Revival thread Le Le Le Le MANS !

[wicks]

Isn't a Le Mans just a glorious piece of crazy cool Italian design and ingenuity?

Lovely old carbies awaiting float bowls and done. I replaced a lot of parts including diaphragms and accelerator fuel valves, needles, jets. New washers for shaft were too tight so i used one new and one old, lithium grease on that shaft. Slides move freely. Don't know who made these stacks but the orig owner mailed them over, they came with the bike from the dealer in 78.







Here's a before - nasty! Don't let your carbs sit for 35 years with gas in the bowls!

[wicks]

Couple pics when she just got here.









Note the wadding placed in the mufflers by PO in '82:

[wicks]

This stuff worked wonders on a gas tank that looked like the bilge of a 400 year old ship. RUST!  Required 48 hours of soaking and occasional agitation. But metal inside looks new now!

[Groover]

Very nice machine indeed. Looking great. Was there something wrong with the bowls, or are they just not in the finished photo?

[bigbikerrick]

Is the lovely lady holding the gas tank, the  one providing  "agitation" for the evaporust to work?   
Rick.

[bodine99]

Amazing someone could own a Guzzi LM and only ride it 2 thousand miles?? Great find and best wishes to get it going, keep us posted on the progress

[Chuck in Indiana]

 

[Guzzistajohn]

Those old things?? Total POS! ask any V7 owner here <shrug> You'd better let me give it a decent home 

[wicks]

Bowls - couldn't get em clean enough. O-rings melted/fused by fuel mung into the bowl passages, cannot get all clear, so replacing.

Lovely lady agitator. Ehhem. Yes. It's California and she's half Italian.

The brakes are torn down now, the hoses are also "fused" shut, so waiting on all new. Calipers were almost fused. 24 hours penetrant, then a hammer and 160PSI got the pucks out. Masters both rebuilt no hitches.

[wicks]

One of the agitator JFF. In my original production Pastil chair by Eero Aarnio.

[Groover]

You are the maker of the Pastil chair?  I'll have to tell my wife. We have a knockoff, unsure whom it's made by.

[wicks]

No as written it is created by Eero Aarnio. The original productions are hand laid fiberglass so you get a lot more of the original art of it. And no mold crease. I just took this picture in the backyard. ;)

[wicks]

Nasty calipers. Don't let yours sit without use for too long, and flush the fluid. The stuff coagulates. Maybe modern fluid is more resilient, this was the original goo from the assembly line. New box rings and o-rings and anodized pucks should make them work like new.







Could not save the orig tires. So dried up, no flex left, would not come off rim. I used the original wheel weights to balance Dunlop D404s. I am wondering if these old coils and the rest of the ignition is going to make spark...

[wirespokes]

I haven't had any trouble with old ignition parts like coils. But I will say that when first starting a vehicle from a long rest, be sure everything is well oiled. Remove spark plugs and rotate the engine via the rear wheel. I'd rather go slow than using the starter. This will help prime the oil pump and get oil everywhere it needs to go. Also, going slow and getting oil everywhere, besides preventing a dry start-up, will help keep the seals from chattering and possibly throwing their garter springs.

I've had to remove a few tires that were so hard, the only way was cutting them off. Even then it wasn't easy.

[wicks]

This is GREAT advice, thanks. I've not even tried turning the engine as I hadn't "read up" on this yet. I've changed all the oils, but not checked valves or turned anything. I plan to drizzle oil over the valves and down the rods, and use a clean spray bottle to squirt a bit into the cylinders (to get on full circumference of the cylinder around piston) before turning to adjust valves. I do wonder about a way to "splash" oil around inside to get to the seals, as you mentioned, that's my one big fear that as soon as I get her running, she's going to dump all the oil through dried up seals and I'll have to pull the gearbox etc.

I haven't had any trouble with old ignition parts like coils. But I will say that when first starting a vehicle from a long rest, be sure everything is well oiled. Remove spark plugs and rotate the engine via the rear wheel. I'd rather go slow than using the starter. This will help prime the oil pump and get oil everywhere it needs to go. Also, going slow and getting oil everywhere, besides preventing a dry start-up, will help keep the seals from chattering and possibly throwing their garter springs.

I've had to remove a few tires that were so hard, the only way was cutting them off. Even then it wasn't easy.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

This is GREAT advice, thanks. I've not even tried turning the engine as I hadn't "read up" on this yet. I've changed all the oils, but not checked valves or turned anything. I plan to drizzle oil over the valves and down the rods, and use a clean spray bottle to squirt a bit into the cylinders (to get on full circumference of the cylinder around piston) before turning to adjust valves. I do wonder about a way to "splash" oil around inside to get to the seals, as you mentioned, that's my one big fear that as soon as I get her running, she's going to dump all the oil through dried up seals and I'll have to pull the gearbox etc.

I'd use "fogging oil" to spray the cylinders. Easy enough to pre-lube the rockers: remove one of the M6 hex head cap screws securing the rocker spindles and use a squirt can to force oil into the passages.

[wicks]

Ahh yes Charlie, will do that too thanks. I ordered some fogging oil, suppose it'll come in the next couple of days and I can wait. Shall get into the forks next me thinks.

[wirespokes]

Rotating the rear wheel in 5th gear for five minutes will get the oil pump primed and oil spurting everywhere. Then use the starter to crank it over some more. Starting it then won't be a problem. Fogging the cylinders and lubing the valves beforehand is a good idea.

[wicks]

Thanks 'Spokes - I wondered how long. ;) Forks rebuilt with Wirth progressive and regular style dampers.





Dunlop D404 in 100/90-18 do not fit. Which means I am back to square one on tires as there's nothing narrower in 18. I can't do an unmatched set so it's front and rear once I figure out what tires I can actually run. Bummer.

Or I could try shaving the edges a bit, is there a tool/technique for that?

[Stevex]

Been there with my LM2 36mm carbs. I left off the spring mounted externally on the cable lever and fitted softer internal springs. With PTFE conduit cables it made a big difference to rotational effort at the twist grip.
Tyres; I fitted Pirelli Sport Demons after reading good reviews, but have found them wooden with no feedback. Next set will be Continental Classic Attack radials, due to sizing that they are made in probably 90 90 18 front and 110 90 18 rear. 
Talking to a guy on another Guzzi forum, he says the radials kick the cross plys into the dust. Demons are tubeless, as will be the Contis.

[Groover]

Or I could try shaving the edges a bit, is there a tool/technique for that?

That is a bummer. Can you take off the fender mounting bolts off at least on one side, side the tire up then put the bolts back on?

[wicks]

I left off the spring mounted externally on the cable lever

There were no such cable springs fitted, maybe that was an LM2 thing? Useful tire thoughts! But I think my PHFs are going to work great - they cleaned up really well apart from the bowls.

The trouble with removing the fender bolts is that they are nuts! Haha. Got tire past them, but it rubs a bit on the left side of fender. Thus I was thinking I could shave off a mm and it would be clear...

[wirespokes]

When tires started squaring off I've rounded them back out with one of those sheet metal bondo files - looks sort of like a cheese grater. The rubber comes off in nice little slivers. With the front tire it would help if someone else rotates the tire keeping it spinning.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Continental Classic Attack radials,

I'm a fan.

[wicks]

Ordered some in 90/90-18 and 110/90-18.

I'm a fan.

[Stevex]

"There were no such cable springs fitted"

Looked at your pic of the carb in bits and you appear to have them fitted; number 26.




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One other tip...it took me ages to purge the accelerator pumps and get them working; in the end it was easier to take the carbs off the bike and do it on the bench. If you intend measuring the accelerator pump output and setting them up, you'll need them on the bench anyway.

[wicks]

Oh Steve, didn't realize you meant the shaft springs. I am very curious what you mean about purging the pumps - I suppose priming them? Is there a technique? They are on the bench still yes.

Valves required very little tightening, left exhaust was still correct clearance. Oil primed in nicely to all rockers after not much turning of rear wheel.

I cleaned off the old gasket material quite easily with a dremel and plastic brush attachment.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

"There were no such cable springs fitted"
Looked at your pic of the carb in bits and you appear to have them fitted; number 26.

That little spring is meant to keep the cable (#18) under tension.

[wicks]

I went for these petcocks, since the valves are paired (both forward or rear to on or reserve). The fuel lines should be OK coming off the back instead of straight down.

Tried to save original petcocks but what was left of the reserve pipes just crumbled in my hand.

[Stevex]

That little spring is meant to keep the cable (#18) under tension.

Not had a problem since removal and they're tucked away safely in case I ever need them.

Accelerator pumps...with the carbs on the bike and fuel on, I just couldn't get a stream of fuel to come out of the jets no matter how much I twisted the throttle. In the end I removed the carbs, removed the adjusters to check the diaphragms, refitted, manually filled the float bowls and moved the carb levers through full range until the pumps started working eventually, took a while though and no idea why it was so difficult.
Not saying you'll have the same problem, just a heads up.