Tri-Wessex

[Nemosengineer]

Good news. The project has started, in other words I have started spending money!!! Parts that have shown up lately are, A Triumph Cub oil tank complete with a dent or two, a nice set of 5TA cams, a very early 5TA cylinder with a nice standard bore and lifter blocks, and the factory parts and service manuals.
Progress has been made on the tear down of the Triumph engine, its down to bare cases (we wont talk about the condition of some of the internals) with the countershaft and sprocket installed for fit up.
I would like to say thank you to Phil Hyde for supplying the engine plate templates and data package thats is making this project so much easier, thanks to my good friend Jim C. for for locating a Triumph 500 parts cache I am currently negotiating on, and thanks to the GRA and its members, who's posts have allowed me to find the special bits I need like the D&C engine and countershaft trials sprockets.
I will keep this post updated as progress is made and when I find the Anglian tank and seat I will paint myself Moorland blue and dance necked around the campfire.

Best Wishes: Mike

[Brian Catt]

Don't bother with the photos then!

[Nemosengineer]

Don't bother with the photos then!

You don't like Moorland blue?

Best Wishes: Mike

[Brian Catt]

I don't think it was the exact shade of Blue that prompted my reply!

[Nemosengineer]

Parts, Part Deux

I went shopping at my new buddy's (Marvin), he is the local Triumph guru, I came home with a Triumph T100R Daytona lower end (still installed in the bare frame with swingarm) in much better condition than the one that was under my bench, so much better that I will use this lower end in the Greeves, and two nice 1966 or earlier small valve squish chamber style cylinder heads to match my early cylinder and lifter blocks. Both heads are casting number E3991 Y1, and both have a factory number stamped on the right hand side of the head on the mounting boss for the intake rocker box (Head 1) 74B29JT, (Head 2) 67A14MV, does anyone know the significance of these numbers?
So at this point all I need to be mechanically complete are, pushrods, and pushrod tubes with collars. I am looking for suggestions for trials cams as I finally have a set of cams with perfect journals for regrind, any ideas?

Best Wishes: Mike

[Brian Catt]

My pal used to use standard T100A inlet cams with the sports exhaust. They were the same pattern as the 3134 cams for the pre-unit, but I can't remember what the designation was. That combo gave good bottom end and allowed more revs than the standard cams gave.

[Nemosengineer]

My pal used to use standard T100A inlet cams with the sports exhaust. They were the same pattern as the 3134 cams for the pre-unit, but I can't remember what the designation was. That combo gave good bottom end and allowed more revs than the standard cams gave.

Hi Brian,
Thanks for that information its very helpful, I have reviewed a variety of cam profiles and I am no closer to a decision than when I started researching this. I am considering making a call to D&C Classic Motorcycles to pick their brain on this topic as it looks like D&C has built a fleet of Triumph twin trials machines.
Progress is being made with the project as I am working on turning Phil's paper engine plate templates into plywood templates to verify engine fit. Spending on the Wessex has ground to a halt for a month as three of the family vehicles have come due for tires, such is life...

Best Wishes: Mike

[Nemosengineer]

Whips and Chains, Oh My!!!

As I sit here in my collection of parts, I started thinking about my chain run, so lets see what I have here... Wessex sprocket - 428 chain (1/2 X 5/16), Triumph counter-shaft sprocket - 530 chain (5/8 X 3/8), D&C trials sprockets for the Triumph 500 - 520 chain (5/8 X 1/4).

Hmmmm... The D&C trials sprockets look like the only game in town for the gearing I want so it looks like I need a 54 tooth, 520 chain (5/8 X 1/4 ), sprocket for a BHC hub. Did Greeves/BHC ever manufacture such a sprocket or do I need a "special"?

Second on the list of drive-line questions is, for those using the D&C 16 tooth engine sprocket is, are you using the stock primary chain tensioner?

Third on the list is the 3/8 X 1/4 duplex primary chain, do you need to shorten the chain to use the 16 tooth engine sprocket?


Thanks In Advance: Mike

[Phil Hyde]

Chains etc.

Mike

Some answers/suggestions.

If you are going with 5/8" x 1/4" rear chain then you need to source a rear sprocket locally. The relative size of the hole required to fit the British Hub Co. cush drive means you can try a local japanese moto cross supplier. See if they have any old stock sprockets in the 52-54 teeth range. You will still need to get it machined out. Failing that you need to buy a blank sprocket and get it machined also.

Yes, the primary chain does need to be shortened. You could try cutting a used chain first. If you are fitting a new chain then it will be tight when you first fit it. It will soon bed in. Some people use a primary chain tensioner. Personally, I don't bother.

Hope this helps

Phil

[Nemosengineer]

Thanks Phil,
Once again you have come through with really useful information that makes the build easier.
This months toy money is going for sprockets, it looks like the logical next step as I will be able to set the chain run alignment with out guesswork and lost sleep. I think I will take one more day to obsess on my gearing choices before I commit and order the parts.

For those who are doing a conversion in the U.S. here are two sources in that will make custom sprockets, neither is inexpensive but both produce a quality product.

Sidewinder Sprockets: http://sidewindersprockets.com/custom.html

Sprocket Specialists: http://www.sprocketspecialists.com/

Best Wishes: Mike

[Nemosengineer]

BMW Lenkstange Schraubzwinge

My banana fork Wessex handlebar clamps are the steel U bolt type and wont work with aluminum Renthal trials bars so I went looking for the aluminum Greeves clamps, sad to say I found them and their condition was junk...
So I started to look for an alternative and found it in the early BMW R type bar clamp which have a nice airfoil shape, are available, and cheap.
The BMW clamp has the bar centerline about .250" taller than the aluminum Greeves clamp, easy fix.... Mill the base to a height of one inch and fit replacement studs to work with your application, stud removal goes a lot better if the works is heated to about 100 deg. C.

http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1212&stc=1&d=1315186405

http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1213&stc=1&d=1315186712

http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1214&stc=1&d=1315186857

Best Wishes: Mike

[Nemosengineer]

Engine Template Progress

Progress is being made just very slowly, making a living keeps getting in the way. Here are photos of the "Revision A" working template for the left side, its close, it just needs more blue tape and bits of foam board , sometime this week I will transfer the working template to a fresh piece of foam board just to make sure I like the fit. Next week we start on the right side!!!
I would like to say thank you to Phil Hyde for supplying the original templates, I would like to note that all of Phil's datums, locations and references are being used to construct the engine plates, any changes I have made are strictly to satisfy my obsessive compulsive disorder.

Best Wishes: Mike

http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1219&stc=1&d=1315370889

http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1219&stc=1&d=1315370889

[Nemosengineer]

Hi Phil,
I'm still planing to use the waterjet and having the final templates scanned by the "Fabrivision Inspection System", Fabrivision digitizes the scanned templates into a file that the waterjet system understands and uses to produce parts. The final templates to be scanned are made from a epoxy-glass material called G-10 that is .032 inch thick, its the same stuff that circuit cards are made from. The G-10 can be worked to a scribe line with ease producing a very precise final template with a very fine edge.
The method I am using to make the final scanable templates is to stick the two pieces of G-10 together using double sided tape (as you suggested), locating then cutting out all features from the left side template then separating the pieces and then modifying one of the templates into a right side configuration.
Here is a hint for anyone using foam board, the foam board I use to develop templates tends to roach out around the bolt holes after multiple fittings, if you super-glue washers to the foam board the bolt holes will stay in location long enough to get a lot of fitting done.

Best Wishes To All: Mike

My New Cub Oil Tank

http://www.greeves-riders.org.uk/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1225&stc=1&d=1315458786

[Nemosengineer]

Titanium Footpegs

Work is eating me alive, this is good because I can chase parts on the internet, this is bad because I have no time to work on the engine plates...
Footpeg progress, Terrycable heavy duty YZ footpeg mounts and 2006 YZ 450 titanium footpegs which weigh about the same as a bag of chips. Total cost for parts under $60.00 all from Ebay.

Best Wishes: Mike

[Nemosengineer]

Whoo Hooo...

Success!!! I have been searching for a Anglian fuel tank for about six months. I found one on Ebay and won the auction today. Total cost with shipping came to $114.00, the overall condition appears to be good, sometime next week I should have it in my hands.
Thanks again everyone for all the help and inspiration, the members of the association have been an invaluable source of information making my project fun and painless.

Best Wishes: Mike

$(KGrHqVHJB8E63(O7nrWBO1!DEmdHg~~60_12.jpg

Update: The tank was received, it is wearing a few less than sanitary fiberglass repairs that will need to be ground out and redone. The good news is it has not had fuel in it for quite some time, so no methanol rot and the Monza cap is nice. This will be a fun little project but it will have to wait until the engine is in the chassis.

: Mike