Chiefy's Chipper

Chiefy

Chiefy

Club Member
After covering the build of my Shovel Chop, (Chiefy's Choppa) here is the latest Chiefy's Chipper.

I picked up this '75 X90 for the "Right money", the condition was pretty poor so I stripped the thing back to nothing and started a full resto.

Progress to date:-

2012-07-14222712.jpg


2012-07-14222733.jpg


2.jpg



Shock absorbers have been completely rebuilt

Before:-
X90Shock.jpg


After:-
ShockDone.jpg


Still a fair way to go though.

Spares havn't been a problem so far but are getting scarce for the rarer '75 model.

Does anyone know a source for a colour match for '75 Sparkling Red paint, this was a standard colour across the Harley range.
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

Dave, Bikes looking good mate, look forward to watching it evolve:smile:

did you rebuild the shocks yourself? Mine are rusty and leaking on the SST so was just going to buy a pair of Hagons but if its worthwhile me re-building the stock I will do.
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

From the USA Dave............

The paint on the MS50 I restored a couple years ago, was very close to the same as Massey Ferguson (tractor) red. It has a trace of orange in it. I have also found that Ford tractor blue is very close to the blue used on the 1973 Z 90. According to Lesslie at Moto Italia and Don at Charleston Custom Cycle (two of my main sources of NOS parts), the original paint codes are not available. There is a paint store near me that has a scanner that will read the paint off a good part and will build a code that will allow them to recreate the color.
Click to expand...
Dave I have found this btw who said H-D's are tractors....:D

VLB5029 - MF super red paint 1ltr

View attachment 17285


Cross Reference:
1384690 - Claas
VFLK3349 - John Deere
3620501M5 - Massey Ferguson
 
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Re: Chiefy's Chipper

chopper said:
Dave, Bikes looking good mate, look forward to watching it evolve:smile:

did you rebuild the shocks yourself? Mine are rusty and leaking on the SST so was just going to buy a pair of Hagons but if its worthwhile me re-building the stock I will do.
Click to expand...

My X90 has only covered 600 or so miles since new and the shocks reflected just that, they are still oil tight and still boing and damp as they were intended but looked sh1t with red rusty springs and peeling paint. I did a cosmetic rebuild. Made a Spring compressor from a couple of old pipe flanges, a stick of M12 Allthread and a dozen M12 nuts. Compressed the springs and discovered how the things went together and had 'em apart. Got all the seperate components checked, cleaned, rechromed or painted and shuved 'em back together. Job Done, rechroming was eighty quid. For the originality I figured it was well worth it and to be honest how far will the bike get ridden every year. Handling will not be a major issue :wink:
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

BaZa? said:
From the USA Dave............

Dave I have found this btw who said H-D's are tractors....:D

VLB5029 - MF super red paint 1ltr

View attachment 17285


Cross Reference:
1384690 - Claas
VFLK3349 - John Deere
3620501M5 - Massey Ferguson
Click to expand...

Baz, I really appreciate your help with this although I have a scan of the original brochure with the paints specified I have been unable to get a decent match here. I'll give the Tractor paint a go. I hadn't thought that tractors would have been painted in a metallic paint but you learn something every day :D
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

Chiefy said:
My X90 has only covered 600 or so miles since new and the shocks reflected just that, they are still oil tight and still boing and damp as they were intended but looked sh1t with red rusty springs and peeling paint. I did a cosmetic rebuild. Made a Spring compressor from a couple of old pipe flanges, a stick of M12 Allthread and a dozen M12 nuts. Compressed the springs and discovered how the things went together and had 'em apart. Got all the seperate components checked, cleaned, rechromed or painted and shuved 'em back together. Job Done, rechroming was eighty quid. For the originality I figured it was well worth it and to be honest how far will the bike get ridden every year. Handling will not be a major issue :wink:
Click to expand...

Thanks Dave, i think i may just purchase the hagons as mine are pretty past it, will keep the original ones in the box of parts replaced:D for nostalgic reasons:D
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

Further info from Shovelhead guys familiar with 70s paint....

<quote>

On most vehicles, a portion of the manufacturers id# is designated for paint code so if he still has that, he can send the code here Order page and Prices
and they should be able to look up the pigment formula and mix it up. Kinda spendy for paint but necessary for an accurate restoration. If he's not going for a full on authentic resto then i would just get a sample or pic of the paint and take it to an automotive paint supplier. Most of them will have a spectograph and can match up a shade pretty well. On a 70's model is probably just a single stage paint with a clear coat anyways so there would be no worries about layering candies or pearls. Harley has had tons of different shades of red over the years but most of them are the same base coat with a slightly different opaque over the top of em. I would almost bet that their "real red" or "signal red" with a clear is a close match. Heres a list to the codes but it only goes back to the mid 80's

Harley Color Codes


<end quote>

Good luck matey.
 
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Re: Chiefy's Chipper

Here's a guy who seems to have collected all the stocks of old paint...
IMG_2030.jpg

According to this, he's got 3 rattle cans of Sparkling Red in that lot somewhere (Posts #27-#29), but these AMCA guys seem to be obsessive rivet counters. I'm sure there are plenty of current colours that are more than close enough to the original.
 
Paint worries are now sorted :)

Has anyone got access to the Special tools required for engine strip down.
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

well done on the paint mate, what you after for the motor?

the few tools i looked at needing for my 250 i decided it would be easier to make them than try and locate them!
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

I've got the puller for removing the magneto/flywheel on my '74 sx125, don't know if it's the same for the 90.
 
I've also started making a set of the Special tools required for the engine strip down, the only problem being is that I have to make one tool, get a part off, before I can see what the next tool will look like.

I've made a start on the Magneto Pin spanner, if all goes well I'll post a picky or two and donate it to the club tool scheme if it works.

I'm not sure if any of the tools cross the model range that much, my workshop manual shows the tools but only refers the use of them to the X90 and the M50.

I've got the Head, barrel and piston off and it all looks in good nick, commensurate with the 645 miles on the old speedo.

I did manage to loose a piston circlip during the battle, one tiny ping and it escaped to the other side of the shed, never to be seen again. It'll cost more in postage than the cost of the clip.
 
I made a start this morning.............to remove one nut from the end of the crankshaft that holds the magneto flywheel in place.

I needed to finish the wrench first. During the week a friendly guy laser cut me a blank from 6mm steel, I drilled and reamed the holes to fit the 3mm dowels in place and ended up with this:-
image_zps56d78120.jpg


The dowels locate in the blind holes around the magneto flywheel and hold the crank still so you can get the little nut in the middle undone.
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All to get this one feckin' nut off.
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More by luck than judgement the length of the wrench meant it engaged on the gear change shaft leaving both hands free to get a socket on the nut and beat seven shades of sh1te out off it.
image_zps9146587f.jpg


Now I need puller that screws into the flywheel with a jacking bolt that will push it off the flywheel. I spent a while measuring it up and checking the pitch of the thread etc so I could knock one up at work next week. Just to find one for sale at 6 quid.
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

If you need it you can borrow my electric impact wrench...
 
Re: Chiefy's Chipper

Bluey, I should have taken you up on your kind offer, little did I know at the time.............

Okay, on to the other side and the Pinion nut......

image_zpse6f95a03.jpg


Looks nice and easy, the manual shows just how to do it.

image_zps66e3b764.jpg


And the special tool required to hold everything still......

image_zps4f6943be.jpg


With the help of Mr. Laser Cutter and Keith the welder I came up with this

image_zps5e91db55.jpg


image_zps8ff6a1ee.jpg


I tried a 19mm AF socket, too small, tried a 21mm AF socket, too big. Being a metric bike I assumed it must be a 20mm AF socket which I didn't have.

Whizz off down to Halfords and get a 20mm socket, get back to discover this was too big as well. Finally dig out the imperial stuff and a 3/4" socket fits perfectly!

The nut is on tight, very tight in fact so tight as I bend the 6mm thick handle on the special tool!

Back to the drawing board.

Get back to work, cut off the handle and get Mr Welder man to weld on a piece of 3" pipe......

image_zps6ca70202.jpg


This is the revised tool in place.

image_zps778d6154.jpg


This time, with a 3 foot "breaker bar" on the socket the nut starts to turn, finally gives up the fight on the last thread and comes off. Praise The Lord. That nut put up a fight right up until the last turn, so I assume some ijit has fitted an imperial nut on the metric thread. Following day I try the nut and with fingers only it runs down the thread a treat, I can hardly believe it.

Also managed to build up the Foot pegs with new springs and rubbers, fit a new oil window to the 2 stroke tank and fit them all to the bike.

image_zps986b9108.jpg
 
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