A documentation of my experiences with an imported vintage 1971 Vespa Sprint Veloce
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Pivot pin bearings.
First up I'm not sure its the right name but those who know will know which one I mean.
Another classic "before and after" job. when I pulled it out originally it didn't have the needle bearings, there is also supposed to be a spacer of some kind in there. I have also noted that the new grease nipple will foul with the shaft as it is a lot longer in the thread than the one that came out, so I just need to source another one, shouldn't be a drama. As for the spacer, well I will come up with something that will fit.
The second pic is the two "end plugs" The bigger ones are worn solid brass, some dings, mostly from me trying to get them out with a punch, they are still use able so they will go into the box of replaced bits, which is getting fuller each time I do some work on the old girl. They are a much tighter fit compared to the new ones, which have a bit of plat, a mm or two and they also have an o ring inside them to act as a grease seal, the old ones had nothing and the grease would squeeze out if it was full. Because of the plat I'm going to try an o ring between the opening and the end plug, once it is compressed it should keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out.
Bottom pic is what I think the garage floor of anyone who owns one of these fine machines probably looks like, stained with a subtle hint of 2T and grease.
I'm waiting on my wiring loom and a new petcock and then it's back into it. I have gotta get out on the road. Hopefully have these goodies by the weekend.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Fuel leak solved
I am slowly pulling things out so I can replace the new harness once it arrives and I got to the petcock last night, I had been getting a constant fuel leak and thought it might have been the tap not installed correctly, slightly askew and leaking from where the spring washer and the rubber gasket with the selector holes in it was. I took the tap out to the bin to take the sediment bowl off thinking there would still be fuel in it....wtf dry and as I tipped it up I could see the pin hole in the bottom of it. Ah Ha got ya. I'm wondering if when I first pulled the tank and emptied out the crap I damaged it, it is pretty corroded anyway or if the sediment was actually blocking it up and stopping it from leaking...any way the rubber washer that is between the sediment bowl and the tap is buggered, the nut, washer and the tap, well still use-able, the filter upstand thingy is home made and dodgy. The photos speak for themselves. The lengths of the new and old taps and the difference between the worn rubbers, like all new vs old, is amazing. Needless to say a new tap is on its way.
Thanks Kickstart Scooters.
Monday, May 23, 2011
tail light
These photos speak for themselves, it never ceases to amaze me and is so obvious the difference between a brand new part and the amount of effort the guys who did this resto went to just to bash something together to do the job.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Wiring Episode four
Slept on it and had another look this morning.
Still scratching the head and without going into too much detail, I tried to pull the tank, as I will anyway once the new loom arrives, but my tank nut spanner needs a weld on the head to stop the actual spanner bit from spinning, I guess I probably did it up too tight trying to stop the fuel leak, which didn't stop it anyway, I'm getting pretty good at this tank installation thing by the way. So to sort the wiring I will pull everything apart and re-trace everything, it has become a bit of a challenge that I'd like to sort out before I just replace it anyway.....I know there is power to the headset because I can hear the horn crackling when I touch two of the wires together but the power needs to find its way to the headlight, I think its a simple fix..anyway, time to get into it is at a premium with two toddlers. It can wait.
Still scratching the head and without going into too much detail, I tried to pull the tank, as I will anyway once the new loom arrives, but my tank nut spanner needs a weld on the head to stop the actual spanner bit from spinning, I guess I probably did it up too tight trying to stop the fuel leak, which didn't stop it anyway, I'm getting pretty good at this tank installation thing by the way. So to sort the wiring I will pull everything apart and re-trace everything, it has become a bit of a challenge that I'd like to sort out before I just replace it anyway.....I know there is power to the headset because I can hear the horn crackling when I touch two of the wires together but the power needs to find its way to the headlight, I think its a simple fix..anyway, time to get into it is at a premium with two toddlers. It can wait.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Wiring episode three.
Short and sweet. I did everything I had to do and in accordance with some expert advice. To no avail.
Nothing, zip zero zilch. I must have gotten the wires mixed up when I mapped them or they are just bodged up somewhere between the rear and the front of the bike. I put the multimeter on the switch and there is power there and in the headset but its getting lost on the way to the lights, even the brake light, that has been gold right from the start, has stopped working.
So moving forward I need to revisit the sketches and re read the emails I have that are rich with information, walk away and go back later and have another look at what I have done. It should be straight forward. I haven't lost patience just yet but I am wasting another beautiful sunny autumn day with an idle Veloce staring at me like a neglected labrador, wait she's looking at me too.....
I think a new harness and switches are the go.
Nothing, zip zero zilch. I must have gotten the wires mixed up when I mapped them or they are just bodged up somewhere between the rear and the front of the bike. I put the multimeter on the switch and there is power there and in the headset but its getting lost on the way to the lights, even the brake light, that has been gold right from the start, has stopped working.
So moving forward I need to revisit the sketches and re read the emails I have that are rich with information, walk away and go back later and have another look at what I have done. It should be straight forward. I haven't lost patience just yet but I am wasting another beautiful sunny autumn day with an idle Veloce staring at me like a neglected labrador, wait she's looking at me too.....
I think a new harness and switches are the go.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wiring Episode two.
Made a little headway first up I added an earth in the rear, sanded back the paint and surprisingly, bondo or filler and got a good clean connection, a dob of grease and in with the tank. Pic one
Anyone who has put a tank in knows the joy. I have done it three times in the last week or so and each time is different and equally as frustrating, but the "thank fck" that comes out effortlessly when the thread on the nut bites on the petcock is almost as good as it gets.
Tank in, a splash of fuel, a couple of beers gone and i couldnt help myself but to take it for a quick spin, no lights, wires hanging out of the headset, horn held in by one screw, 10 o'clock at night. had to bump start it though.
So moving onto the front end see the sketch above.
Where the green and yellow from the rear and the green (which is actually white) from the horn meet the red I actually did this in the headset for ease and the fact that the wires are already running there anyway, see Pic. two. I also put an earth connection here too, but not before I took this shot. Thats as far as I got. All I need to do is get the wires out to the switch and re-fit the new horn and test it all out.
Then I will undo and redo the tank nut, as you can see in Pic. four, I had a small fuel leak grrrrrrr.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Wiring Episode one.
This may end up being epic so I will give it episode numbers as I go.....
So I had had enough of the bulbs blowing and just not knowing what was going on. Here is my wiring mapped out as it is I've had a couple of people look at it and short of contacting the Vietnamese wiring genius that installed it, It is a bit of a mystery.
Now I'd like to thank Porter G from Lutherville Md. USA. He extended a helping hand and an offer of assistance should I need it, when it came to the wiring I did. He has looked at what is there and offered a solution to simplify it and make it functional. I haven't touched it yet so I don't know if it will work but I have faith. Thanks Mate.
Thanks to everyone else that has offered help and answers to my silly questions as well, all very much appreciated.
This is how it stands at the moment. I hope to make the changes over the next few days so watch this space.
On another note, I had a cousin and his family visit over the weekend and he was quite interested in the SPV and I went to start it so he could experience the full experience of 2T in a confined space and the distinct crackle of the exhaust at high revs..... that wasn't until I had gone to start it and realised that It wasn't going anywhere without the tank in place...so we just looked at it instead.
So I had had enough of the bulbs blowing and just not knowing what was going on. Here is my wiring mapped out as it is I've had a couple of people look at it and short of contacting the Vietnamese wiring genius that installed it, It is a bit of a mystery.
Now I'd like to thank Porter G from Lutherville Md. USA. He extended a helping hand and an offer of assistance should I need it, when it came to the wiring I did. He has looked at what is there and offered a solution to simplify it and make it functional. I haven't touched it yet so I don't know if it will work but I have faith. Thanks Mate.
Thanks to everyone else that has offered help and answers to my silly questions as well, all very much appreciated.
This is how it stands at the moment. I hope to make the changes over the next few days so watch this space.
On another note, I had a cousin and his family visit over the weekend and he was quite interested in the SPV and I went to start it so he could experience the full experience of 2T in a confined space and the distinct crackle of the exhaust at high revs..... that wasn't until I had gone to start it and realised that It wasn't going anywhere without the tank in place...so we just looked at it instead.
Friday, May 6, 2011
A mixed up day
I had mixed results today. I found the wiring to be a bit of a head scratching mess, but I have managed to get 80% of it mapped out, the headset is all I have to figure out.
I made a homemade tank gasket from 3.2 cork/rubber I got from the auto store and I got the tank and fuel tap in, It took two goes, the first resulted in a big mess of fuel on the garage floor from the dripping that was coming through the frame, turns out the little rubber gasket I bodged up from a toilet washer for the sediment bowl didn't cut it, so I re-used the old one.
Pic. one. A beutiful autumn day to sit out in the sun, drink beer and look at the wiring in the harsh light of day.
Pic two. Getting everything ready to re-assemble the tank, the first time.
Pic three. the rubber gasket.
Pic four. A bit of an arty shot, no real reason for it.
Pic five. the absolute mess that is my workbench.
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