Overhaul Questions

[digitalsam]

Alright guys, I have the frame stripped on my 80 special and am going to bead or sand blast it and paint it. (may outsource the paint).

Question: What is the best way to remove all the grease from the frame? I have plenty of "elbow grease", but how do I best apply it?

Also, the engine is out and I have the cams and top casing out, but cannot seem to get the lower case off. Manual says to "Tap" it, but how hard? I dont want to bend/break any fins.

Lastly, the wiring is pretty old, dusty and greasy and the plastic fittings are crumbling. Should/can I buy a new wiring harness or is it something I could build on my own?

Really appreciate the help.

[The Lorax]

I cn't answer your degreasing question, but I dont remember having to tap the cases too hard to get them apart. I hate to ask dumb questions but do you have the middle drive off yet? did you pull the crank case vented cover as there is a bolt under there? are you using a rubber mallet? that's what I used when taking my engine apart. also, tap at the junction between the cases, you should get better results there and are less likely to break fins off. if you are fixing to pull the jugs, good luck, they can be quite the unkind types when they want to, very uncooperative. as to the wiring, you might be able to find a replacement harness, Andreas has lots of stuff, but if you have the time and patience, anything is possible. have a nice day and ride safe

[bikerphil]

removing grease

I usually use paint thinner and a rag to get the grease and cr@p off of the frame. If the jugs are what you're trying to remove, a good place to pry with a screwdriver (to break the seal) is by the front motor mounts, then work you're way around + tap.

[fredintoon]

Hi Sam,
absolutely the best way to degrease anything is to lower it into a trichloroethylene vapour degreasing tank that's big enough to hold it.
But unless you know the nightshift foreman in a big manufacturing plant you are SOL for that method.
At home, swab it clean with acetone and an old towel that your wife has given you for a polishing rag.
It's theoretically possible to make your own wiring harness and MikesXS amongst others sells all manner of multiplugs and the tool to put the wires in them. It's far easier to see if you can find a used harness in good shape.

[trbig]

I'm not exactly sure where you're talking about either. If you just have the cams out.. then the head is still on. If you've taken all the head nuts off the top.. did you get the two others on the bottom side? There's a 12mm nut on the front and back middle of the head on two studs pointing down.


Tod

[Ken Talbot]

I've had good luck with a few products for cleaning. For quite a while, I used Castrol Super Clean, but it appears to have been removed from the market. Lately, I have been using Loctite Natural Blue and it works as well as or better than Super Clean did. Another product, but one that is harder to find, is Spray Kleen
. This stuff is marketed more for household cleaning, but it works wonders out in the carport. It is nothing more than a simple sodium hydroxide solution, like oven cleaner but not as strong.

But then, if you're going to sandblast it anyways, why waste a lot of time cleaning the grease off of it? You can sandbast it to remove all the grease and paint. Then a glass bead application will strip off any residual grease, etc, and leave it ready to prime.

[prometheus578]

I think we're a little unclear as to what a "casing" is.
From top to bottom in terms of removeability:
Valve cover.
Head assy.
Cylinders.
Top half of engine case.

Now, the base gasket that's between the bottom of the cylinders and the top half of the engine case... that's a real bugger to get to release.
Is that the part you're talking about?
Do a search for: Base Gasket.
There'll be plenty of threads to give you ideas... and a whole list of new swear words you can use if you run out of your usual ones.

[prometheus578]

"Just because it's Thanksgiving... I'll do the work for you."

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...ht=base+gasket

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...ht=base+gasket

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...t=putty+knives

[Paintman]

Cleaning

The last frame i did i,lucked out i picked up a used Steam cleaner all i had to do was fix the igniter for it. havent met anythig that wont come off with it another way is to spary it down with simple green and take it to a Hi pressure wash bay and do it that way.


John

[digitalsam]

Sorry about the confusion

Sorry guys, I am still working on getting the vocabulary down. I am having a rather difficult time removing the cylinder assembly from the base gasket.

I have a rubber mallet and have tried prying on the reinforcement points... no luck.

[digitalsam]

[QUOTE=The Lorax;186237]"I hate to ask dumb questions but do you have the middle drive off yet? did you pull the crank case vented cover as there is a bolt under there?"

I have the middle drive out (seven hex bolts that attach the engine to the shaft?) I don't see the vented cover in the manual? Can you describe it in more detail?

[The Lorax]

it's the cover that has the crank case vent tube coming out of it. if you are looking at the engine from behind, it is on top right , close to the rear of the engine. there is a bolt underneath that cover. in fact, there is a number for the bolt (all of them in the cases actually) it is stamped into the cover kind of you will find a "32" on the cover I'm speaking of, also a "33" with an arrow pointing to the rear of the case. as to removing the jugs, it can be a battle. pry on both of the pry points, go back and forth tapping as you go, do both at the same time (helps if you have 3 or 4 arms) persistence is the key. I did it once, that was enough. I think I did actually break off one of the bottom fins at the corner but I painted the engine so it didn't show up so much. hopefully somebody has a sure fire way to remove the jugs as I got mine off but it was a bit of a fight. hopefully, I've been of some assistance. have a nice day and ride safe

[trbig]

Someone made a post recently.. they used the head studs and something that grabbed the inside of the cylinders in the cam chain galley to lift it up.

Maybe Prometheus can find it since he seems to be in such a good mood lately..

Tod

[prometheus578]

"I've lost my good mood now!"

I'm astounded, TRBIG!
And here, all along, I thought that you worshipped me... and read every little tidbit that I, in my compassionate nature, post for the general good.

It was Planedick's idea of which you speak.

And, had you shown me the courtesy to have read my post, you would have seen that Planedick's idea was in the first thread that I linked to.

I've a good mind (debatable) to remove you from my "Friends" list.

[trbig]

Sorry about that.

I stopped clicking on your links a while back when you kept sending all that S&M porn you were trying to send to T.C., but kept sending to me by accident.

Maybe you could actually write these things in here for us to read.. instead of sitting around copying and pasting links all day for us to click on. It's not like you have anything better to do??

"I've a good mind (debatable)..." Indeed!


Tod