Having purchased a 1959/60, sadly re-registered 1972, at the moment for now, outfit, which had been stood for 33 years, for the sum of £3500.
In March this year, I set about its restoration, as greybeard recommended I took his advice and removed the engine to strip down to clean out the sludge trap, the rebuild of the engine consisted of SRM hex sludge trap plugs, a new timing side bush and crank regrind, as well as a barrel hone to remove the glaze and new pistons and rings as well as new gaskets.
The Gearbox had to be striped as the previous owner said it used to get tight when hot, the problem looked to be the replacement final gear mainshaft bushes, both butted up to each other with no gap in the centre for oil, a quick fix in the lathe, gearbox rebuilt with a new sprocket and an SRM sprocket nut with seal, the drive side had a new engine sprocket ( solo) fitted with an SRM timing set nut, as well as an SRM 4 spring clutch and new primary chain, the sliding plate had a neophrene seal as well as a felt seal, also a small hole was drilled in the inspection cap on the outer case to releiase any pressure build up, I had fitted the mods to a friends rocket and the gearbox and primary chain guard have remaained oil leak proof, so hopefully so will mine.
As I had taken the engine out, the frame really needed a paint job as did the tinware to smarten it up, so off to the sandblasters to be blasted and primed, I decided that i was going to respray myself with Halford rattle cans, using a petrol proof laquer on top.
The forks were the wrong ones and also worn out also the bottom yolk shaft must have been bent as it was tight on the steering on one side, so replacement fork sliders and bottom yolk were sourced from a well known auction site, new staunchions and bushes were purchased as well as rear suspension units.
As you know from my previous posts the frame had been replaced in 1972, hence the registration number, unfortunately the frame had been used for racing so all the stand lugs the tank anti roll bracket, the tank fixing bracket as well as the front seat fixing and the two tool box fixings had been cut off, I was lucky enough to have been loaned a frame to copy all the brackets, I fabricated them all and took them to my local welding firm to have them fitted to the frame.
All the chrome was cleaned carefully with soft wire wool and either a soft rubbing down compound or solvo autosol and refitted, the rear wheel is the worst with one half rusty still and one half not too bad, must have had some damp getting on it whilst stored, the carb, dynamo and mag were cleaned and preform well, even when hot, the bike starts and runs well, although I have had to fit one of Polly's anti wet sump valves.
The rebuild has not gone without problems so I am going to call it "Moaning Myrtle" as not meaning to be sexist if it was male it would have cooperated!!
Just for interest I totted up what I had spent on work done by others and parts obtained, a grand total of £3020. 78p, making a total of £6520, Just goes to prove we do this sort of thing for love, as I will not get all that money back if I sellit, but to me it is worth it, even more may be spent later getting the rear wheel rim and spokes.
