1955 T100 Bottom End

This is much more like it, 1955 Tiger 100 big bearing!

Picked it up yesterday in a shifty looking Motorway service station car park deal.

The guy had it on the Bay with an iron 5T top end attached, it didn't raise a bid. In the description he said he would break it (part it out) if it didn't sell. I slid in with what I reckoned was a reasonable offer, and as luck may have it so did he.

It's meant to be rebuilt and it certainly looks that way, but when they're down to this stage it's a quick and easy job to check.

The Skankweasel now has a heart!

53 Thunderbird, Finnish Stylee

Magnus from across The North Sea in Finland, sent a couple of shots of his '53 T'bird in front of the log pile. 

He says this is the fifth incarnation in the eight years he's had it. Still running the original barrels, albeit at + 0.060, the iron head sports  twin 928 Concentrics through a manifold conversion. E3134s and a Lucas K2FC take care of getting the bangs in the right place.

The front end is Husqvarna with inverted Tomaselli clip-ons, and a '71 - '72  Conical front wheel.

Gotta love those flanged rims.  as well.

Nice One Magnus

Triumph..................Class on a Plate

‘Two nations separated by a common language.’  George Bernard Shaw.

Due to a slight misunderstanding between ourselves and Joe at Chopped Triumphs there are now two pairs of the bitchinest front plates in Christendom over here in England, and they are up for grabs.

These plates will fit dynamo type pre-unit Triumph 500s and 650s, they will of course fit the alternator type as well if you don't mind the hole, although alternator types (without the hole) are available.  The fit and finish is second to none and will pop straight on in place of the stock steel numbers. 

Price here in the UK is £100.00 per pair and that includes the postage in the UK.

If you want either of the two pairs available, get in early and claim your's by reserving a pair in the comments box, or take your chances and e-mail.

The Devil Is Still In Them Details

Kept looking at the petrol pipe set-up, pleased with the way that it tucks out of the way instead of hanging down the outside of the carb, but them bloody clips, they look like.... well, clips I guess. Something had to be done to tidy that little problem up. 

Scored some brass ferrules and a crimping tool from Carrot Cycles the other day to try and tidy the act up a little and give that authentic period look. The job is made easier by the fact that both the taps and the carb have threaded unions, allowing the pipework to be lifted out as one unit.

Looks far more like it now, so much so that come the day it probably won't even be noticed, but it's a sure fire bet that the clips would have been spotted from ten yards .... result.

So close I can taste it

Stopped By The Stopper

Started in on getting the front brake working yesterday, not so good. Got the fluid down the line, presumably behind the pistons and out of the bleed nipple. All looked good until the nipple was locked off and then there was no change in the feel of the lever, the master cylinder could not deliver real pressure. Done what should have been done in the first place and checked the seals, not the best of conditions. Contacting a bloke tomorrow who should have an overhaul kit.

Pissed about and got some more jobs out of the way though including this transfer that should go on early Ariel oil tank.

Pipes of Peace ya say?.................................

......... more like pieces of pipe!

Spent a long day up at Alldens in Lincolnshire on Friday getting the exhaust sorted out, and it was more than worth it! Truly an education watching the process as the pipes take shape.

Dennis, the bloke who did it, is both a bike freak and a perfectionist so there is little need to explain, he can grasp the idea quickly and develop it into reality, all the time checking that it matches the vision.

A drawing of the silencer design was sent up there about six weeks ago and they were made before arranging a time to get up there for the pipes. The governor, Mike, was a pleasure to deal with over the 'phone, always very honest about the state of play and good with his estimates on dates.

All brackets were fitted and the system bolted on before the welds were ground back and the whole lot polished. The silencers are welded directly to the pipe to give a smooth transition without clamps interrupting the flow.....

.... also to ensure that when the stainless goes that lovely Champagne colour it does not stop when it reaches a big thick cold clamp at the junction.
Happy.........that's a major understatement.

Chipping Away

Got a few more of them ten minute jobs put to bed the other day,

This trick headstock badge was sent over by Roland, originally made for a pushbike it looks just fine on one with a motor in it as well.

The dummy rubber battery in place, kinda makes sense of the carrier now. The gel battery will sit inside and with a bit of luck the regulator as well.

Headsteadies and frame spacer blacked up and back where they belong.

Handlebar clamps and risers have been nickelled, so the bars are back on.

The chainguard, looking great sitting in the impossibly small space that is available for it. If you ever see the bike out and about, check the chainguard out and buy Johnny a beer on the strength of it.

Master Of Sparks Pt II

This lot came today, black braided copper cored HT lead, Champion rubber caps and the bitchin' blue KLG plugs. The plugs are NOS and just about right for the motor so with a bit of luck they'll still be up for the job.
Got the lot from the place below, well worth checking out, several different colour choices in braided HT, more styles of plug caps than you ever knew existed and a rake of NOS old timer plugs.

Bung Hole Bunged

Got the bung that Roland made trimmed a bit, nothing wrong with Roland's work y'understand it was right to a drawing that was wrong! Just needed a couple of mil taken off to clear the internal bore and all is good.
Cheers Roland.

More Retardation Action

As there is a risk of the disc brake being somewhat incongruous hanging out the front, it was decided to stick with the standard hydraulic pipe work. This has worked out far better than the ubiquitous stainless braided line that graces 95% of custom disc brakes out there, the line is parallel to the stanchion and as tucked away as it can be. Far more in keeping with the old style we're after here, of course being a Commando brake it won't stop worth a shit whatever's done to it!

Getting The Horn

Needed to get a hooter on the A7, funny thing really, the law demands that one is fitted and yet it is virtually illegal to sound it ????????
Anyways up, I went on to the Bay of Fools and saw a funky little number, small and black, that'll do. With the postage it was eight and a half quid by the time it was in my hand, and what a result it was when it was there.

No-one said anything about the free stash tin that it comes in! rather than the bubble pack thing or the universal white box with a hand stamped description on it.

The horn itself is a decent looking piece of kit and should tuck away somewhere nicely. On their UK website they are listed at a tenner, if they are same folks that are on the bay then a phone call could nail one cheaper.

Starting to Stop

The brakes are pretty much the biggest thing left to sort out, other than the paint and pipes but they are dependent on other's time scales. Got the caliper back with the polished stuff from Paul, and a fine job he's made of it. The original plan was to add some black areas on the alloy to tie it all in with the rest. Now however that has changed, leaving it as it is has the effect of visually hiding the caliper amongst the spokes, leaving the black finish of the slider unadulterated by another lump hanging off of it, there by detracting the eye.

Master Bates and Mini Me

Spent about 6 hours yesterday going through the tank sealing process, there's about four stages involved prior to the FOUR! day wait for it to cure. Nipped up to see Paul the polisher to pick up a few bits during one of the several periods of waiting involved in the process.
Along with some polishing was the rear lamp rim, it has been gold plated to match the front as it is, for all intents and purposes, a scale model of the headlight. May turn out to look a bit gay and show boaty when it's on, dunno, we'll have to wait and see.

l'etat d'etante cordial

Another of those little jobs, finishing off the rear number plate assembly by bunging up the hole in the supporting tube. Sent this drawing over to Roland at Outta Control on Monday, asking if it was possible to make it..........

............ and on Friday a package turned up. It's difficult to see on the photo, but the way the radius on the bolt head has been detailed is superb, as is the overall piece. I'm lost for words really, what a top man! This will be going on later and that will be another tick on the list. Pix to follow.
..............Merci Beaucoup mon ami................

Priming The Painter

Arranged with Pete to lay some colour down on the sheet metal, so the bits were put back on hand tight, so he could take a look at what we are after.

As Pete is a lifelong Rockabilly and Hot Rod freak, it didn't need a lot of explaining, looking for a '50s style paint job, he was straight on the case coming up with some good ideas and nice touches. Having said that, he did insist that the tank be sealed before he paints it, see the sense in that and, if it arrives that will be the big job for the coming weekend.

Good to see the sheet metal work all the same colour, even in primer it gives a bit of an idea what the finished article will look like.

Keeping a steady head..............

Another of those ten minute jobs that had to be nailed. This time the ten minutes was only a little over an hour so not bad. Made out of 12 mm Hydraulic Tube, they were as simple as they look to make, but they look right and are correct for the year.

More Charging Around Action

Got the engine plates fitted, finally. All painted up and looking fine, the original Beezer plates have return edges that touch together along the centre line of the motor. These, as you can see, don't have these, no great loss though as it exposes the dynamo to anybody who may be interested.

The original parts list shows a spacer between the two lugs on the frame, almost definitely to stop the two frame rails being squeezed in. Probably end up cutting a short length of tube to replicate this,

State of Charge Monitor Takes Position

This is where the Ammeter is going, in the right hand pocket, the cup is recessed about 5/16" (6 mm) so it will sit below the level. Seem to remember this was called "Frenching in" back in the mists of time.

The tools to do the job, punches are always the best option when available, they give a much cleaner and far more accurate result than hole saws. The smaller punch is there solely to cut the pilot hole for larger 40 mm punch.

Bit of a moment of panic when it was thought that the female part of the punch would be too big to fit in the cup. Damn close, but close is far enough and it sneaked in with a mil to spare.

The Ammeter dropped into place, gonna need somebody with small hands to get the lock nuts on the back of it though.

Spaced Out...................................Man!!!!

Another of those little ten minute jobs that needs to be nailed, a couple of spacers on the nod drive side of the back wheel. Had a couple in there for a while now, right length but the diameters were all wrong, so Rear Wheel Spacers was another item on the list. Sent a rough sketch to Shaun up in Barnsley on Monday evening, he sent me this picture of the finished articles on Wednesday, thanks mate IOU big time. Can't wait to hear 'em hitting the old door mat tomorrow or Saturday.