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On your mark, get set.......GO!

Discussion in 'Hangout Lounge' started by JeffK, Dec 20, 2010.

  1. JeffK

    JeffK Well-Known Member

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    As some of you guys know, I recently picked up my '82 turbo that I bought back in November. Before bothering to pick up the bike, I found the manuals online and downloaded them and read the turbo manual front to back and got familiar with the 650 manual.

    After getting it home, I did kind of a walkthru of what I wanted to accomplish and I put together what I call my build plan. For me, it helps keep priorities as I get into a bike so I don't get distracted by something and take off on a tangent.

    I spent last week ordering my carb kits, new orings, a replacement fuel pump a new (a "to jeff from jeff" christmas present) set of JIS screwdrivers and a few other things. I made sure all of my stocks of chemicals were full and bought the ones that weren't. I hate going to the store once I begin a build. I also checked my rolls of high pressure fuel line and made sure that I had plenty of clamps and assorted hardware.

    I'm coming off a H2 build so it's away with the porting tools and out with the tools I expect to need for this bike.

    I'm planning on "officially" starting the day after Christmas as long as there is snow on the ground somewhere between Annapolis and Ohio (long story) so I won't be compelled to drive out there.

    I did cheat a little last week by removing all of the plastic along with the airbox, surge box and carbs. Then, since I was worrying about being able to remove the pilot jets, I pulled the rack, removed the diaphram covers and soaked them in Whites hydraulic fluid (makes them like new) then inverted the rack and removed the floats, valves, mains. Before attempting to remove the pilot jets I peered into the recesses and saw that one of the PO's had struggled and failed to remove the pilot jets previously....a builders worst nightmare! These are small, very soft brass parts as many of you already know and you usually only get one shot to remove them without a major task on your hands. The small slots were completely gone on three of the carbs and none of them allowed WD-40 to drain when I filled them telling me that they were corroded and blocked. So I drained out the WD and filled the pilot holes with my special hoogie sauce for loosening stuck parts. That was last Weds I think.

    Last night I went down to find two of them drained so I gave them a shot by inserting a long handled widest-blade-that-will-fit screw driver giving a resonable tap or three with a rubber mallet and a couple with a framing hammer (softly, just wanted to break any bonds that remained) gave good pressure and a confidant twist and.....sucess!!! I was able to remove all four! That was the only thing I did on the bike but it means that I won't start out with a tough task when I begin after Christmas.

    I do appreciate all the folks here who have posted their work and their solutions. It makes it a lot easier for a guy like me who has never owned one of these bikes get familiar with what I'm going to run into.

    So I cheated a little by getting some of the prep work done ahead of time but my plan is to complete the bike by the end of New Years weekend.

    We will see how it goes.....

    jeff
     
  2. schooter

    schooter Active Member

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    oh boy, that would be a cool thing to see "week long bike restoration" on discovery channel
     
  3. JeffK

    JeffK Well-Known Member

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    "Restoration" ?? NO, NO...this is a "take it apart, fix/rebuild it and make it run" again, not a restoration!!

    Gee, can you imagine the resources you'd have to throw at a bike to do a proper restoration in a week? 3-4 guys, which means 3-4 sets of tools, and a huge well equiped ship so you weren't running over each other!!<LOL>

    Besides, all my friends who have "restored" bikes are afraid to ride them because they have too much money in them. most just become garage queens.

    Naw, I'm just a guy who enjoys the older bikes and having them run nicely.

    BTW- how did you make out with your GT? Get what you were looking for?

    jeff
     
  4. XJPilot

    XJPilot Member

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    Can't wait to see some pics. Should be a good *re-*build to watch!
     
  5. dinoracer

    dinoracer Member

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    What was wrong with the turbo before you started all of this.. Did you ever start it up??? What made you want to rip into this beast to tear apart the carbs. Was it sitting for long periods of time?? Before you spend the money on a "new" fuel pump did you ever try to get your fuel pump running? its not that hard to get yours running again. I have one of these turbo's and just about pulled my hair out until I spent lots of money $15.00 on spark plugs and holy crap I have boost again!!!! Again just speaking from personal experience but these bikes do like to be ridden and if you start your's up and it smokes like crazy... hop on it and go for a ride. If the smoke clears up, you are doing great and only had oil pool up in the turbo....It happens alot if you let it sit for any period of time. My turbo was my daily.. yes that was daily driver until it was taken out by a cager.. Wound up putting over 50 thousand miles the bike until the accident. I will ride her again but it will only be to get the hell out of Southern Ca to go for a ride. If you or anyone has questions on the turbo.. feel free to ask away

    Sean
     
  6. schmuckaholic

    schmuckaholic Well-Known Member

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    "hoogie sauce"? Sounds obscene, whatever it is. :p

    "This week on Monster Garage... we're going to convert this motorcycle into a Main Battle Tank. There are three rules.

    "First, the vehicle must appear to be stock..."
     
  7. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    Going into the project with anticipation and enthusiasm is a big plus. Your more likely to spend some time going an extra mile rather than side-stepping and cutting corners to save time.

    I looked for the Thread on R&R-ing the Turbine.
    There's one in these forums; someplace.
    If you can find it, ... look it over and consider doing the Bushings and Bearings.

    You were fortunate to get the Pilot Screw out of there.
    Not too sure where I saw them, ... but Pilot Mix Screws are available in Stainless with long-bodied tops and a Knurled Adjustment for a "Fingers Only" Tuning.
     
  8. schooter

    schooter Active Member

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    Jeff, only got 1080 on the gt550, i just wanted it out of my hair, would have like 1500 or better, but what can you do?

    there's something about if you can turn the blade on the turbo with a pencil eraser its ok, if you can turn it with the pencil lead its awesome..
     
  9. JeffK

    JeffK Well-Known Member

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    I would love to send the turbo out for new bearings/bushings but I'm hoping that I'll find it to be previously rebuilt or at least not rocking or stuck or binding or otherwise beat to death. I had been told that "the guy told me that a lot of work was put into the bike before I bought it" by the PO but I usually take that with a grain of salt and if the carbs are any indication of the quality of his work, I hope that he DIDN'T touch the turbo!!

    If I can do the work myself however, I'd absolutely do it. I figured on spending 400 for "turbocharger work" when I bought the bike but like everyone else, I hope that I don't actually have to spend it<LOL>. I'll look around for the thread/article...thanks for letting me know it exists.

    The underside of the bike looks like the Gulf of Mexico did in late July....everything is covered in clean oil. It appears that the collector is full of oil too since it has droplets at the header pipes/collector joints but I'll find out when I pull it. I'm hoping that when I pull the collector/turbo/mufflers that the inside of the turbine housing isn't full of oil indicating bad seals and of course I LOVE Schooters idea of needing only the pressure available from a pencil lead to move the turbine itself but I'm not counting on it. Maybe I'll get lucky and find the check valve bad and causing the leak but we'll see....all in time....


    jeff

    PS- sucks that you only got 2/3's what you were hoping for schooter, that was a nice looking bike. Funny but we used to look at the H1 and 2's as "throwaway bikes" and now they are worth gold but the better engineered GT's aren't. Unless it's nearly perfect, you can't even hardly break a grand.
     

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