Carl's Triumph (Page 4)
Carl says (Feb 10):
Some more progress, and an unexpected "surprise" . . .
We got the head back with a nice fresh valve job. Being properly thorough, Fred promptly disassembled things to inspect the workmanship. Turns out a small part had fractured during the seating process for one of the valves. They actually use a hammer to do this. Anyway, Fred found it, got the part replaced and now all is well. The carbs have also been rebuilt. Now the action feels like silk as the slides move up and down. Many small bits were sent out to be zinc plated to restore their original luster. Now they're very shiny.
And now for the surprise . . . At some point during the life of the Triumph, the left intake port was fractured and re-welded. Years of caked-on grime disguised it during disassembly (a careful look at some old photos shows it was there), but it's quite obvious now that the head is clean.
So, now what do we do? Even though there is an obvious crack in the threaded area of the port, the welded external area is solid. And it has run in this condition in the past. AND I just paid for a valve job! So, the consensus is that we use the head as is. . . welded intake port and all.
Up next: powder-coating for the frame and assorted bits, paint for the gas tank, oil tank, side cover and fork ears. Also chrome for the rims, headlight bucket and other odd items.
Things are starting to come together.
