Interspersions

Shiny, shiny,shiny, oh so very shiny

With the engine cleaned, Johnny got hold of a gear change shaft oil seal and I borrowed a seal pick off of Toby and dug the old one out and then fitted the new one using a piece of tube as a drift. That neatly avoided taking the clutch cover off and removing the clutch, so that was a bonus. Since that should persuade all the oil to remain inside the engine, I got on and painted it, and then left it for a couple of days to allow the paint a chance to fully harden.

A bit on the side, so to speak

Getting the engine back into the frame without damaging wither the paint on the frame or the paint on the engine is best done by lying the engine on it's side and lowering the frame over it, since the frame is considerably lighter than the engine. Obviously lying the full weight of the engine on shiny black paint that hasn't fully hardened is going to leave you with quite badly marked shiny black paint. It also helps if you have all the engine fasteners and mounts placed where you can reach them. The frame went over the engine, the studs dropped in with practically no drama at all, and there it was, done.

A fine, upright, citizen once more

In a surprisingly short space of time, the engine was reunited with the frame and stood upright on the box. At this stage it all starts to look like a motorcycle once more, and it becomes easier to raise some enthusiasm for the project. Of course it immediately becomes apparent that there are plenty of other things that need a serious cleaning before they'd look like they belonged on the motorcycle.

Togetherness

My friend Emily came to the workshop in the week and did a sterling job of getting all the old paint, grease and other crap off of the yokes, before she gave them a coat of primer. That meant that all I had to do was blow them over with some gold paint from an aerosol can to match the rear shocks and find the bearings before I could refit them.

Currently I'm trying to get the wheels cleaned up and repainted, along with their discs. I think I'm just going to get a new chain and sprockets since the engine sprocket is worn  to the point the teeth have started hooking, and the rest of it isn't much better. More expense....