1977 400F2 first restore project

[smoothoperator]

Engine fitted to frame today which went in so easily it was a bit of an anti climax, at least it's not sat on the floor any more. Managed to get my walk in Covid booster jab afterwards so overall a productive day.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Looking good Steve pleased to read elsewhere that the pistons went in without bother.

My progress is starting to slow due to a combination of lack of application / energy & cooler weather plus I have a wasps nest in my garage eaves so the blighters are everywhere.

[smoothoperator]

One of my coils was in poor condition and an attempt to prevent water getting in has clearly been made. Also the HT leads are stiff and there is damage on the outer sleeve. So I checked the resistances which were in spec then carried out the repair thanks to the method given by Ashimoto. I still have the second coil to do although this is in better condition it still needs the leads replacing. I now need to find some outer sleeving to complete the job. Pics show some of the stages, starting with the coil as it was at the start. Also one of the HT caps has intermittent o/c so I intend to replace all four. 2 are easy to find but the other 2 are proving difficult to source, (they have differing angles). It has been a very satisfying job. Thanks again to Ash.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mXmJbZRsTr1Cci2D6

[Bryanj]

Look in the on line NGK catalogue for the cap numbers then you can search by number

[Sesman]

Have you tried Greenspark? Nice job on the coils btw.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I feel guilty now that I binned my old coils when I went over to the dark side and fitted my Dynatec system.

To be fair I hoard all my old bits now - lessons learnt.

[smoothoperator]

Rocker cover on and tappets adjusted. Finishing the second coil as I go along. No joy with spark plug caps at Greenspark or DS. I have found the VD05F 120 degree ones for £4 each and a different supplier for the XD05F 90 degree but at a whopping £11 each so still looking for the moment. Also started checking and cleaning the wiring harness. Converted an iphone sim release pin for getting connectors out.

[Nurse Julie]

 

[Sesman]

Looking old, Ted.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Looking old, Ted.

Pssst I am old!

[Sesman]

Sorry, Ted. Bloody technology. Me too, though.

[Laverdaroo]

 

[smoothoperator]

Have been refurbishing the loom. It's mostly in good condition but some poor connectors and some old repairs to fix, mainly in connector blocks that take the hit from water due to their position on the frame. I have found adhesive cloth Tesa brand tape to be really good. My soldering skills needed something of a brush up, plenty of useful videos on Youtube have helped. Positioned the loom on the bike today to see if some connectors will reach after cutting and fitting new connectors, which was the case for the connectors from the starter to the solenoid, however the two red wires to the fuse block will need new sections soldering in. This connector block had been bypassed and good old lego blocks used. The original spades have almost completely gone. Reading lots of posts on which gauge wire to use, I think this stuff looks about right. What with AWG, thin wall, std wall, cross section, it is a bit of a minefield.

https://kojaycat.co.uk/epages/950000457.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/950000457/Products/%22TW2.0mm%20Cut%20Cable%22

A few pics

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3bcv6BAYcVXDG5JY6

[smoothoperator]

Slow progress at the moment due to the cold. Stanchions back from Philpotts which are as new, so the forks are going back together. Clocks back from Peter which totally live up to the praise he gets on this forum for the amazing transformation and great service he provides. Bought some bits from Wemoto for the first time and have to say they are very well priced, quick turnaround and have excellent customer service. They missed out some fuses and they responded immediately to an email and posted them the next day, no questions asked.

[smoothoperator]

Working on the rear wheel today. Plan to replace the bearings as there is some noise when spinning the wheel on my truing stand, could just be the sound of grit falling in the hub but anyway I will replace them. Meanwhile removed the cush drive rubbers by first drilling out most of the rubber and then hitting with a sharp screwdriver. Final stage was to cut a slot with a hacksaw blade and then split the outer wall with a small sharp screwdriver to tear the outer alongside the cut line and then peel it out.