Goat

Hello welders, I know its been asked multiple times. But I'd like to re-ask to get the latest opinion. I'm after a TIG. Would like to do Mild, Stainless, and very likely alloy in the near future. I've already got a MIG, so after a dedicated TIG machine. What of the current range would you people recommend? (I've seen Kicker's question on the previous pages but would like a few more suggestions if possible :)) Would it be best to not get one that does alloy? Will most likely be used for panel steel, exhaust pipes, and on occasion 5mm plate for brackets. Anything thicker will get the MIG treatment. So doesn't need to be a gajillion amps!. However, for alloy, I would likely be for repairing damaged motorbike engine cases and covers, so may need some amps for that?? Would like to hear pros and cons for DC only or AC/DC units vs price. Best to fork out for an AC/DC unit so i can weld ally in the future? I don't actually need to do any alloy welding immediately, will be mild and stainless for the time being, but don't want to trap myself and need another outlay when i want to do some alloy. Many thanks.

Was a great wee meet. Thanks!

Cheers @tortron. Have had my eyes on those for a while. They're probs fucked. And i've already got more ND tachos than i have the need for. They're the correct shape, just don't have the idiot light tubes. In Laverda news. I've sent head to Radax Australia for a rebuild. I've got all the gearbox bearings and gaskets to put bottom end together. Waiting to get cases back from some repairs. Then its dropping off for vapour blasting and i can start assembling the engine! I got the head vapour blasted before i sent it away. So here's some pics of that, cos picless posts are dumb.

If kicker can't make it for some reason, I can pop out one night this week/this weekend.

Be good to finally meet you Kicker.

Chair man, The cb 550s and 650s had 200kph ND clocks. (I see yours are nippon seiki, same as the 400s and 350s) The 750s and the Laverda have 220kph/140mph clocks (so the Laverda faceplates wouldn't fit). Have got a 220kph ND speedo in stock to cut up. Cheers for the offer though!

Thats the one i tried to acquire... Chair though dude. Appreciate it!

One of the most noticeable and annoying things that are missing were the clocks. One would expect something like this to have some super bespoke italian clocks or something. But fortunately, most of the Italian exotics of the 70's, well, Ducati's and Laverdas anyway, ran nippon denso clocks. Cool. They are the same style as the Cb750. Oh awesome. Should be easily be able to find some. WRONG. They run the same style as the 1970 CB750 k1. Which are super rare. (yet still more common than Laverda clocks). These have the idiot lights inside the clock and have some sweet jewl lenses on the faceplate. I somehow managed to find a pair on trademe, though the dude only sent me the tacho, and couldnt find the speedo. Argh!!! Need restorin g, and the drive touches the needle sometimes, hopefully i can space it out when i swap faceplates. You can see the Neutral and Oil lights at the bottom: If any of you jokers have a speedo like the above in your hoard, please let me know!! My backup plan was to source later model CB clocks, and modify them to accept idiot lights in the back. Pretty easy, but I would like to do it properly for a bike like this, as they're pretty collectable. They are pretty much identical except for the provision for the 2 idiot lights. There are some slight differences, but they will work sweet and look OEM until you take them apart. No biggie. I've managed to get a couple of these later style clocks ready to roll if i need to (which i could also use on my ducati when i get around to restoring that, so no major if i don't use them for this build). Will tackle and document the gauge restoration once i've got the motor back together. Everything is in full swing, will update as i have stuff to report for anyone interested in the resto.

Here is Red cutting off the crushed old slingers and rolling on his new ones. You can see all the crud in this one: And done: Crank going back together: Finished product. All new bearings, new bottom end rollers, a couple of replacement conrods, and 2 new crank web with pins. $$ but worth it. Better than new (literally, as this year (1979) the factory fitted incorrect bearings that would catastrophically fail within 20,000ks! haha. So Italian): So now this is safely on my bench. I've dropped the cases off to get some broken threads welded up, aswell as the oil pump surfaced machined as it has a horific scratch in it. I also dropped the barrels to see what can be done about the scoring. Cant pick it up with fingernail, so hopefully just a hone and i can continue running STD size pistons. Once i get the cases, its off for vapour blasting. Then i can put it all back together. New gearbox bearings are en-route. So hopefully have the bottom end nipped up by the end of feb.

After some initial investigation, I soon saw why it was pulled down, cylinder number 1 bottom end. fucked.: It has had some catastrophic engine failure at some point. There was damage to the cylinder head, cam chain guides, pistons and crank. It looks like the cam chain had snapped at full noise. Damaging everything related. Oh boy. Worst looking damage seemed to be the crank above. (or so i could see) After trying to find someone keen to tackle a Laverda crank rebuild, i ended up having to send it to Redax Engineering in australia. The dude there Red is a super GC. Gave me guidance and advice, and fully rebuild the crank with new bits and bobs, including largely unobtanium bottom end bearings from his own personal stock. Legend! I built a custom crate, and sent it away not knowing what to expect. Got to Red all good and he set about working his magic. The laverda runs a low PSI oil system that pretty mush just pushes oil where it needs to go. All the bearings are roller, so it only needs oil, not pressue. It has sheet metal slingers on the crank, which centrifuge oil into the main bearing. It needs super regular oil changes, as if you have dirty oil, all the particulate centrifuges out and blocks up the slingers. Which happened to cylinder number 2. Fucked: He was doing a few other cranks at the same time:

So a while back this popped up on trademe, in wellington. I was first to view and bought it then and there. A big gamble as it had been completely stripped down for over 25 years! Its a 1979 Laverda 3CL. Its a 1000cc, 3 cylinder, 180 degree crank Italian stallion. These were the fastest production bike in the world for a bit. A claimed top speed of 140mph. They're pretty rare. With only 7 thousand odd being manufactured across all triple variants (3C, 3CL and the Jota) Its a major project. I though i'd just get it, put it all back together and sell for big bux. lol. Yeah right. She's a bit fucked. It was completly stripped down in the mid 90s, and has moved around a few owners since. Has spend the last 13odd years under some dudes house. I'm a sucker for misery/punishment, so i've decided to do the right thing and fix it up proper. This is collection with Seedy AL and his sweet ute. All the parts were wrapped so i had no idea the condition or what was missing: Parts laid out in the shed ready for a shit load of stress and money. Oh boy. The color and seat are vial and will definitely be changed. Just what i need. Exotic 70's Italian engineering in unknown condition and in random bits and pieces. Yay.

The carbs were full of green gunk. It appears to be corroded brass. Pretty much all of the brasswork in the carbs has been etched. Thank goodness the floats are plastic. I've had this with my kawasaki recently, where the fuel ate pinholes in the floats. Really weird, must be some crazy additive in the fuel. The residue was so difficult to remove. Wouldn't even wire brush off. Degreaser and brake clean did nothing. Turns out good old vinegar works a treat. Leave it to soak, wipe it off with a rag. Who would have thunk. Yum: This was rancid: After a soak in some vinegar:

Holy thread revive batman. This has been in the corner of my shed for some time. So i've decided to dig it out and get it going. Currently cleaning and rebuilding carbs and rebuilding front brake. Then i'm going to undo the mods i did to make it a cafe and try and turn it back into OG. Have everything to convert it back asides drom the 4 into 1 pipe. Which i'll try and get a repro, as they are the feature point of the bike. Will be progressing slowly, but shouldn't take too much to get it on the road again. As i dug it out and as it currently stands:

I won't be around either.

Keen

Shit yeah Rog, Repair looks awesome!

Just seeing Michael San's coments above... Be careful driving with the handbrake on, as it can cause the pads to rip out (sounds like a fail i know). But they are a pretty fragile thing, designed to keep the car still. Not for e-brake drifts. So just be mindfull of that. Cos it will be misery to change the pads...

I'll be keen for both

Wow. This is awesome dude! Next level 2 stoke dedication! Have you got any recommendations for a not so wild setup? My maverick is tired and i would love a bit more pep. Not valentino rossi spec though. Haha. Just not first gear up my hill!

Yep, Keen

I'm in

k33n

Find another stocker Al. Get it in and get it gone. Put your efforts into the bus or the cressida like originally planned. Dont turn this into a big project.

You guys are doing it right!

Living the dcoe dream