V65 breather recovery system with Pod filters

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I wanted to run pod filters on my v65 after realizing the airbox was cracked and not sealing. I was rebuilding my carbs and wanted to learn about the jetting, so what a good opportunity, right?

A breather system for condensate and return to the sump was needed, as the stock system vents into the airbox.
Many have built little cans and hose contraptions to collect the vapor & put it in the sump.. those all seem to do the job, here is my solution.  I've run this for approx 2500 miles in three seasons, including blazing hot days with two-up mountain climbing in the WNC mountains and ridden WOT for up to 2hrs straight on hilly interstate. I've had zero oil loss out the vent and no oil mist accumulation anywhere. I'll consider that tested enough to trust it.

So I offer this humble basement-built solution with hardware store (and headshop) bits that cost about $20.

Let me know what you think. I can't remember exact sizing on most of the bits used, I built it 9mos ago, but I didnt want to post until I had really ridden it enough to prove it works. But there are pics, and all this stuff is just sitting around at ACE Hardware.

Parts:
4x brass hose barb pipe fittings
2x 90deg hose barb fittings
1x brass 4-way junction
2x PVC male end caps
1x PVC F2F coupling
2x PVC M2F adapter
1x S/S wire coil scouring pad
1x Pack of S/S bowl screens/ pipe screens
teflon plumbers tape
6 feet of cheap fuel line
oetiker clamps (stepless ear clamps)
zipties


step one/ condensing chamber:
I put one turn (1) of teflon tape on the m2f adapters and twisted them into the f2f coupler held in a vise- to form a tube. I torqued them down with channel locks to completely tight & square. (I think the tape is more lubricant than sealant at this point). In the end you have a pvc tube with two female threaded ends

I fixed the end caps in a vise and drilled a hole thru the caps. I chucked the brass barb fittings into a hand drill and heated the threads with a propane torch just until hot enough to melt PVC. When the brass was hot, I slowly drilled the threads into the endcaps, hot-forming threads. I left the fittings in place til cool, then screwed them out of the endcaps to reveal the threads.

I used the bowl screens at either end to form a fine mesh barrier to keep my packing material from falling out


I then pulled the scouring pad apart and stuffed my condensation tube full of the stainless curls with a pencil. I'd call it 'moderately tightly packed'


I installed the barb fittings back into their threads with teflon lape, all sealed up with double screens on either end.
You can easily blow through it will just a little resistance. Overall free-flowing air flow (imagine the resistance of blow/pull through an unlit cigar)

SO here's the condensating tube



Step 2 the manifold

I made a 4-way manifold with two 90deg hose barbs & two straight hose barbs. Again I used teflon tape and a lot of tightening. The straight hose barbs point up and down hill along the spine under the gas tank (up- to condensate and down- goes to sump return.
The 90deg barbs point down between the valve covers and receive the lines off to there.


the Uphill Line from the manifold runs up to the condensation tube.


The line that exits the top of the collection tube runs up to the behind head gusset & loops back along the spline, where it meets the return hose from the bottom of the manifold... both are headed down to the oil pan, where the return line returns to sump, and the vent line hangs down to the road



As I said, there are a lot of ways to do this, but this system has worked great for me.  It seems to condensate all most every bit of vapor and return to sump. I've had zero liquid oil out the breather tube, and almost zero residue or mist. Under the tank, it's tight and leak free, no oil mist anywhere.

Hope this helps anyone looking for a solution, it sure beats a tube in a beer can on a wire!

Oh yeah, here's the bike

[Frenchfrog]

Good looking bike ! I just used the plastic breather box that goes under the head stock...standard on most of the SB's from the mid 80's on I think.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Excellent tutorial.. and a well thought out design. Molded threads.. 
Because of the way the small block crankcase is designed, there is a lot of pumping action and oil vapor in the breather system. The typical "dump it into a can" method won't work.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Excellent tutorial.. and a well thought out design. Molded threads.. 
Because of the way the small block crankcase is designed, there is a lot of pumping action and oil vapor in the breather system. The typical "dump it into a can" method won't work.

One recent Mod not in the pics...  You told me at the VA Rally, you had a Tarozzi fork brace on the AeroLario "I could feel the difference rolling down the driveway"

I ordered one when I got home, and man you were right on that one!  What a difference to the front end!

[Chuck in Indiana]

One recent Mod not in the pics...  You told me at the VA Rally, you had a Tarozzi fork brace on the AeroLario "I could feel the difference rolling down the driveway"

I ordered one when I got home, and man you were right on that one!  What a difference to the front end!

 

[Frenchfrog]

Same on my v50, Le mans and probably the NTX 650 too although they are 40mm tubes.Fork braces are good !

[malik]

Elegant solution. I'll save that to my archive, in case shoehorning the Breva airbox into the Lario frame gets just too hard for me.

As an aside (thread drift) I'll be trying to mount a V7 tank & seat to a Lario frame - it does look pretty, doesn't it & it's what I've got - but so far haven't been successful in finding links to threads by those who've gone before. (Planning to put the Breva into the Lario frame).

Mal

[wymple]

On our old 84 V65 I made a metal can out of exhaust tubing, about the length of a pop can. Stuffed it with scouring pad metal. I teed the vent lines together and ran them into one end. The other end I had a high and a low line. Fumes collected on the mesh and drained back down to the sump via the bottom line, pressure went out the upper line routed down below the bike.  Never have had a problem with it, some 20 years now.

[jacksonracingcomau]

Good looking bike ! I just used the plastic breather box that goes under the head stock...standard on most of the SB's from the mid 80's on I think.

Me too but was proper squeezy to get in there, not sure it will ever come out but works perfectly.




On different tack
Mayor, how did you fit fuel taps ? Can’t see in pics. I used an earlier v7 tank (plastic) and made adaptors to sit where taps would have in old days but where are yours ?
Looks good

[John A]

On our V65 breather, I soldered a tuna can upside down on a plate with hose fittings and replicated a loop breather internally with a spring and plate. I lucked out cuz it works and fits.

[Diploman]

Great looking bike!  Very nice resto/upgrade! Love the Milich headguards, V7 tank and LMIII-esque seat.  (Where did you find the latter?). I have a Tarozzi fork brace on my V50 and, along with the new tapered roller headstock bearings and FAC dampers, it really firms up and secures the front end.  Did you de-link or keep the integral brake?  I Like the red calipers!
Really one of the nicest V65's I have seen.  Congratulations!

Your breather design is quite thoughtful and worthy of emulation.  Thanks for posting!  It is important that the breather airflow not be impeded on the early smallblocks, because the valve rocker lubrication depends on on drips of condensed vapor from little riblets inside the valve covers.  Your device looks like it will condense the vapors effectively without blocking the pumping airflow.  Usefully clear tutorial.   

I am thinking of upgrading my V50II's current breather setup with one of these breather bottles:

https://www.jazproducts.com/store/1-pint-mini-breather

[John A]

Me too but was proper squeezy to get in there, not sure it will ever come out but works perfectly.




On different tack
Mayor, how did you fit fuel taps ? Can’t see in pics. I used an earlier v7 tank (plastic) and made adaptors to sit where taps would have in old days but where are yours ?
Looks good

I tried to use one on the V65C but gave up when I destroyed one getting it to fit.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I have the stock Lario plastic box squeezed in there, too. It's been trouble free.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Great looking bike!  Very nice resto/upgrade! Love the Milich headguards, V7 tank and LMIII-esque seat.  (Where did you find the latter?). I have a Tarozzi fork brace on my V50 and, along with the new tapered roller headstock bearings and FAC dampers, it really firms up and secures the front end.  Did you de-link or keep the integral brake?  I Like the red calipers!
Really one of the nicest V65's I have seen.  Congratulations!

Your breather design is quite thoughtful and worthy of emulation.  Thanks for posting!  It is important that the breather airflow not be impeded on the early smallblocks, because the valve rocker lubrication depends on on drips of condensed vapor from little riblets inside the valve covers.  Your device looks like it will condense the vapors effectively without blocking the pumping airflow.  Usefully clear tutorial.   

I am thinking of upgrading my V50II's current breather setup with one of these breather bottles:

https://www.jazproducts.com/store/1-pint-mini-breather

Thank you! I looked at tons of catch cans and other things for this, figured this would work with hardware store pieces.

Thanks for the complements, I'll answer your questions...

The tail piece & seat are off a v50 Monza, I shaped the foam to fit the V7 classic tank and had it re-covered by someone local

The brakes are not de-linked, that is my next project w/ S/S lines. The calipers and valve covers are powder coated.

[lucian]

Nice work on your breather and on the well detailed post.  Your bike is beautiful!  My daughters v50 came fitted with pods and I put the stock airbox back in for lack of a better alternative. What a PITA that thing is.  Your option will be winter project I will look forward to, Thank's for sharing.

[jacksonracingcomau]

I am thinking of upgrading my V50II's current breather setup with one of these breather bottles:

https://www.jazproducts.com/store/1-pint-mini-breather

I like that, neat and simple
Oe plastic harx to find (thanks malik for mine)
 But also squeezy as said
This one for plug and play people
$  not showing but assume not silly money ?

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

On different tack
Mayor, how did you fit fuel taps ? Can’t see in pics. I used an earlier v7 tank (plastic) and made adaptors to sit where taps would have in old days but where are yours ?
Looks good

Just saw your question...
I did not install petcocks in the normal position, I was worried about drilling & sealing them in the nylon tank.

Instead I made a block-off plate to cover the fuel pump port and installed a single petcock in the block-off plate..
Since the blockoff plate sits higher than the fuel level once it's 1/3 full or less... I ran a 'flop tube' into the deep left lobe of the tank.

The next issue, I didn't think the gravity siphon action from the flop tube down to the carbs would be sufficent to keep gas flowing...  It probably would under constant throttle, but I worried when you let off throttle, it would break the vacuum siphon action and stop pulling gas.

To combat this I put an inline pulse fuel pump in the line.  It's a little Mikuni unit for things like snowmobiles, jetskis etc... (Vehicles where the gas isn't stored above the engine & gravity can't do the work.)
The pulse pump is attached to one of the intakes at the carb balancing bung.

Here's what it looks like out of the bike, I just replaced the fuel lines and happened to snap a pic!

[jacksonracingcomau]

Just saw your question...
I did not install petcocks in the normal position, I was worried about drilling & sealing them in the nylon tank.

Instead I made a block-off plate to cover the fuel pump port and installed a single petcock in the block-off plate..
Since the blockoff plate sits higher than the fuel level once it's 1/3 full or less... I ran a 'flop tube' into the deep left lobe of the tank.

The next issue, I didn't think the gravity siphon action from the flop tube down to the carbs would be sufficent to keep gas flowing...  It probably would under constant throttle, but I worried when you let off throttle, it would break the vacuum siphon action and stop pulling gas.

To combat this I put an inline pulse fuel pump in the line.  It's a little Mikuni unit for things like snowmobiles, jetskis etc... (Vehicles where the gas isn't stored above the engine & gravity can't do the work.)
The pulse pump is attached to one of the intakes at the carb balancing bung.

Here's what it looks like out of the bike, I just replaced the fuel lines and happened to snap a pic!

Well clever, my way it bit simple but gives me two different length easy reserves
I tend to need that, left easy one first, right one to tell me to use rain mode, conserve fuel NOW
Added bonus I get 18 litres in it, apparently with oe pump only 15 usable

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

my 'reserve' is stopping, and tipping the bike waaaaay over on it's side to slosh the fuel from the right lobe of the tank over to the left lobe where the flop tube sits