Results spur you on

This is what restoration is all about.  Taking something that looks fit for the bin and bringing it back to life. The clutch cover.

A quick wire brush, a rub with some wet and dry and I reckon it'll be ready.  Nearly.

Oil pump drive removed along with the clutch actuating mechanism.  The inside of the cover is in superb condition!  The outside not so.  Time for the Dremel fitted with a tiny wire brush.

The Dremel did the business - now for the paint.  This time I armed myself with paint stripper.  

Fantastic stuff!  Just need a scraper (plastic filler spreader is ideal because it won't scratch the metal) and we're away.  Better to wear gloves when doing this because that stuff stings a bit!

Time for the 120 grit wet and dry and a wash in the sink while no-one's about... 'looks around nervously'.

Time to get back in the garage before I get found out.

It's a good idea to clean out all of the threads.  Corrosion, instant gasket (silicone) and damaged threads all cause havoc when rebuilding so sort it out as you go along.  A good tap and die set is a must when restoring.

Right, let's give it a whirl.

That'll ding dang do for me.  Just needs the paint rubbing off the letters and it'll be right.

Not too bad to be fair.  Time to make a start on the stator cover.

Seat Covers, Bases, Rust and Ruin.

I ordered a new seat cover off Ebay because I just happened across it ,and thought I'd better snap it up (that's me all over!). I'm certainly nowhere near that stage yet but at the end of the day - it doesn't matter what you do first.

But maybe I should have had a better look at the seat before splashing out on a new cover!

 

 

Time to get the old cover off and check that seat base.  Looking a little corroded!

 

The staples are very rusty but, with gentle leverage, came out of the plastic strips that are rivetted to the seat base.  Any sharp bits left were taken out with a long-nosed pliers.

So, as the cover came off, the donkey was able to see the carrot.

 

Unfortunately, the base was worse than I first thought.  Not impossible but it might be better to source another seat rather than try and repair.  I'll have a think about this one.

 

The foam, which I thought was in bad shape, didn't turn out to be too bad.  A good wash and I think it's reusable.  Yes I'm serious.  It's still nice and soft and the rough sections shouldn't show once the seat cover is fitted.  I've seen worse.

Sorry if you thought that there might be a shiny new seat sitting at the end - that's how it goes sometimes.  Half the battle when restoring bikes is maintaining the motivation when the rust crumbles in your hands - oh, and money, money's always a problem!

Spend time thinking about the solution - not the problem.

The Carburettor: Bing 84

Anyone who's tried to strip an old carburettor will know of the hardships involved: blocked airways, damaged screw heads, seized jets.  The state of the outside didn't bode well.

Nevertheless, it needed to be cleaned - it needed to be stripped.

Using a mixture of WD40, soapy water and carb cleaner, I managed to get the outside clean enough to work on.

The quick release clip for the float bowl moved with ease. 

A few taps with a screwdriver handle to separate the bowl from the cork gasket and it was off.

It wasn't pretty but I set to work with the carb cleaner and screwdriver and it began to clean up really well.  In fact, the float bowl is in superb condition compared to my military 250 Can-am.  Having sat in a pond for years, the military version's had begun to rot out.

The float pivot slid out like a new one!

The float needle - looks in reasonable fettle to be fair.

Like a bought one!

The entire carb came apart as if it was put together yesterday.  Not bad for 35 years old.

Take note of every jet, spring etc.  Easy to lose parts so take your time and keep your work area clean.  When unscrewing jets, use a quality screwdriver that fits the slot properly.  Brass jets are easily damaged but I'm pleased to say the pilot jet was in superb condition.

If you have access to a compressor, blow out all of the airways/jets and check that the air is passing right through.

The only thing I need to get is the tickler mechanism as it's rotted slightly.  I'll finish the cleaning/polishing when I fit it.

A Scotch in the hand is worth a bike in the bush.

Creepie Crawlies.
It seems that precautions are needed when restoring anything that's been lying around in Australia for a few years.  So far I've come across spiders, woodlice, some sort of centipede and, worst of all, ants.  Now, I'm none too fond of ants and, to be fair, they were none too impressed at being poked around by me when the stripdown commenced - but they had to go!

The handlebars and the front hub were absolutely full of the little buggers and I'm seriously hoping I've seen the last of them. 

Now back to the project.

The corrosion does look quite severe but I'm hoping there are some good bits left underneath.

The air filter (long since disintegrated) complete with nest of some description.

The ants were calm at this point.  It was when I tried to remove the anchor plate that they went nuts!

 

The linings had plenty of life left in them - shame they were no longer attached to the shoes!  And yes, the hub was full of ant eggs.

She's wearing the wrong mudguard and the seat is a little dilapidated but this just adds to the fun of restoration.

When you begin the stripdown, always label everything and put it away in boxes.  I'm not too concerned this time because I'm familiar with Can-am's but, had it been another make, I'd be labelling it all.  Photos also help with the obscure parts.