Meet the Camel

[Easter]

Today was kill-the-rust day. I started by trying to feed a cable through the tank fuel tubes. No luck. Filled the tank with a couple dozen large bolts and shook the tank till my arms felt like they were falling off. Next filled the tank with three or four gallons of water and then a gallon of muriatic acid, then filled it to the brim with water. Probably about a four to one ratio. Still strong enough I needed a mask when working over the tank. Muriatic acid is strong stuff and will burn your lungs if you get a big whiff so don't. I had a cartridge mask but a regular dust mask is probably adequate. Next a gallon of the acid went in a plastic tub to de-rust the smaller parts.

As usual the battery box was rusted but not as bad as most I have dealt with. My plan is to prime with etching primer then spray with bed liner to conceal the rust pits. The tank itself will set overnight then be flushed a couple of times and then filled with diesel to stop the flash rust. I don't plan to line the tank. I already have enough problem with the fuel intake screens! Which by the way the openings for the fuel pet cock were seeping a bit so maybe I will be able to feed a wire or cable through them now. In the past I have used a brake cable or such, clamped in a drill to feed through the tubes. It usually works after a while.

[Easter]

The fuel tank top gasket is a bit hard so I will try to soften it enough to seal with a soak in brake fluid.

[Easter]

Several hours (days it seemed) with a small cable opened up the fuel tube for the main part of the tank but so far I have not been able to open the tube for the reserve. The acid did a good job cleaning the inside of the tank and the diesel should keep it from rusting till I start using gasoline. The tank is back on the bike along with the battery box, wiring harness and a few misc. items. I have ordered a few items including plugs and manifold studs and nuts. The big thing now is to start polishing the intake runners and carb caps. Not my favorite thing.

[Easter]

Oh, by the way, the brake fluid seemed to work on the gasket and even when I turned it on its side with five gallons of fuel there was no leak.

[dontwantapickle]

You put the gas tank back on with the reserve tube still clogged up?

[Easter]

You put the gas tank back on with the reserve tube still clogged up?

yes, I haven't mounted the petcock yet so I am still holding out hope to get it unclogged. But either way I am using this tank for the forseeable future as there is a long list of unknowns to deal with. For example: is the clutch good, were the heads built right, does it need a water pump, etc.

Also if anyone has an extra set of coil mount brackets to sell, shoot me an email.

[rcmatt007]

I have found it can be a real b*tch to unclog those lines

[Easter]

While waiting for assorted parts to arrive I decided to go ahead and see what the calipers and MC are like. Well the short answer is both MCs are beyond help. The calipers on the other hand aren't bad. I tried air first to remove the pistons but only one of the six pistons moved (and had to be put back in!) So grease was the alternative. Works well but messy and time consuming. Probably the worst part is cleaning all the grease off and out. After scooping what I could out with a paint stirring stick I dropped them in a strong mixture of degreaser and let them set overnight. The grease is braking down and can be washed and brushed off but still a time consuming and unpleasant task. I will move them to a bowl of clean solution tomorrow and see if they will pass inspection. Pistons are reusable but new rubber will be required.

[Easter]

They say time heals all wounds. Or maybe we just forget. After two years since my last 1100 I had forgotten what a pain it is to get the carb rack into place and cables connected. PO rebuilt the carbs so I am just praying they were done correctly and wont have to come out again. Also got the Neon coil pack installed. Pretty simple installation, just used the original brackets and drilled one new hole in the frame web. I spent a lot of time wet sanding and polishing but there was a lot of pitting in the aluminum, especially in the caps. They will pass the ten foot inspection but I won't be entering any shows.

[Fred Camper]

I too live by the 10 foot rule. Shows are more for trailer queens and I like to ride mine to the show.

[rcmatt007]

I think the saying is "time wounds all heels"

[Easter]

Not much progress here. We had our winter last week, got down to 19F one night which is a big deal is South Texas. But has warmed back up into the mid 60-70 range this week. Lots of rain though which makes working outside a problem. Anyway, I got the calipers cleaned up and ready to reassemble but the kit from All Balls was advertised for the 83 (with its two different sized caliper pistons) but was in fact for the 82. I am waiting authorization to return. This seems a lot like deja_vu all over again as this is probably the third time I have been through this. I also got my Sportster mufflers finally as they were sent to my old address. Too long a story to bore you with but the mufflers look really nice. I also cleaned up and painted the instrument cluster. The keys provided fit the ignition but not the shelter so that is a problem to solve.

I mounted the exhaust headers in preparation for the mufflers. Starting on the left it looked like they were going to fit perfectly (GL1200 I think) but when I got to the right side I could see a major issue as the outlet with its welded on sleeve ended up just under the brake lever pivot. Another problem to solve. The bike is on the charger now so I haven't had a chance to see if it will turn over or start but I did notice the oil pressure light comes on when the key is turned. Small victories.

[Fred Camper]

At some point she will need wheels, just sayin.... LOL. Good progress NTL.

[rcmatt007]

wheels are over rated

[Easter]

Lets see if she will run before rushing out to buy tires! Did make a little more progress today. Somewhere amid the thousands and thousands of postings is a description I posted almost 10 years ago describing the adaptation of the rear master cylinder from a GL1800. I have used these several times on the 1100s and so it is with the Camel. Only this time I am using the brake light switch as well and mounting it a bit differently. I think better. Pictures to follow. One note: I re-oriented the fluid entry tube on the top of the master cylinder to better align with the reservoir. I did not drill any new holes but used existing holes in the frame webbing and the rear muffler support. There are several versions of the GL1800 rear MC so be sure you choose one that does not have any side extension on the MC body that would interfere with the swing arm. The metal strap that I used for the mounting adapter is 1 1/4 x 1/8 inch and approximately 4 inches long. The washer/stand offs (or whatever they are called) are used to keep the MC from rotating or being pulled out of alignment.