Triumphrat

motopsycho · 11-11-2009, 04:24 AM

So my brother-in-law got this bike in a trade last year. He parked it beside his shed and it has sat there since in the rain/weeds/mud. I mentioned to him that I was interested in it if he decided to get rid of it. He calls yesterday and tells me to come get it.

He was told that it had been stored inside for the last 10 yrs or so plus this past year sitting outside by his shed. All the while there is a HOLE in the right side crankcase. The odo shows a little over 10,000 miles. It looks as if something came out of the case rather than something going in. Yes, the engine is locked up. hmm??

Ive always wanted to do a total rebuild of a older Triumph twin and here is my chance but, honestly, I dont know what Im getting into here as far as tools, parts & costs go. This will be my first crack at doing a complete teardown on a classic Triumph twin. Should I go ahead and sell one of my kidneys?

Bottom line is, the fact that this bike has been sitting out in the elements for over a year with a hole in the case worries me to say the least.

Anybody had luck with welding up a hole in the crankcase? Any thoughts on what caused the hole?

Im not going to go into this blindly so I will be gathering as much info as I can before I get deep into this and I welcome any thoughts/tips/advice from yall.

Here is a few pics of the "HOLEY" Tiger

DAVE M · 11-11-2009, 08:08 AM

don't scrap it!

Check the numbers and if they match then that's a start. there's a lot og work but I believe that a hole like that can be fixed. If not by you, then by someone else.

It will need a complete rebuild anyway, so you have nothing to loose and as it stands, I'm sure that someone would take it on.

I cn't suggest a source as I'm nearer the UK Birmingham than the States

GrandPaulZ · 11-11-2009, 10:47 AM

A hole in the crankcase indicates SEVERE engine failure. So, expect the absolute worst in the crankshaft and rods (probably need at least one new rod and a major re-grind if the crank is still serviceable). The aluminum welding on the case is the EASY part.

If you do all the work yourself, you're going to spend close to 2 grand in parts alone, then $500 or so in machine shop work unless you are set up for that.

Still, if the engine and frame numbers match each other, it's probably worth it to proceed.

Webby · 11-12-2009, 08:13 AM

Go for it!
You have a good base there, the bike looks almost original!

Webby

motopsycho · 11-14-2009, 12:17 AM

Yup, I didnt mention that it is numbers matching.

Well, I started the tear down last night and pulled the engine tonight.

Everything went very smoothly. I was concerned about rusty fasteners so I hit them all with PB Blaster the night I brought it home and let it soak overnight. When I got home last night I began taking things off.

I started by taking all the electrics off. Lights, wiring harness etc.. Then I moved on to the fenders, foot pegs, and exhaust. Every fastener came out with ease except for one broken header clamp bolt. Not too bad I thought.

When I got home this afternoon I decided to drain all the fluids. I started with draining the oil in the frame. Well, there was about a quart of water and a splash of oil that came out. Anyway, I started to pull the drain plug in the case and I did not want to come out. I pulled out my special harley tool (hammer) and after a few taps on the ratchet I finally got the plug to turn. The whole time I was backing the plug out it was fighting me. Finally, it came out along with a little bit of water and a lot of shrapnel.

I then drained the gear box and primary which had more water and little oil.

After all the water was drained out of the engine I pulled it out and now its on the bench. This is gonna be interesting to see exactly what the engine looks like and how serious it is.

Coming along...

More water than oil...

Something is terribly wrong...

I wonder whats waiting ahead for me inside...

Ill keep updating as I progress.

RidingDonkeys · 11-14-2009, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by motopsycho

Finally, it came out along with a little bit of water and a lot of shrapnel.

OUCH! This is going to be interesting. Keep us posted!

jimmy bush · 11-14-2009, 02:16 AM

Unless you have done several of these, I recommend you take pictures and make notes of the order of disassembly. If you are like me, it usually takes me longer to I get the parts and machine work to a point I can start assembly. Things I thought would be logical or I would remember tend to get out of order when I finally get to that phase unless I have a reminder cheat sheet. Saves a lot of "where is that supposed to go?" after I find an extra part I didn't remember.

shrugger · 11-14-2009, 09:09 AM

...and a box of large sized ziplock bags. The one's you can write on.

old bill · 11-14-2009, 09:48 AM

if you are going to rebuild i mite be able to help.

i have the 71 cases with the crank and rods in still in them.

keep your left case and use the right case with the crank and rods that way your numbers still match.

keep us up to date on how it's going with lots of pictures.

GrandPaulZ · 11-14-2009, 09:55 AM

bill - THAT is a cool offer!