We last left our story where I was contemplating how to remove the foot peg now that the reverse-thread bolt had been conquered. Several whacks with the BFH (Big F@$#% Hammer) had already been administered, but the peg responded with the enthusiasm of a teenager asked to mow the lawn. A good night’s sleep seemed wiser than escalating to arson with a blow torch.
Enter the heat gun. Not the kind of blowtorch you see in proper garages—no, this was the Princess Auto shrink-wrap special. Normally used for scaring plastic electrical tubing into submission, today it was promoted to “fire-breathing dragon.” A little heat, a twist with the vice grips, and—presto—it surrendered without another whack. The BFH sat sulking in the corner, muttering about “how things used to be done.”
Feeling smug, I moved on to the center stand and side-stand. Both were coated in what can only be described as “archaeological grime,” possibly dating back to when Elvis was still touring. They eventually came off, leaving me with photos that look suspiciously like the “before” side of an infomercial.
Next will come the bearings. Oh, the bearings. Forty-eight ball bearings were promised, but only forty-five were accounted for. Three apparently decided to defect—possibly still rolling back in Scotland living their best lives. (If found, please return immediately. Reward: one free sarcastic comment.). I still keep my eye’s peeled for them, but would not be wise to re-use them after 65 years.
Advice from a friend suggested a few light taps should free the bearing races. “Light taps” always sounds easy when it’s not their knuckles on the line. I’ll save that fun for Saturday, when I’m braver or at least more caffeinated. Today I called it a day’s worth of success.
Finally, I began the great “paint vs powder coat” debate. Got a quote of about $300 to sandblast and powder coat the frame, which sounds fine until you remember I could buy an entire running Honda for the same price. Discovered that dry ice blasting is mostly for aluminum and flaky paint removal. Translation: yet another thing YouTube made look way cooler than it actually is.
I don’t think that I shared, but one of my boxes has the entire electrical system in a box. At one point I’ll lay it out on the basement floor and the inspection and prep will begin. Figure lots of solder to fix and wire ends to replace. Even some connections to redo.
So, today’s progress: fewer brute-force hammerings, more accidental science experiments. The saga continues…
Who knew restoring a BSA would be 10% mechanics and 90% Googling creative ways not to bleed? H played nurse and I have an unphotographed Band-Aid on my finger… fortunately she said it’s got 60% faster healing properties to ready me for the next slip….