MK3 Instrument pods

Since "completing" refurbishment of my MK3 i have noticed that the instrument pods, or at least one is twisted and not symetrical to each other... I did notice a bit of gravel rash on one pod but now has been disguised with powdercoat..

Whilst riding it is a "distraction" to me at least. So my quick remedy is to remove gauges/headlight etc and poke an axe handle through the orifice's and gently coax them back to alignment !!!!! ...

I realise they are 70's alloy, which could be a good thing or not, not sure, so has anybody had experience with manipulating these pods to their correct alignment ..

I am prepared to purchase a new pair of pods if they break/crack but obviously if they can be bent to shape then i've saved $$.. Anybody tried this before???? Or am i the test pilot?

If they're cast items, which I think they are, there's a good chance of cracking. Whilst riding you'd be better off looking at the road ahead rather than the bent pod.

Yep your right, but im still bebugging and listening, looking and feeling every mtr of the 34 mls that ive done so far... Its still a bit scary when you've just assembled a thousand or so items into one bit... If my misalighned pods are the worst glitch then i'm gunna be happy..

You might try applying some heat to the area that needs realignment. This will most likely burn off the powder coat, but may prevent cracking. They are cast and therefore brittle....but since one bent and did not crack, you stand a chance to re-align it without cracking. Caution....aluminum melts at about 1800 deg F....do not use an oxy-acetylene torch to apply heat.

Although I can't say for sure i'd reckon if it bent without cracking in the first place it should also go back without cracking!

Dave.

Although I can't say for sure i'd reckon if it bent without cracking in the first place it should also go back without cracking!

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Many a broken fin will testify that this is not 100% correct, the first bend may work harden the material and then the second bend ends in a crack.

As well as being safer heating the bend makes it easier to unbend the original bend and not end up with a double bend Z. You need to know what the safe temperature is though in case heating anneals a hardened part.

Yes I agree with you Kommando although I think a fin is much more likely to fracture due to it being quite thin, unlike the instrument pod which is probably just distorted rather than having a sharpish bend. I seem to remember from my school metalwork class days that we used soap on alloy to indicate when the correct annealing temperature was reached (soap went black if I remember correctly)

Dave.

Cast aluminum is brittle. Not sure why exactly but likely has to do with the process to manufacture. It also depends on the grade of aluminum to some extent. Once bent, bending it back almost always results in cracking or a break. I had a brake lever that was bent only slightly the other day. I put it in the vise and very gently tried to bend it back. At the point it was almost straight...it broke.

You might be able to heat the part and get better results, not sure about that.

One thing to consider is...even if you get it back to straight it likely will be stressed and may crack later. In the case of the brake lever above, that could be a serious problem so not worth trying to save it.

dennisgb said:

Cast aluminum is brittle. Not sure why exactly but likely has to do with the process to manufacture. It also depends on the grade of aluminum to some extent. Once bent, bending it back almost always results in cracking or a break. I had a brake lever that was bent only slightly the other day. I put it in the vise and very gently tried to bend it back. At the point it was almost straight...it broke.

You might be able to heat the part and get better results, not sure about that.

One thing to consider is...even if you get it back to straight it likely will be stressed and may crack later. In the case of the brake lever above, that could be a serious problem so not worth trying to save it.

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+1 on the above. Heating to 1000 - 1100 deg F may avoid crack or break. Knowing the temp is impossible unless you have a temperature controlled furnace. Aluminum gives no color change as steel or iron does, and if you reach the melting point, it is gone.

I doubt the pods have been heat treated and annealed.....just cast and polished. Play a propane torch on the area gently and apply some pressure to re-align. If you get it straight, play the torch on it some more to stress relieve the worked area. You have nothing to lose....except a pod which can be replaced.

You can burn off the powder coat, or strip it with methylene chloride. You cannot powder coat over powder coat. Why not sand and buff out the road rash before re-coating?

Slick