Sorting out electrics on the 1948 BSA WM20, cleaning out bung holes on the Triumph 140

The contacts and rotor feeler contact have been resurfaced and reassembled. So cool these older parts can be serviced and refreshed. Lucas electrics sometimes referred to as "the Prince of Darkness," are hopefully in good working order now.

There was a rat's nest of wires around the battery box, with a lot of redundant and non-original wiring. Most of this was stuffed in the battery box, but still did not look very professional. Because of a parasitic drain on the battery, it was decided that a battery key switch was needed as well.

More of the loose hanging wires. One of my other passions is circuit bending electronics, and this sort of dodgy mess makes me cringe. 

A small cylinder was fabbed up from 22 gauge steel to hold the battery disconnect switch. An existing bolt was used to mount it behind the battery box.

The after picture with the key switch fully mounted and wires tucked away. Some of the wiring was wrapped back into the wiring harness, some shortened, and some straps added to hold everything in place. Inside the battery box the wiring is more compact and tidy as well.

Once again, it is the small details that need attention. This is the bottom of the fiberglass tank on the 1971 Triumph TR6C dirt bike. The petcock bungs on both sides had weeping leaks that needed addressing. An inspection revealed several faults. First thing wrong is that a layer of paint was left on the mating surfaces. This will naturally turn to goo and funnel fluid under the paint layer, destroying the surrounding paint. On each side there were two steel washers used  to seal the petcocks. It is a wonder it did not leak more than it did.

After the paint was removed, an even worse problem was the deep gouges on the brass bung mating surface. Don't know whether to blame the painter of mechanic, but this is not what I would consider attention to detail on the part of either. Ultimately, whoever put these petcocks on should have taken care of these problems.

The bung on the opposite side was gouged even worse, concealed by a layer of paint. Clearly not just an oversight, but a consistent fail. There was a lot of red residue from gas that wicked up under the tank.

After several minutes with 320 wet sand paper and a honing stone, most of the gouges have disappeared. The remaining ones were removed and the other side dressed down as well. Super important to keep the honing device flat and perpendicular to the bore.

Lastly, the footpegs for the 1975 CL360 arrived and got fresh hardware and paint to spruce them up.

1975 Honda CL360 Revival and finishing the 1948 BSA tail light.

The tank and side covers are in very good condition with what appears to be original paint. A new gas cap and seal were added. The engine side cover will be refinished to match the clutch cover on the other side.

A vintage set of Japanese Redwing shocks replaced the rusted originals. A new seat cover, grab bar, turn signals,  and a taillight lens have the rear-end looking fresh. The bike came without  front or back footpegs. Some replacements are on order.

In addition to the new parts, a lot of time was spent hand polishing the original chrome.

There are still plans for some new tires, battery, exhaust clamps, and a chain.

The high pipes on the CL scramblers are so beautiful. The finned engine covers are stock. New cables, levers, reflectors, signals and the triple tree insignia replaced worn pieces.

Waiting for a suitor.

Version two of the 1948 BSA WM20 taillight bracket painted and mounted on the bike.

Because the rear fender had been bobbed, the usual mounting of the plate in a more vertical position was not practical as it either hung over the edge of the fender or sat a bit too high. Making the license plate with the upper bend allows the light to have the correct orientation and the plate to lay on the fender nicely, and the light is a little more tucked in.

Beautiful even in silhouette. 

1971 Z50A leaving the shop and 1948 BSA WM20 tail lights.

After an engine rebuild and sympathetic restoration of the tank were done to prep the bike for sale. The original muffler was opened a little internally and a new stinger inserted in the end of the muffler. At full throttle it is quite loud.

Although the tank had been sealed before, it was with a latex product that has failed on me before, so it was stripped and replaced with epoxy. The discoloration from where the pinholes at the lower edge of the tank had soaked through was retouched. The entire white portion of the tank was repainted including the underside. The upper red portion had some scratches filled and was buffed out. Original style foil tank warning stickers were placed in the exact original location, easy to do because of distinct fade marks around their previous location. new OEM rubber tank mounting posts and rubber strap were added.  The engine side cover was also painted up. The footpegs and sidestand were fully restored with new rubbers and cadmium plating.

The50cc engine was converted to an 88cc, with a race head and cam, heavy duty clutch, high volume oil pump, and a 20mm carb and intake set-up. A 15 tooth front sprocket replaced the 13 tooth one to take advantage of the added torque.

This bike was found in West Texas with a thick layer of grease and red sand coating much of the bike. The air filter was absent, and the engine was worn out on the top end as a result. Still in search of an original tail light bracket, but if none is found, perhaps one will be fabricated like the ones for the 1948 BSA in the following pictures.

Looking to replace the tail light bracket on the 1948 BSA WM20. This is the first candidate, a 1950's BSA 250 plate with Lucas light fixture. The fluted mounting bracket was fabbed up to compliment the ridge in the lens and front fender. There were a number of holes already drilled in the fender, and it was designed to use or cover up those existing holes. 

The second version uses an older style lighting fixture and a more plain mounting bracket. Once again, existing mounting holes were used.

The second bracket getting a little paint.