My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread

This little part is one major mofo to get out

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Had to remove my oil catch can, remove the right side exhaust, remove the lower gearbox bolt, loosen the upper gearbox bolt (and dual adjusters), and the pièce de résistance - remove the clutch basket. There went my Sunday :mad:
 
Sounds about right. Could have been messier with a wet clutch.

Did Matt send you some gaskets, or did you make 'em?
 
Going to give a go at making them. I thought about using Yamabond, but i don't want to have to take it off again if that doesn't work. The gaskets he provides suck IMO which is a shame because his stuff is quality and to cheap out on a gasket is quite frankly head scratching. You'd think if someone is willing to spend $30 dollars and an hour+ out of their day to make a gasket vs use one of yours than maybe customers would be willing to spend an extra $5-$10 for your part with a better gasket. I would.

Here's his gasket. It tore just by looking at it. And the holes are smaller than the bolts which also tears them and bunches it up

My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread
 
I think those gaskets are made from hummingbird egg shells. ;)

The tight fit might be intentional to seal the threads, but if you make your own with larger holes just put a small dab of sealer on the threads of the bolts when you tighten it up. I probably used vesachem mega grey since I still had some at the time. I did not seal the gasket surfaces though.
 
Good news. I made new gaskets and the breather is now leak free

i ordered 1/32" Palmetto 2970 gasket material from McMaster Carr. It's fiber bonded nitrile with good temp and pressure specs as well as being oil resistant


It's actually actually .03" thick vs CNW's .022". This should make it a little more sturdy but it also means there's that much less bolt engagement. And it's also a bitch to cut. I cut it as close is i could to the valve to allow as much material as possible between the bolt hole and the valve opening. Even so, there's not much clearance. For added measure, i sealed it with Loctite 518. I put it back on and so far, no leaks 👍

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Oh, and i didn't need to go to all the trouble of loosening the gearbox and pulling the clutch. Idiot me, i thought i needed to remove the bolts when in fact all i needed to do was just get them clear of the mounting flange and then the housing, with the bolts, can be dropped. Oh well, live and learn
 
Bad news. I still have no oil return. Next step - pulling the timing cover and oil pump
 
I'm an idiot (no surprise there)
Ouch!!

That would explain no return oil.

The useless negative narrative: That cloudy silver in the oil at the bottom of the timing case might be big end rod bearing material. Keep an eye on your hot idle oil pressure and listen for excessive noise coming from the crank cases. It could run another 50K miles without trouble, or 50 miles with plenty of trouble. I've done worse. Much worse.
 
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Ouch!!

That would explain no return oil.

The useless negative narrative: That cloudy silver in the oil at the bottom of the timing case might be big end rod bearing material. Keep an eye on your hot idle oil pressure and listen for excessive noise coming from the crank cases. It could run another 50K miles without trouble, or 50 miles with plenty of trouble. I've done worse. Much worse.
99% sure that's assembly lube. He has a cNw reed valve sump breather so oil was returning that way, but some would still collect in the bottom of the sump until the oil pump was able to suck it out.
 
99% sure that's assembly lube. He has a cNw reed valve sump breather so oil was returning that way, but some would still collect in the bottom of the sump until the oil pump was able to suck it out.
For us that have have never been into this part of the bike and desire to learn, what is the issue?
 
Hope you are correct Greg.

Saber: The gasket is upside down and covering an oil port.

Should be...

My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread
 
WIRING , ignore it for now .

Just hook the essetials to the other essentials . With a circuit break THING , in case .

RESTORE . ? Mechanically yes . But the ORIGINALITY & ' Originality ' would be destroyed by tarting nit up .

Things like ISO washers & Boots , Clutch plates etc etc FINE . Also Mk II Amals are a better set up .

My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread
We wont mention air boxes , Filtron etc etc . Just STORE CAREFULLY any standard parts you discard .

Mostly its OVERHAUL , inspect & repair or replace as neccesary . In the olde days many thought fitting any jap. parts was retrograde .
Dosnt apply to J.A.P. parts , to J.A.P.'s though . too .

My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread


Were the Commando engines built in the same Building ? .
My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread
 
AND ,

you wanna mega flush the oiling . Thatll've got it well lubed , anyway .

Cleaning out oil tank very thorougly . Id replace oil lines with clear reinforced nylon , like wot we used , for now .

My What Am I Getting Myself Into Combat Build Thread


Actually Id replace the tank with a bl**dy great alloy sucker . And if its Contact Breaker ignition , se it set exactly .
Likely the Auto advance will need cleaning & lube , Patiance & cunning are likely more rewarding than bucketfulls
of cash .
 
You know when a rebuild is more or less done and you've just gotta ride? Jan 12, 2023 and TomU came for a visit on his rebuilt bike late this afternoon - 50F.

He's not the only thing confused. The Forsyithia started blooming on Monday. I also noticed today that the buds on some hardwoods are about to pop. Why am I talking plants in a rebuild forum? Just to prove that Tom's not crazy and it is acceptable riding weather :)

The question is, when I finish the Trident I'm working on, will I ride? Probably not, maybe I can get Tom to test ride for me!
 
Forsythia buds popping here too in central NJ. Thought I was crazy when I saw it the other day.
 
The question is, when I finish the Trident I'm working on, will I ride? Probably not, maybe I can get Tom to test ride for me!
Be happy to Greg. I'm still relearning how to ride. I left my blinkers on for most of my ride yesterday LOL

And gotta love global warming. Think it's going to be up near 60F next week
 
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