1981 Ducati 500SL Pantah resurrection

[Rough Edge racing]

Are familar with Cone Engineering? They make quality exhaust parts for reasonable money. There's a chance they migh have something...  https://www.coneeng.com

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Yes, I am familiar with them.

[Turin]

I was looking at 2-1 exhaust systems and damn that stuff is expensive, even used.

The factory pieces are lovely.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

My order from Stein-Dinse arrived today, ordered it on Thursday, so very quick service. This is what $269 (including shipping) worth of Pantah parts looks like.  Every rubber part on the bike, all but one cable, air and oil filters, exhaust and left engine case gaskets.

[Turin]

Any progress?

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Nope. Tucked away in my office, awaiting it's turn. I need to finish the Morini before I start on the Pantah. It's hard enough juggling five customer projects and one of my own, without adding another. 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Since the Morini is nearly finished (waiting on the painter and seat upholstery guy), I decided to switch it places with the Pantah.

Pantah off to the side in the front of the shop.






Morini tucked away in the office with a big, fat Convert to keep it warm. 






Made a list of all the bits and pieces I need and started ordering some. I hope to remove and strip down the wheels for powder coating sometime next week.

[Canuck750]

Morini looking good! Looking forward to following your Ducati progress.

[Groover]

Moving on up, looking forward to this one. 

[Scout63]

Are you looking for a v50ii electronic ignition system Charlie?  I have one bagged that came off the bike I just sold. Ben

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Are you looking for a v50ii electronic ignition system Charlie?  I have one bagged that came off the bike I just sold. Ben

No, not really. I already have a spare pair of amplifier boxes and the pickups have been rewired, so I should be good to go.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Starting to dig in. Removed the bodywork.




I'll probably have the fairing brackets rechromed.




The tail section was made in two halves...




...you can see where the rivets are for the joining strip.




A big gob of the Italian equivalent of Bondo was used to stick the bottom of the "glove box" fast.




I have my work cut out for me on the electrics.



The previous owner installed this regulator/rectifier, mounting it to the frame where it interfered with the fairing.


Melted Molex and wiring bypassing it. This will all be corrected and a main power relay installed to prevent it from happening again.


Removed the warning light cluster to replace the ignition switch. Wrote down all wire colors and positions as I removed them. The warning light with the hole in it was for the sidestand which never existed. A replacement STAND light costs $57.


I have a replacement ignition switch, the key lock portion of this one has been tampered with.

[Groover]

I think that goop stuff under glove box us used as a weld type thing between car panels used in old italian cars and I think it's actually white. I feel like I've seen it look just like that before. I'd say it seems factory to me.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Yesterday.

The gas tank is rusted inside.



Gas stains on lower inside tunnel area of the tank is never a good sign. 


Neither are bubbles in the paint on the underside.


Will definitely need to seal the tank.


Roughed out the tab for the rear signal mount.


Nearly there, already better than it would been originally.



This evening. Removed the two lower fairing brackets from the Evaporust they'd been soaking in overnight and rinsed them off. They look much better, so I won't rechrome them after all. 






These new fork dust boot clamps/clips arrived from Guzzino today.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Had a free hour this evening, so made a little more progress. Removed all of the sockets from the melted Molex shell after documenting wire colors and their position within it. Also took a few photos to help with reinstalling harnesses around the steering head and front sub-frame.






Removed the headlight and harness, warning light/ignition harness, and both handlebar switch assemblies.




Removed the top triple clamp and the clip-ons. Put the clip-ons in EvapoRust to soak, hopefully they'll clean as nicely as the fairing brackets.

[czakky82]

These are such under appreciated bikes IMO. Ducati took the engine design and ran with it for such a long time and made a peach of a street engine that saved the company multiple times likely. This being the granddaddy of them makes it so special. Glad you’re saving it!

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

These are such under appreciated bikes IMO. Ducati took the engine design and ran with it for such a long time and made a peach of a street engine that saved the company multiple times likely. This being the granddaddy of them makes it so special. Glad you’re saving it!

To most people, it's just an old "rubber band" Ducati, not worth a second thought. Nice to see someone else appreciates it's significance.

More parts/supplies arrived recently. The battery arrived a few days ago. "Big Crank" is a relabeled Deka.




The battery tray has seen better days, new one on order.




It's currently wearing a pair of vintage Fox Shox which are leaking, rusty and 1" longer than original. I guess the original owner was trying to make the steering a bit quicker.




I bought a pair of inexpensive YSS Bravo shocks in the stock length for it. Purchased from Stein-Dinse in Germany, shipped on the 26th and arrived on the 28th! Amazing.




12 mm steel rod to finish the signal mount...




...and nylon washers for under all of the truss head body panel screws.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

How I spent my birthday.

Four rubber bushings I bought on ebay for the front subframe arrived, as did the caliper covers Earl Totman sent me. 



The clip-ons look great after a long soak in EvapoRust.


Removed the front subframe.


This is where the previously mentioned ebay bushings go.


Documenting how the cables run through the frame.


That has to be the biggest motorcycle VIN tag I've ever seen. Note the random placement of the rivets - none of them are in the holes provided.


I'm glad I decided to replace the bushings as the originals are a bit cracked.


Removed the wheels and brake discs from them. The front disks have fairly deep pits where the pads sat. I'm not sure if they'll clean up and still be in spec. The rear one is better, because the wheel was off the bike for a long time.


The mufflers are kind of unique in that they don't fit over and clamp to the crossover. instead they fit tightly inside the crossover.


Wheel-less.


Wheels stripped down and ready to go to the powdercoater.
 

Disassembled the cush drive/sprocket carrier assembly. Two of the bolts securing the sprocket were loose and the others barely tight. 


Documenting how the bearings and spacers go together. 


The sprocket and carrier cleaned up pretty well.


The swingarm is looking a bit rough.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Today.

Removed the front fender and the whole front brake system in one piece. I like it when I can do that. 



Removed the front forks.


The steering head bearings felt tight and notchy. I'm going in.


Not a sign of any grease...


...cups have divots...


...barely any grease on the top bearing...


...a little more on the bottom one. What is with the Italians and grease?


Forks disassembled. I'll be painting the lowers, replacing the seals, dust boots and clips.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Just a little progress today. Center drilled and threaded the ends of the bar stock this evening. Needs to be welded to the tab and the angled, radial holes drilled yet.





Wheels and chain guard go off to the powdercoater tomorrow.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

My new stainless braided brake hoses arrived today.




If I had known that they weren't the same as the originals (don't use the metal line), I'd have bought something else.




The rear hose comes with a grommet.




I cut these red, loose fitting sleeves off.




Came with nice stainless banjo bolts and crush washers too.

[Scout63]

Very interesting Charlie.

[Canuck750]

Center drilled and threaded the ends of the bar stock this evening. Needs to be welded to the tab and the angled, radial holes drilled yet.

it's the little things like this that take a lot of time and effort that make the difference between an average and a great restoration and the simple things that most folks will never notice but are still essential. 

[Road Rocket]

Charlie, this is Tony, used to be Rough Edge Racing...Good to see you getting into the Pantah.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Charlie, this is Tony, used to be Rough Edge Racing...Good to see you getting into the Pantah.

Hi Tony! Finally it's turn. Hoping to make good progress over the next few weeks.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

A little update.

The rear signal mount is done except for chrome. My friend Curtis milled the angled holes and welded the tab to the rod.



Fits right here.




Picked up the sprocket carrier from the machine shop and the chain guard from the powdercoater.






Also picked up the wheels. 






I've decided to have the frame, swingarm, center stand, sidestand and rear fender all powdercoated as well. I've removed the VIN tag(s) from the frame and am working on a support stand for the engine.

I've also purchased a Caswell zinc-plating kit so that I can replate all of the original hardware.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

This evening.

Down to just the engine in the frame, with centerstand. Need to make an engine stand before I go any further.




Another bin filling up.




Stuff to go to the powdercoater so far.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Modified a Harbor Freight moving dolly into an engine stand. Nothing fancy.




Four bolts and the frame is off.




I need to make the block under the starter a little higher so the engine sits level.




The frame weighs about half of what a Guzzi frame does. 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I had the brake disks media blasted and have started masking them off for painting. My masking can be a bit sloppy this time around since they'll be going to Truedisk to be resurfaced after painting.




The lighting makes them look gold, but they're actually grey - bare cast iron.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Finished masking all of the brake disks and had hoped to paint them today (70 degrees in March!), but a rain shower put an end to that idea.




I had the holes that were drilled into the frame by the previous owner welded shut and smoothed out. That was the only issue with the frame, it's ready to go to the powdercoater, hopefully this week.




Stripped down the front subframe.




The bin of bits that also go to the powdercoater.




I had them do the rear fender of my '85 Morini K2 years ago and it turned out nice, so I'll have them do the Pantah's fender too.




Worked on removing the crossover from the horizontal cylinder headpipe.




Someone has beat on it with a hammer previously. 







Heated with a propane torch and squirted it with Freeze-Off penetrating fluid, off it came.




I plan to send it off to Jet Hot to be coated.




Need to get the dents out first.




Cleaned the front fork lowers...




...and then stripped off the paint.




Still paint in a few crevices, but they're pretty much bare.




I got the top triple mostly stripped...




...except for the underside.




I'll have these non-original holes welded shut.