Author Topic: 1979 1000 SP project  (Read 3960 times)

Offline Brilig

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1979 1000 SP project
« on: March 31, 2020, 02:13:12 PM »
Hello Everyone,
I am new to the site.  I have a 1000 SP that I have owned for Thirty five years.  It has been in the shed for more than twenty years and it's time to get it back on the road.  The original owner was the service manager of a motorcycle dealership and he made the following modifications to the bike before I owned it:

Lester wheels.
Fork dampers from CX 100 Le Manns.
Dual spark plugs.
Fork brace.
BUB oil sump.
Chrome valve covers.

Modifications I made:

Straight intake manifolds and K&N filters.
Remove breather box and relocate electrics to this area.
BMW fairing
BMW handle bars
Sportster seats.
Harley exhaust pipes.

I admit it is a little butchered but I was young  :boozing:
My plan is to stop short of tearing down the engine at this time as it's running just fine and only has 41,000 on the clock. I will be rebuilding and replacing calipers, carbs, brake shoes, brake lines, wheel bearings, fork dampers, all the rotted rubber bushings, bumpers, and grommets.
Once I have it back together I hope to commute to work on it until I retire in a few years.  Then I will do the big restoration.
So here is my first question:
I want to replace the rubber lines inside the BUB sump and I am wondering what to use.  I already replaced these lines once almost thirty years ago and being in the dark ages before the internet I had to think on my own so I used 3/8 rubber fuel injection hose and hoped for the best.  That hose worked for over twenty five years and when I pulled the oil sump off yesterday those hoses looked just fine so it wasn't a bad choice.  What do you think I should use to replace those hoses?
I'll include a few pics.
Looking forward to everyone's advice.  I'm sure I'll need it.
Mark









Offline ozarquebus

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2020, 02:55:48 PM »
I look forward to watching your progress. looks like a good bike.
John

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Offline radguzzi

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2020, 08:24:58 PM »


I admit it is a little butchered but I was young  :boozing:


 :grin:  That is the best, we have all been there Mark.  Good on ya for bringing it back. 

I love SPs, I have owned three in fact my very first Guzzi was an '80 SP.  I also will not pass judgement on the Bub's Sump but best of luck with the hose replacement.

We will be watching the progress.

Welcome to the playground,
Rob



Current:
2004 EV Touring
'99 EV Hack
'76 V1000 'Vert
'80 SP 1000
2013 Harley FLHTC
'75 Triumph T160 Trident
'78 Triumph T140V Bonneville
'78 Yamaha XS 650
'88 Honda Hawk GT
'84 RZ350 KR
'71 Dalesman Trials

A VeeDub and an MGB...

The Journey is the Reward

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2020, 01:57:54 PM »
I have been going over some of the other rebuilds.  Very impressive!  I don't have a garage at this point in my life so I will be doing the rebuild in my workshop that is connected to my basement.  That means I have to be very careful with smelly chemicals  :thewife:.  Also that means this will be an outdoor bike and a daily driver so I won't be going crazy with the cosmetics. I was able to get a half decent finish using Dawn, some citrus degreaser, and a green scotchbrite pad.


This is the wire harness.  My handywork from thirty plus years ago.  The fuse block is under the seat, the relays and such are mounted to that 1/4" aluminum plate I made and the dual coils are because the first owner installed dual spark plugs.  I'll be refering to him (the original owner) as "Two Plug Tommy" from here on.


I made room for the electrics by eliminating the breather box and machining up a set of straight intake manifolds.  Having the carbs point straight back off the cylinders gives the engine a very bad-ass look that goes well with the Harley pipes.  I'll have to dig up some photos that show that.
Now that I am unemployed as of yesterday I am wishing I had pulled the trigger on that shopping basket full of goodies at MG Cycles :cry: but I don't dare spend a dime on the project for now :weiner: :whip2:.
So for now I'm off to the workshop to polish some aluminum and take more pictures.

Wildguzzi.com

Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2020, 01:57:54 PM »

Offline Scout63

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #4 on: April 05, 2020, 06:55:46 PM »
Thanks for posting pics and a build thread.  Your bike has lovely bones and a good long history of your ownership.  I look forward to seeing your progress.
Ben Zehnder - Orleans, MA USA

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2020, 04:17:09 PM »
Thanks for posting pics and a build thread.  Your bike has lovely bones and a good long history of your ownership.  I look forward to seeing your progress.
Thanks for the positive comments from you, Radguzzi, and Ozarquebus.  The more time I spend looking at other peoples work the more I learn so I will be taking my time to be sure and get this right.  I learned about ACF-50 by watching your build.  I had been wondering how to protect the aluminum after vapor honing.
I was looking at your photos and it appears there is a large hole in one leg of your center stand.  Was the steel rotted?

This is the BMW fairing I had on the bike.  I like the look of the bike both with it and without it so I may try to engineer a way to put it on and off easily.  It also gives me a place for my oil pressure gauge.  I'm a big fan of oil gauges.  I learned the hard way that you can learn a lot about the condition of your engine if you know how to interpret the movements of the gauge.  Better than just a red light indicating "GAME OVER".




Speaking of oil pressure, this is a picture of the innards of a BUB oil sump with external oil filter.  The BUB came on the bike and though I probably wouldn't go looking for one I'll stick with it because I never had any problems with it.  There is some talk that they can result in low oil pressure and the hoses are prone to rupture.
I always had oil pressure with the BUB that was as high as I prefer.  Any higher and I would have dropped the weight of the oil to reduce pressure.  Oil pressure too high can reduce flow and cause insufficient lubrication as well as put stress on oil seals.
These hoses are 3/8 ID fuel injection hose.  They are over thirty years old and still in great shape though I will replace them.

 
The pandemic has me out of work for at least the next couple of weeks so this could be a minimalist project to get the bike back on the road and do a more extensive rebuild next time around.  The machine has  41,000 miles on the clock so I think at the very least I should pop the front cover and check the timing chain tensioner.
If anyone has any suggestions for things to definitely check before getting back on the road after twenty years in storage I'd love to hear them.  I was ready to toss the brake lines but now I'm looking at them and wondering about using them...crazy?

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2020, 12:02:52 PM »
I removed the alternator and timing cover to check the condition of the chain tensioner.  Everything looks to be in good shape but there is a 1/4" plus gap between the tensioner and the chain.  The block on the tensioner shows no sign of wear and the teeth on the sprockets don't appear to be worn.  I will adjust the tensioner and close it up.


Just an FYI.  The Haynes manual suggests using a 2-1/4" x 3/16" rod to pop the rotor off the tapered shaft.  I tried that and the rod flared and bent with only slight pressure.  I was lucky to be able to retrieve it.  I then tried a 2-1/4" x 1/4" Titanium rod with good results.


Offline rutgery

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #7 on: April 10, 2020, 12:45:07 PM »
Cool thread, I'm looking forward to seeing the bike on the road again!

As for the timing chain tensioner, I'd definitely replace it with a bow type (valtec) tensioner as these last way longer than the rubber block and are very cheap. I've seen multiple cases worn as the chain starts slapping around. If there's any doubt about the brake lines I'd replace them too, but to be honest, I've just replaced the original ones on my G5 (40 years old) with steel braided lines but I don't really notice that much difference.

The rubber oil feed lines towards the heads suddenly and without warning burst when driving last year (was lucky not to slide off the road), I'd replace them too if I'd known this could happen so suddenly.

Does your bike have nikasil cylinders? If steel, I'd at least check the surface finishes and ring gaps.
'82 Moto Guzzi G5
'89 V7 Sport replica from a Cali 3

Offline Testarossa

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #8 on: April 10, 2020, 12:58:16 PM »
Replacing the rubber chain-tensioner is a must. Otherwise rubber dust migrates through the oil. Check the oil filter to see if it's loaded up with rubber.
70 Triumph TR6R, 74 850T, 74 Yamaha TA125, 89 Mille GT, 99 F650, 2013 Yamaha XT250
Gone: 59 Piper Comanche 250, 69 Harley/Aermacchi 350SS, 71 Honda CB500/4, 74 Laverda 750 SF2, 91 Suzuki VX800, 50cc two-stroke scoot, 83 XR350R

Offline JayDee24ca

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #9 on: April 10, 2020, 04:29:30 PM »
Hi Mark that's a great looking SP, you're going to love getting back in the saddle on the old girl. As to the Bub oil pan, my personal preference would be to toss it and get used to dropping the pan to change filters every second oil change.
Much of that preference is based on my own experience with the Bub pan. I had one on a 76 Convert 40 odd years ago. I also put a lot of trust in an Stewart Warner oil pressure I installed, just like yourself. That dadblasted Bub sump would drastically lose oil pressure momentarily (like drop down to 5psi) when the oil was hot and I was on the highway. It recovered as soon as I let go the throttle, but it meant I had keep a constant watch on the gauge. Eventually I ditched the pan and went back to original. I did swap out hoses, more than once, but the problem stuck. I know that I did the engine no good with those sudden drops in pressure.
Ever since those younger days I have come to look upon the ritual of dropping the pan, on all my guzzis, as a good thing, an opportunity to check things out inside the box. Its your choice of course, but that was my experience with the Bub pan.
Cheers, and have fun with the resurrection!
John D.
'74 Nuovo Falcone
'79 Convert
79 G5
the rest are all gone.....

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #10 on: April 17, 2020, 09:34:05 PM »
Well, Ive been undecided about how far I wanted to take this project, but a compression test told me I needed to take the engine all the way apart.
The top end came apart with the usual stuck bolts, but with a little PB Blaster and patience nothing snapped. :thumb:



The Haynes manual says to keep track of everything so it goes back in the same place.  Makes sense and I'm sure I would have done it that way anyway.


image uploader



Here is what I found.  The Starboard piston and head have a series of small dents where a small object, probably a pebble, got inside and pounded the heck out of things before being blown out with the exhaust.


I think this is because the bike has dual spark plugs and one is in a vertical position and a small pebble must have rolled in while I was changing plugs. 
I'm going to have to be very careful that never happens again


My magnet sticks to the cylinder bore just as strongly as it does to my steel wrenches so I am guessing these are cast iron cylinders and not the chrome or NiGuSil and that's a good thing,am I right?  They can be honed back in to shape?
Also, while playing with the magnet I found the exhaust valves are made of something the magnet won't stick to.  Some kind of stainless?  Is this normal for Guzzi's?


The cylinder bores have some scoring but I don't think it's too serious.










Back in the 1980's when I had the bike on the road I made these carb minifolds to point the carbs straight back to create space for the rectifier, regulator, and starter relay in front of the battery.  I also switched to a smaller battery.


The original owner added a second spark plug but didn't do a good job of getting it connected because it was so far down in between the fins.  I made these extenders out of brass and teflon so that I could get the spark plug boot properly into place.


The original owner also chrome plated the valve covers.  I never did like the look and now the chrome is trashed so I will be bringing these back to plain aluminum.  Who knows, maybe I'll buff them up real shiny :thumb:


Tomorrow I will work on drifting the gudgeon pins out of the pistons. 

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2020, 10:26:57 AM »
This is my first time rebuilding an engine so I am moving a little slow while I figure things out.
The Haynes manual suggested putting rags soaked in boiling water on the pistons to get the gudgeon pins out.
I had my doughts about this but it worked great.




Next I modified a C-clamp with felt padding for the valve face and a piece to compress the spring retainer.  Compress the spring and grab the retainer collets with a little magnet.


Now it's time to expand my vocabulary by learning new terms like Thrust Face, Ring end gap, and such.

Offline Scout63

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #12 on: April 19, 2020, 10:12:10 PM »
Looking good Mark.
Ben Zehnder - Orleans, MA USA

LesP

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #13 on: April 19, 2020, 11:06:19 PM »
Fantastic  :thumb:

There are a few types of folk in the world, those who don't know that.. If ifs and buts were candy we would all have a merry Christmas, those that just have a crack at it and probably some others.

Anyone who has a go gets my vote.  :thumb: :thumb:


Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2020, 07:41:47 PM »
Time to remove the crankshaft nut.
















That took a while but now I have a tool for my next rebuild project!   :thumb:

LesP

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #15 on: April 21, 2020, 08:29:44 PM »
Time to remove the crankshaft nut.[/url]

That took a while but now I have a tool for my next rebuild project!   :thumb:

Love your style. sometimes you can overthink things  :thumb:
I was going to machine a handle then remembered I had an adjustable one, if someone asks down the road what the marks are I can say they were there when I got the holding tool, or blame a friend.  :laugh:



I got to use it twice, once to tighten the nut then again after putting the generator belt pulley mount on the right way around, whoops.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2020, 08:34:50 PM by LesP »

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #16 on: April 22, 2020, 12:28:13 PM »
Love your style. sometimes you can overthink things  :thumb:
I was going to machine a handle then remembered I had an adjustable one, if someone asks down the road what the marks are I can say they were there when I got the holding tool, or blame a friend.  :laugh:



I got to use it twice, once to tighten the nut then again after putting the generator belt pulley mount on the right way around, whoops.
Thanks Les.  You should get a laugh out of this.  I needed a compression tester the other day but everything is closed because of the pandemic so I made one from an old spark plug, some plumbing fittings, a valve stem from a bicycle inner tube, and the gauge I use to calibrate my SCUBA regulators. :laugh:


Today I am looking for advice from everyone on removing the nut from the cam shaft sprocket.
The nut seams to be made from rather soft steel.  I could get out the breaker bar but that would put a lot of strain on the timing chain.  Or I could put the impact driver on it and pound it with a hammer but that could mean pounding on the cam shaft bearings.
It looks like a standard right hand thread if I'm not mistaken so righty tighty, lefty loosie.





Does anyone have some advice or should I just go for it?

Online Antietam Classic Cycle

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #17 on: April 22, 2020, 12:44:39 PM »
Air or electric impact is what I use to remove the nuts.
Charlie

LesP

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #18 on: April 22, 2020, 05:22:53 PM »
The nut is torqued to around 105 ft/lbs and undoing with the crank locked means all the force is going to the oil pump so there is a high risk it could be damaged.
I might have removed the nut with an impact/rattle gun but that was years ago (The oil pump was junk (chrome) and replaced with a new billet pump)

I am in no doubt the previous person who worked on it used an impact to fasten the nut and here is the result and yes it is a conventional thread.
It sucked more because this picture was from the cam grinder I had sent it to in New Zealand.



I made a 4 prong ring with pipe handle (from my floor jack) that engaged the slots in the sprocket to torque the nut on assembly independent of any other assembles .
Same reason I made the gizmo that bolted to the front pulley (torque nut to 105 ft/lbs with no stress to the crankshaft)
« Last Edit: April 22, 2020, 05:30:00 PM by LesP »

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #19 on: April 22, 2020, 07:04:37 PM »
Thanks very much for the advice Charlie and Les.
That was my thought exactly, that I would be applying huge stress on the oil pump.
That whole set up with the chain and sprockets is only there to spin the oil pump and the camshaft so it's not designed to handle the kind of loads required to pop off that nut.
Like they say, torque is cheap, or something like that anyway. :laugh:
I'll see if I can figure out a way to isolate the cam sprocket.

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #20 on: April 24, 2020, 09:02:03 AM »
I was worried about damaging the oil pump while removing the camshaft nut so I made a tool to hold the cam sprocket while removing the camshaft nut.
I enlarged the center hole in a cast iron weight to fit the 27 mm socket.


Added some 3/8" holes to line up with the slots in the sprocket.




Placed some 3/8" carriage bolts in the sprocket.


Bolt on the plate.



I machined the chamfer off the face of the socket for a good grip on the nut.
The plate gives lateral support to the socket.


All the torque goes into the pipe wrench with no strain on the chain or oil pump.


It even doubles as a puller for the sprocket.  :thumb:


Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #21 on: April 27, 2020, 01:28:34 PM »
The clutch appears to be in great shape.  No oil on the plates
I replaced the plates when I swapped out the transmission years ago for a rebuilt unit.  I still have the original transmission and will rebuild that eventually.


create image url

I didn't use a traditional puller for the bearing but it came out fine.


At 41,000 miles the sludge trap is nearly empty.  :thumb: I take that as a good sign.  Maybe the BUB with it's external filter?


Ben, I'll answer your exhaust question here so as to not hi jack your thread.  I'll stick with the Harley pipes for the time being.  The Pandemic has my work shut down for the time being so discretionary funds for the project are not there.  I'm in Apollo 13 mode.  Just working with what I have.  I want to get the bike back on the road as it is the only bike I presently own and look forward to locating another bike to do a proper restoration in the future.
Let us know where we can follow the rebuild of the Matchless you are picking up.  As a young kid my older cousin and her boyfriend would visit our house on a WW 2 vintage Matchless.  I was always in awe of that big black motorcycle!   

Offline Scout63

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #22 on: April 27, 2020, 08:44:54 PM »
Hi Mark. I’ll return the favor and post the Matchless purchase in a new thread. Great pictures of the clutch and your bearing puller. Ben
Ben Zehnder - Orleans, MA USA

Offline Brilig

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #23 on: April 22, 2021, 04:42:58 PM »
Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I have posted my progress.
What a year. :tongue:
This bike had a BUB sump on it when I bought it back in 1984.  I replaced the oil lines and this requires test fitting the thing to be sure the lines are the correct length.






Then reach in and snug up the hose clamps.  Not too tight!



The cylinders have cast iron linings so I honed them.  Everything measured up in spec so I put in a new set of piston rings.
All the bearing surfaces measured up OK too so I put it back together with new seals and a new set of exhaust valves.









The problem with the angled bottom of the BUB sump is that the engine wants to "face plant" on the work bench. :angry:



It's a good thing I labeled everything.  It speeds up remembering how it goes back together.



Torque is cheap. :rolleyes:











I always used the steering head lock and one day it just stopped working.
Now that I have it apart it looks like someone did their best to break it and steal the bike.  Does anyone know how to remove the lock core?  I would like to get it working again.





Here's a pic of the intake manifolds I made back in the day.  It looks pretty cool with the carbs pointing straight back. :thumb:



The original owner added these Lester wheels.  Another feature to give the bike a unique look. :cool:



wavy smileys

That's all I've got for now.
I apologize for some of the sideways pictures.  I need to work on that.
I hope you've all been well.
Mark

Offline Canuck750

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #24 on: April 22, 2021, 07:04:42 PM »
Your making quick progress and I like your clever DIY tools! The SP is a great bike, your doing it justice

 :thumb:
48 Guzzi Airone, 57 Guzzi Cardellino, 65 Benelli 200 sprite, 66 Aermacchi Sprint, 68 Gilera 106 SS, 72 Eldorado, 72 Benelli 180, 74 Guzzi 750S, 73 Laverda SF1, 74  Benelli 650S, 75 Ducati 860GT, 75 Moto Morini 3-1/2, 78 Moto Morinii 500

Online Antietam Classic Cycle

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #25 on: April 22, 2021, 07:32:24 PM »
To remove the lock, first remove the cover by prying under it at the pivot point with a thin-blade screwdriver or something similar. Once the cover is off, use the key to remove the lock. If it's jammed in there, use a large punch and hammer to punch it inward, that breaks off the tiny screw in the lock and then it will come out.
Charlie

Offline huub

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Re: 1979 1000 SP project
« Reply #26 on: April 23, 2021, 04:10:51 AM »
great project ! i love the old 1000SP.
just as a side note, with the current cafe racer craze , lot of 1000 SP get the cafe racer treatment , so if you ever want to restore the bike to original spec this is the time to collect the original bodywork...
i just picked up a spare set of bodywork for my le mans 2 for next to nothing.  :grin:

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