Stuff you have fixed today

[Turbo]

I'm a happy bunny. Finally have a freely moving height adjuster for the con-rod boring jig.

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As an added bonus, as you'll note from the photo's, the heating method I used has also given it a black finish.

Repeated electrolysis, dousing in oil etc. had failed, so yesterday I heated it then followed it up with a quick dunk in the electrolysis vat today, & that did the trick, & also blacked it.

I couldn't be arsed digging out all my propane gear yesterday, so decided to use the stove instead. Round tobacco tin to enclose it, (save it getting damaged), then packed wood ash around it in the tin, lid back on, then just built the fire up over it & left it in there to do its thing.

In the tin & packed with wood ash.

View attachment 494471

In the fire.

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Drilled 3 small holes in the lid just incase of any steaming/gassing.

I was roasting my knacks off in the flat yesterday, with the stove going in this weather.

Have to try that.

I discovered this method.

Soak in hot citric, rinse with boiling water then into wd40 until it cools. Let it drip dry overnight then dry off with a cloth. Leaves a black finish that seems durable.

 

[MattF]

I'm thinking this method may be akin to caustic bluing, with wood ash being alkaline, though that's just a guess. Seems a resilient finish. It had a wire brushing before those photo's were taken, & it hasn't come off or faded.

 

[Blobber]

Fixed? Year after year it's getting more difficult to keep this clean. Less and less motivation sadly.

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Still looks good, I've not even had the viva gt out this year

 

[minimutly]

Yes, I was expecting someone who has done a few to days that, but my problem is this was my first, on my back, with reading glasses, no patience for the sh1t that Ford sells etc etc..

Update on this - the new Chinese made Bosch starter spins it over like a goodun. Result I think.

 

[Barking Mat]

Over 4 hours to remove 15 meters of rope off a propeller.....

These two last bits took the last two hours.

These clients managed to drown their dog in a lock yesterday.

Sad.

 

[MysterG]

More Midgetty tinkering today. On the agenda, fitting the hazard light kit I bought a while back.
It's not been unknown for me to break down, and every little helps get you noticed at the side of the road in this day and age of massive cars and less observant drivers.

Nice little kit with a decent wiring diagram.
Power was easy, just run a new cable from a spare terminal on the fuse box (yep only four fuses but I happen to have a spare terminal)
The main concern was where to tap into the left and right indicator circuits.
In the end for ease of access, soldering and generally not hacking into the main loom, I decided to splice into the two wires at the indicator stalk.

Once wrapped back up just two new bullet connectors to ever show I was there.

Works great, just got to finish the install properly as it's all hanging out at the moment. Got too hot in the garage

 

[ajlelectronics]

More Midgetty tinkering today. On the agenda, fitting the hazard light kit I bought a while back.
It's not been unknown for me to break down, and every little helps get you noticed at the side of the road in this day and age of massive cars and less observant drivers.

Nice little kit with a decent wiring diagram.
Power was easy, just run a new cable from a spare terminal on the fuse box (yep only four fuses but I happen to have a spare terminal)
The main concern was where to tap into the left and right indicator circuits.
In the end for ease of access, soldering and generally not hacking into the main loom, I decided to splice into the two wires at the indicator stalk.

Once wrapped back up just two new bullet connectors to ever show I was there.

Works great, just got to finish the install properly as it's all hanging out at the moment. Got too hot in the garage

View attachment 494581

View attachment 494582

If you are using electrical tape rather than loom tape, put a cable tie both ends to stop it unravelling. I use "fluffy" loom tape which silences the loom tapping too.

 

[MysterG]

If you are using electrical tape rather than loom tape, put a cable tie both ends to stop it unravelling. I use "fluffy" loom tape which silences the loom tapping too.

I just cut the original plastic tube then cable tied it back into place.
I've dealt with too much old sticky electrical tape today

 

[Keithmac]

Had an old friend back in today, we imported this from Japan probably 25 years ago now.

That was my first job sorting all the imports out from shipping containers to showroom back in the day.

Not original owner but new owner has had it a long while now.

Really nice original unmolested NC30.

Carb strip and clean after been stood over winter and a nice ride out this afternoon in the sunshine.

These along with the NC35's were always my favourites. Lovely little V4 engines, distinctive whine from the cam gear train.

Great to see it has been looked after so well after all these years, a 1989 bike all original bar some braided brake lines.

 

[dobbslc]

Really nice original unmolested NC30

Lovely bikes those NC30's!
My first ride on a bike bigger than a 125 was one of these and it was wet so I also experienced my first go at rear wheel steering
Working on the carbs and exhaustion downpipes can be a PITA though
I had one as a track bike as well 20 odd years ago.

 

[Keithmac]

Lovely bikes those NC30's!
My first ride on a bike bigger that a 125 was one of these and it was wet so I also experienced my first go at rear wheel steering
Working on the carbs and exhaustion downpipes can be a PITA though
I had one as a track bike as well 20 odd years ago.

Yeh rear exhaust manifold on the rear head can be a pain.

Carbs weren't that bad to take off, was thinking the hot weather we've had made them easier to refit (soft carb to head intake rubbers), can be a pain in winter though!.

Only issue with the NC30's is nobody makes a rear tyre anymore (18"). I think this owner had found a good 2nd hand one.

You can fit an RVF 400 rear wheel (if you can find one) or modify the hub for a VFR 750 rear wheel I believe to go 17".

 

[jmp49]

I always remember a friend had a nc30, a second mate had a Yamaha FZR400 that had allegedly been breathed on heavily by vance and hines, and I had a lightly modified gpx600r. The FZR was blindingly fast, and my mate was a really really good rider, people always used to say if he had ever got the chance to race he'd have been someone well known, I used to struggle to stay with him on twisty roads and in the wet though I loved the razor steering of the gpx with that 16" front shod with a battleaxe that most people hated it for. We often were playing wait in a layby or at destination for matey on the NC30 though.
I think a lot of that was down to the rider not the bike though to be fair, lets just say he was much more conservative and less wanting to have to fix things when he fell off, though it sounded lovely on song.
The carb reminds me of the one on my XL600R, I fear that carb to be honest, I've never touched it in 10 years of ownership and it was onerous that it came with 2 spare sets too in a box, but this year I probably will have to. I'm supposed to fit a stroker rod to it making it a 650 with a XR crank and a new power rod conrod and big forged piston and a few other mods to try and make it less boring to ride, then if I do, I'll HAVE to go near the carb.
I have a early 90's 1000 exup engined bimota (yb8), and when I got it the carburation was terrible and the dealers who sold it secondhand tried to fob me off that was all I could expect from such a OLD bike (this was in 2000 or so) but in the end knocked a load of money off, so I paid woody of british drag racing fame the amount they reduced it by to sort them out for me, and a lovely job he did too of both them and the exup valve timing and it was transformed to something that wheelied off the throttle at 80mph and may have registered 170mph on a gps at one point on a autobahn, honest officer. Problem is now its a massive voyage to have him work his magic again when I get round to getting it back on the road and I'm not sure I bend like that to ride it properly anymore!
So tl,dr, I'm a big coward when it comes to carbs, its my kryptonite.. FI, beep boop, hack or rip the ecu out and fit a megasquirt, session with the wideband and all is nice.

Anyway, today I have fixed, or at least declared done, the following mega project.
Daughters 207, bought cheap (for over here) with issues and starship mileage for a 1.4 vti petrol at 160+ k, it rattled, made horrible noises out the exhaust, had terrible paint and pee'd oil out of every orrifice. But she liked it, so I promised to fix everything that needed fixing and pay for the parts as she was actually getting interested in mechanical things, which was only to be encouraged imho.
So first, the engine, out on a stand, flushed, new camchain set, new oilpump chain, new pump, all the seals, stretchbolts, probe round the variable valve timing gear but left alone as seemed in order, compression test good so left the cylinders alone, new stat and some other sensors that didnt look great with broken connectors etc fixed.


Then android auto and carplay screen that sat in the place of the infotainment display with a huge screen, 3d printed a holder to hold the original info display in the original radio space, new control arms, discs, pads, rear drums because lumps were missing and they were cracked, shoes etc etc, got peugeot planet and diagbox working and a vci interface, cut 3 new blank keys and programmed the immobilizers for them and remotes, yada yada.
On to the appearance, found some cheap alloys that someone had sprayed one in matt black to hide scuffs, making them really odd, with 40 series profile tyres, that when fitted made the car stupidly low. I trapped my arm between the rolling bridge and the sill at one point it was so low and had to get daughter to jack it up quick, completely impractical even if it did look mildly cool. So new set of matched tyres from the tyre shoppie on special offer for her birthday present, resprayed one alloy and dressed and lacquered it to match the others so they weren't odd.
But the paint... it was really bad. I've never seen lacquer that peeled off so easy, and the paint underneath was bleached pink in places too and there were loads of dings and dents & in fact the car was about 5 different colours.


I got the worst of the dents out playing at PDR with a lightboard and glue pulling etc, but I havent sprayed anything in 2 decades, and never used 2k or lacquer in the past only cellulouse and aerosol so wanted to try my hand because I have some really nice projects in the queue that need paint when they finally pop out...
Enter one chinese inflatable spray booth. Set up inside the barn because it was winter and below freezing outside, I heated it with a electric blow heater that I turned off between spraying and a chinese diesel heater outside. Lots of filling and sanding and primer etc.


Early experiences, better than what I had before (ie nothing), cleaner, but really prone to dust in the paint because of poor filtration and the inflator pump blowing debris round the interior.
If you look at this pic of the bumper on a body rotating paint stand (xmas prezzie!), you'll by now notice the booth isnt inflated, and is using a cheap old style metal gazebo frame and tethers up to rafters to stay in shape. A great solution, inflate with the blower, assemble gazeebo frame inside and tension tethers, then turn the damn noisy blower pumps off and let it all settle down. Bonus if you have a power outage, the tent doesnt end up glued to the fresh paint and you can keep tables etc in the paint lab at the end with your gear on.
The dust issue was partially solved but still no cigar. I think some was the heater in the booth had crusty bits inside and I was turning it on to bake the layer post spray that I found afterwards, but some was still the poor filtration system the booth has. But I have a better solution in the works involving a industrial high flow extraction fan and box filter elements in a cover for the window filters for mk3.


So fast forward a few more months when I got derailed by having to sort my lad's replacement car out after he wrote his off, and the mrs's car and other stuff and today I got weld on her heart shaped tailpipe on the new exhaust I fitted and french it into the bumper and to test drive it. It goes alright, quite happy to break the 80mph limit on the autoroute easily, doesnt overheat and doesnt leak though the battery tests as weak so will get a new one tomorrow. And she loves it. I mostly love that I get the workshop space back finally and she's happy even if I have lost the peugeot and 207 badges in black she bought to stick on, but I'll find them in the mega tidy up I can now begin doing. My wife says not bad for a 17 year old car.


Have to add, it wasnt all me, daughter helped when it was ok, not with the 2k because I only had one airfed mask etc, but for the black out parts she bead blasted and prepped them in the cabinet. She also has to wrap the door pillar in black tomorrow with my assistance after cleaning and polishing it herself. To be clear there's no polish on this yet, just finished off with 3600 grade compound. And having her interested and seeing progress was the best bit.

 

[Keithmac]

I always remember a friend had a nc30, a second mate had a Yamaha FZR400 that had allegedly been breathed on heavily by vance and hines, and I had a lightly modified gpx600r. The FZR was blindingly fast, and my mate was a really really good rider, people always used to say if he had ever got the chance to race he'd have been someone well known, I used to struggle to stay with him on twisty roads and in the wet though I loved the razor steering of the gpx with that 16" front shod with a battleaxe that most people hated it for. We often were playing wait in a layby or at destination for matey on the NC30 though.
I think a lot of that was down to the rider not the bike though to be fair, lets just say he was much more conservative and less wanting to have to fix things when he fell off, though it sounded lovely on song.
The carb reminds me of the one on my XL600R, I fear that carb to be honest, I've never touched it in 10 years of ownership and it was onerous that it came with 2 spare sets too in a box, but this year I probably will have to. I'm supposed to fit a stroker rod to it making it a 650 with a XR crank and a new power rod conrod and big forged piston and a few other mods to try and make it less boring to ride, then if I do, I'll HAVE to go near the carb.
I have a early 90's 1000 exup engined bimota (yb8), and when I got it the carburation was terrible and the dealers who sold it secondhand tried to fob me off that was all I could expect from such a OLD bike (this was in 2000 or so) but in the end knocked a load of money off, so I paid woody of british drag racing fame the amount they reduced it by to sort them out for me, and a lovely job he did too of both them and the exup valve timing and it was transformed to something that wheelied off the throttle at 80mph and may have registered 170mph on a gps at one point on a autobahn, honest officer. Problem is now its a massive voyage to have him work his magic again when I get round to getting it back on the road and I'm not sure I bend like that to ride it properly anymore!
So tl,dr, I'm a big coward when it comes to carbs, its my kryptonite.. FI, beep boop, hack or rip the ecu out and fit a megasquirt, session with the wideband and all is nice.

Anyway, today I have fixed, or at least declared done, the following mega project.
Daughters 207, bought cheap (for over here) with issues and starship mileage for a 1.4 vti petrol at 160+ k, it rattled, made horrible noises out the exhaust, had terrible paint and pee'd oil out of every orrifice. But she liked it, so I promised to fix everything that needed fixing and pay for the parts as she was actually getting interested in mechanical things, which was only to be encouraged imho.
So first, the engine, out on a stand, flushed, new camchain set, new oilpump chain, new pump, all the seals, stretchbolts, probe round the variable valve timing gear but left alone as seemed in order, compression test good so left the cylinders alone, new stat and some other sensors that didnt look great with broken connectors etc fixed.
View attachment 494721

Then android auto and carplay screen that sat in the place of the infotainment display with a huge screen, 3d printed a holder to hold the original info display in the original radio space, new control arms, discs, pads, rear drums because lumps were missing and they were cracked, shoes etc etc, got peugeot planet and diagbox working and a vci interface, cut 3 new blank keys and programmed the immobilizers for them and remotes, yada yada.
On to the appearance, found some cheap alloys that someone had sprayed one in matt black to hide scuffs, making them really odd, with 40 series profile tyres, that when fitted made the car stupidly low. I trapped my arm between the rolling bridge and the sill at one point it was so low and had to get daughter to jack it up quick, completely impractical even if it did look mildly cool. So new set of matched tyres from the tyre shoppie on special offer for her birthday present, resprayed one alloy and dressed and lacquered it to match the others so they weren't odd.
But the paint... it was really bad. I've never seen lacquer that peeled off so easy, and the paint underneath was bleached pink in places too and there were loads of dings and dents & in fact the car was about 5 different colours.
View attachment 494723

I got the worst of the dents out playing at PDR with a lightboard and glue pulling etc, but I havent sprayed anything in 2 decades, and never used 2k or lacquer in the past only cellulouse and aerosol so wanted to try my hand because I have some really nice projects in the queue that need paint when they finally pop out...
Enter one chinese inflatable spray booth. Set up inside the barn because it was winter and below freezing outside, I heated it with a electric blow heater that I turned off between spraying and a chinese diesel heater outside. Lots of filling and sanding and primer etc.
View attachment 494724

Early experiences, better than what I had before (ie nothing), cleaner, but really prone to dust in the paint because of poor filtration and the inflator pump blowing debris round the interior.
If you look at this pic of the bumper on a body rotating paint stand (xmas prezzie!), you'll by now notice the booth isnt inflated, and is using a cheap old style metal gazebo frame and tethers up to rafters to stay in shape. A great solution, inflate with the blower, assemble gazeebo frame inside and tension tethers, then turn the damn noisy blower pumps off and let it all settle down. Bonus if you have a power outage, the tent doesnt end up glued to the fresh paint and you can keep tables etc in the paint lab at the end with your gear on.
The dust issue was partially solved but still no cigar. I think some was the heater in the booth had crusty bits inside and I was turning it on to bake the layer post spray that I found afterwards, but some was still the poor filtration system the booth has. But I have a better solution in the works involving a industrial high flow extraction fan and box filter elements in a cover for the window filters for mk3.
View attachment 494726

So fast forward a few more months when I got derailed by having to sort my lad's replacement car out after he wrote his off, and the mrs's car and other stuff and today I got weld on her heart shaped tailpipe on the new exhaust I fitted and french it into the bumper and to test drive it. It goes alright, quite happy to break the 80mph limit on the autoroute easily, doesnt overheat and doesnt leak though the battery tests as weak so will get a new one tomorrow. And she loves it. I mostly love that I get the workshop space back finally and she's happy even if I have lost the peugeot and 207 badges in black she bought to stick on, but I'll find them in the mega tidy up I can now begin doing. My wife says not bad for a 17 year old car.
View attachment 494727View attachment 494728

Have to add, it wasnt all me, daughter helped when it was ok, not with the 2k because I only had one airfed mask etc, but for the black out parts she bead blasted and prepped them in the cabinet. She also has to wrap the door pillar in black tomorrow with my assistance after cleaning and polishing it herself. To be clear there's no polish on this yet, just finished off with 3600 grade compound. And having her interested and seeing progress was the best bit.

That's a great project on the 207, looks lovely!.

Me and my son and daughter did our MK2 Golf a while back, engine out and restoration. Still need to paint it but MOT'd and on the road.

I did a Bimoto SB6 a while back, had to have carbs off 4 times to get jetting correct. Was miles out from factory. I wonder if people used to just put up with it?.

I like EFI too for mapping, did MegaSquirt conversion on the Golf and road tuned from scratch. Only problem is there's always a tweet to do, can never leave it alone lol!.

 

[jmp49]

I did a Bimoto SB6 a while back, had to have carbs off 4 times to get jetting correct. Was miles out from factory. I wonder if people used to just put up with it?.

I like EFI too for mapping, did MegaSquirt conversion on the Golf and road tuned from scratch. Only problem is there's always a tweet to do, can never leave it alone lol!.

I think there's a element of that, once I visited the bimota owners club stall at a event and saying that I liked all the tiny details you only see while working on it with all the bodywork stripped off that hides everything, and there was a few things I'd changed to make it better and easier to live with and some of the people around me looked aghast like actually working on them was for poor people and things could not possibly be improved or go wrong. Herasay!

 

[daleyd]

That's a great project on the 207, looks lovely!.

Me and my son and daughter did our MK2 Golf a while back, engine out and restoration. Still need to paint it but MOT'd and on the road.

I did a Bimoto SB6 a while back, had to have carbs off 4 times to get jetting correct. Was miles out from factory. I wonder if people used to just put up with it?.

I like EFI too for mapping, did MegaSquirt conversion on the Golf and road tuned from scratch. Only problem is there's always a tweet to do, can never leave it alone lol!.

Seem to remember road tests at the time when they were new (Performance bikes)complained about it…

I never took much notice as I was unlikely to afford a Bimota at the time

 

[Bki26]

Well the 3d printed replacement parts fit nicely after a little sanding, all back together and appears to be working just need to borrow friends 110.

Although had one random screw left so took it all apart again to find nothing missing so it's probably from the te60

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

New cam cover gaskets, needed due to seep onto exhaust manifold. Two tricky bits, the captive dip stick tube and a fuel line that's never been disconnected on 23 years.

Chiseled open the dip stick tube hoop.

Two grips and a release tool to get the fuel line off.

And it's off.

Bottom right hand corner was the problem area causing a burnt smell in the cabin.

Old gaskets replaced and buttoned up. Took two hours longer than expected.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

It won't hold up forever, but they're otherwise still good, so why not eak out another few months...

 

[Turbo]

View attachment 494901

It won't hold up forever, but they're otherwise still good, so why not eak out another few months...

I have done a similar repair using black tiger seal. Blends in better without the red bits!

 

[Farside]

I have done a similar repair using black tiger seal. Blends in better without the red bits!

Coat of paint soon sorts that.