Possibly my first screw up?

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Richard Tool said:
The person who hasn’t made any mistakes hasn’t tried anything new . As a very low ranking self taught machinist wannbe I can attest to a few truisms .
If the making of a component requires a number of successive operations you will always screw it up on the last operation.
Get a belt driven lathe if you are a beginner- you will run the tooling into the chuck - probably more than once .
The spinning jaws of the chuck hurt your knuckles.

Like many , I eventually learn from my mistakes- emphasis on “eventually “....
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Thanks Richard. I am also a self taught weekend mechanic and machinist. I’ve learned so much over the years working on cars and my Triumph and BSA motorcycles and breaking things is par for the course.

I really love British bikes and I’m trying my best.

I really appreciate everyone’s input on this site. It’s how WE ALL learn.
 
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Fyi OldBritts has the intermediate shaft holding plate from AN for $30 USD. Just got one a few days ago.
 
Richard Tool said:
The person who hasn’t made any mistakes hasn’t tried anything new . As a very low ranking self taught machinist wannabee I can attest to a few truisms .
If the making of a component requires a number of successive operations you will always screw it up on the last operation.
Get a belt driven lathe if you are a beginner- you will run the tooling into the chuck - probably more than once .
The spinning jaws of the chuck hurt your knuckles.

Like many , I eventually learn from my mistakes- emphasis on “eventually “....
Click to expand...
I would like to add another truism...ALWAYS TRIPLE CHECK that the tap drill you are about to use is actually the correct size.
 
Don't worry about screwing up. If anyone ever says they haven't don't something dumb working on mechanical items, they are lying. A friend was a crew chief for a well known top fuel drag racer and he once left a shop towel IN the engine at a major race during a teardown. The rag was chewed up by the camshaft/lifters and totally blocked the oil passages with predictable results. He laughs about it now; he didn't then...:oops:
 
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You learn by your mistakes and I bet you won't do that again, but of course there will be other mistakes down the road but because you made one now you will think about it before you dig deeper, even professionals makes mistakes.

Ashley
 
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The bloke that doesn't make mistakes "dosent make anything"!!!
 
ashman said:
You learn by your mistakes and I bet you won't do that again, but of course there will be other mistakes down the road but because you made one now you will think about it before you did deeper, even professionals makes mistakes.

Ashley
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Trust me, I will never do that again. I’m hoping I’m lucky and the shaft will still fit snugly.
 
MexicoMike said:
Don't worry about screwing up. If anyone ever says they haven't don't something dumb working on mechanical items, they are lying. A friend was a crew chief for a well known top fuel drag racer and he once left a shop towel IN the engine at a major race during a teardown. The rag was chewed up by the camshaft/lifters and totally blocked the oil passages with predictable results. He laughs about it now; he didn't then...:oops:
Click to expand...
No kidding? That’s really bad. Glad he can laugh about it. I guess he kept his job.
 
TV show - Ice Pilots IIRC - Freight & Passenger operation in the Yukon I believe. They operate largely radial piston engine aircraft .
Mechanic left a hammer in the main gear wheel bay - prevented starboard gear in a C46 taildragger from locking . You can guess what happened @ touchdown.
Then there was Capt Smith on the maiden voyage of a certain transatlantic liner not heeding iceberg warnings ...
 
MexicoMike said:
Don't worry about screwing up. If anyone ever says they haven't don't something dumb working on mechanical items, they are lying. A friend was a crew chief for a well known top fuel drag racer and he once left a shop towel IN the engine at a major race during a teardown. The rag was chewed up by the camshaft/lifters and totally blocked the oil passages with predictable results. He laughs about it now; he didn't then...:oops:
Click to expand...

Some time back in the 1990's I am at a plant shutdown at a large paper mill (I worked there on contract) and they would bring in extra people on that monthly maintenance day.

I am doing some job in the plant but come back to the main workshop off and on, one time I see two newbies have a 5 or so inch pump shaft on wooden blocks on the floor, these are shafts with a step up shoulder where the gland packing runs. (I had changed plenty with the press on sleeve version and ceramic band for the gland packing to run on @ $3129 per sleeve)

I come back a second time and these guys had elected to split the sleeve (I guess) with a cut off wheel and 7 inch grinder... Normally a little heat from propane and they would come off fine.

I walk over, tap the dude on the shoulder and he stops cutting (not to far) with a .. What !! .... The look on his face was priceless when I told him, that is not a sleeve (no ceramic insert) but part of the shaft.

One time back in the 1980's I put the newly ported head back on my Z1000J, there is a 6 mm bolt with chromed head each end of it.
I check the manual and it says 105 ft/lbs, I remember to this day thinking, wow they must be special steel, the first snapped above the block/cylinder luckily so only had to remove the cams and head to fit a new bolt (after I bought new ones)
That was the day learned look more closely, there is no steel that special and it was something called 105 INCH pounds of torque.

Another time I am going on a group ride the next day so elect to check the carburettor sync.... I come up with a new way using ball bearings and some screwed up rag in front of the slides, open the throttle, done when both drop under the slide at the same time, the rags stop them going down the ports = genius.
All done and fire it up, it makes a weird muffled noise and fires up followed by the rags coming out of each muffler with moon shape chomp marks = doh.
No big deal ? its a desmo Ducati so mechanically opened and shut valves....... I then remove the engine to strip the heads to check that the ($600) valves are not tweaked or bent, a half hour sync check turned into days luckily with no damage.

I even remember one time where I am working on my BB Mustang and rocked the car the wrong way in gear to see distributor rotation to fit new 'Mallory leads.
I bumped it the wrong way so as it turned out got all but one lead in the right port.

We towed it with a Austin Cambridge (the humility) around the block with the Holley popping and banging before figuring out the mistake.
Some years later when I was building a new engine, the machine shop informed me, quite a few of the connecting rods were tweaked......... It was a look to the sky, Hmmm moment and remembering that day.
 
Time Warp said:
Some time back in the 1990's I am at a plant shutdown at a large paper mill (I worked there on contract) and they would bring in extra people on that monthly maintenance day.

I am doing some job in the plant but come back to the main workshop off and on, one time I see two newbies have a 5 or so inch pump shaft on wooden blocks on the floor, these are shafts with a step up shoulder where the gland packing runs. (I had changed plenty with the press on sleeve version and ceramic band for the gland packing to run on @ $3129 per sleeve)

I come back a second time and these guys had elected to split the sleeve (I guess) with a cut off wheel and 7 inch grinder... Normally a little heat from propane and they would come off fine.

I walk over, tap the dude on the shoulder and he stops cutting (not to far) with a .. What !! .... The look on his face was priceless when I told him, that is not a sleeve (no ceramic insert) but part of the shaft.

One time back in the 1980's I put the newly ported head back on my Z1000J, there is a 6 mm bolt with chromed head each end of it.
I check the manual and it says 105 ft/lbs, I remember to this day thinking, wow they must be special steel, the first snapped above the block/cylinder luckily so only had to remove the cams and head to fit a new bolt (after I bought new ones)
That was the day learned look more closely, there is no steel that special and it was something called 105 INCH pounds of torque.

Another time I am going on a group ride the next day so elect to check the carburettor sync.... I come up with a new way using ball bearings and some screwed up rag in front of the slides, open the throttle, done when both drop under the slide at the same time, the rags stop them going down the ports = genius.
All done and fire it up, it makes a weird muffled noise and fires up followed by the rags coming out of each muffler with moon shape chomp marks = doh.
No big deal ? its a desmo Ducati so mechanically opened and shut valves....... I then remove the engine to strip the heads to check that the ($600) valves are not tweaked or bent, a half hour sync check turned into days luckily with no damage.

I even remember one time where I am working on my BB Mustang and rocked the car the wrong way in gear to see distributor rotation to fit new 'Mallory leads.
I bumped it the wrong way so as it turned out got all but one lead in the right port.

We towed it with a Austin Cambridge (the humility) around the block with the Holley popping and banging before figuring out the mistake.
Some years later when I was building a new engine, the machine shop informed me, quite a few of the connecting rods were tweaked......... It was a look to the sky, Hmmm moment and remembering that day.
Click to expand...

I love all these stories, makes me feel less stupid. I’m still kicking myself for being overly aggressive with this, but I think I’ll be ok.

I’m sure I’ll make plenty more mistakes, but like I said, what I have learned these past two days are worth more than the damage done!
 
Possibly my first screw up?
Time Warp said:
Another time I am going on a group ride the next day so elect to check the carburettor sync.... I come up with a new way using ball bearings and some screwed up rag in front of the slides, open the throttle, done when both drop under the slide at the same time, the rags stop them going down the ports = genius.
Click to expand...

I started doing it this way with Tridents but it's easier as the whole carb and gantry comes off. With the Dommie and Commando I used to stuff a rag in but noticed the balls never go past the spray tubes anyway (flat not angled) so I tend not to put any rag in now as long as I have a telescopic magnet to hand.
 
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Norcoastal said:
I believe that the intermediate shaft had broken off in my engine case.

The case came this way and I appears as if the end is broken in it. I looked at my parts manual and there doesn’t seem to be a sleeve around the shaft so I assumed that it must have broken off.

I heated it up and started to try and chisel it out when I stopped and said f#$k, I better ask someone who knows more than me.

I’ve been known to make things worse. I can see it now, here’s an engine case that’s been around for 47 years and I screw it up in a week.

Can someone please tell me if this is a sleeve or a broken shaft. And if it’s a sleeve and I screwed up, I’m going to be pretty mad at myself.

Take a look.

Possibly my first screw up?


Possibly my first screw up?


Possibly my first screw up?


Possibly my first screw up?
Click to expand...
The problem will be that if you clean up that hole you will potentially make the shaft a loose fit, so I would remove the circlip and gently push in the shaft which should hopefully clean up the bore as it goes, then once you are within +/- 1mm of the circlip groove carefully clean out any debris that's been pushed ahead (paying particular attention the the circlip groove) and once you are sure it's clear replace the circlip and snug up the shaft to it.


Cheers,

cliffa.
 
cliffa said:
The problem will be that if you clean up that hole you will potentially make the shaft a loose fit, so I would remove the circlip and gently push in the shaft which should hopefully clean up the bore as it goes, then once you are within +/- 1mm of the circlip groove carefully clean out any debris that's been pushed ahead (paying particular attention the the circlip groove) and once you are sure it's clear replace the circlip and snug up the shaft to it.


Cheers,

cliffa.
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
I was talking to Fred (old britts) at the norton rally last yr in WA. and he said they don't ship to canada. so Tornado how did you get it?
 
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