Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners

[wobblywalrus]

The Triumph exhaust system is two three step headers merging into a single collector with a low restriction muffler.  All are heavy gage 304 stainless steel.  Would this system also work for a light to moderately supercharged engine?

[Stainless1]

My first question is why does it have a muffler... wouldn't it develop more power with a straight pipe or even a megaphone?
But yes, I think those header pipes would work supercharged... maybe even turbocharged if there is enough room at the collector area for a turbo.

[wobblywalrus]

That is good news.  It took a long time with lots of wire and gas to make those pipes.  The headers, collectors and several end treatments like straight pipe, slash cut straight pipe, megga, and muffler were sized using Dynomation 5 and the designs were verified by PipeMax.  The muff put out 20 to 25% more power than anything else.  That is not a blanket endorsement for mufflers.  There are some special design features in the one I used.  That is typical of what I have experienced throughout my life.  A well done quiet box almost always works best.   If you want, I can give some details.

Turbos are intense and have that manic personality.  This is a staid and dignified British twin...  Actually, having a hot turbo 18 inches from my face with nothing in between but the gas tank is a sobering thought. 

[wobblywalrus]

The AGV helmet arrived today.  It was ordered from Motocard in Catalonia (Spain).  They gave excellent service.  The model is Pista GP RR.  It is made from carbon fiber.  Helmet comparison reviews noted that it has an exceptionally high eye port.  Plus, it was made in Italy and not China.  It was ordered in white 'cause it is a proper color for old guys.

My old helmet is a Shoei X-Fourteen and it will be the basis of comparison.  The X-14 is Shoei's top of the line race helmet.  Some sizes are approved by the FIM, but not XL.  Shoei has no plans to get the XL approved based on a query to their technical advisers.  It is a plastic helmet.

Weight is 3 pounds 10 ounces for the AGV and 3 lbs 13 oz for the Shoei.  Just for fun, my Schuberth street helmet was weighed, too.  It weighs 4 lbs 3 oz.

[wobblywalrus]

The picture shows the Schuberth.  It is very popular with the police and it is a typical street helmet. 

As for the AGV Pista GP RR, there are no stickers on the helmet or under the padding that say FIM approved.  The little tag on the chin strap has a tiny holographic FIM logo and a bar code.  Not all AGV helmets are FIM approved.  This one is.  It is also DOT and Euro ECE 2205 approved, so it can be used on the streets in the US and FIM, SCTA, and AMA events.  It is not Snell approved.

The X-Fourteen is DOT and Snell approved.  It does not have the Euro ECE or FIM approval.

 

[wobblywalrus]

The AGV helmet came with extra pads to adjust the fit.  The Shoei has an optional pad kit that can be ordered.  There are some instructions on how to fit the pads.  The "full racing" style applies to me, on and off the bike, and all 24 hours of the day.  That is the one I used.

[wobblywalrus]

There were enough pads to make two additional layers around the entire helmet.  This is what I did:  one more layer on the top on the back and two more on the top in the front.  It was tempting to take the unused back half of layer 2 and make three layers on the front, but I figure the helmet is not designed for more than two, so l did not do that.  I also did this with the Shoei.  Pads were added.

Eyeport height was compared.  The level is at the lowest line of sight with the Shoei helmet.  The Pista has a lot higher eyeport.  The limiting factor is not the eyeport blocking the view, instead it is the upper limits of my eyeballs ability to rotate in my head.  The line of sight dropped down an inch lower than the Shoei and then the chinstrap of the helmet hit the tank strap.  The Pista has a definite advantage as per eyeport height.  This means less drag and more speed.       

[Old Scrambler]

Now you can 'see it'

[wobblywalrus]

Hi Dennis.  Hopefully the bike will see somewhere north of 150 mph at BMST.

This build diary shows basic things.  The crank journals are polished and checked for out of roundness and diameters.  They are within tolerances.  The cases are bolted together without the main bearing shells and the housings are checked for out of roundness and diameters.  They are OK.

The main bearing shells are installed with the crank in place.  The bolts holding the cases together are tightened in stages according to the manual.  As per the manual, all are tightened to 10Nm preload.  This following step is not in the manual.  Check and verify that all are tightened to 10Nm after their neighbors are tightened.  This takes an extra circuit or two around the engine to make sure they are all preloaded.  Tighten the big bolts around  the main bearings as per the manual.  This following step is not in the manual.  Check that all remaining bolts are tightened to 32Nm.  Make an extra circuit or two around the engine to make sure all are tightened to 32 Nm after their neighbors are tightened.     

[wobblywalrus]

There are torx heads on the large bolts as supplied by Triumph.  They tend to strip out.  Hex heads are welded onto these case bolts so that will not happen.  The bolts can be annealed from the welding heat if this operation is not done carefully.  I use the zap-n-quench method.  The bolt is zapped with the welder to make a nice deep tack.   Then the bolt is quickly and partially quenched.  The bolt is pulled out of the water quickly so residual water is boiled off of the bolt by the remaining heat.  The bolt is left to cool and then another tack is made.  This is repeated until the head is completely welded on.

The cases are split according to the procedure in the manual.  The bearing shells will be marked.  This is the pressure mark on the back of a main bearing shell.  The pressure mark should go completely around the back of the shell.  This shows that it is making full contact.  Otherwise, oil pressure will be lost through the gap between the housing and the shell.

Triumph has screwed up the journal machining on some crankcases and the engines have failed from lack of oil pressure.  This check will show if this is a problem.         

[wobblywalrus]

The housings and shells are wiped clean of oil and other contaminants after the back side marks are checked and any problems are rectified.  The shells are reinstalled and pushed down to make sure they are seated.  The ends need to stick up above the edges of the case on both ends.  A metal block is used to verify this.

A metal block is laid across the top of the shell.  The clearances between the block and the case are measured with a feeler gauge.  This is done at the forward and rearward ends of the shell.  These values are added to get the total projection distance.  This projection is essential to put crush on the shells when the cases are tightened.  The shells can spin in the housings if there is little or no crush.  The housings are within tolerance on this engine.  Insufficient projection would indicate a shell is defective.

[wobblywalrus]

Another way to check projection is with a gauge block and a depth micrometer.  The gauge block is placed on the case.  Depth measurements are made to the tip of the shell.  The thickness of the gauge block - the depth measurement to shell tip = the projection.  That is what I did with this engine.

[wobblywalrus]

The thickness of each shell is measured using a tubing micrometer.  Measurements are made on both sides of the shell in the front, middle, and on the back.  The end measurement are on a tapered section.  No end measurement should be higher than the middle measurement.

This hand written table lists the measurements.  The projections on three of the shells are within the range I would expect based on experience.  One shell has too much projection.  That shell is also 0.001 too thick.

The crank makes marks on the shells, too, when the cases are tightened during the initial step.  These marks are checked and compared.  Any abnormal marks indicate a defective shell or possibly poor installation.  That shell that was too thick had a larger contact mark than its neighbors.  That verified the shell is defective.

The lower shells will be checked in the next posts.   

[wobblywalrus]

The bike has main bearing housings with small diameters within the manufacturing tolerance range.  The crank is near to the maximum allowed diameter.  The thinnest white coded shells are used.  It is likely the oversize shell is a green or blue shell for a larger diameter crankcase bore.  Some idiot put a white paint code mark on it and put it in a bag labeled for a white coded bearing.
The big shell caused part of the main bearing housing to break off at the edge when the cases were assembled.  This is what I did and my mistake is in bold type.

White shells worked in this bike in the past so I ordered a new set, put them in, laid the crank over them, laid some plastigage on the journals, placed the other case on top, and tightened all of the bolts.  The goal was to split the cases, look at the plastigage, and look at the compression marks on the back sides of all shells.  I ASSUMED all shells were correctly sized white shells and any shell thickness adjustments would be made after looking at the plastigage.

That step when the shell thicknesses and projections are measured should be done first and before the cases are tightened down for the plastigage measurements.     

[wobblywalrus]

The shop compressor died a few days ago.  It was an old Sears Craftsman 3 gallon tank with 1.5 horsepower model.  This is what I wanted in a new compressor:  a three to five gallon tank with 1.5 hp motor, minimum, oil bath pump lubrication, a continuous duty cycle, something I could get parts for, and not to be made in Red China.  That last requirement severly reduced the selection.

What I got is a Rolair VT20ST.  It is a 4.2 gallon 2 hp compressor made in Nationalist China.  The thing is quiet for a compressor and it has a low 13.5 amp current draw.  In all ways it is better than the old Craftsman.

That old Craftsman was lugged to Bonneville every year.  That was a bit of work 'cause I sleep in the back of the pickup while on the road and the compressor needed to be taken out and reloaded constantly.  This little guy is what will go to the salt flats in the future.  It is a 1 gallon Senco with a 1/2 hp motor.  It weighs 21 pounds and it is easier to lift and move.  It is also made in Nationalist China.  Both of these models might be good items to consider if you need a new compressor.