restore progress

[lksseven]

Hi Guys,

the hose on the frame is just a car heater hose I bought at OReillys and cut/sliced to fit, to protect the frame from my clumsiness.

I had the rims re-chromed, along with the kickstart lever and gear shift.  I should receive them back to me tomorrow.  $135 per rim.  I don't know if that's expensive or not, but I gave myself the old life insurance pitch .... only pennies a day.

The hardware I had cadmium plated at a company in Tulsa called United Plating.  It looks great - Dave McCullough suggested it, so he gets all the credit, and if anyone is offended at the cad instead of zinc coating, Dave's the guy to talk to .  It was $4 per pound, with a $75 minimum.  I probably had about 15 pounds of hardware.  I contemplated having the kickstand cad plated, too, but held off.
         I had already removed all the hardware, and had meticulously bagged and tagged each bolt/washer/nut set in little baggies, so I would know what went where during reassembly.   But then Dave talked me into cad coating, so I had to take all the hardware out of my beautifully constructed bag/tag world, so now my big fear is that I won't be able to figure out where all these bolts and washers go!

I also had the pipe painted/coated by Jet-Hott in Arizona, and it looks beautiful.  Cost $80, and comes with a 3 year guarantee against rust and chipping and flaking.

Rod, as you know, racing is so hard on this stuff.  I have no plans to race this bike again (I have a 175 that I plan on racing in April, and a 250 that I might race, too), but I won't rule it out.  
      Along those lines, though I don't have current plans to race this bike,  I do plan to ride it some for fun, though.  And because of that, I didn't want to try and make it perfect, just beautiful.  So I cleaned and polished but left unrestored the triple clamps  and the engine cases.  I wanted the bike to look beautiful and cared for, but also with a few scars to prove that it had earned its pasture time.   When I'm not riding this bike, it will sit in my office so I can look at it all the time, and pat its fanny as I walk back and forth (if only I could pull that on my secretary, too   [:I])

I have another post to make, with a picture of a part that I can't for the life of me remember where it goes, and I can't find a picture of it in the parts manual, either.  I know one of  you will be able to I.D. it. no problem.


Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[lksseven]

here is the link to the mystery part.  I'm counting on mountain of knowledge here to nail this one quick!  Sorry it's a little out of focus - I took the pic with my cell phone.

The part is about 1.5" to the bend, then another 1/2" from the elbow to the tip.

I'm guessing it's involved with the rear hub/axle?

http://www.wordcom.com/penton/MysteryPart.jpg

Anyway, that's it for me tonight.  Night, all.

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[454MRW]

This looks very similar to the part that Donny had on eBay as a brake light switch bracket, but I'm not for sure.

Michael R. Winter
1974 250 Harescrambler
1977 250 MC5 Project
1978 250 MX6  
1979 250 KTM Project
1980 250 MX KTM

[Keithuu]

Looks like a brake light switch bracket, partially straightened, with nut and bolt.[?]

Keithuu

[firstturn]

Larry,
  It is a light switch bracket just as the two gentleman stated.  It holds the brake switch and there is a spring that attaches to the little piece(hanger) that fits on the (rear)brake rod that goes from the right to left side(from the back of the bike).  If this doesn't make sence I will take a picture this weekend and email it to you.

Ron Carbaugh

[rob w]

Hi Larry,

Oh, that piece....after you finish building that fine looking machine...

Straighten the end of that part out a tad...

it's for cleaning your finger nails.


Bawb

[firstturn]

Bawb,
  Thanks for clearing that up[].

Ron Carbaugh

[rob w]

Your welcome...

It's actually a multi-purpose item, I suppose it would mostly come in handy as a "brake light springy activator hanger thing"

Boy, it's been years since I've seen brake light on a Penton work...?

Bawb

[lksseven]

since I don't have lights on this bike, I take it I can safely just not worry about it, then?

A comment :   I was completely unable to insert the pipe without risking major scratching and gouging.  So I had to:
    - unbolt the engine,
    - remove the swingarm,
    - remove the engine,
    - remove the right rear shock
    - position the pipe and tie it against the underside of the  top of the frame (I'm solo on all this, so no extra hands),
    - remove the topend of the cylinder
    - slide the engine in place and bolt it
    - re install the swingarm and bolt rear engine mounts
    - finally, slip the head pipe into the exhaust manifold and bolt up the pipe to the frame
    - reattach the topend to the cylinder head

That pipe is wrapped in there tighter than two fishing worms.

Then I put the airbox in, no problems.

I'm doing everything the hard way - my wife says I'll have actually restored 3 bikes when this one's finished, with all "overs" and "redux" I'm doing.  My teenage daughter just rolls her eyes and exhales loudly.

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[cubfan1968]

Larry heres how you install the pipe correctly.

1) get an 18 year old kid to help you. [)]
2) try to insert the pipe in the slot []
3) cuss at the pipe  
4) try to insert the pipe by rotating it slightly []
5) cuss at the pipe again in a foreign language
6) drink a beer
7) try again []

Repeat this process as many times as necessary and the pipe should fit like socks on a rooster.

I've had the pipe off and on about a half a dozen times. Sometimes it fits perfect the 1st time other times you really have to jockey it in.

Your project is coming along great you should be very proud.

Rod Whitman
1972 Six Day (Rider)
1972 Six Day (Project)

[Gavin Housh]

Larry, I like to look deeper at the photos. I noticed a steel tanker frame in the background. When will you find the time to start that one? Bawb, I once new a guy that welded a bottle opener on his frame so that beverages would never go unopened due to the lack of the proper tool. Gavin

[Chakka]

Larry,
I really like the job you did, especially the hubs. Are they powder coated? How did you get them to look so nice?

Chakka

[Lew Mayer]

Bawb, the brake light works on my Jackpiner since I went to an MZ-B but I gotta unhook the spring when I race(ride?) so everyone doesn't know how much braking I do. It would be embarassing.[)]

Lew Mayer

[Rain Man]

Lew, if your brakes work anything like mine, your not fooling anyone here [8D]

Raymond
 Down East Pentons

[lksseven]

Hi Gavin,

Good eye!  The '70 Steeltanker starts getting attention after this '74 is finished, and my masters class gets wrapped up March 10th.  It's a long term project, but I can't wait for it to be completed, as this was the model year I owned as a teenager (my wife doesn't exactly know it yet, but this one's going in the house in the entry hall).

The motor is already beautifully restored (thanks, Doug Wilford) and sitting in my office on display on a coffee table. The frame is pretty rough, for sure. The '74 was a dog charge ... this one might be more like the charge of the elephant.

Larry Seale
I choose to ride