A long, long project.

[fredintoon]

- - - l it served it's purpose, provided me with a better hobby than my previous one: wandering the streets, green can in hand, yelling abuse at everyone, throwing rocks at windows and passing cars and kicking cats and dogs.
After stripping and blasting the fuel cap parts, I cleaned the melted rubber off the centre spigot only to find it cracked, so, new fuel cap required, don't know where I'm going to find one of them, apparently, the 74 TX had a cap different from the other models.
Previously, I said the prior owner must have had a tool kit consisting of hammer and chisel. Looking at the damage he caused to tank, headlight, forks, fuel cap, engine and other bits and pieces, I don't think he had access to anything as technologically advanced as hammer and chisel, an axe was more his style I think. What a butcher.

Hi toglhot,
why a green can rather one of another colour?
It's likely that the unique TX gas cap uses the same rubber gasket as the others.
And an axe IS a precision tool, if you know how to use it
Same as butchering is a skilled trade.

 

[Jim]

It does, but sourcing a cap is the problem, not the seal.
I have found a supplier for the cap though, $AUS280. Needless to say, I won't be buying one.

That cap was also used on the TX500, TX750, RD250 and RD350. All rare bikes but it might help broaden your search.

 

[gggGary]

Brackets look geat!

 

[Team Junk]

This is the cap, no integral lock, lock is separate. Rare as rocking horse crap. $280 in Australia. Not a lot less from the US after postage. I could modify the cap by removing the spigot, turning up another spigot, drilling through the cap and mounting the spigot in the hole, but it would look a little unsightly I think. another option is the same cap with the lock as an integral part and mounting a bat where the lever was on the tank.

You might lookup Dogbunny on ebay. He was a great help in locating the parts for my TXA. He found a xs400 tank with a good cap.

 

[TJZ662]

A cool way to test for adequate penetration( if you’re into that sort of thing) is to cut that t-joint and polish/etch the cross section. Nothing fancy required, just some scotch pads or a sanding wheels for a quick polish and household cleaners like simple green helps to reveal the weld nugget. You can get an idea of depth of penetration that way

 

[fredintoon]

This afternoon I taught myself to mig aluminium. The key was finding the right volts, wire feed, stick out, speed and watching the heat build up, that had me stumped for a bit, wondered why each successive run was worse than the last - heat build up!. Oh, a steady hand also helps, but that's beyond this old codger now, hence the wobbly runs. Excellent penetration too, after welding an external edge joint, I ground it down flat then belted the hell out of it trying to separate the joint. Not too bad for an hour or so practice. A whole new world of aluminium fabricating has opened up now, should have taught myself to weld aluminium year's ago. Talk about messy though, splatter everywhere. And I burnt the crap out of my arm from flash, the flash is 10 times brighter than when welding steel.

Hi toglhot,
congratulations on learning a new skill.
Your photos show you seated at the weld bench with bare legs and holey plastic shoes.
Not the safest stuff to wear when welding, eh?
Unless you want to practice the molten slag in my shoes screaming dance.

 

[Jim]

I've been taking these over the top safety precautions all my life, I've still got all my fingers and toes and reached the age of 70, imagine that!

Pay 'em no mind toglhot... a few yrs youngern' you... count 20 digits (though one is shortened slightly )... here's my welding attire.

 

[bosco659]

Coming along nicely, looks great.
I’ve been getting my ‘57 VW Beetle on the road for 20+ years so I know the feeling. I’ll get the motor done this winter for sure (been saying that for 19 years) lol.

 

[bosco659]

Wouldn’t that be something! Unfortunately I lack the skills that you have. I’m looking forward to seeing the completed bike. Looks like you must have a large % completed already.

 

[fredintoon]

When I started work in a metal fabrication business in the mid 60s, there was no PPE: no glasses, no gloves, we all wore shorts and short sleeve shirts, about the only nod to safety was boots, not steel caps either as I don't think they were even available then. And we only wore boots because they lasted longer than tennis shoes. Wrap yourselves up in cotton wool all you like, I'll keep going as I have for the last 55 years.
When I served in the RAAF as a police dog handler, I had half my left tit ripped off, 15 stitches worth, still have the scar 45 years on. I had a 50c size chunk ripped out of my arm, and later on spent two weeks wrapped in bandages from shoulder to finger tip on both arms after being mauled, and you know what, I still went to work, still trained dogs, still got bitten and still have all my fingers toes and skin. And most importantly, I have no regrets!

Hi toglhot,
I wore steel toe-capped work shoes back in the UK in the1950s eh?
I used to sneer at the millwrights who wore steel toe-capped elastic sided ankle boots,
Until they had me cut steel plate with an oxy-acetylene torch when wearing steel capped lace-up work shoes.
Which is when I learned to do the molten slag in my shoes screaming dance.
Only got dog bitten once. At a scrap yard.
Owner's dog chomped onto my leg.
Beat it off with the car part i was carrying.
Told the owner his dog should bite thieves, not customers,
Owner said it was a police dog that'd failed training and had mistaken my bike jacket for a police uniform.

 

[Niels B]

what did you do to get the wheels and the hub so shiny ? I have polished like hell but it's not even close to your result. Beautiful work!

 

[timbeck]

It definitely has the WOW factor......outstanding craftsmanship........

tim

 

[Mailman]

That is really impressive work! I like everything about it, well done!

 

[Mailman]

Regulator/rectifier plate done with a couple of panel mount, blade fuse holders on the side. Only need the one, but if I change my mind later on, I have two, plus I can add another two underneath the existing ones if I'm so inclined. The random orbital sander gives a nice finish on aluminium.

That’s very tidy looking!

 

[Mailman]

Replaced the crusty old brake rod and connector with a nice shiny stainless one. Still have to make a hinge pin and adjuster nut.

I really enjoy seeing your fabrication work, nice stuff!

 

[Bjorn]

haha always nice to clean the lathe, only to have a massive pile of chips everywhere during the next part

 

[bosco659]

Very nice!. I like the look.

 

[Mailman]

You guys with machinists skills amaze me. Very nice!

 

[gggGary]

Leaning toward the latter

Agreed.

 

[Signal]

I have had good luck with master cylinders form China but they often are not cleaned internally before they are assembled. The fluid goes black very quickly.
Now as a matter of course I dismantle and clean them before use.
Enjoying watching your bike come together and how you are making parts. Thanks for posting.