Started cleaning the valves the other day, then googled & found a youtube on how to do a better job of it with a power drill and some fine grit sand paper. Note the difference, before on left, after on right. After getting the build-up off you can see the pitting that’s occurred on the valve. Also noted the inlet valves are slighting larger in diameter than the outlet valves.
Finally made some time to make a valve spring compressor. Yes, these things are expensive. Not if you shop at Harbor Freight though … just buy an 8″ c-clamp for $7.50 (less with 20% off coupon & get a free flashlight, voltmeter, measuring tape, or screwdriver set while you’re at it), get a magnet & stick it on the threaded end, and add a socket with a smaller magnet inside of it. Presto. One functional valve spring compressor. Just make sure to use a flat magnet that won’t crack/shatter when being compressed. Hint: Don’t use the small ones you can get from the inside of a dead hard-drive. They crack/shatter with 3 or 4 turns under pressure. Need to make a trip to Harbor Freight & see if they have anything stronger.
Dropped by my favorite Goodwill of Arizona store on the way back from a meeting today. Score. One ICON yellow safety vest = $6.99. No tax. These sell for $30+ normally. Good shape, no road rash, rips, or anything. Zippers all work. Now I have a yellow one to complement my orange Victor Bravo brand one.
So what’s next? If i keep all of the pieces (pistons, valve/camshaft section) and repair the carbs I still need to replace the gaskets all the way down to the crankcase. The next step is really determining what is still considered good or serviceable. Noting the piece of the carb flap stuck in the valve of #2 there could be more inside of it – so I’ll need to get the proper tool for compressing the valves just to see what condition they are in. Already have a used carb set from ebay so I might be able to scavenge enough parts to get the carbs working properly once they’ve been cleaned (my #2 slide riser is not working proper either), and I’ll need to patch up those flapper holes as well. Hopefully this week I’ll be able to break the carbs down and see what condition the needles, jets, floats & etc are in.
Crankcaes top right looks in good condition, compared to the left side.
Crankcase top left (#1, #2). Note the scoring in #2 probably due to carb slide flap being shredded.
Cylinder head bottom right (#3, #4)
Enlarged view of bottom of cylinder head (#1, #2)
Cylinder head bottom (left is #1, right is #4)
Engine right side with camshafts exposed.
