Projects At Home During Lockdown

**Grumph** · 15th April 2020, 06:38

Originally Posted by Ian Staples

got the bottom all fitted and tacked it . tomorrow I will fully weld it didn't put a fuels tap mount in .I decided on a hose straight off the tank with a inline tap and filter

Sometimes that is the only option. But if you can, put a well on the tank bottom Even if it's only shallow. Piece of 2in OD tube even 3/4in long will make a difference.
There's nothing worse than trying to get the last litre of fuel out of a flat bottomed tank.

**Ian Staples** · 15th April 2020, 18:10

welded bottom into the tank and much to my surprise it has held it's shape

**Drew** · 15th April 2020, 18:45

I finished the last of the fabrication, and pulled my bike apart.

Seems there are far fewer pieces than when I pulled the original bike apart.

**sidecar bob** · 15th April 2020, 18:45

Originally Posted by Ian Staples

welded bottom into the tank and much to my surprise it has held it's shape

It's a thing of beauty.
I always consider it a privilege to be asked to scrutineer your sidecar. it's always more a bit of astonished perving at your engineering to be honest. And quite ironic that I should be judging your workmanship.

Can you put up some close ups of some of the cool bits on it?

**Drew** · 15th April 2020, 19:24

Painting parts and stuff is so frustrating. I'm struggling to let everything cure properly. Just want to put it back together.

**sidecar bob** · 15th April 2020, 20:07

Originally Posted by Drew

Painting parts and stuff is so frustrating. I'm struggling to let everything cure properly. Just want to put it back together.

Go & watch some Project Binky, it will all be dry by morning.

**F5 Dave** · 15th April 2020, 20:22

Not in this cold snap.

**Ian Staples** · 15th April 2020, 20:35

Originally Posted by sidecar bob

It's a thing of beauty.
I always consider it a privilege to be asked to scrutineer your sidecar. it's always more a bit of astonished perving at your engineering to be honest. And quite ironic that I should be judging your workmanship.

Can you put up some close ups of some of the cool bits on it?

Hi Bob , have a look on the modifying bikes thread there are some photos from a while back. I pretty much finished the tank tonight ,I got the mounts done so test it for leaks tomorrow and that's it . I have to say it would be the most nerve wracking thing I have ever made and won't be looking for other tanks to make . There is probably at 80 hours work in it and at every stage I was thinking if I cock this up all of the previous work is ruined. On the whole I am quite pleased with it as I have never used a shrinker or English wheel or done any kind of panel work before,apart from patching rust hole in my $300 corona. My next part is the seat? tail piece unit ,Again in alloy.

**Ian Staples** · 15th April 2020, 20:37

Originally Posted by Drew

Painting parts and stuff is so frustrating. I'm struggling to let everything cure properly. Just want to put it back together.

That's why I like powder coating ,you give it to the man one day then put it together the next

**Drew** · 16th April 2020, 07:30

Originally Posted by Ian Staples

That's why I like powder coating ,you give it to the man one day then put it together the next

Cant do that at the moment.

The brief was that I had to make it with what I already had in the garage. With the exception of a bottle of Argoshield, that's what I've done.

It means that the undertray is potentially a bit grunty...cough...8mm ally plate...cough cough, but at least that meant I could mount the electronic stuff to it.

It means the exhaust is a total dogs breakfast though. I made the whole thing with a set of Gixxer thou headers, and my Tig (that I cant fly very well) isnt here. So mig and stainless wire.

Reckon I'm gonna put a sign on the tank that says. "I'm a very shit welder. Sorry".

**jellywrestler** · 16th April 2020, 08:13

Originally Posted by Ian Staples

My next part is the seat? tail piece unit ,Again in alloy.

that should be a walk in the park after the tank

**jellywrestler** · 16th April 2020, 08:28

I haven't been near the basement except to sort the drive belt replacement on my MV America which was straight forward as i managed to get a selection of shim stock from mitre ten the day before lock down, and make a coffee table, odd really, as i don't even drink coffee. I've been stuck in my office working on writing a book on all the road racing circuits throughout new zealand which i've been doing since april last year, with one month off. It's hard work doing all the computer graphics, research and as there's 64 north island circuits alone without the variations, another 20 odd,on each one coming up with different writings about each and every one is the biggest thing to overcome. Earlier on i would just pick up the top program on my pile, do it and do the next, some were easy some weren't. As i found i was short of stuff about some i'd delve into it, and often either sort it or get to a point where i'd put it onto my list of things to revisit. I'd regularly revist the hard stuff as i'm not one to put that all till the end
A lot of travel was planned to round up the titbits but of course that's now off the cards so have to roll up my sleeves and find it out from home. It's unbelieveable how much time it's taking and i'm getting 1 to two circuits done a day, if i'm lucky, of course there's some i'm stonewalled on in remote parts of the country but i'll just have to deal with things the best as i can.
just got the mrs back from hospital yesterday, she's had surgery and six weeks recovery but already she did her own lunch while i did mine next to her so we're pretty happy with how she is compared to how we expected.
Here's a sample of first layout, still got work to do as tracks not correct, grammar etc, big thanks to Ron Prichard a who contacted me through here.

**swarfie** · 16th April 2020, 11:20

Although I'm still working (apparently plastic food packaging is an essential service

) I've managed to get a few jobs done on the race bikes due to having more time to do that instead of going for a fang somewhere

The 1932 Velocette MKIV KTT that I race in the pre-war class needed a couple of things sorting. I'd lost the exhaust rocker shaft at the Classic Festival in the last race when the bronze shouldered nut that holds/supports it in place had stripped it's thread in the cam box. It was left dangling on the lock wire but the shaft disappeared. The rocker continued to flail up and down opening the valve, but not by very much...wondered why it suddenly ran a bit flat

I had to make a new shaft, harden and grind it and then had to make a tap 1mm larger to tap out the buggered thread in the cam box and then made a new nut to suit the oversize thread. That all worked well but it was weeping a bit of oil out of the open rockers at the next meeting. I found that the flailing rocker had knackered the lurathane strips I'd previously inserted in the cam box to stop the oil coming out, so made new ones. Changed oils, cleaned, polished and parked. All sorted for the next meeting.

The Matchless sidecar belly pan was always something that pissed me off as I'd made it in a hurry to comply with some new rules before a Paeroa meeting back in the last century. It was a piece of shit and in 20 something years it hadn't cured itself. The frame on the Matchless is the catch "bottle" which has two drain bungs in the lower frame tubes and two of the six bolts that held the belly pan on were those drain bungs. At the end of every meeting I'd drain the small amount of oil and methanol out and it'd piss into the belly pan instead of the container I was trying to get it in, with the result of having to wipe it out, having to throw the oil nappy away (which didn't have any oil in it up until then)

and making the air a bit blue due to me not being able to do it in silence

I also added a footrest/support for the swinger to help him/her hold themselves out on left hand corners. Oils changed, cleaned, polished and parked.
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