F1 rebuild and stuck front wheel spindle!

[Waggles]

Firstly a quick update on my F1 rebuild. Don't get a lot of time at the moment and am still at the strip down stage. For this year I am hoping the motor will be OK as it is low mileage ( 5900 ) and will be replacing the brake hoses / seals etc. Will be prettying her up and have sent a lot of bits off to the chromers. At the moment I am still on the front end, will be removing and re sealing the forks and replacing head bearing with tapered roller. Am encountering the usual stuck items ( other posts show the snapped exhaust stud and broken carb float pivot support ) and all screws seem to be welded in ( yes I do have an impact driver ) latest casualty is the screw holding the speedo cable in the gearbox which will need to be drilled etc I guess.

Latest problem is the front wheel spindle nut which has so far resisted my attempts to remove. If the wheel is out then anything of the diameter to go through the hole in the offside just bends or breaks. Next plan is to get a proper ring spanner so I can use a decent 'persuasion tool No 1' on it while the wheels is back on the bike but only held on the offside. If all else fails I guess I will have to source another one and cut this one off so I can get the wheels off to be rebuilt. Anyone else had this problem? if so any tips?

Cheers for now, will try and post some pics over the weekend

[Bryanj]

clamp the round end in a vice and turn the hexagon away from it

[Waggles]

Its off!

Thanks Bryan but I am severely limited space wise and don't have a vice set up! Oh for a proper workshop.

I managed to remove it by the method I outlined above, I got a decent ring spanner, put it on the nut then refitted the wheel but only tightening the clamp on the other side to the nut. Weight of the bike prevented any twisting. Couple of decent welts with the persuasion tool and it was loose.

clean up the hubs then the wheels are off to be rebuilt at the weekend.

[K2-K6]

Just a tip for screws that could be stuck (don't know if you already may do this) especially engine cases etc; use a larger sized pin punch to gently tap any burred metal around the cross head of the screws back into original place. Then using a good quality / new impact driver tip, tap that into the screw head for a tight fit and either use a socket and T bar to lean on it or impact driver they normally come out.

Usually if you start at them half hearted then you get more rounding off and then stuck, if you prep them up first you can get a much higher first time success.

[Waggles]

Thats a good tip K2, thanks, will bear it in mind. Have to be honest and say you are dead right in that I just never expected the speedo drive cable screw to be stuck so am probably guilty as charged being a half-arsed attempt ( admittedly with the impact driver ) but I am slowly learning that on a 34 year old barn find EVERYTHING is stuck!

Luckily ( I think/hope ) all the engine case screws have been replaced at some time with allen headed bolts, I well remember how hard they were to get out and always assumed the factory employed a Sumo wrestler specifically for the job of doing them up just that little bit too tight!

Was aware that things like the brake bleed nipple would be 'challenging' so took them very seriously and managed to ease them out with heat etc. Any other classic things likely to challenge me?

[sim2011]

Re Half hearted clouting of impact drivers , just make sure you hid the head of the driver at full whack and not your hand holding it as I did, Ouch, but the screw did come out !
You can also ues a center puch and tap the head round and then inscrew with a small flat blade.

[notobikeparkingtax]

Screw removal tip no.2. The screws used on old Hondas have JIS heads (Japanese Industry Standard) and are slightly different from Phillips heads. Either get correct JIS screwdrivers or use the heads of far east impact drivers; which tend to be JIS.

[K2-K6]

Allen bolts can vary in material strength, so make sure you use good quality keys so they don't round out, I prefer all flat sides as opposed to multi-angle heads if I think that high torque will be required to release them.

Seems like you're getting along fine anyway, are you going to completely strip the motor? if so it's worth considering new primary and cam chains as these are just about the first thing you put on during a build up so a lot of labour if you need to do them later.

[Waggles]

Yes, its coming along slowly, as I say about 1 - 2 hours a day is the most I can manage. Am currently rebuilding forks and working on steering head area. I thought removing all the headlight gubbins wouldn't take too long then noticed the wiring loom ties everything together! * sigh *

Haven't gone near the Allen bolts yet ( except to check and sure enough none of my allen keys fit properly so am off to get a decent set )

Am not planning to strip motor at this stage as it is so low mileage, appreciate there is a risk of stuck piston rings so I could be caught out but thought it was worth it to try. The compression feels good on all cylinders so I am hopeful but I know its the oil rings that tend to stick.

I am trying for a 'very tidy' look as she will be ridden a lot ( including commuting except in real depths of winter ) can barely get in garage to work on her now as I have so much stuff to put on her! will be glad when I actually start to put things back together! Am actually getting quite excited at the prospect of my first ride for 30 years!

[Yoshi823]

Put a tablespoonful of Redex down the plug holes & turn the engine over a number of times to distribute it around the rings evenly. This will work its way down to the oil-rings & help to unstick anything that's stuck as well as to remove anything from around the squish area. I suppose you could use some 'UCL' or upper cylinder lubricant as it used to be called in the old days, but it's probably the same stuff as Redex anyway.

[K2-K6]

That sounds like a good plan, I'd go with the reddex too as there's no need to strip if ok. Probably worth dosing it again when running then oil change it to get any contaminant / reddex out of the motor and asses if it's all running as expected. It'll save a lot of time and money.

[Waggles]

Good plan guys, I'll do that. Am almost tempted to put some Castrol R in the first tank of fuel too ( if you can still get it ) LOVE that smell!!!

[K2-K6]

I know what you mean, one of my earliest memories of bike meetings is the smell of Castrol R. used to run a rally car (Grp A rover SD1) and used to dose a small amount of 2 stroke R just to get that smell, you need a suprisingly small amount burnt in the fuel to get the smell (apparently if you over heat it it gums badly I never had any problems burning tiny amounts though). Go For it.