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T140 Bonneville street tracker-kind of mix project ODDISEY

71K views 284 replies 75 participants last post by  reverb 
#1 · (Edited)
Prologue
A dream come true.
18 years waiting for the opportunity to have a Bonneville.
In this country (Uruguay in S America) there are only 7 (8 now!) Bonneville (stock) 1978 T140 and 1 T120.
For 15 years I have been driving a 1948 500cc.

- Long story short:

In the middle of last year I bought a basket bottom end in Florida (USA); the main loop, rear frame and swing arm were bought by EBAY. When the box arrived at the agreed address at the other end of the USA, the postman served an intoxicated person who told him that was not for there and returned to sender ... so again I had to contact the seller to send it again but now to send to a warehouse of a logistics company.
Then contacted with an export company to succeed in getting a ship (cheaper than by air) and go to find the pieces to the home of a friend in Miami Beach.
Finally, when the cargo appeared the engine and frame were sent to Montevideo Uruguay
After 25 days the packages were on local port but Customs would not let me enter the stuff to the country.
That was in December last year
The customs broker told me I finally could not enter the goods.
Within months, got another customs broker and told me that the only possibility would be to send its to a free zone and there can be disassembled to enter the country as spares parts ...
That was 2 ½ months ago.
A couple of weeks since I have it and have begun work on a future bike.

So I decided to start this thread because there s not too many on later bonnie ´projects




 
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#2 ·
You poor bastard. That is so much crap to go thru, glad you stuck with it & are finally getting to get to have some fun now.

Is it something you can get tags for later when done with out a big problem?

Yes, keep posting as you go, The bike probably could not have landed in better hands it sounds like.
 
#6 ·
...2 1/2 months ago, when I went to the free zone to tear it appart the bottom end, actually we were there on 2 bikes; that 500 pre unit showed above and a ´64 unit 500cc so we put saddle bags full of tools on the bike with swing arm and drove about 700 Kms in that day to go and to drive back.

---

Bear in mind that Im not a mechanic so may be some post will sound kind of dumb in techniques or what I trying to show...

I have the 4 screws early rocker boxes
The arms are in very good shape, the boxes too.
I used a bit larger (than the spindle head) tube and pushed a bit the vise to "unlock" the spindles, then tapped slightly.


 
#7 ·
...when we went to the free zone we left the camshaft in their places
so now I m pulling out both
The pinions seem to be the early type due to the A B letters stamped and not the notches that came in later models

Im using an universal extractor because I don t have any special tools.
I put couple of screws with washers to do the job.


 
#8 · (Edited)
...so I have a 71-2887 intake camshaft
and a 71-0042 exhaust one
with the pinions stamped with A B instead of the marks.
Those pinions are pre ´75 and
that exhaust camshaft is not an stock part number for any T140 or T120
but I think that is a number for a blank camshaft to regrind...

I dont know if any of you with a ´79 Bonnie have the same ones
you know, if the previous owner changed the pinions may be changed that exhaust camshaft too.

Also I have there a three phase alternator
that will be good cranking RPM s but I dunno at low...

What s your opinions?

 
#10 ·
...thanks SwedeBobb.

---

Besides the questions about those camshaft I have more doubts for you T140E owners.
I dont have any of the head studs and bolts
I have the parts number and dims of most but I just put the head and the rocker boxes on the cyl to take measurementswith a calyper, and I found very different lengths than the book

plus I really do not understand the length of the (4) 3/8 rocker boxes bolts.
I mean, there are very short; where these bolts screw?
You have to pass all the way the boxes then the head to finally find the Cyl threads...thats a long way for a shortie...more than 5 inches!!

In the workshop manual I have a dissection diagram showing assembly of cyl head studs
but is not clearly well explained.

Hope some of you can add a bit of info about it.

thanks
 
#13 ·
...hey fellas I have a stupid problem with the rear hub and the bearings
I have the old hub type from mid 40s to early 70s in some models.
I dont have the bearings so I m taking measurements and see that the hub internal diameter where the bearing is located is 44.3mm or 1 3/4" but the bearing part number is: 37-7042
and that is a mm bearing: 47 x 20 x 14
¿?¿?¿? bigger than the hub itself?

I rang several bearing dealers and say that exist that and previous is 42 x 19 x 12
smaller so I need to make a sleeve
or a roller bearing 45.2 x 19.05 x 15.2
in this case I need to machine the hub almost 1mm to fit..

so how in the world the part number is incorrect?

what you guys put on your bikes?

really appreciate your responses
Im in the middle of nowhere regarding Triumph parts
 
#14 ·
...still trying to figure out this thing about the rear hub and bearings

in the meantime I disassembled the fork.
Its a ´76 fork and after the inside inspection, have all the parts but looks like bottom ended
however the springs got the same length as book described, 1/4" more actually
may be its in need of more oil?




 
#15 ·
...hello, few weeks without updating this thread but I have been very busy with my job (building surfboards) among life...

the oddisey continue:

-still I couldnt start to build the engine because the parts that I ordered from UK were sent me wrong...
I specified very clearly and with numbers, etc; several e mails but without luck
3 UK shops did the mistakes!
I ordered STD shells and sent me .40!!
An SKF roller bearing NUP and sent me whatever
A 40 holes stainless rim set to 1 cross but sent a 36 holes...
Lot of money in customs taxes
I returned some things and still waiting to the correct stuff to arrive.

By the way, I bought an Avon speedmaster (made in UK) that in my opinion looks better than olders that I d seen
plus the tube is nice quality.

-No chroming shop in my little town; those shops are in Montevideo that is a city at 230 kms from here so I sent the engine to polish and the guys lost the points cover...plus a friend who went to pick up the motor scratched (in transit) the surfaces in several little places, that I need to re polish some of these days.







 
#18 ·
...quite slow this project due to couple of things: my other Triumph broke 1 of the con rods so Im now in major overhauling and all the extra money and time go there.
And still the UK shops send wrong stuff
here s pictures showing 2 exhaust tappet blocks

I need opinions about to put these 2 instead of one inlet one exhaust.
The inlet ones have the smooth sides.
I do not see any problems but I do not want to fuck up everything



 
#22 ·
...in the meantime I re polished the cases, etc. I have a friend who s a jeweller, so I asked to use his small polish machine to do the job.

Also the polish shop forgot to sand and polish a part from the driving crankcase so I ll do in next days.

First I worked the stuff with those compounds that look like a candle, but scratched the surface too much; possibly because I sanded to 2500!
then I worked with the pastes that I use for the surfboards and was all good without marks, etc







 
#23 ·
...hello,
so I m cleaning the cases to put the bearings.
I ll put a 3 piece roller bearing as fitted in the mid ´80s Bonnies.
I have a question about the "washer" piece of the bearing to what side is fitted...I mean is to the case or to the crankshaft or even between the inner cage and the rollers?

Hope some one can help about it

thanks
 
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