Project Next, Kawasaki F2tr.

About 18 months ago I rescued this 1966 Kawasaki F2tr.

I have been gathering parts when and as available. Today (being such a cold miserable day) I started on the strip down. I had removed the barrel last year using a modified puller.

This was what I found.

Nasty!
Today I removed the engine from the frame and began the disassembly. The generator rotor came off easily (bit different to the YDS-5 last year(see post)), but was surprised to see rust on the clutch.

This is what a blown crank seal looks like. Note the tell tale dribble of oil.

The crank bearings are cactus, as it the conrod and piston. Have new bits ready to go, just need a good clean up and press in the new bearings.

So, any offers to eat anything strange this time?

 

No Linkin, it sat in a leaky hay shed for 20 years.

 

What, no appetite????
A few things have stumped me in life. Marriage (but I raised my two kids alone), a stone picker I was building and my Canon camera that I replaced the lens mechanism but still not working (bought new one). I consider Phil, that if somebody built it in the first place that I can rebuild it again.

 

Started on the crank today.
First I tried pushing the pin out cold using my 12 tonne press-no go.
Then I got the oxy torch and heated the flywheel-no go.

I was actually bending the bed of the press, but still no movement. I thought it was getting dangerous so I decided to get the 9" angle grinder and cut the pin.

I again tried to move the pin halves-no go. I fired up the plasma cutter and blew a hole down inside the pin so as to release some of the pressure. This allowed the pins to be pushed out.

I blasted the flywheels and cleaned up with emery paper in the lathe. All clean ready to be assembled with the new bits tomorrow.

 

Crank together and in today.
Pressed the pin into one half, then assembled the rod and bearing and pressed the other side down until I had the recommended 0.25mm side clearance on the thrush washers.

Using my home made 'V' blocks and a plastic hammer, I surprised myself by getting the crank within the limits (.035mm to .040mm) in two hits. Some days things just go right.

I cleaned and blasted the cases, fitted new bearings and seals and assembled the gearbox.

Crank back nice and snug.

Just need a couple of small nuts to finish off the 'box, a fine day to paint the outer cases and it will be ready for a frame.

 

Glass beads at 50 to 70 psi. Gives a 'factory' finish without damage to the surface. When engine together I clear coat to seal the surface.

 

With the sun out today I was able to get the engine sidecases painted.

 

Scraping, degreasing, blasting and washing of the frame parts today. Have blasted all the smaller bits I could fit in my blast cabinet and primed them ready for some colour. Will take the frame and swingarm to the blasting people on Monday.

 

While in Bunning's today I picked up a 2Kg bottle of caustic soda to clean the exhaust before being sent to chromers.

I put an old spud (potato) in the end and clamped to the frame jig.

Mixed the 2Kg with 5 litres of COLD water (don't use hot or it will fizz up everywhere, very dangerous) and poured into the pipe.
Will leave for a couple of days and get the pressure washer to blast the softened carbon out.

 

Have blasted the crap out of the pipe and packed ready to be sent to chromers.
When I pulled the brake backing plate apart to clean ready for painting I noticed that the skew gear for the speedo cable was missing.

A flea bay and interweb search has turned up nothing. I was about to give up when I remembered I had a Suzuki TS wheel with the speedo drive. I removed the skew gear to find it was not just a drop in fit. The teeth matched up ok, but the bearing surfaces were wrong.

I had to machine up a new bush with a press-in fit, then offset drilled a hole for the shaft (so that I could adjust the meshing of the teeth).

With some washers to pack up the end float and a slab of black grease it went together.

I then modified the end of the new Kawasaki cable to match the Suzuki drive.

All together and waiting for new rim and spokes to arrive.

 

It has been a nice day here today (after a cold start) and I have been out with the sandpaper and spray gun.
Now I usually don't go in for 'modern speak', but this is an exception as I think this looks Friggin Awsome!!!!!

The colour looks a lot better in the sunlight.