Damaged Lifter Bores

What does everyone think about these? Obviously not ideal, but usable?



Looks like the more chipped of the two spigots is also bent in a bit by the look of the shadow on the top pic, and perhaps cracked, looking at the bottom pic.

The piston bores are ready for a +.020", which for an 88 these days, is practically brand new. And yes, I could look at it as an opportunity for Jim's BSA lifter kit, but that's bordering on a delusional bright-side outlook, of which I'm trying to acquire...

t ingermanson said:

What does everyone think about these? Obviously not ideal, but usable?

View attachment 112899View attachment 112900View attachment 112901

Looks like the more chipped of the two spigots is also bent in a bit by the look of the shadow on the top pic, and perhaps cracked, looking at the bottom pic.

The piston bores are ready for a +.020", which for an 88 these days, is practically brand new. And yes, I could look at it as an opportunity for Jim's BSA lifter kit, but that's bordering on a delusional bright-side outlook, of which I'm trying to acquire...

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The chipped edges don't bother me much - I would smooth them. The first picture seems to show significant rust pitting. Do the tappets slide smoothly and without noticeable play? If so, then my only worry would be cracks - check or have them checked for invisible cracks. If all that checks out, then make the chips smooth and go for it.

That crack is worrisome, if it is a crack, rather than just a scratch.
For one thing, that chunk of cast iron could fall into the bottom and cause some trouble.

Glen

worntorn said:

That crack is worrisome, if it is a crack, rather than just a scratch.
For one thing, that chunk of cast iron could fall into the bottom and cause some trouble.

Glen

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Yea. That's what bothers me most. I'm hesitant to push it back for that reason, but just trying to buff it out and hope for the best is obviously a bad idea. I might sand the outside to get a clean surface, try to push it back, drill it to stop propagation, sweat some silver in there, and then sand/buff it out. Maybe skip the pushing it back part...

marshg246 said:

The first picture seems to show significant rust pitting.

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I think they've been off a bike for a bit, so could as easily be dust from storage, but to me it looks just as much like some cheddar from too-slow boring, or dull bits.

I don't have the part in hand. Just trying to asses what I'm signing up for in purchasing them. With the lack of available barrels (and funds), choices are limited.

Maybe I'll just wait for @robs ss to show me the way with finger lifters!

t ingermanson said:

What does everyone think about these? Obviously not ideal, but usable?

View attachment 112899View attachment 112900View attachment 112901

Looks like the more chipped of the two spigots is also bent in a bit by the look of the shadow on the top pic, and perhaps cracked, looking at the bottom pic.

The piston bores are ready for a +.020", which for an 88 these days, is practically brand new. And yes, I could look at it as an opportunity for Jim's BSA lifter kit, but that's bordering on a delusional bright-side outlook, of which I'm trying to acquire...

Click to expand...

If the 88 barrels are that rare then the BSA lifter kit looks an attractive solution to me
You won't have the worry of it letting go if you use it as is with a clean up

Polish out the burrs, check fit, polish any highs, good to go.

baz said:

If the 88 barrels are that rare then the BSA lifter kit looks an attractive solution to me
You won't have the worry of it letting go if you use it as is with a clean up

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I agree, but if they are bent or cracked, almost the same problem exists. So, to me, if the tappets fit and slide properly and there is no actual crack, either option is OK, with the big money option being a little better given the chipping.

marshg246 said:

the big money option being a little better given the chipping.

Click to expand...

baz said:

If the 88 barrels are that rare then the BSA lifter kit looks an attractive solution to me
You won't have the worry of it letting go if you use it as is with a clean up

Click to expand...

concours said:

Polish out the burrs, check fit, polish any highs, good to go.

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Plan A (no cracks) is @concours' plan.

Plan B (cracks) is to repair the crack with a bit of brazing.

Plan C (can't repair the crack damage/bores are too rough or hosed) give Jim his hard earned money for the lifter/cam/pushrod kit, and maybe while I'm at it go for the piston/rod kit. At that point though, I really wonder if I should spend that money on a 650SS motor (which I already have), and get more bang for the buck (literally, in this case). Seems perhaps a better return on an investment.

We'll wait for the mailman to see what's what.

Norvil has these, supposedly ready to install: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2250627586...abr6cJYwVIqd3WNO7VFdEQwg==|tkp:Bk9SR-by94XAYw

marshg246 said:

Norvil has these, supposedly ready to install:

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Hadn't seen those! That looks like a good Plan C. More expensive than a rebore on these, but less than the current Plan C.

I've never dealt with Norvil, based on the stories, but beggars can't be choosers.

t ingermanson said:

Hadn't seen those! That looks like a good Plan C. More expensive than a rebore on these, but less than the current Plan C.

I've never dealt with Norvil, based on the stories, but beggars can't be choosers.

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Make a low offer to start and see what they do. Since they are accepting offers, they don't plan on getting full price.

t ingermanson said:

Plan A (no cracks) is @concours' plan.

Plan B (cracks) is to repair the crack with a bit of brazing.

Plan C (can't repair the crack damage/bores are too rough or hosed) give Jim his hard earned money for the lifter/cam/pushrod kit, and maybe while I'm at it go for the piston/rod kit. At that point though, I really wonder if I should spend that money on a 650SS motor (which I already have), and get more bang for the buck (literally, in this case). Seems perhaps a better return on an investment.

We'll wait for the mailman to see what's what.

Click to expand...

As sergeant Shultz would say: I know nothing! As least about pre-Commando Nortons. Does a 650SS top end fit on a 88 bottom end? If so, and you don't plan to build the 650SS, that might be an option.

marshg246 said:

As sergeant Shultz would say: I know nothing! As least about pre-Commando Nortons. Does a 650SS top end fit on a 88 bottom end? If so, and you don't plan to build the 650SS, that might be an option.

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Yes. The 650SS head and cam were fitted to the 88SS, but the extra power overwhelmed the 1.5" main journal 88 crank, so there's an 88SS specific crank, one of which I have. I've been collecting 88SS parts for years to piece a motor together, and the barrels and crank are the hard parts to get, or very expensive in the aftermarket. Everything else (rods/pistons, etc) is served pretty well through the aftermarket.

The 88, 99, and 650 motors are a bit of a grab bag that have some specific parts (mostly parts associated with stroke, or generator/alternator), but a lot of it is pretty modular, with a lot of potential overlap between models.

With the 88 barrels, I can build both a 88SS and 650SS motor. There doesn't need to be any cannibalizing but I would really prefer an 88SS, due to the scale of our roads. Everything locally is tight, steep, and narrow, with terrible pavement and sight distance, so the potential of a big, high-powered hot rod is lost. I've passed modern Ducatis in the twisties on my SR500, for chrissakes! The "small-bike-fast-rather-than-a-big-bike-slow" adage definitely applies here. I've had my share of accidents and helicopter rides (all due to negligent drivers), so I'm definitely playing defense around here with small motors and big brakes.

The goal with the spare motor is to build a chassis. I enjoy the fabrication aspect of all this motorbike madness the most, and a chassis to work with a 650SS sounds like the more fun challenge.

A follow up:

Barrels are in better shape than I dared hope. The crack in the lifter bore is indeed a crack. I may attempt to drill and silver braze the crack so it doesn't continue. The bores are both nominally 1.187, so well within tolerance, and no sign of rust damage. Must have been dust in the pics? There's a not perfect spot a little ways up one of them, but a clean set of lifters slide very nicely past that spot.

The barrels are at STD, but are +.007" oversize of some STD pistons I have (2.595"). Gotta try and find some +.010" pistons!

Thanks everyone for their input.

Thanks for following up and hope you’re able to save them. Please post more when you start the repair.

Update.



The bore at the right is the (formerly) cracked one. I had a really hard time getting the silver to show up in the pic, but it's there.

For the repair, I turned down a tapered plug to insert into the bore, since the cracked bit had been pushed in. I drilled the terminus of the crack, pushed in the plug, tapped it just a bit with a hammer to make sure it took the correct shape, brazed the crack and hole with 50n silver rod (wicks into cracks, but can create a small fillet or fill a hole better than 56% silver filler), then used a worn down 1-1/4" 120# flap sanding wheel to make sure the affected area was clear and smooth. Smoothed out the rough edges, and done.

Thanks, everyone. Not a big feat, but one more small thing checked off the list.

That looks great!