Didn't need a new project...but I got one!

[AshimotoK0]

Looks spot on ! Is that Polychromatic Blue? ... seem to remember by brother having a Triumph Tigress 250cc scooter in that colour.

[SumpMagnet]

The original colour should be Polychromatic Blue ... but that is a colour that is hotly disputed.

When Dad initially did the bike, he re-sprayed it with Ford Cosmos Blue. That was as close as he could get buying paint from Halfords across the counter. That is a bit too 'blue' ... so I have followed in the same tradition, and hunted around for a near colour available from the mass market without having paint specially mixed, or paying the ransom RS Paints charge. Especially since hte Old Man re-sprayed his Thunderbird with their Old Gold paint, and it;s the wrong colour. He owned a 1956 T-Bird in that colour, and as soon as the paint hit the metal, he knew it was wrong. So, while their paint is decent quality, it's not necessairly 'right'.

The actual paint I have is a Hyundai colour....It's a little less blue, and I quite like it. Decent etch primer, some filler primer, one hell of a lot of rubbing down...and a few coats of paint plus clear coat. It's all rattle can, but it has come out quite nice and shiny.

edit: You can see the last bit of Cosmos Blue on the bath-tub side piece behind the bike.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

That's starting to look like a decent Triumph Twenty One, mine was that colour aside from the Petrol Tank that I had sprayed in Vauxhall Viva Red colour as it was free whilst a Viva was in the old body shop at the old California Works on Parliament Street, Derby. At that time Vauxhall Luton contracted out the spraying if interior door cards to Dealers to help with production peaks prior to the Aug 1 plate change. I used to see my old 3TA a couple of decades later with that dreadful red tank that then looked pink due to fading.

Great to read your progress.

[Laverda Dave]

Great progress, it's looking like a Trumpet again👍. How did you get on with the welding of the cases for the tensioner and dizzy, did you manage to contact Andy the welder and Mike at SRS?

[SumpMagnet]

Haven't got any engine work done yet. Slowly building up the cash funds for the work.

[SumpMagnet]

Ahh life. Why do you get in the way of enjoyment. Planning on retiring at 60 (3 years to go) so I can spend more time doing what I enjoy!

In between, things have got done, but not as many as I would want. The Triumph engine has been sorted. Took the thing to a local engineering firm. Proper old-school place, and they measured it all up...and basically said....it's fine.

They lookat the the clamp, and remade the clamp (replacements not available) and machined up a proper shouldered pinch bolt. They also cleaned up a few burrs and marks on the distributor body. End result...£30 and it;s in as tight as a tight thing when clamped up. If it doesn;t work...well...the mounts look a lot cleaner than beforeIt's meant to be a stepped mount plate, but mine is flat, so they also turned up a couple of correct spacers to shim it. Rather than a stack of washers....

Anyway...motor is back in the frame.

then I had to buy a whole set of piston rings. For one oil control ring. Broke one trying to fit the barrels. Had proper ring compressor clamps. That weren;t quite small enough. So they slip off. Went old school. Plastic bottle section and masking tape. That worked better. Now have some lightly used spare rings....

Then I hit the next fun job. After fishing out cam followers from the bottom of the crankcase....( they are not held in by anything) Various ways to hold them in place when you turn the barrels right way up to fit. Not all work.....

But, barrels are on. Then you have to bolt them down.

The barrels sit on 8 studs, held in with 5/16 of whitworth's nuts. Or something. The outer poair on each side are nice and easy. Get them down by hand, and you can slip a ring spanner over. Open ender usseless as they are recessed in the fins.
The other 4, by the pushrod tubes, are accessable.....until you tighten them down. Then you cant get the spanner to bite. Why, my Triumph. WHY!!!!

So I made my own tool. Took a slice off a 5/8 socket I had in the junk pile. It alsmost matched the 5/16 Whit nut. Welded on a handle. Then cut and shut it to make it a better fit to the nut. Had to weld some metal up on the inside, and file it back until it was a good fit. Job done. Took enough force to get them all tight. My welding must be improving. The tool has no angle to it ( as my spanner did) plus a thinner 'ring' so it was able to fit hte nut and not foul anything. Result!

[taysidedragon]

You can buy the slim spanner ready made from Triumph specialists like LP Williams, Tricor Andy.

[Laverda Dave]

I feel your pain. I had a similar issue with my Triton. I fitted Morgo barrels with the 12 point stainless nuts. What a pia to tighten those down!
Great progress though and you'll have it running now those fiddly jobs are done. Are you going to strip the head?
I've been watching Dirty Shirt Machining on YouTube, he's only young but a bit of a master when it comes to Triumph motors, what to look for and the best way and materials to use to get them reliable, something Triumph had difficulty with back in the day when the bikes were new!

[SumpMagnet]

You can always buy a tool .... but....where's the fun in that

Was also a test of my ability to stick bits of metal together and have them stay. Been practicing with my old gasless MIG, and have been getting a lot better. Could really use a better welder, to get more control. Also, to move to a proper gas setup. The gasless shield blocks your view, so you have to weld almost blind, with just a rough idea where you are, but you lose a lot of detail as to what the weld pool is doing. Makes welding thin sheet tricky, so I do a lot of small stitch welds.

There are many fun jobs still to do.... like fitting the gearbox, selector and clutch, setting up the primary chain adjustor, and I also have to fettle the bathtubs. More bits of unobtanium metal with some cracks and welding needed. Carb is cleaned, and the electrics are all new...so....what could possibly go wrong.

Ahem.

@Laverda Dave ... I'll check out that guy on YT. always good to pick up new tips and info on the mysterious depths of hte British Bike Industry.

[Bryanj]

That "special" flat triumph ring spanner only fits thelater unf/unc thread motors not the earlier ones using bsf/bsc threads, for my pre unit with morgo i had to mdify the base stud threads!