Jim Lee Commando

Chris

Chris

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Hi
Well ive traced as much history as I can find. No other leads to follow other than chasing up promised photographs.
So ive begun going through the parts I have. Cleaning up the conical rear I found damage to the sprocket mounting holes. 2 stretched holes 2 cracked & 1 missing a piece. Add another item to the alloy welders work list.
Jim Lee Commando
Jim Lee Commando
 
Cleaned up the engine/frame mounting studs 9/16 BSF. Ordered a tap & die set from Tracy Tools to repair the battered threads. Hung the engine from the top frame mount & mounted the old engine plates which had been cut. Together with template of the rear of the engine. so that I can make a pattern. Poor photo sorry. Only noticed today that the timing covers been chromed🙄
20230127_133833.jpg
 
Well looks like I have been sold a pup🙄
Finally got out in the garage & decided to have a look at my " old race engine"
My inlets are fractionally different lengths they are 32mm dia. The head has been flowed 34mm into the valves. The head & barrels were held on with a rag tag selection of nuts & washers, or sometimes no washers & the head has different head bolt spanner sizes to clear the castings! Tappets & valve gear look good but the head has lots of little holes in the combustion chambers & the valves look set back in the seats on the exhaust. I havent stripped these out yet but its not looking prettty. My main concern is the camshaft nut. Along with the crank nut its been put on with toy arms. No torque wrench here! Had the torch on it but even with my not inconsiderable grunt. & long extensions on the box spanners I only managed to bend my bar. No need to lock the engine for iether of the nuts because the engine is already locked lol.
Lets see whats the week brings but the pistons dont look anything special & I thing I will be suprised if its got a high lift cam in it. Say luvvie as my old stepdad Alfie used to say.
Jim Lee Commando
Jim Lee Commando
 
Ouch. Win some, lose some. The motor seems to be the most replaceable part(s), as much as it would be nice to have the original badass race motor. The frame and running gear is the silver lining, as tarnished as it may be.

Take heart.
 
That doesn’t make it a pup Chris. It’s an old race bike that’s gradually passed through poorer and poorer / more and more inexperienced hands !

Nothing there that you can’t fix and make stronger / faster / better mate.

Just gotta prioritise a bit perhaps… yer need that big Seeley ready first doncha ?

Carry on.
 
It's only the second time I have had to do this! Could not budge the camshaft nut so had to drill & chisel it apart. All came away clean. However lots of new bits in this engine & to help assembly ie to keep bits in place, the previous owner used a dab or two or three of wellseal. Cam still doesnt turn! Nor does the crank. Plenty of easer sprayed down towards the piston rings after a little heat. Collecting my crankshaft pinion tool tomorrow.
Jim Lee Commando
Jim Lee Commando
 
Only ever had to do that once, and it was on a bottom end that had never been stripped since new
 
Hi John
Even the timing chain is covered in the stuff. With a bit of heat its gone hard, tar like. I reckon its been stood a bit. Will see once I get the cases apart what went wrong. Mind you getting the barrels of will be a challenge! But hey if it was easy! Lol
 
Chris said:
Hi John
Even the timing chain is covered in the stuff. With a bit of heat its gone hard, tar like. I reckon its been stood a bit. Will see once I get the cases apart what went wrong. Mind you getting the barrels of will be a challenge! But hey if it was easy! Lol
Click to expand...
Chris, you sure its not just ancient gummed up Castrol R ?
 
Hi Nige not R its been used on the base gasket, rocker box gaskets as well as the Composite! Head gasket.
Its still tacky on some surfaces.
I used to love R! nice purple oil streaks.
Until I used Rock oils R that was disappointingly clear.
 
Wow
Take a loom at my race pistons! Not!
Took a razor blade to the base gasket. Pistons have had heat & a good soak . Heated the pistons & bashed with a hide hammer, the used the barrel nuts with packers/spacers to gently ease the barrel. The big suprise is the pistons look new! How long has this engine been sitting? Crank doesnt turn. Need to pull the belt pulley & the crank pinnion & get inside.
 

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Just gently pull it apart and rebuild it. If you can find a plating shop which has a trichlorethylene degreaser, trike will remove most polymerised material., including paint. - especially a bath which has not been serviced to often.
 
Trike has not been legal here for years Al.
But it does need pistons without the slots. Never liked them much in a road bike.
 
Chris said:
Trike has not been legal here for years Al.
But it does need pistons without the slots. Never liked them much in a road bike.
Click to expand...
1.1.1 trichloroethane does not work as well as trike. Where I worked, trike was also illegal, but it is much more effective - particularly an old bath. I think when it is heated, it creates phosgene. The bath becomes more acidic. All that chlorinated solvent stuff is a bit nasty - poisonous but not necessarily carcinogenic. The plating tradesmen usually know what works best. There are a lot of polymers which acetone will not touch.
The worst thing I have used is 'Yuk Off' Graffiti Remover'. It contains glycol ethers which can send you sterile. It unlocks the bonds in polymers - my plastic tail light just fell apart.
 
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Hi Nige not sure who put it together everything was over tightened & the wellseal everywhere has left a mess but the parts are remarkably good. I would think it's done very few miles. Obviously an early build judging by the pistons.
I'm going to buy new pistons & a thin head gasket & give it a hone & a blueprint job & that's all.
I am drawing up patterns for the engine plates next. Hopefully by April I will have enough together to visit Armours to try some pipes.
The only other thing is to get a new stem made as the headstock is very long. Collecting parts is going well.
 
If everything was over tightened, it might be a sign of ignorance on the part of a previous owner. I would check everything in the motor very carefully, including rings and pistons - they might be the reason for the motor being pulled apart the last time. I'd check the ring gaps, as well as clearances.
 
Chris said:
Hi Nige not sure who put it together everything was over tightened & the wellseal everywhere has left a mess but the parts are remarkably good. I would think it's done very few miles. Obviously an early build judging by the pistons.
I'm going to buy new pistons & a thin head gasket & give it a hone & a blueprint job & that's all.
I am drawing up patterns for the engine plates next. Hopefully by April I will have enough together to visit Armours to try some pipes.
The only other thing is to get a new stem made as the headstock is very long. Collecting parts is going well.
Click to expand...
That sounds good Chris.
So we’ll see it out on the track this year?
Maybe in your new leather too ?!
 
Yes banking on the Donington meeting as I never got the call from Goodwood lol.😂
Might take a run in those black leathers Nige! The least I can do when we meet up is try them on & see if they fit.
 
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