to shape in alloy and bring to Brian later to do the 90 degree bends and a bit of alloy TIG welding, mine won't do that...

Frankly, I'm a bit drained at the moment, probably did too much this weekend, exhausted meself changing the rear tyre on me own plus other things...

Thanks again to OZ from GB for his import guide, I started the ball rolling yesterday, just hope there'll be no big hurdles to jump on the way to complete the paperwork trail!!!

Thank you all for your moral support and ideas,

All the very best from Patrick

[thefrenchowl]

Hi Guys,

Done a bit more, but limited meself to smaller things to recuperate a bit...

At work the other day, we were scrapping some old equipment. there were 2 vibrator motors on the powder hoppers... Thought they would come handy, so salvaged their covers...



The ears for the screws looked to me very much like the special washers you could buy in the early days for spreading the load on XLCH tin covers and prevent bellmouthing the screw holes but sadly now made of unobtainum...

So cut up 10 of them and a bit of filing, result!!!





While the rear wheel was out, cleaned both the Brembo master cylinder and the rear disc, pretty dirty after some 15 years of inaction...









Same for the sprocket I'm gonna use, 38 teeth... That's the smallest one out of my collection...







More in a second!!!

Cheers from Patrick

[thefrenchowl]

Hi Again!!!

Started the cable for the shut off valve, short and sweet...



Found more gear at work, 2"1/2 4 bar (64psi) water flat hose, dead thin, just what I need to join the plenum bits together... Will have to check how much to derate it to see if it'll cope with the Bonneville temperatures.





Picked up from Brian's shop (he's on holiday at the moment, I wish I was as well...) my heads, they milled off the horizontal fins:





And finally for today, a rear view of the entrails where the rear wheel lives...



It's Good Friday tomorrow, so no work, same on Monday!!! Then 3 days work and another week end with Friday and Monday off cause there's some royal wedding happening, GREAT, I should make some real progress on the engine reassembly!!!

See you all soon, Patrick

[bak189]

Have you thought about using a rear wheel that has a drum brake?.......we have found that there is always some drag with a disc-brake..............We picked up 2mph on our little 125cc. LSR bike replacing the rear wheel with one that had a drum.......................

[peglegcraig]

Wow, Nice build! Keep up the great work and we'll see you going fast in late August. Please stop by our pit and say hello if we don't find you first. PLC  Love those Flat Heads!

[thefrenchowl]

bak189: Have you thought about using a rear wheel that has a drum brake?.......

Yes indeed, I do have a left hand side drum brake rear wheel that will fit in the altered frame:



... But it's made out of a 70s Sportster front wheel that runs on tapered roller bearings... Had a long thought about it and came to the conclusion I'd rather run the disc wheel that runs on ball bearings, it spins a lot easier than the other one... But I'll bear in mind your suggestion and see if I can increase the pads release... It's a racing Lookeed twin piston caliper, both pads will move away.

peglegcraig: we'll see you in late August

Looking forward to it!!!

Time now to head up in the garage.... Wish me luck!

All the best from Patrick

[bak189]

If you do use the disc brake.....prior to your run take a screwdriver and push the pads back/away from the disk.......However, be reminded that it will require you to push the brake pedal at least twice in order to actuate the brake................great bike....best of luck.............................................................

[thefrenchowl]

Hi, bak189

I centered the rear wheel as best I could this morning and checked my caliper. If I press it all one way, loose bolts, there's 60 thou clearance. Once tightened, it's about 20 thou on the outside pad and 40 on the inside pad... Might just trim ever so slightly the bolt spacers to even the play out...

This afternoon, I made the belt guard... Have a beautiful piece of alloy but it's 3mm thick, no way I could bend or trim that with the hand tools I've got...

Had as usual a look round and found some old galvanized steel stock that trimmed my garage flat roof outside before I put a proper roof on it... I tell you, never throw anything away, you never know!!!

Wasn't quite flat, t'was bent to suit the side of the roof... Still, just about 1/4 wider than what I needed for the guard... Straightened it out, marked it, bent it on a square tube... Done it all, went to fire up the Oxy set to braze the flat bit around the circle... ran out of acetylene!!! So t'will have to wait for the finishing touch...

 

 

 

 

Have a good week end, Patrick

[Geo]

Great build!

Be careful around galvanized - zinc fumes.

http://www.anvilfire.com/iForge/tutor/safety3/index.htm

Geo

[bak189]

Looks great..................have fun at the wedding next week.........................................................

[38flattie]

Looks good Patrick!

[saltwheels262]

tfo,

make sure the thickness of belt guard
will get thru tech.

hope to see you on the salt.

in racing,
franey

[wobblywalrus]

This trick works with brake calipers that have a puck pressing on one pad only and the other pad is mounted to the caliper.  The caliper moves and it is not rigidly mounted to the swing arm.  Simply press the caliper against the disk with your foot or knee before they flag you to the line.  This pushes the puck back and the pads do not rub on the disk.  As mentioned previously, it might take a pedal stroke or two to get the brake to work.

[Koncretekid]

That 2-1/4" flat vinyl? water hose is, of course, designed for pumping water.  Make sure it is compatible with gasoline.
Tom