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 👍

IMG_1896sm.jpg


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
 
TomU said:
I'm an idiot (no surprise there)
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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.
 
Schwany said:
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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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.
 
marshg246 said:
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.
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For us that have have never been into this part of the bike and desire to learn, what is the issue?
 
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!
 
marshg246 said:
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!
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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
 
What an excellent and inspirational thread! I have been working on my '72 Combat on and off (a lot more off than on!) for years, literally. I knew the rebuild would stretch out over a good part of a lifetime so I opted not to open a rebuild thread until it was done and would then use my pictures and notes to make a retroactive one. 2023 is starting to look like the year when I can finish this thing. The motor and trans are both done and sitting patiently, with the exception that I don't have the head on the motor. The frame and larger associated parts are cleaned up and painted and I've got the swingarm installed on the transmission cradle, ready to work on the isolastics. Of course, we are out of the country once again right now and have a couple of medical things to get out of the road but it looks like I'll be back on it in late February. This thread brought back some memories of the struggles and triumphs experienced so far, and it's a pretty good review of what's ahead for me. THANKS for the top notch write-up and pictures, and especially your willingness to share the miscues that we all make (and sometimes don't talk about).
I might be in a position to start publishing by late March if my plans hold up.....
 
texasSlick said:
You forgot "perseverance "
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+1 on that. It's a matter of priorities. I spent many a cold night in the garage working on it. You just have to press through. All told, think it took over two years to get it to a ride-able state, and that's with putting it aside for the better part of one summer. The worst was all the cleaning and polishing :mad:

And it's not yet "done". Will post pics when i finally get there.
 
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