Baked on oil removal.

I'm not sure you have pressure washers in the UK, but, if you do, I'd recommend using one. I have an electric one that produces about 1500 psi at the nozzle. It can suck detergent into the water through a suction tube - no idea what the proportions are since I've never use the feature. I use the washer for cleaning the concrete patio, walkways and driveway at our house. Before I got mine, I used a neighbour's 3000 psi machine and it took about 1/8" off the top of the concrete!

Mine comes with a pressure-adjustable wand for more delicate surfaces.
 
be careful though some of these oven cleaners contain sodium hydroxide which can etch aluminum

peter james owen said:
Good old oven cleaner,ask your mother,she will point you in the right direction.
It cleaned up crank cases,that were covered in castrol R.
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frankdamp said:
I'm not sure you have pressure washers in the UK, but, if you do, I'd recommend using one. I have an electric one that produces about 1500 psi at the nozzle. It can suck detergent into the water through a suction tube -
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Yes I have a Gerni with a generous amount of thrust with the detergent wand.
It worked quite well after I had soaked the Mk2a's head in solvent for a week or so,I had great expectations regarding the Sunbeam but it turned out to be a fizzer.
I ended up going over the whole bike including every spoke and nipple by hand (rags,silicone and lanolin spray) along with a good half roll of cooking foil and water on the chrome and fine brass bristle brushes some being cut up to make thin combs.
It still shows its age but more in keeping with being looked after which it will be.
I am already wondering how far afield it will take me. :D

Baked on oil removal.
 
The water blaster (Gerni Classic) worked great on that concrete retaining wall,it has a lot of patina on it,most of it green.
It has a good width to the spray pattern so not like painting with a toothbrush as some can be.
 
.
"d (rags,silicone and lanolin spray) along with a good half roll of cooking foil and water on the chrome and fine brass bristle brushes some being cut up to make thin combs."

Thats new to me.. cooking foil and water on the chrome :?: :?: :?: :?: Can you explain, i dont understand how it would work..
 
How old who knows, ancient motorcycle saddle bags just in, should go well on epic Sunbeam excursions.

Baked on oil removal.


Baked on oil removal.
 
Another primary set done.
The outer got wet sanded up to 1200 grit with soapy water in a spray bottom then fine steel wool and the same liquid.
The inner side got steel wool with WD40, cleaned then the same again with soapy water.
No polish of any sort, they won't need much to look factory anyway.
Same old story, only as good as the prep (foundation) work.

Baked on oil removal.


Baked on oil removal.
 
Another bump for the component cleaning via old school methods and Sunbeam thread.

Package from the UK arrived which included a sump spacer and new windage oil screen tray.
They say the Sunbeam S7 is like a car with two wheels, truth be known I do feel like I have gone back to 1977 and my first Morris Minor.
Dare I say it, its a fantastic motorcycle to work on, forward thinking was Mr Poppe.
Back to the work bench to install the new rear universal then onto the flexible drive coupling.

Baked on oil removal.
 
The milder oven cleaner that you can use without rubber gloves should work. It takes a little longer and may require multiple applications, but should be easy on the alloy.
 
Time Warp said:
Another bump for the component cleaning via old school methods and Sunbeam thread. Dare I say it, its a fantastic motorcycle to work on, forward thinking was Mr Poppe.
Back to the work bench to install the new rear universal then onto the flexible drive coupling.QUOTE



Wasn’t that drive coupling a steering wheel shaft (or taken from somewhere else on a tin box)?

I remember reading that they had to detune the Sunbeam motor to stop this component breaking ?
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I have used 'Yuk Off Graffiti Remover', contains glycol ethers which can send you sterile. The plastic tail light was affected by the vapour and fell to bits, but it took the crap off a treat.
 
If you took the baked-on stuff off a Sunbeam, you might not find a bike under it.
 
Bernhard said:
Wasn’t that drive coupling a steering wheel shaft (or taken from somewhere else on a tin box)?

I remember reading that they had to detune the Sunbeam motor to stop this component breaking ?
Click to expand...

The coupling off the rear of the gearbox is similar but has reinforced flexible inserts (ie around $300 to rebuild) in a steel flange.
There is a conventional universal at the final drive end, the flexible coupling although hard to get running true by design is quite hardy, it would appear some of the final drive ( bronze worm wheel (and worm screw) stories were due to the wrong oil being specified in the day and reaction with the bronze causing erosion.

Baked on oil removal.



I never did find a magic soak and remove solution so went to soda blasting and picked up another (1954) S7 Deluxe along the way.

Baked on oil removal.


Baked on oil removal.
 
Went on a run , where the Chief loaned me his T'bird. Bit taken aback it was the triple, not the ridgid.
A Velo & a S7 were along , country burn up , lotta dead roos .
The above didnt discrace themselfs art all , usually rode in whist the others were still dismounting .
Pre War Harley along too , a 1000 ? . This was more ungainly . Mudgee / Gulgong / Ulan . A while back .

A deranged p*m uncle amougst listening to Barracudas go into the mudflats testing dive recovery , and other projects ,
said he was asigned the S7 to S8 update , being almost a engineer .

Other than the bronze bevel drive , I doubt theres an issue with them . Do they do Electronic Ignitions to suit .?

Was a green S7 in regular / daily use summer , Titarangi Hills back in 1980 . Bounced & bucked on the grotty bits of the twisty roads .
Was in nice order & not thrashed . Ideal scratchers teritory back then . Probly full of tin can grocery getters now .
 
As the uncle was the most heath robinson fencing wire - rod welder with the most heath robiinson Ex bicycle wood turning , funiture leg making self made machinary
which outpreformed megabuck nazi machines , if no one ham fisted approached it ,
It would Definately be the S8 , not the S7 that was Hheath Robinson . .

Ive always wondered why Jap stuff looks odd . I think youve hit it spot on . What the hecks a CX 500/550 supposed to be ,

In Comarison the Sunbeam is shear elegance .

http://www.sunbeams.20m.com/archive.html
There were a few chopped / rodded ones , in M C Mechanics , back in the day . Good candidate for custom & improvements .
Youd think someone would come up with a bulletproof final drive , so the engine no longer needs to remain de tuned .
 
Don’t knock the CX500 (did they make a 550? I’ve never seen one! ) or as it was referred to as the plastic maggot until you have rode one –they were after all, a 1980s bike and many, many London dispatch riders swore by their reliability as I eventually did (CX500/B), I brought one at 50K miles and sold it at 150K miles and didn’t once take off the cylinder head – only down side was I had to replace the alternator twice one for charging problem another for ignition problem. I was even offered to buy my bike by a fellow biker when stopped at some red traffic lights! That has NEVER happened to me before after 35 years of biking!
 
Matt Spencer said:
Other than the bronze bevel drive , I doubt there's an issue with them . Do they do Electronic Ignitions to suit .?
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The main thing is to use a good oil in the final drive and there are synthetics these days so wear is reduced to minimal.
Yes there are electronic kits for the distributors, perhaps a Joe Hunt magneto would be better along with a 270 degree crankshaft, AMR300 supercharger with SU carburetor and the OHC converted to a roller cam, belt driven along with dry sump.
One of the Ural ring and pinion final drive heads can be adapted apparently.

The cylinder head is car like with the valves all in line along the head with a car type combustion chamber which means the cylinder liners in the alloy block have reliefs to clear the valves (reliefs hand ground it seems)
All in all a great drive line going back to 1946 and the only fat tyre Brit bike.
It probably makes more HP (25) than a plastic maggot.
 
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