Sorry Dave just one more off topic posting…
This is my '72 Bonneville. The motor blew up in 1994. It sat as a display piece at my other house, here it just sits in the basement. Yeah yeah one day…
Paul Norton said:
Steve Featherkile said:
I find it interesting that BSA stands for British Small Arms.
Yes, if you Google BSA it will show links for the motorcycles and the rifles. Early BSA motorcycle logos included the stacked rifles.
So, its not “British Small Arms,” but Birmimgham Small Arms. I learn smomething every day!
Steve Featherkile said:
So, its not “British Small Arms,” but Birmimgham Small Arms. I learn smomething every day!
Yes that is why BSAs were often called Birmingham vibrators by their detractors.
Mark Demyan said:
This is my '72 Bonneville. The motor blew up in 1994. It sat as a display piece at my other house, here it just sits in the basement. Yeah yeah one day…
Mark, like Todd I encourage you to contact the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. They have at least three chapters in Pennsylvania.
If you have not touched the Triumph in 20 years, I think it is time to realize that is a project that no longer interests you. Someone in AMCA would love to restore that Triumph to it original condition and ride it. You could use the money from the sale for a current interest, like trains.
WARNING: The following video may be disturbing to some viewers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sbu6nXV3xZ4
Paul, I did contact their President and he expressed an interest. He also does consignment.
Thanks
I’ve been enjoying the discussion with all the pics. Two, three, four, six wheels 2-6-0 wheels it doesn’t matter much to me.
Yeah, it is sort of a hybrid. I wanted to build a hot rod but have zero bodywork experience, soooo… no body.
It works when I take it to bike cruises, car shows or even a local truck show (it is supposed to have a pick-up bed look on the back. Maybe it will after the rebuild.).
The transmission is almost finished it’s rebuild with a slightly beefed up valve body and a reworked 11" Powerglide torque converter, about a 2,400 RPM stall speed.
The motor is next to rebuild top to bottom. A friend told me about Thumpr Cams. They improve preformance, retain a good vacuum and have a high lift on the exhaust side for a bitchin’ sounding lope at idle. (Search Youtube videos) The one I am getting will be the Mother Thumpr, no really.
Nothing to really take pictures of yet, maybe not until I get the frame and woodworking started.
Carry on men.
Good deal David. Me; I’d be afraid to ride it because I know I couldn’t resist a full throttle run through the gears. With that much power and so little weight I’d imagine the front wheel would not be on the ground much!
BTW - You’re the first motorhead I’ve encountered that rebuilds their own transmissions. Motors, sure, but transmissions seem to be a black art. Even Aamco can’t get it right!
Aamco never got one right for me either back in the day. I have an retired expert helping with this trans, although I have rebuilt Mopar Torqueflites when I was running Dodges and Plymouths.
As far as wheelies, there is no weight to transfer to the rear wheels. They just spin and spin.
Soon after I got Cyclops on the road in 2000, I jumped on Interstate 78 accelerating to 65 MPH in short order. I veered around a slow-poke 18 wheeler climbing the hill in the right lane only to almost rear-end a 4 wheeler in the middle lane, check the next lane over and say a small opening so I opened it up to jump into that lane (this is about 4 or 5 seconds after the ramp). Once I looked down at the speedometer I was over 140 MPH and almost soiled myself. 
It will move.
Closest I ever came to building / owning a hot rod was when I was a teenager. Took a '56 VW Bug body and attempted to put it on a shortened Pontiac chassis complete with big V8 in front. I got as far as shortening the chassis and drive shaft and putting in an advance cam and three dueces on the motor. It ran before I made the changes, but could never get it running after that. Finally sold it very unfinished for very little money to make my Dad happy that it was out of the garage.
I have owned a couple of bikes, the last being a Yamaha 350 in the 70’s. Haven’t ridden since I sold that to finance a business.
David Hill said:
As far as wheelies, there is no weight to transfer to the rear wheels. They just spin and spin.
A friend built a trike with a Volkswagen engine. You could lift the front end with one hand. I never understood why the motor and fat rear tires followed the skinny front tire around corners.
Jon Radder said:
I have owned a couple of bikes, the last being a Yamaha 350 in the 70’s.
I had a blast on my 1971 Yamaha 350R5. I bought a set of lower bars , turned them upside-down, and rode it café racer style. Unfortunately I do not have a picture on my own.
After putting 10,000 miles on it, I sold it the next year to buy a 1972 Kawasaki H2 Mark IV, 750cc triple. It was a jet.
The kid that bought my Yamaha was promised it would do 103 mph. He brought it back from its test ride and said it would not do the ton. So I bought new baffles for the exhaust pipes and he came back after the test ride the next day with a big smile on his face. He bought it without haggling as it was in showroom condition and obviously ran well.
Yeaaa! The trans is finished and the engine block is ready to send out for a bath and cam bearings.
This isn’t he most exciting part of the rebuild, but it has begun, which has been the hold up for 3 years until now.
“Beginning is half done.” - Anonymous (We’ll see.)
The engine is back together. I am polishing the Holley aluminum intake and Edelbrock valve covers. The more it shines the more horsepower you know.
Sorry, I can’t get it right side up. Scheesch!
Looking good! Here ya go…
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/jrad/_forumfiles/Chebby350.jpg)
Looking very nice!
I had my mechanic change the valve springs on the '64 Corvette the other day. Really made a difference especially at idle that got much smoother.
Lots of labor time getting all the seat pressures just so (all are within 3# over the specification on the cam card when on the seat and within 1# open), but he knows I’m picky.
Thanks John. I did you do that? I must have spent 20 minutes trying to get this and some other photos I posted right side up.
(I knew a John Datka in the Army 1971-2)
I used a photo editing program that does flips and inverts - then uploaded it again to my freight shed. Fell free to grab it fro there.