My folly 1961

[jhg1958]

Just a few photos of a project that I started in 2018 and have still to finish. It is coming to an end with the first engine run January 2023.

These first 5 photos show some of the dismantling.

The bike was a mostly complete non running bike.  It might as well have been a box of bits. I bought it off eBay not really a good idea.  Saying that I was after a nuts and bolt rebuild project, and I got one.

Many parts on the bike were missing or useless   The tool box was missing, the oil tank did not have the return tube and the headlamp cowl was too rusty to be reused.  The petrol tank, oil tank and mudguards were chromed and rusty.  There was no wiring or oil hoses, lights were all broken and the centre stand missing.  The dynamo was missing and the mag was just rubbish.

On the positive side, the engine was mostly complete although it had bee dismantled and hastily put together.

The first decision was what sort of restoration did I want to do?  Restore to a new state or a minimal restoration.  I decide I wanted something that ran well and would look good in the car park.  I had a blue A10 when I was younger and this was my objective.  I dd not wanna high performance bike, I  would not have bought a A10 if I had. So restoring to Golden Flash spec was the route I wanted.  12 volt electrics were a must, so a new alternator would be better than an old dynamo speeded up.  I decide to go for electronic ignition rather than trying to refurbish the magneto.

Money was not a big problem, I had just retired and had my lump sum, that after paying off my mortgage, left me with a health bank balance and a pension. Still I did not want to throw good money after bad- and perhaps that was what I was about to do.

So in late 2019 with a cheerful heart I started to take it apart.
 
John

[jhg1958]

The engine was was removed and I removed the cylinder head.  It was obvious that it needed a rebore and many other things including a couple of helicoils.  I was put on to a local motorbike mechanic, David, in Chapel-en-le Frith.  He stripped the bottom end down and gave me the news. Rebore (last one for these cylinders), new camshaft and new seals and bearings (of course). The good news is that I did not need to regrind the crank.

With his guidance I took the pieces to Stockport to have the rebore and the alloy parts soda blasted.

By the end of 2019 I had stripped down the gearbox.  The gearbox casings went with the engine to be soda blasted.  Replaced all of the bearings and seals.  The layshaft was buggered so that was replaced too. All the rest looked ok but I did miss somethings.

I finished the gearbox and started on the cycle parts.  The petrol tank, mudguards and oil tank were chromed but rusty.  I took this to a chroming workshop in Mexborough who suggested de-chroming them to see if they were suitable for new chrome.  They did this and the tank was going to be so expensive especially as it would need a dent or two removed in the chromed area.   I put this to one side as a problem too hard for the moment.

I stripped the frame and sent as much of the iron work to a local powder coaters.

I took the forks apart to find things as I expected.  The fork seals holders, seals, stanchions and bushes all need replacing. What I did not expect is to find a strange arrangement for holding the front mudguard in place. It has a rear facing bracket with a seperate Y shaped bracket.  I am still not sure if these are well made special brackets or maybe that the bike had been in a front end shunt and had a new front end off another bike.

More later

[KiwiGF]

My petrol tank was too dented so i used filler and painted it black, looks ok, i think better than using silver paint where chrome should be showing. I bought a paasche airbrush off amazon for 70usd and used thinned down hammerite smooth. It has needed a bit of touching up around the filler cap as its not 100% petrol resistant, but it is over 10yr old paint now and still shiny etc

I am still trying to build up the courage to buy a replica indian made  one (my tank without badge depressions is not as available as others from india).

[jhg1958]

The chromed tank is both BSA most remarkable feature and biggest Achilles heel.  Yours looks good black.  Hammerite is great stuff and I have sprayed some of my small parts that missed powder coating.

After I had the chrome removed from mine I made enquiries about removing the dents and having it rechromed. The prices were high but not so high as stop me progressing this way.  It might be worth exploring this option.

However. as I was procrastinating a tank appeared on eBay and I bought it at a cheaper price than having the dents removed and rechromed. The only problem was it was red.

The old is fine otherwise and I have painted it in red oxide and coated the inside with oil.  There is will stay until I sell it.

I have seen some bikes with metallic silver paint on the sides it does not look too bad

John 

[muskrat]

G'day John.
I had mine re-chromed back in 81, looked great. Two weeks later I got drunk and dropped the bike dinging the tank. I bogged and painted it all black. It was only last year that I re-did it with the silver sides. Now due to a fuel leak it needs doing again.
Cheers

[jhg1958]

Musky

Perhaps keeping the tank would be a better option than selling it.  I have been riding since I was 17 and never dented a tank, well except the two I wrote off.

John