De-stinking Penelope

[rustybronco]

Bike in a box..

While I'm waiting for stan's newest bike to arrive, I did a bit of house cleaning and brought up a few things I had stored in the basement. That's about a third of what I have for Her.




I washed up the lower engine case at work yesterday. Cleaned up the gasket material on the case half with paint stripper, a rag and a few razor blades. It should be an easy clean up in preparation for painting the cases.

[Guest]

That's a nice collection of parts there Dale... but Stan's new bike??? Can I assume we're not talking Flyboy Stan here?

[Matchless]

While I'm waiting for stan's newest bike to arrive, I did a bit of house cleaning and brought up a few things I had stored in the basement. That's about a third of what I have for Her.




I washed up the lower engine case at work yesterday. Cleaned up the gasket material on the case half with paint stripper, a rag and a few razor blades. It should be an easy clean up in preparation for painting the cases.

Everything in perfect condition and that's only a 1/3 rd of the parts in the picture!
I expected nothing less anyway! Good going Dale! She's going to be a beaut!

[rustybronco]

That's a nice collection of parts there Dale... but Stan's new bike??? Can I assume we're not talking Flyboy Stan here?

None other! Yes, Stan bought a bike which should have arrived last night but got delayed a bit. It's now due to arrive this AM and my wife and daughter are to home waiting for it to get there.

I'll let Stan fill you in on the rest when proper time comes and a few pictures are taken.

[Guest]

None other! Yes, Stan bought a bike which should have arrived last night but got delayed a bit. It's now due to arrive this AM and my wife and daughter are to home waiting for it to get there.

I'll let Stan fill you in on the rest when proper time comes and a few pictures are taken.

I see! Just have to wait for Stan to 'fess up then I guess...

[Flyboy]

Pete, I tell you the same thing I tell the magistrate...I know nothing.

[chuck hahn]

I saw Dales other thread..let me remind you that perjury is a felony.

[Flyboy]

Ah Chuck, this is Africa a hundred bill sorts out any problems one may have with the law.

[Wallowgreen]

Ok Dale, caught up at last... phew!

[rustybronco]

I started repairing the extra holes in the fuel tank this evening on a fuel tank I bought a year or so ago off of Ebay. By the way the holes were modified, it looked like the tank might have been used as a drag tank, judging by the way someone added the extra holes for an aftermarket petcock or add on fuel tap. You can see how much metal they hacked away by comparing it to the un-alterated fuel tank on the left side of this picture.




I started the repair by taking my die grinder to the spot welded in place wiring loom retainer and ground away at the spot weld until it could be removed.

The loom retainer will be welded back in place when I finish welding up the 'extra' holes.





Next I took the die grinder to the holes in order to make them a bit more symmetrical and make it easier to 'fit up' a metal repair plug to each hole. After I straightened out the holes needing to be repaired, I beveled the edges to allow the repair plugs to fit flush with the tanks surface and to keep them from falling into the tank as I weld.

The repair plugs will have a similar bevel on their undersides.





I started making the repair plugs by cutting a 1mm thick piece of metal to the approximate size and ground it down on my bench grinder until it was very close to the needed size, then finished fitting it to the hole by hand with a file. I also beveled the edges of each plug to match the bevel on the two 'extra' holes in the tank.

I made a pattern so that I can remake the correct size fuel tap hole after the extra holes are repaired.





Here are both plugs properly fitted in place ready to be hard soldered in place.





More than likely I won't get a chance to 'hard solder" (braze) the plugs until late Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I'll take pictures of the completed repair and post them up as soon as I can after it's finished and the new opening for the tap is cut.

[Flyboy]

We will make a boilermaker out of you yet Doc.
Now pay attention people, there is a perfect example of the difference between a good build and a stunning build, attention to detail.
How many people would have just brazed a square patch over the whole shooting match and called it done??????
Awesome work Doc.

[chuck hahn]

I may have cut an entire rectangle out and fitted new nuts to the inside of the repair patch...then did as Dale did. Few tack welds just to hold it till the brazing was done, grind smooth, retouch any imperfections and resmooth. Another benefit to the rectangle would be that it allows a thicker guage metal to be used to weld new nuts too. And I would mig the nuts as braze can sometimes release from a twisting pressure such as tightening the bolts.

[chuck hahn]

Dale..Im sure youve thought of this too. But just a reminder. Be sure you get the seating area for the petcock gasket as absolutely flat and even as possible to prevent any leaks.

[Nessism]

Looks good to me. I've blasted down hills at 50 mph on bicycle frames I brazed together. No worry.

[rustybronco]

I may have cut an entire rectangle out and fitted new nuts to the inside of the repair patch...then did as Dale did.

Chuck, you don't know how close I came to cutting the section out of the unaltered tank and using it to repair Penelope's tank.

Rodger the flatness thought. I'm hoping to keep the heat from the torches down so there will be the least amount of flattening to do afterwards.