47 UL Project updates

I’m adding some pictures of the bike’s build as I go along. I’ve got some catching up to do. As of now, I’ve fitted the fender, oil tank , front end, rear wheel, primary, and chain guard. At least, the preliminary fitting, so I’ve got holes in the right places, stuff fits together, simple basic important stuff like that .

We’ll start with some pics of some of the engine work to date.

Here’s the tool I made for setting the new main race into the engine case. The race itself it the shiny part with sharpie writing indicating the race’s actual outside diameter. The tool is some bar stock with an adapter machined to just fit inside of the race, with allowance made for the race to shrink slightly when it’s seated in the case. The domed washer with a bolt holding it in place holds the race captive so that when I turn the whole assembly upside down to insert into the case, the race doesn’t fall off! One of those things you think about the Second time you use the tool!

Here I’ve built a “dam” around the race and the top of the installing tool to help hold the Verrrry Cold Propane against the race and tool so that they will chill out to -40 Deg. (Farenheit or Celsius, both the same). I’ve got an adapter that lets liquid propane come right out of those small lantern propane tanks when you turn them upside down.

Next step is to quickly place the race into the case, which has been heated to abut 325 deg F.

Here’s the tool/race being placed into the heated case. When things go right, the race just goes “Tink” and bottoms out into place with just hand pressure, no need to use the press. The extra mass of the large amounts of steel in the installing tool helps keep the race cold until it’s completely seated in place.

After the new race is in place, The race will need to be sized to accept the new bearings. Here’s the lapping tool that I used to size the races for new bearings. The new race on the timing side is, of course, sized but the drive side race is also lapped as well to remove traces of any marking of the race from the tracks of previous bearings running on it.

The lapping procedure also insures that the two bearing races are exactly aligned with each other so the flywheels run true in the cases.

It’s March 25th, doing a little catchup in my posts. I’ve added some miscellaneous pictures of work done recently.

A few pictures of the relined brake shoes and cleaned and painted backing plate. You need to be able to stop as well as go. These are new old stock I picked from a swap meet,

We’re drilling the new cam bearings for the locating pins that will lock them in place and prevent them from shifting. With the mill, it’s a cinch to drill in the proper spot so that the pin will be located equally in the bush and the case. After driving in the pins, you peen the bronze bush slightly over the end to keep the pin from working it’s way out of the hole.

Last week we were shooting paint, conditions were good for painting. The heat in the shop is marginal, so it helps if we have warm weather when I want to paint.

Tanks, fender, etc after the first coat of clear. My 2 mouse catchers can barely be seen in the background checking out my work.

The badges are going to be the 47-51 “Speedball” type, the tanks themselves are 70’s era superglide 3 1/2 gal. I like using them as they’re real steel and they use the later style petcocks which are simple and work.