Having to work and travel is a real bind when you want to get on with projects. Being away means that I forget where I'd got to and where I put things.
I
knew that I'd put the cam chain tensioner for this engine somewhere safe but it just wouldn't come out of hiding. I did happen across a box of rather ropey tensioners that I'd been bequeathed a while back. The correct one for this bike has the adjuster on the left while all the ones in my box had them on the right.
The correct one was in need of work so I thought I would just practise on one of the other grotty ones and hope that the missing one would turn up. I wanted to pull out the rubber wheel to clean it up. It is held in by a central shaft which is has two peened-over lugs at one end to secure it. I didn't fancy my chances at being able to put it back the way it came out so I ground off the two lugs flush with the side plate.
There is an oil hole through the central shaft which collects up oil with a little scoop at one end. The other end (between the peened lugs) is blocked with a little aluminum plug.
With the lugs ground off the central shaft comes out and releases the wheel with its tiny needle-roller and hardened inner sleeve.
My bearing felt a little rough and had a little degree of corrosion from water ingress. It looked a lot better after a trip to the ultrasonic bath and dip in clean oil.
Just in case, I checked the dimensions of the bearing. Unbelievably - it measures 3/4" OD by 9/16" ID x 5/8" wide and is available from my favorite bearing stockest at about $6. I ordered a few to get free postage.
The bore of the centre shaft with the little plug was 6mm and I realised, after searching my thread charts, that 6mm is the tapping size for M7. I happen to have some M7 taps (Honda disc brake bleed nupples used to be that size) so I made a little fixture and tapped the shaft.
I wanted to get the new surface of my cleaned-up wheel truly concentric with the shaft so I made a little tool to centre and clamp the wheel in my lathe.
It's easy to mount the wheel and using a sharp lathe tool I can clean up the surface and keep both sides of the wheel the same diameter.
eBay came up with some short M7 bolts and I may have to thin the heads down a little to get clearance. I also need to remember to make sure the bolt doesn't block the lube hole for the needle roller.
And, just as I was admiring my work, the original 1961 tensioner turned up. That will have to wait until next weekend.....
Those Cappelini tensioners were looking tempting but I reckon that I can now completely restore these tensioners with fresh bearings for less than $10 and about an hour of my time. A satisfying return to the workshop.
G