[Emlupi]

Front end off, just letting everything soak in a little penetrating oil before going further with disassembly.

 

[speedrattle]

you know, that machine was a seriously rare find.

 

[slofut]

Is it a fairly complete bike Lupi? Nice ground up project, It'll be fun to watch it progress.

 

[Emlupi]

Yes, I realize that this model is somewhat rare. I came upon it completely by coincidence and so I figured I have to grab it. I had an eye out for a good project so, when this came along I made an offer and bought it.
So far as I can tell most of it is here. The seat is an older Corbin-Gentry, the grips are replacements, it has the newer 6CA points plate, and a finned points cover. The carbs have velocity stacks fitted, the kickstand has been cut down, and the rear frame is cracked at the rear seat hinge pin. There were some slip-on mufflers installed. The rest looks to be all original parts. I don’t know about the exhaust pipes but as far as I know they are the originals.
Here’s a photo of exactly how I found it.

 

[Emlupi]

After soaking for a couple of days in penetrating oil, I put the front end in the vice and applied some heat to the joints. I also sprayed a little WD40 on the upper stanchions and cleaned them up with Scotchbrite to help them slide through the pinch points. After a couple of whacks with a hammer and wood block the forks slid out of the lugs without much fuss. Stanchion legs are pretty rusty up top under the fork shrouds. Everything else looks ok (except gaiters). Fork seal dust caps came off easily.
Fork springs have the proper yellow/green id markings per the parts catalog. Just need to get the proper size deep socket to remove the damper units from the fork lowers. Lots of grease, oil, and grime on these as well.

 

[antoniogg]

Looking good

 

[Emlupi]

Thanks, also got the cases split and the crank is out.

 

[StuartMac]

Hi,

Stanchion legs are pretty rusty up top under the fork shrouds.

An unfortunate consequence of shrouds and careless owners. Whether you replace the stanchions or have them rechromed (hard chrome), I fit stanchions through the lower yoke then apply a thick coat of grease or beeswax furniture polish (the latter dries so less crap sticks to it over time) over the stanchions between the yokes before fitting the shrouds and top yoke.

If you decide on new stanchions, be aware they can be a bit of a crap-shoot - oversize OD that's difficult or impossible to fit through the lower yoke, undersize threads for the top caps ... pita if the seller expects you to pay carriage on return.

Everything else looks ok (except gaiters).

Gaiters are another crap-shoot - cheap ones are liable to perish into a stack of fat O-rings in a relatively-short time; CBS has 'em with a 10-year warranty, more than double the price of the cheapies but, as the cheapies don't last four-five years ...

Fork springs have the proper yellow/green id markings

Mmmm ... but View attachment 797768 appears to show they aren't the same length? If they are different lengths, at least one is knackered, checking with the workshop manual will show whether they're both knackered.

Another steer towards new springs is, on the parts book "TELESCOPIC FRONT FORKS" listing page, "yellow/green" is "Sidecar main spring"; i.e. harder than "Yellow/Blue" - "yellow/green" might be great for racing off-road but maybe not so great for general on-road riding?

Finally here, past posts have indicated generally-available new fork springs aren't always the same length ... Maybe worth considering, say, Progressive Suspension? Although, if you click on "TRIUMPH" at the top of the webpage and then "SEARCH YOUR RIDE" at the bottom of the next page, having clicked on "1967" in "STEP 1 OF 3", click on "BSA" in "STEP 2 OF 3" ... then you might need to 'phone to find out the difference between "12 Series Springs" and "14 Series Springs". Fwiw, my T150 with similar forks to your bike's has PS springs.

Hth.

Regards,

 

[Emlupi]

Thanks Stuart,
All things that I will consider in time. Right now I’m just taking things apart and making a cursory examination of how they look. I haven’t measured the springs or checked them against the manual specs, yet.
Once I get everything disassembled and sorted I will begin inspecting parts and making a more detailed assessment of what needs replacing, etc. I certainly appreciate the advice and guidance of more experienced forum members. Thanks again.

 

[slofut]

I didn't see t120 fork springs available on the PS site. Only rears?

 

[GrandPaulZ]

Thanks, also got the cases split and the crank is out. View attachment 797784

Wow, did you wash those cases after splitting them, or were they that clean? Way better than many that I've seen...

 

[Emlupi]

Ha, I wiped them down after opening them up. Rest assured, plenty of old, dirty oil was in there. Thankfully no nasty surprises. Also used some WD40 and paper towels for a quick wipe down of the nether regions between the cases around the drive sprocket.

 

[Emlupi]

I began the process of cleaning out the sludge trap. Didn’t have to drill out the staking punch as it was located right at the plug slot. Just had to push a little metal back out of the slot. Then some Kroil and heat applied to the joint. I put my drag link socket onto a 1/2” drive breaker bar and the plug turned immediately, then backed out relatively easily. I was able to remove the flywheel bolt also without any drama. The sludge trap is pretty well packed with gunk. I will clean and remove it at another time, I need to first fabricate a removal device.

 

[Emlupi]

Fabricated a sludge tube puller using the ideas I picked up on the forums. Quick and easy to make and worked like a charm. Tube came right out, no problem.
This petrified Dunlop tire was another matter. I had to cut it off the rim. The inside of the rim looks in great shape. I hope that it will clean up nicely and not have to be replated.

 

[Emlupi]

Cleaned out the sludge trap and tube, also knocked out the old bearings and seals.

 

[Emlupi]

Got the TT fork internals removed. The stanchion tubes are in pretty rough shape. Don’t know if I should replace them or try to get them re-chromed.

 

[Emlupi]

Just posting to give you a quick update and let you know that I haven’t given up. I am currently going through the engine parts and inspecting the various components for wear and serviceability. Once I get a better handle on what’s what I will make a plan for tackling this part of the project.
I plan to first send out engine parts to get vapor blasted. While that’s being done I will get together the hardware that I intend to have CAD plated and also start getting together a list of what needs to be replaced. When engine parts are back from the vapor blast I will then send out the parts and pieces to the machine shop for refreshing.
My plan is to concentrate on the engine first and then move on to rolling chassis next.
I have done the disassembly work on the frame, forks, wheels, etc. I will focus on these bit by bit as time allows. As I stated up front, this is going to be a slow and deliberate process done as time and money allows.

 

[speedrattle]

throw all those bearings away. theres no reason to waste your peace of mind.

 

[Emlupi]

I am not intending to reuse them. They were just sitting there when I took the picture.

 

[Emlupi]

Currently going through all the assemblies and cataloguing hardware and various parts and pieces. Seeing what’s there, what’s missing, what’s correct and incorrect, etc. Everything that can be reused I will send out to be replated. Slow and arduous process, for sure.