FT: Frame (Twin) Dismantling and Refitting the UFM

[Rob H]

Looking to finally start the restoration of my dads old 47B. The Oil tank and UFM are quite rusty and would need powder coating or repainting.

At the moment I am tending towards repainting the bike frame and forks rather than powder coating but can not see how you would be able to paint the UFM and oil tank properly when assembled.

Are these easy to take apart and refit or are there any specific tricks to use or things to watch out for?

Due to the nature and function of the assembled unit I am guessing it may not be as straight forward and easy as one would initially think

 

[mercurycrest]

Looking to finally start the restoration of my dads old 47B. The Oil tank and UFM are quite rusty and would need powder coating or repainting.

At the moment I am tending towards repainting the bike frame and forks rather than powder coating but can not see how you would be able to paint the UFM and oil tank properly when assembled.

Are these easy to take apart and refit or are there any specific tricks to use or things to watch out for?

Due to the nature and function of the assembled unit I am guessing it may not be as straight forward and easy as one would initially think

Undo the six nuts and drive the bolts out. Pry/pull the tank and headstock apart as the usually are a snug fit. Not as impossible of a task as you may have read.

 

[Chris Launders]

Avoid blasting the oil tank as it will be almost impossible to get the basting medium out. Make sure the tank is well cleaned out though anyway.

 

[Gene Nehring]

I threw in a bunch of nuts and rolled them around for hours. Made sure to count them on the way in and the way out.

 

[greg brillus]

My thoughts are never powder coat any part of a bike, save it for the old garden furniture. Those who think they know better know very little about proper restoration. You can easily sand blast all the outer surfaces of the oil tank and head stock, but do not allow any to enter the inside of the oil tank.

 

[Rob H]

Ok thanks for the input, will treat the oil tank to some caustic soda inside to clear out the oil etc and may get it chemically stripped to take off whats left of the paint.

Any views on the mod to put an opening in the top of the tank, for myself I do not see any major benefit.

Forgot to ask, on assembly do the nuts and bolts a once only application and need to be replaced or can they be re-used

 

[Bill Thomas]

I don't think you will get the tank really clean, Without making a hole, But the good news, If it's in the corner and gone hard, It should stay there, It would still have to get though the filter on top of the valve,
So should be OK.

 

[vibrac]

I am not so dismissive of modern powder coating I have seen the mess that modern fuels can do to what twenty years ago was a recommended good paint I dont want to divert the thread but a thread on modern paints suitable for home use and not two pack would be interesting. Paint technology and its challenges are always changing.

 

[Martyn Goodwin]

I am not so dismissive of modern powder coating I have seen the mess that modern fuels can do to what twenty years ago was a recommended good paint I dont want to divert the thread but a thread on modern paints suitable for home use and not two pack would be interesting. Paint technology and its challenges are always changing.

Go ahead and powder coat - but DO NOT say down the track you were not warned of the long term dangers to the bike and ultimately your safety.

 

[greg brillus]

Ideally the paint should be a 2 pac Urethane these resist modern fuels the best. Of course a constant fuel leak will lift pretty much anything over a certain amount of time. A leaking fuel tap on a Shadow that allows fuel to constantly drip on the engine will lift the paint......Perhaps powder coat may survive this better, I'm not prepared to find out .......The engine numbers can be hard enough to read under a thin coat of paint......... Just saw Martyn's post....... Powder coat is very hard and brittle, if a crack were to occur in a frame tube or similar, I am not sure it would not show itself if the part was painted or powder coated. It takes a keen eye to spot cracks in parts, unfortunately sometimes they are found the hard way. At the end of the day you really want the coating to be as thin as is practical, a thick coat acts like a gasket. Not good when bolting assemblies together that need to be done up tight like swing arm pivot studs and the like. If the surfaces compress the coating then the fixture will loosen in service. To me it is not a practical solution, having found out years ago...........