Used Eldorado Questions

[coffeycreek]

Hi,
I’ve found a ‘74 police bike for sale that I’m very interested in. When I asked about possibly knowledge about chrome cylinders the owner said he wasn’t sure but that it ran well with good compression an no smoke. Would this information be enough for me to know that I don’t have a flaking chome issue or does flaking chrome happen even to a well run bike?  Also, are there any other issues to watch for, rear end, transmission m, etc.?

Thanks
Mark

[bigbikerrick]

Sometimes chrome is  just starting to flake, and the bike runs fine, until the engine is damaged. The only safe way is to pull the heads, and inspect the cylinders.
Its not worth the risk running it that way, it will just cost you more $$ in the long run.
Rick.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

It's easy enough to find out what cylinder material it has at present. Simply remove one sparkplug, make sue the piston is down away from TDC, insert a "pencil magnet" in through the sparkplug hole and touch the cylinder wall. Zero magnetic attraction = chrome, very slight = Nikasil, strong = iron liners. IMO, there is no such thing as "good chrome bores" - they will all flake eventually and if not caught in time will ruin lots of expensive internal parts.

Other issues? There's always the possibility of the u-joint being either loose or having a tight spot. The rear drive gears could be buggered if someone hasn't kept up on the maintenance (same with the engine and transmission really). Could be electrical issues, oil leaks, etc. It is a 44 year old machine after all.

If you're anywhere close to someone who is really knowledgeable about the Loopframe Guzzis, then it would be worthwhile to have them do a "pre-purchase inspection".

[JoeW]

When I get a chrome bore bike in the shop, the first thing I do is pull the plugs and inspect the cylinders. I'm lucky enough to have a bore s scope but, a magnet will do. Whether I find chrome bores or not, I drop the oil pan and look for metal particals. A few fine flakes are acceptable but, if I find anything, I remove the rocker shafts, debris tends to collect in those oil passages. If you have chrome bores, they need to be removed, I've had some bikes with good chrome, some flaked at the bottom that damged the engine and others flaked at the top and the chrome blew out the exhaust port with no engine damage. It's really a roll of the dice.
On this 1971 Ambassador barn find, this is what I did to make it road ready....

1, Clean pistons and send out cylinders for Nikisil coatings
2, Disassembled heads, reground valves and seats
3, Installed new rings and top end gaskets
4, Disassembled and ultrasonically cleaned carburetors
5, Replaced points, plugs and wires, set timing and dwell
6, Removed swing arm, replaced boot and rebuilt carden joint, inspected and repacked pivot bearings
7, Disassembled, cleaned, inspected and resealed bevel drive
8, Replaced worn drive splines, repacked wheel bearing and replaced  tires
9, Remove, clean and lube brake pivots
10, Replaced steering head bearings and reseal forks
11, Install fuse block and repair wiring
12, Lubed or replaced cables and twist grip
13, Repair generator mounting bolt holes, cleaned contacts in voltage regulator, polarize generator
14, Install new battery
15, Remove, clean and lube headlight switch
16, Clean and removed rust from inside fuel tank, replace petcocks and  fuel line
17, Install new air filter
18, replace all fluids
All this took me so 40 hours, avoid weeks work.


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[John A]

Does that year Eldorado have the tapered wheel bearings that are shimmed? Those bearings can be hard to find.

[brider]

On the Eldorado as far as I am concerned, irrespective of what the bore looks like, the only way to be absolutely sure is to look at the main bearings and journals under magnification.

Les P: Are those images of chrome-damaged bearing surfaces?

[brider]

On this 1971 Ambassador barn find, this is what I did to make it road ready....

1, Clean pistons and send out cylinders for Nikisil coatings
2, Disassembled heads, reground valves and seats
3, Installed new rings and top end gaskets
4, Disassembled and ultrasonically cleaned carburetors
5, Replaced points, plugs and wires, set timing and dwell
6, Removed swing arm, replaced boot and rebuilt carden joint, inspected and repacked pivot bearings
7, Disassembled, cleaned, inspected and resealed bevel drive
8, Replaced worn drive splines, repacked wheel bearing and replaced  tires
9, Remove, clean and lube brake pivots
10, Replaced steering head bearings and reseal forks
11, Install fuse block and repair wiring
12, Lubed or replaced cables and twist grip
13, Repair generator mounting bolt holes, cleaned contacts in voltage regulator, polarize generator
14, Install new battery
15, Remove, clean and lube headlight switch
16, Clean and removed rust from inside fuel tank, replace petcocks and  fuel line
17, Install new air filter
18, replace all fluids

JoeW: NICE list of tasks, these are exactly the items I had listed in my head for tackling my OWN Ambo project this spring. Thanks for putting them in into print, I'm going to print this as a check-off list.

About your Nikasil cylinders: How long ago did you have this process done, and who did it? Assuming your pistons were in good shape and still within spec, were they able to strip the chrome and apply the Nikasil AND achieve the proper fit? I thought with the Nikasil coating, you'd need oversize pistons and then a re-bore to account for the Nikasil thickness to get a proper fit. No?

Sorry, didn't mean to hi-jack this thread.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Does that year Eldorado have the tapered wheel bearings that are shimmed? Those bearings can be hard to find.

Yes, in the rear wheel at least. Disc and 4LS use different bearings. They're not really hard to find now - MG Cycle sells them.

About your Nikasil cylinders: How long ago did you have this process done, and who did it? Assuming your pistons were in good shape and still within spec, were they able to strip the chrome and apply the Nikasil AND achieve the proper fit? I thought with the Nikasil coating, you'd need oversize pistons and then a re-bore to account for the Nikasil thickness to get a proper fit. No?

Sorry, didn't mean to hi-jack this thread.

I've been sending my cylinders to Millennium Technologies in WI. Usually a two-week turnaround. No need for oversized pistons. They strip and replate to the original bore size.

[brider]

Yes, in the rear wheel at least. Disc and 4LS use different bearings. They're not really hard to find now - MG Cycle sells them.

I've been sending my cylinders to Millennium Technologies in WI. Usually a two-week turnaround. No need for oversized pistons. They strip and replate to the original bore size.

THANKS for that link, I've bookmarked it for use after I pull my cylinders and look at the pistons.

[JoeW]

Yes, in the rear wheel at least. Disc and 4LS use different bearings. They're not really hard to find now - MG Cycle sells them.

I've been sending my cylinders to Millennium Technologies in WI. Usually a two-week turnaround. No need for oversized pistons. They strip and replate to the original bore size.

I use US Chrome for cylinder repair. If your pistons and wrist pins are within spec, the cylinders are not gouged and new rings are available, having the cylinders recoated is less expensive than replacements. US Chrome says they can apply coatings up to .025".

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[Murray]

When I get a chrome bore bike in the shop, the first thing I do is pull the plugs and inspect the cylinders. I'm lucky enough to have a bore s scope but,

You can now buy an endo/borescope that plugs into your phone for around $15ish might be worth the original poster to chase up.

[brider]

I've been sending my cylinders to Millennium Technologies in WI. Usually a two-week turnaround. No need for oversized pistons. They strip and replate to the original bore size.

Just called them, $220/cyl (IF my pistons + pins are still good) is better deal that the Gilardoni's, so I'll keep my fingers crossed 'till I pull the jugs.

[Chuck in Indiana]

After and Before from Millineum.. 

[JoeW]

You can now buy an endo/borescope that plugs into your phone for around $15ish might be worth the original poster to chase up.

I bought one of those, the LEDs don't produce enough light to get a decent image, IMO

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