A10 rebuild

[bakerlonglegs]

I've bought a project, a 1953 A10 plunger, already in bits and had been so for decades.  Lots of parts are missing, including the carb, exhaust, seat and most of the nuts and bolts.  I thought I would post up some pics as I go along, starting with what it all looks like now....

EDIT: I've just been directed to the forum rules for posting pics  - apologies folks, from now on I'll upload pics as attachments.  Max 5 pics per post, so new posts to follow with the rest of the images.

[Greybeard]

When I came to restore my '55 plunger I was lucky that my bike was complete.  My fuel tank internal was not rusty; however after getting it back after replating I found that the inside was rusty. I don't know if it was left wet for some time during the process but I was ***** off I can tell you. The coppering, polishing and plating was done very well however so I can't complain. I used POR15 tank sealant kit:  so far no problems!

[KiwiGF]

Have you done a project before? It looks like most of the expensive parts are there. 

Timing covers are cheap to get. Ive even got a couple of spares of each.

Is the head alloy?

[WozzA]

    You intend to be a long time member of the forum eh? 
Its a huge project  with many curve balls thrown in along the way.
but always remember there's a light at the end of the tunnel..
Asking questions on the forum will give you your answers..
The joy you'll get at the first start up & ride will make it all worth while.. 
Good luck with the rebuild... 

[bakerlonglegs]

Some more pics....

[bakerlonglegs]

And again....

[bakerlonglegs]

And again....

[bakerlonglegs]

To respond to some comments.... 

Yes, it will be a long job, which is what I'm after.  I need a project to keep me busy for a year or two.  It's my second restoration - the first one I tore into like a bull at a gate, this one I intend to take more time over.  There will certainly be curve balls along the way (I've found a few already!), but everything I'm learning from the classic community and suppliers suggests this is a do-able project.

The cylinder head is iron, which I'm hoping is a good thing!  Valve seat pic attached.  The speedo says 57k miles, I wonder how far off that is??

My first task is the engine.  I'm preparing a list of possible firms to take the boxes of bits to - the rebore and crank regrind are beyond my humble skills and tools  .

[a10 gf]

Thanks for the pictures & story, was just hoping to see some more 'new & big jobs' posts here. Excellent.

About reposting pics, thanks for taking the time to upload to the forum, many times things have got lost here because of changes done to external hosting, and pictures in posts here ending up with some 'photobucket not found' placeholder instead of the interesting & important pictures.

That regulator will need some special attention :O) The aircleaner box is a sparse item afaik, looks in good condition, next the hunt for the rubber connector! All in all seems like many good parts there.

[RichardL]

I won't say, "tons of fun," but, maybe, 400 lb. The possibility occurs to me that, as a group of parts, it may be more organized in the first photo than as a completed A10. 

Richard L.

[morris]

A  can of de-rusting would be a good start.
I wonder what it is that makes some people dismantle a complete bike, throw all parts at random in a couple of plastic buckets and then leave them standing outside for the odd 20 years....

[RichardL]

Uhhh? Wife?

[bakerlonglegs]

Well, it's underway!   

I bought a parts list from Draganfly and set about listing the engine parts I need, either missing or questionable (scary-long excel spreadsheet, but lots of nuts, bolts, studs, washers, gaskets etc). 

I took the engine up to T&L this morning.  They will look at it in more detail over the next few weeks, with a view to discussing a final price for the machining and engine rebuild.   This will include vapour blasting the covers and crankcase.

T&L can't take on the gearbox, so I need to find a specialist to take a look at that (may not need anything, hopefully won't).

[Dean]

When budgetting do not underestimate the price of fasteners. I've done projects where these have amongst the highest costs, Mind you that might just reflect my casual attitude to other aspects of the build

[bakerlonglegs]

Tell me about it Dean!  I've been adding up the cost of bits for the engine alone and it's reached £800 already, and that doesn't include the pistons and (if needed) the conrods.  A large chunk of that is fasteners and gaskets.  Some of the studs may be salvaged, but I'll look to T&L's advice on that one - I rather just replace with new if it's a 50/50 call.