juular Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Finger rubbing! That's a new one to me, I'll have to give that a shot. Normally I stick duct tape over the hole and use a sharp knife around the indentation. You can then stick that bit onto clean steel and cut round it. Good luck with gluing metal on. You'll get addicted. Fabergé Greggs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 4 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said: It was later discovered to have a blown wire feed motor circuit. In short- its Totally fucking fucked mate, big time. Damn. That's a real shame. I was somewhat hoping it was less fucked than that. Fabergé Greggs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Just now, Talbot said: Damn. That's a real shame. I was somewhat hoping it was less fucked than that. It was well worth the chance! Really mad that it’ll live on with new innards too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted January 12, 2021 Author Share Posted January 12, 2021 With the Beluga roffled I had vital project funds to buy welding gas, mask, wire etc to make some project progress. Whilst umming- and ahhing on the finer points of wire thicknesses and gas mixes something far more exciting than sundries swept in and grabbed my attention, so naturally I did it a buy. Its: Modern yet ancient An evolutionary dead end Has an MOT measured in hours Has been crashed Has a bit of a squidgy vibe Was bought unseen, natch. I've actually tried a new one of these which completely failed to ignite my excitement, so god knows why an old cheap one would. Anyway, due to the Covids I'm deeply ashamed to say that I won't be collecting but it will be delivered. At lunch time, no less. davehedgehog31, scdan4, Vantman and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted January 12, 2021 Author Share Posted January 12, 2021 Oh, the courier just phoned. It'll be 6pm. scdan4 and LightBulbFun 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 How many wheels does it have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted January 12, 2021 Author Share Posted January 12, 2021 37 minutes ago, HMC said: How many wheels does it have? Hey! That's cheating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted January 12, 2021 Author Share Posted January 12, 2021 Okay so I've only seen it in the dark, but it seems bloody ace! A run around the block reveals that everything is as it should be. I'll stick it in for a test and see what happens. Oh, question: should the speedo illuminate for a motorcycle test? Jim Bell, chodweaver, Dave_Q and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudster Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 Speedo illumination isn't testable Fabergé Greggs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairnet Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 iraqi supergun is going in the bin yes? balloon tyres on ice argh Fabergé Greggs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted January 12, 2021 Author Share Posted January 12, 2021 1 minute ago, hairnet said: iraqi supergun is going in the bin yes? balloon tyres on ice argh It's cold enough here for the roads to be a little bit "twinkly", but I was surprised that traction was low enough to have a couple of snaky moments upon leaving junctions. Drift yo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted January 15, 2021 Author Share Posted January 15, 2021 Did precisely nothing to the Vanvan other than rag it around a bit, and yet the ministry man says: Dave_Q, tobyd, Skizzer and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted January 18, 2021 Author Share Posted January 18, 2021 Driving home from the shops last night, the Saab started to hesitate under load. Upon arriving home, there was steam coming from under the bonnet.. hmm. I cut the engine and discovered that coolant had been spraying everywhere- I’m 90% sure it’s coming from the heater pipe. It took about a litre to get it back up to max. I hope that the reason it was hesitating (and now won’t start) is that it doesn’t like the wet, and it was soaking everywhere! I thought that the new rotor and arm had sorted that, but we shall see. Battery currently on charge. Fingers crossed for nothing serious. Cavcraft and Vantman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplebargeken Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 Digits crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 The replacement bit of hose for the Saab arrived promptly as ever from Saabits, for the sum of £20. It went on without hassle. Whilst I had drained most of the coolant I thought I'd clean out the expansion tank which was pretty grotty. Multiple goes of boiling water and fairy liquid had most of the grot removed but it's still a long way off pristine. At one point I was considering what abrasives I could use to slosh around the tank to speed up the process, and hit upon some Chana Dahl lentils. Do I win some sort of vegan car maintenence prize? Hope so. I noticed that the expansion tank has a few hairline cracks underneath which look like they've happened as a result of the attaching bolt being tightened down too tightly - it doesn't seem to lose any coolant or anything though so maybe they're not complete fractures. I'll keep an eye and perhaps treat it to a shiny new one. All seems well for now anyhow. The Vespa is slowly progressing. I finally cobbled togther all the gear needed to get welding which feels like a chod milestone. My "reconditioned" welder turned out to have a ludicrously stiff gas valve which meant that I had to use two hands JUST TO PULL THE TRIGGER. Not what a beginner needs to assist them on their way. After taking it back to the bloke who I bought it from it now seems much better. Time spent being a tight arse and messing around with broken welders: About 3 months. Time spent welding: 0 months. After being brave and cutting all the nasty bits the floor looks like this: The lesson here is that you should or shouldn't go looking for rust. (Delete depending on your outlook). First welds be like: Cutting patches with Gaffa tape templates proved a revelation so thanks to @juular for that one. It's hard not to blow through the really thin Vepsa metal even on the lowest voltage setting but I soon started to progress. Around 2 second bursts seems to work best- enough to generate a bit of a pool but not so much as to rush or cause too much heat build up. Floor now looks presents thusly: Looks a bit of a mess but I promise you it's damn sight more solid than when I started. The aspiration has never been a show queen, rather something that rides great but can be scraped about in Londons motorbike parking spots without worry. Sometimes I wonder why I go to all the stress and expense of gathering tools and then I remember what it looks like. What a babe. Plus tools are tools and you never regret them. Can't wait to start on the Fiat chodweaver, juular, Dick Longbridge and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vantman Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Jack,is this brochure of any use to you, if i can find it! Fabergé Greggs and sdkrc 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 6 minutes ago, Vantman said: Jack,is this brochure of any use to you, if i can find it! 😍 most definitely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vantman Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 1 hour ago, Fabergé Greggs said: 😍 most definitely! Ok,i will PM you as soon as i find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 11 hours ago, Vantman said: Ok,i will PM you as soon as i find it. Thanks @Vantman, you're a legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted February 7, 2021 Author Share Posted February 7, 2021 Finished the floor by slapping on a thick coat of hammerite which ain't pretty but the floors are vulnerable to stone chips and rust, hopefully this should keep it all at bay and be easy to touch up. Gave the stand a wire brush and a lick of paint too and bolted it all together. Oh, and squirted ACF50 into the central tunnel too. Earlier in the thread I decsribed the damaged steering stop on the frame, which was meant that the handlebars could turn too far and damage the frame. Fixing that wasn't enough, the stops on the forks were also damaged . Thanks to my new found alchemy ability, I was able to build up the stop with some weld and grind it into shape to match the other side. The seat catch relies on this bolt which has a captive nut in the frame. This was spinning as they often do which makes fitting a rack impossible. Guess what? Dab of weld = sorted. Can you tell I'm loving this yet? I also repaired the leg shield a bit which I forgot to photo. All of this was beginning to feel like quite slow progress, but then as if by magic, the forks and headset flew together. After a bit of wrestling, grunting, some back twinges and contortions, I slotted in the freshly rebuilt engine. Add some wheels and we've got a rolling Vespa for the first time in yonks. SATISFACTION LEVEL: 17/10. chodweaver, Jerzy Woking, LightBulbFun and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted February 8, 2021 Author Share Posted February 8, 2021 Today's progress: gear shifter on Connecting up the choke, throttle new fuel hose to the rebuilt carb. Fuel tank, notice it says "£10" in pencil. That's probably why the tap leaks then. I have a new Piaggio tap to go in, which neccesitates the use of the worlds most unique tool to get to the bolt inside the tank: Deep down in there: I think that's everything.. Oh wait, nearly forgot gearbox oil. So then it just had to be tried... IMG_2951.MOV 155V6, Jenson Velcro, LightBulbFun and 13 others 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_Fearn Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 This is great! I’ve wanted a Vespa for so long. Fabergé Greggs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 Beating the ULEZ like... https://youtu.be/VI4ZsZHszcQ Notice that the legshield is waving about in that video- this is a result of it vibrating which is clashing with the fram rate of the video.. I need to have another pop at repairing that damage caused by the mangled steering stop. Has this thread made dissapointingly linear progress? Not enough disasters for you? Well... In an effort to get the clutch operating smootly I've been spending a lot of time on the floor staring up at this part. I was trying to fit a better clutch from my LML that unbeknownst to me had 1 too many to mesh with the primary transmission of this. I could have sworn I counted the teeth correctly. That wasted a while, and in the process of all the fiddling on my back in the shadows.. I DROPPED A TINY WASHER INTO THE GEARBOX (CRY FACE).. I'm going to have to split the cases to get the washer out. This shouldn't be too bad as they're designed so that you can split them in situ, but still: CRY FACE. Popular psychoanalysist Sigmund Freud would suggest that I wasn't ready for the completion of the project, since with completion comes loss, and hence my subconscious dropped the washer on purpose. I say: FUCK YOU FREUD. Tickman, Stanky, uk_senator and 14 others 11 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_Q Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Still love this, kinda wish I still had one of these old crocks to trundle round on rather than an overpowered crotch rocket. Fabergé Greggs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Loving the updates and interesting to get @Sigmund Fraud’s take on developments . Sigmund Fraud, Twiggy and Fabergé Greggs 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigmund Fraud Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 1 hour ago, Fabergé Greggs said: Popular psychoanalysist Sigmund Freud would suggest that I wasn't ready for the completion of the project, since with completion comes loss, and hence my subconscious dropped the washer on purpose. "Sometimes a dropped washer is just a dropped washer." Great work, by the way. I'd never thought I'd find those Vespoids interesting, until I began reading this topic ! somewhatfoolish, Fabergé Greggs, Fumbler and 3 others 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Me too, it’s really satisfying to see it come together. Fabergé Greggs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplebargeken Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 The infamous Scottish bank robber Fab Greggs began to regret almost instantly his choice of getaway wheels....... Fabergé Greggs 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted February 24, 2021 Author Share Posted February 24, 2021 I’m have one chance of not splitting the cases to find this washer and that chance looks like this. I’m going to put some tunes on, pour a gin and tonic, and enjoy the feeling of hope and optimism for, ooo, let’s say 20 minutes, before resigning myself that it isn’t going to work. Tune in tomorrow for the d̶e̶v̶a̶s̶t̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ exciting news Jerzy Woking, DSdriver, chodweaver and 4 others 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabergé Greggs Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 Ignoring the washer situation, I spent most of the day working on the LML- gave it a thorough service and the electrics a going over. Also wasted a fuck load of time trying to get the "upgrade" clutch working , which I'm just going to write off now- it just won't stop dragging. I've spent so much on shitty clutches on these things. When will I learn that to buy cheap is to buy twice, not to mention all the fucking about. It was weeping oil onto the back wheel which I thought was the rear hub seal but that seems really dry. I think it might have been the clutch cover so I popped a new O-ring on that and we'll monitor the situation I've had a new rear hub kicking about for ages for this as it has a noticable pulse under braking. The new hub seems to have sorted it. In the absence of any photos of the completed product, please accept this photo of the new hub vs old to highlight how filthy it was. I should really clean these things more often. Back to the '70 Sprint- I decided to rebuild the original clutch to stop the snatching. Internet wisdom suggests that the brass bush needs to be a tight fit, and this one was loose as hell. New brass bush ordered, along with a heat gun and some freezer spray- these should be mega tight. Dissapointingly the new brass bush just slipped straight on so it must be the corresponding part of the clutch that's worn. Can you tell how bored I am of bodging clutches on these yet? I rebuilt it with some fresh plates (after soaking them overnight in oil) and popped it in to see if it would be improved anyway. Ta-dA! Anyway what's really happening here is I'm avoiding washer gate. It was about 7:30, I hadn't had any dinner, and I was knackered. So I did what any person in my situation would: made a cup of tea, cranked the tunes up and got stuck into a quick and dirty engine rebuild. Head cowl and fan shrouding off Cracked the flywheel off (ooo er) Stator, Gear selector, exhuast stub, kickstart, myriad case bolts and a couple of cylinder studs removed lets you move the cylinder up just enough to split the cases. And who's this? Hello my little friend. That all went backtogther pretty quickly, the most time consuming (and satisfying) process is torquing up the 13 case bolts in careful order in small increments. Runs like a champ! Clutch much improved! Yay! Having spent 2 weeks or so in a grump, the whole thing was rectified and I was blissfully snoring by 11. Sunny Jim, LightBulbFun, RobT and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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