Video clip of the 3T starting up and a brief walk round

It getting there and there are only a few minor jobs to do to get it roadworthy.

I'm awaiting a couple of parts and also the registration documents from DVLA. It was originally sold to Eire (Ireland) and so I need to get the bike registered here in the UK. You will spot the oil pressure gauge near the engine. The first one did not work but the replacement seems to be OK. Not sure waht the pressure should be but appears to be decent! Oil returns to the tank OK but it is a little strange that the oil capacity is 6 pints and there is no way I could get 6 pints into the oil tank. Currently it has about 4.5 pints in there and that seems ideal.

Below is the current list of little jobs to finish off the bike. After that it will be a shakedown once I have put a few miles on it.

Oil leak from front forks - check bottom damper securing bolts

Exhaust header bolts - threads poor, so make longer bolt to take a nut

Ammeter - replace chrome bezel

Trailing lamp unit wires etc

Fuel pipe / tank adjust - holes need enlarging so tank is easier to fit

Bolt to bottom of toolbox

Number plate - await reg

Sort gear lever – adjust on spline

Front brake arm - Bend?

Rear brake pedal shaft – remove and re-bush / grease

Check all nuts and bolts for tightness.

It lives!

By the weekend, my replacement magneto had arrived and the new clutch springs.

A sunny afternoon and what better than little exercise by kicking over the Triumph.

After a bit of faffing around there was a fire from either cylinder but not fully when hey presto, the bike sprang into life. A momentous day! I suggest this bike has not been on the road for atleast 40 years plus!

One problem was the oil pressure gauge - it doesn't register anything BUT the oil is returning to oil tank (viewed from the filler cap).

Another bizarre thing is that I got the ignition timing wrong but it did restart a few times and ran well.

So a few more jobs to do and whilst I await a few bits (including a new loom - the one I have is rubbish) I will sort out another pressure gauge and re-seal all of the covers - once the timing is set correctly!!

So - progress!

I will embed a video of the bike running next time!

To start or not!

The time came last week to have a go at starting the Triumph. 

Oils liberally put over the top end, gearbox, chain case and engine oil filled and a remote petrol tank setup. By the way, if you intend to use a remote tank, put a filter / tap on it - it is a pain with no way of switching off the fuel! Earth cable setup to have the ability to stop the engine (on the magneto) - ever hopefull!

Just a few checks and I could try the kick start!

Well, firstly there was fuel dribbling out of the carb. Secondly, I could not get a spark - it seemed OK on the bench and lastly, the clutch slipped. So it was back in the workshop and a bit of dismantling.

The short answer was:

• The carb float was not sitting properly on its shaft - easily remedied.
• The clutch springs were a little weak (too short) so some new ones were ordered (they are meant to be 1.5" long and these were a little short). In addition, I was probably using a slightly thick hydraulic oil for the primary case and so will try SAE20 next time)
• The magneto was removed and unless you got a drill onto the unit, there was no spark. I decided to send off the magneto to be tested and repaired as necessary. As my K2F magneto has a smaller bearing in it (19mm aperture by the seal as opposed to 25mm by the seal) it was decided to replace the whole thing with a fully reconditioned unit.

Until I get the magneto and clutch springs, I will carry on and sort the new wiring out on the bike. Await round 2!!

A bit of bling!

 Ages ago, I was given a drawing of a suitable rack for the back of the bike that mounts onto the grab rail bolts.

Time to get it made! This was done by 'Classic Racks' in Cumbria and what an excellent job they did!

Really well made and a useful accessory should I decide I want to carry something.

Photos of the 3T so far...

A few photographs showing the current progress - not long before I try and kick it over!

Spot the oil pressure gauge fitted for initial start up!

Plug leads not cut to lenght yet!

 

Timing cover badge refurb

 The current repro badges for the timing cover just do not look right and so I decided to refurb mine. I cleaned the badge carefully (and quickly) with acetone and then sprayed it gloss black - all over. Once fully hardened, I then sanded the face on a flat surface with 800 wet and dry using WD40. Once all the black on the lettering and edge was removed, peek was then used to polish up the brass.

The badge on the right is the original that I have refurbished and the one on the left is the repro one. When polished, I then sprayed a clear gloss lacquer on the badge - as good as new! (it shows a scratch but I could not see it!

Timing disc and oil pressure...

 Just a couple of shots showing the adapter for the timing disc and a take off for the oil pressure in readiness of trying to start the bike:

Above show the timing disc in place

Above is the adapter I made from a spare retaining nut and a bit of steel turned up in the lathe (silver soldered together)

And above is a 'low slung oil pressure gauge' - obviously not a permanent fixture!! Next job is to set the ignition timing and then get all the oils sorted.

Update photos

 Just a couple of photos to show the progress - which is now progressing!

The forks and handlebars now line up!

One step forward, two steps back?!

 Sheesh, I really thought I was making headway until I noticed the handlebars would not sit straight. Careful examination showed the top yoke (H380) was bent.

It is difficult to see but the top one is the bent one and the lower one is a spare I have. How I even managed to put this on quite a while ago without even noticing it, I have no idea. So a strip down of the front forks to replace the tope yoke was done (again):

Whilst about it, I was able to make the drain plugs for the fork oil - 2BA stainless fits very well! One tricky thing to do is to remove the damper retaining bolts at the lower end of the fork tube. Now I know why this spanner has a chamfer on it:

It just about allows you to undo the bolts!

Throttle cable

 You would think the throttle cable installation would be easy - well it is when you know how. I removed the throttle 'stop' and tried (in vain) to install the cable.

It is well nigh impossible to do this when the grip is on the bike, so I removed it and inserted a 3/4" bar into the end (simulating the handlebar). The stop (knob on the top) must be in otherwise the soldered end of the cable will just keep coming away from the unit. Quite difficult to describe but easy to do when you know how. The masking tape is used to keep things out of the way. If you are unaware, the rubber needs pulling back to expose a large circlip. Once this is undone then it all start to make sense as to what to do!

The Amal carb end is fairly straightforward. However it was a good job I checked things over as the throttle slide was damaged and no return spring was in the carb. These faults were soon remedied and the cable inserted. I also did this off the bike.

Metal work - final spraying?

 When I decided to refurbish the tinware on the Triumph, a friend said I should get it all blasted and powder coated. Then it was an easy matter of filling any dents or pit marks with 2 pack body filler prior to a final spray. He was absolutely right. The powder coated metal work was flatted down first with Scotchbrite pads before any filler was applied. Here are some of the photos:

Above shows after filler has been machine

sanded (mini air sander)

The above shows many pop marks there are 

on some of the panels (where the rust was)

Another view!

Some parts after 1st coat of 2 pack black

The mudguards!

Any pin holes were filled with filler and sanded back. I would have used aluminium powder filler but my tin had gone off. There is an issue, however! It appears I have used the wrong activator for the paint I have and it is taking ages to go off!! So I will leave it out in the sun and then flat back for the final coat - with the correct activator. 

The paint work isn't perfect. I don't want to the bike to look perfect as I want some of the patina / orginality to show through the paint. The odd micro dent will be ignored.

----------------

Around 24 hours later and the paint had not even started to harden. A chat with my local refinishing shop and I was told the only course of action was to remove the paint and start again! 

Half a gallon of thinners and a roll of heavy duty kitchen towel later and the paint was off. It was a messy job but the right decision. I let the paint dry for 24 hours as the powder coating was  softened slighly and then sprayed the 2 pack black again BUT with the correct hardener!! The paint is now hardening and I will give it as final coat after I have flatted back - I feel much happier now!

 

Further Magneto issues...

 I thought I would investigate the ATD unit that I had before finishing off the magneto. It was very stiff and the weights looked seized. After soaking in white spirit, and then the ultrasonic tank the picture below show the offending parts:

If you look carefully, you will see the cam weights have elongate pivot holes and as a result, the weights have been rubbing on the pivot plate. It doesn't show very well but the lower plate is worn through about half way due ot the fact the weight pivots are so worn. Quite a mess! So I decided to refurb another I have and rivet a new fibre gear onto it. The rivets were 3/16" x 1/2" countersunk and were a perfect fit for peening over. I won't go through the whole process but once the retaining collar is pressed off then it is all serviceable. The damaged gear is shown. I have another magneto with ATD to do so I may show the process if there is any interest. The finished unit is on the left.

Magneto refurb...

 Quite a while ago, I refurbished the magneto drive (K2F) but like the rest of the bike, I am dubious as to how well it was done, so another strip down was done - you guessed it - a few bits missing and the end float was wrong. New bits are now ordered and I await their delivery. One thing that is not available at the moment is a points set (brass plate variety) but I have a spare. I did manage to get a decent spark out of it, however!! 

And it's - off we go!!

Well, it's been a while but I have now progressed to getting the workshop mainly sorted and now I'm turning my attentions to the 3T.

When we moved, the gearbox was behaving strangely and the kickstart didn't seem to work. When the bike was put up onto my lift, I then found I could not even turn the bike over, so I have decided to start again and dismantle the gearbox. (I may even do the same to the engine!!)

When I eventually got the cover plate off, the kickstart spring was broken and it was not engaging in gears.

I think that the box was not indexing correctly. Once dismantled, I noticed that one camplate roller was very rough and if looked like the index was wrong. In fact the fork selector and roller were blued and very rough.....a spare to the rescue again!

The photo below shows the mounting lugs for the speedo drive. There is a gear above the sprocket (hidden) that drives the speedo.

Photo below shows the use of a vertical bar in the vice to support the gearbox - much better than trying to use blocks of wood etc.

These are the components for the kickstart ratchet - Somewhere in the garage is the washer on the right which decided to fly off the bench!! Good job I had a spare.

The camplate seems to have been using a pointed plunger. The older ones are more like a chisel point. I will use that type - see photo below.

Now the gearbox is back together and the indexing seems to be working much better with all gears being selected correctly. A new kickstart spring has also been installed. I will put gasket sealant on the mating faces and then it is ready to go back into the bike.