Monday, 21 October 2013

Hold-ups

Business workload has improved even though the bike build hasn't, it's getting little like my 1969 swb 4.6 xj6 series1, Jaguar with manual gearbox/overdrive. Which has been stored in the garage along side where the Bandit is kept for some years now but unlike the Bandit have no plan to start working on it yet.

Few months ago I brought the undertray which you see fitted in the above photo (the photo doesn't do it justice). It's made for the Bandit 600 so needed to do some cutting and filing to get it to fit, I've left the pillion grab bars in place as I didn't what to cut them off at this moment in time. There are areas where the undertray doesn't meet the b4 bodywork very well if not at all, also where the battery meets the undertray  the tray will need cutting-out and reshaping so the battery can be refitted. As well as this am reshaping the rear of the undertray where it also meets the rear light and the two fixing bolts for the rear b4 bodywork. To do this' I need to fabricate number of backer plats which allows you to lay-up the repair the same way the undertray was built--gelcoat first. Which hopefully will means very little finish work will be required.
I google' moulding material's but couldn't find anything that would make my life any easier so decided to return back to the old trusted car body filler to fabricate the backers. The photos below shows some of the backer plates I've made-up so far, these still need some finishing off, i.e. more reshaping, smooth-out and painting.
When I get to re-fibreglassing the undertray the backer plats are waxed with releasing compound and then fixed to the outside as tight as possible to the undertray which is first turn-up-side-down, then lay two coats of black gel coat into the repair areas, once the gel coat becomes tacky start to lay-up the fibreglass fabric mating, when the repairs are done let dry for 24! Hours and then removed and discarded the backer plates.
I've been working on the swingarm on and off over sometime now regards to polishing and possible other ideas which is why I haven't cut anything off yet? . The photo shows how the swingarm might look like but since this photo was taking it's been re-sander back again before being re-polishing again.
 
 
I seam to be coming across more then my own fair share of problems during this build and this is the latest' After finishing the sprockets and chain setup? I started sanding-down the mould edges that are left behind in the rear-wheel casting process and needed to remove the brake disc to do so I had to undo the Allen-key-type bolt's head of which I managed to removal three of them but the other two bolts were partly seized and the Allen-key bolt head was rounded off so had to drill the head out and the last started to come out but as I thought it was coming out it snap-off.
I do have a set of extractors somewhere but can't find them so looks like I have to buy new set.
Again this happens a while ago' it pays sometimes to walk away from a problem but not this long.

The June to October time is busy time dealing with car and van MOTs and many other thing that needs doing at this time each year and now I hoping I can spend bit more time on the bike, lets see?...................       
 
   
 
 

3 comments:

El Gringo said...

Looking good Unique

Anonymous said...

hi , its a very nice blog that u have here and some great modification i can only aplause....im livin in paris and movin next month to japan...i already bough a 400 bandit out there from a friend and i would love to go for the same swing arm swap and the 180 tire...plus the inverted fork (heard that the gsxr 750 fork is almost a straigh mont ??) i would love to get touch with you and talk about everything i need to do thos mods !! only if you have some time to answer... thank you very much


here is my email : yace.nothing@gmail.com
hope to hear from you soon

Unique said...

Thanks for your kind comment, I have sent you a reply to your email address... The idea behind the blog was to share so if anyone wishes to ask something please feel free to do so, I do my best to answer. I known myself what it was like at the beginning trying to find info on mods (that’s was before http://forums.banditalley.net/ days).. Posts will be slow at the moment as they have in the pass! No matter how hard I try to work on the bike there always seams to be something else getting in the way. I have done some more polishing to the swingarm lately and I think I have made my mind up regards to how to finish the s/arm off’ Mix of polishing and paint? , Paint where it’s hard to keep clean after riding as it will take too much hard work to polish all of it, Wheels will stay the same as the old wheels but I’m trying to think of something to add to them at the same time? .
Gsxr 750 fork are more or less a straight swop but this will depend on what year you go with, I may have gone with later forks but at the time everyone what too many££££ with the later forks you will need to change the speedo but with the 1990! -1995’ if I remember rightly.. These like the b4 the speedo work from the front wheel but even with these you will need to find a way to mount the clocks.. my blog show my idea.
My aim has always been to do these mods so it’s hard for anyone to be able to tell for sure if it’s a mod or not.
If you haven’t’ check-out http://forums.banditalley.net/ Its great forum with lots of helpfully people and ideas.