Hey guys, I also remove the oil pump, and look in there for master link. I've never found it in either hole, I must admit! G-man, I have 3mm over head gaskets for the 72s if you need one.
davomoto
Ugly BettyThe right side still needed some work: cleaning, a few more parts yet to put fresh zinc on, new footpeg rubbers to order and a bit of persuasion required on the brake pedal. I'm sure it had been laid down on the right side because the pedal was bent inwards and interfering with the kick-start arm.
I was expecting to see a punch mark on the arm to line it up on the kick shaft but never found one. You can see the scar in the chrome from the brake pedal, but aside from that, it was in pretty good shape. I replaced the clutch adjuster and seal--it had suffered some abuse in a previous relationship. The kick-start bushing has been driven out and re-installed so that its grease hole lined up with the grease nipple. A couple of missing thrust washers have been replaced and the gears lined up. It was ready for a new clutch cable, a bit of grease, and the ball bearing for the clutch adjuster before putting it back on the engine.
I was several weeks past my start-up date goal but really glad to see the last of the metallic blue and clear coat! The fuel tank was a real challenge for me. Three geological ages of rust greeted me when I unscrewed the fuel filler cap so I employed three methods in my counter-attack...
At first I loaded up the tank with a bunch of screws, bolts and a length of chain and fastened the tank to a make-shift axle between two saw horses. With a pulley and rope arrangement I was able to annoy my neighbors with several hours of din as I sat in my lawn chair pulling/rotating the fuel tank as if I were slave to a Sultan. The photo shows some of the crap that came out of the tank. After the major rust flakes were out I soaked the tank in Naval Jelly--I can't remember for how long. After a rinse, I hooked up the tank for electrolyitic rust removal. I don't think I got all the 'shadows' but I'm sure the tank is way, way cleaner than before. I used paint stripper and lots of sanding to get rid of the blue. I guess I was so challenged at this point that I never took photos! I found the chrome side panels and knee rubbers underneath my clear-coat nemesis, but now, with the excepton of the knee rubbers, they're clean. I really struggled with the fuel tank. I sanded it down to bare metal and then used body filler on a few 'dings' before priming. It looked good at this point, and so did my first paint, a lovely black! I think I was premature with the second coat of black--spider webs appeared in a few places so those had to be sanded out. On my second attempt I put a run in it--back to the sandpaper. My third attempt looked great, so I went for the clear coat. Outdoor painting in August is not a great idea with the humidity here. I realized this when the clear coat blushed immediately. On my fourth go I learned how to orange-peel! It wasn't severe and I was so keen to put the bike together and start it that I decided to live with it until next summer. At least it's black, and I now know 4 ways to achieve undesirable results! New headlight springs and trim screws arrived so it was time to re-do the wiring on the headlight connector. With the fuel tank still curing I tackled the petcock and carbs--the last items to clean and rebuild before start-up. The petcock was full of grit but after cleaning and a petcock kit it works beautifully. New fuel lines, a replacement bowl, carb kits and a new throttle cable were needed. I kept the original jets and jet needles as they showed little wear. I cleaned the carbs carefully and blew all the passages with compressed air before re-assembly. It was mid-September, 10 months after pushing Ugly Betty through my basement door. And after spending the morning synchronizing and setting the carbs, checking the valves and doing a static timing as per lm's tuning recipe I rolled my Super Hawk out into daylight. I put fuel in the tank and checked for leaks--everything was dry. Turned the petcock to Reserve--no fuel leaks anywhere. Set the choke to 3/4 and turned the ignition key. Nothing happened on the first kick. It wanted to fire on the second kick. And on the third kick it came alive after 35 years! No blue smoke, no awful noises. Just a deep, throaty rumble (no exhaust baffles) to thrill my ears.
Thanks, Cliff. I am pleased with my undertaking, and grateful for the knowledge and support offered by members of the forum. I don't have a new name for her yet, but I no longer use "Ugly Betty".
My last post described the thrill of hearing this almost half-century old engine come once again to life. I spent several days starting it up and tuning the carbs, checking spark plug colors and trying to figure out why it would not idle properly. The top end was noisy and the electric start was not always positive, but I wanted to ride it to shake-down the transmission and clutch. I did, for a total of 3.7 miles. After clutch and shifter linkage adjustments, I was pleased with the drive train, but the top end noise and the starter problems remained, and until they were resoved, this could not be a rider. I decided I had mechanical advance and starter clutch problems so the motor would have to be dropped to deal with these issues. As of this date, this is where I am: the motor is out, new advance springs have arrived but are not yet installed, and I have discovered why my starter clutch was not reliable. Unfortunately I see I am no longer able to post pics--don't know why...
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