The Hunley
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2013 9:59 pm
Back in the Spring, I started looking for a "project" bike. The wife likes for me to have projects that keep me busy and out of her way. There was the '78 'wing on Craigslist for $400 not far away, and I rode over to check it out - in an airplane hanger that served as a garage (the community has a landing strip for its main drag). The guy had too many toys and needed to reduce. Dark in the hanger, but there was a spare set of carbs, fairing (I knew that had zero value), Bates bags, boxes of parts he had ordered from eBay, four new carb rebuild kits. Dirty and obviously not able to run, the front brakes worked and he had a new set of pads for it. Next weekend the wife and I hooked up my trailer to her truck and picked it all up.
I've had a '77 before -loved it and found it easy to work on.
Well, when I started looking closer - it has a kick-start socket. Hmmm. Not a '78 engine. A '75. Many other "surprises" to come. Hopefully I've found most of them by now. I started this on the welcome thread here:http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=49317
I'll add pictures to this thread now as things progress.
So, where is it right now? I've cleaned up major water damage caused by this engine being under water for an extended period of time. #1 cylinder (the bad one) gets 175 psi compression. But, #3 has a leaky intake valve, so the head comes back off this winter to lap that valve. The '75 carbs are rebuilt and stored, and the '78 carbs he had bought have been eBay'ed. A fiberglass seat pan was bought on eBay, and it will be upholstered cafe-style. The entire frame is dismantled and engine setting on a cart. The forks were dinged bad, but I found a set of '79 forks cheap on eBay and they look good. The wiring harness is slowly being checked and rebuilt. Soldering most connectors as well as crimping. "Three yellow wires" received gold plated 150 amp RC helicopter connectors that will be shrink-wrapped over after connecting.
Frame has had passenger peg mounts and center stand mount cut off. Hoping to get it cleaned to metal (mainly sand blasted, but some abrasive grinder) and primed before Fall, the only time to paint in the East Tennessee rainforest. The body parts will have to wait for next Spring. Might have it assembled by next summer, but doubtful, and I'm in no hurry.
Tonight, I JB Welded a spot on the neutral switch (I had pulled it apart and cleaned it last night), and took the oil pickup screen cover off for polishing. Lipstick on a pig, but I like polishing.
I've had a '77 before -loved it and found it easy to work on.
Well, when I started looking closer - it has a kick-start socket. Hmmm. Not a '78 engine. A '75. Many other "surprises" to come. Hopefully I've found most of them by now. I started this on the welcome thread here:http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=49317
I'll add pictures to this thread now as things progress.
So, where is it right now? I've cleaned up major water damage caused by this engine being under water for an extended period of time. #1 cylinder (the bad one) gets 175 psi compression. But, #3 has a leaky intake valve, so the head comes back off this winter to lap that valve. The '75 carbs are rebuilt and stored, and the '78 carbs he had bought have been eBay'ed. A fiberglass seat pan was bought on eBay, and it will be upholstered cafe-style. The entire frame is dismantled and engine setting on a cart. The forks were dinged bad, but I found a set of '79 forks cheap on eBay and they look good. The wiring harness is slowly being checked and rebuilt. Soldering most connectors as well as crimping. "Three yellow wires" received gold plated 150 amp RC helicopter connectors that will be shrink-wrapped over after connecting.
Frame has had passenger peg mounts and center stand mount cut off. Hoping to get it cleaned to metal (mainly sand blasted, but some abrasive grinder) and primed before Fall, the only time to paint in the East Tennessee rainforest. The body parts will have to wait for next Spring. Might have it assembled by next summer, but doubtful, and I'm in no hurry.
Tonight, I JB Welded a spot on the neutral switch (I had pulled it apart and cleaned it last night), and took the oil pickup screen cover off for polishing. Lipstick on a pig, but I like polishing.