'72 Interstate Restoration

OK.
Now the tank really is out for paint and should be ready soon. The painter is putting down black, a lady who does pinstriping who will lay down the pinstripe and decal, then clear over it all. Also, right now would be a helpful time to see some pictures of side cover decal placement on interstates. We have no reference pictures to work from.

Ive painted the yokes, oil tank, and master cylinder and they all look good. No pictures yet, sorry. I do have some of the yokes that I installed just a few minutes ago though. I used VHT high temp header paint (flat aluminum) it looks to be almost a perfect color match to the old paint.

This is where we are at, hopefully this weekend we can get access to a shop press to press in the swing arm bushes and a drill press to drill the holes for the oil filter mount. Since oil filters arent on 1972s, how noticeable are they when they are placed in the stock location?

If your wondering why the frame is back at the house not the shop, its because we needed a freezer to install the steering head and wheel bearings. It will be back at the shop this weekend. Hate to leave it in the house for more than a week! :roll:


Matt

If the cradle is black and the filter is black, no one will notice it. I've got some WIX filters and they're white, they kinda show up, but you still have to look for them under the cradle.

Dave
69S

DogT said:

If the cradle is black and the filter is black, no one will notice it. I've got some WIX filters and they're white, they kinda show up, but you still have to look for them under the cradle.

Dave
69S

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Sounds good to me, everything is black. I wasnt too worried about it, but my dad thought it might look ugly. I was pretty sure that they arent easily seen but wanted to make sure.

Matt

From the drive side you can't even see it, from the timing side:



It's the white thing in front of the wheel and behind the swing arm and this is with the rear guard off.

Dave
69S

Thanks Dave.

Im also now on the hunt for 140 wt oil for the swing arm. Im having a hard time finding anything. Where do you guys get yours/what kind is it?

Matt

mattthomas4444 said:

Thanks Dave.

Im also now on the hunt for 140 wt oil for the swing arm. Im having a hard time finding anything. Where do you guys get yours/what kind is it?

Matt

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Valvoline Gear Oil

Matt,
Google Moss Motors.They have shops in both California and Virginia.They stock straight 140w oil.About $16.oo qt.
YING

Thanks for the oil help. Ive also found that Lucas Oil also sells straight 140 so my local stores might have some if I am lucky. If not Ill probably grab some mixed blend 75(or 85)w140 unless you guys see a major problem.

Anyways, I have made some decent progress today. Got my holes drilled in the cradle to accept the oil filter, pressed in the swing arm bushings, and also installed the forks.



Im itching to get the wheels mounted so I can get the bike off that horrible jack. It wobbles all over the place and Im always scared of it falling over. Tomorrow, I hope to get the cradle mounted with the swing arm in there as well. Hopefully we'll get the wheels back from truing by the end of the week and then start putting the engine in and some other fun stuff. Also, my spring break starts on thursday so hopefully by the end of it, I will have something that looks like a motorcycle.

Matt

Earlier today, I fit the new rear vernier isolastic to the engine cradle in hopes to get the swing arm installed as well. The ISO went in fairly easy and was all set up in about 5-10 minutes. The only weird thing is that there is only a set screw on one side so the adjustable side can turn pretty easy without anything holding it in place. Am I missing a part here? Or is it just held in place by the gaitor and the bolt being torqued down?
The swing arm though was being very difficult. First, the swing arm wasnt wide enough to fit over the cradle, so I sanded the paint off in those areas and it is still not going over the cradle. I think with the help of another pair of hands, my dad and I together should be able to make it fit. But is it always supposed to be so hard to get on?

Also, the swing arm spindle itself fits nicely into one bushing, and the other bushing it fits much snugger in and it needs to be pounded in to sit all the way in place. Is this something to worry about, both the bushings and spindle are brand new? Will the tightness in the one bush restrict the swing arm from functioning properly when riding or is it okay to be a really tight fit (almost like a wheel bearing into its bore)?



Matt

Cehck if you need spindle clamps while you've got it apart Matt.
Makes it sooo much easier. Don't wait 'till it's together to find out you need 'em.

hey Matt,

Give John a call at Motoparts in Edmonton, AB. 780-988-8198 and he will hook you up with the proper 140 wt oil. He is a British only bike shop.

http://motopartsinc.com/index.asp

Darrell

davamb said:

Cehck if you need spindle clamps while you've got it apart Matt.
Makes it sooo much easier. Don't wait 'till it's together to find out you need 'em.

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I am not 100% sure what the clamps do. They prevent the spindle from moving/rotating right? Anyways that doesnt seem like it will be a problem. We have a new spindle, bushings and a set screw so hopefully she shouldn't be rotating.

One of our bushings is a perfect fit, and the other too tight. So we will order a new bushing in hopes it is a better fit. I think the tight one was just a defected one that wasnt made exactly to spec and no one noticed (I wonder how good the quality control sections are handled at the spare making facilities)

Powereng03 said:

hey Matt,

Give John a call at Motoparts in Edmonton, AB. 780-988-8198 and he will hook you up with the proper 140 wt oil. He is a British only bike shop.

http://motopartsinc.com/index.asp

Darrell

Click to expand...

Too bad I didnt see your post a day earlier, I bought Lucas 95w140 gear oil for $10 yesterday. Otherwise I would have called John (he gets parts to calgary in one day on the Greyhound) Unless I really need straight 140 I will probably just stick with what I have. I think it even says that mixed grade 75w140 is acceptable in the workshop manual in the chart of recommended lubricants.

Matt

Matt,
I would highly recommend putting the clamps on the swing-arm now while it is apart and in your hands.It is not a
hard task and will make all those new bushings and spindle last longer and the bike will handle better.
YING

The clamps are to cure ovalling of the cradle tube the spindle passes through. If you have the swingarm assembled with the drive chain on, you can grab the rear tire and push it from side to side. If you notice the chain getting slack and tighter with the movement of the rear wheel, it is from the spindle working inside the tube. The movement on my bike was fairly small, but it made a very noticable difference in the handling and I am sure it must help extend the life of the chain.

Russ

Thanks for clearing that up. I never really knew what the clamps were for. I do like the idea, however it will probably not get done this time around. I dont think my dad plans on riding the bike too often. It's going to be more of a weekend rider, in the extremely short riding season we have here in Calgary. (Cant imagine your riding season is much longer Russ, all the way up in Alaska) Anyways, as for now, all the little add ons are not in the budget. We will probably add things over the winters to come, the spindle clamps being one of them, a metal tank being another probably... etc.

Matt

But, but, but.... Matt you only need to drill a couple of holes and weld on some nuts if you've got access to the cradle tube. I passed up the opportunity while mine was in bits and then had to go the far-more expensive split-clamp route afterwards. At least check the side-play at the rear-wheel axle line with the swingarm mounted to the spindle and the cradle clamped to bench or vice or whatever. Please.

Matt,
Those clamps will only set you back about $16.00 for chrome or about $32.00 for stainless.It would be so much
easier to install now and you would not have to do any welding on your new paint.They really make a noticeaable
difference.Just my two cents worth.
YING

It was the first thing I had done to mine, the spindle was worn out and the hole in the cradle was oblong at 13K miles. Even if you just get the split collars and drill and tap a couple of holes. But it has to be lined up so nothing interferes. So much easier with the cradle out.

Dave
69S

Oh man! You guys have swayed me. I dont see why not i guess. If they are only $16 I am okay. But where can I find these clamps? Do places like Walridge have them, because we are about to order a couple little things from them so may as well get the clamps too if they sell them?

Matt

mattthomas4444 said:

Oh man! You guys have swayed me. I dont see why not i guess. If they are only $16 I am okay. But where can I find these clamps? Do places like Walridge have them, because we are about to order a couple little things from them so may as well get the clamps too if they sell them?

Matt

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Ah, no you find out they have been lying to you. :mrgreen:

The "$16" clamps still need milled, drilled and tapped. Did they mention that?