BSA BANTAM MECHANICAL BOOBS...THE HORROR CONTINUES PART 2

SPECIAL TOOLS MADE, CRANK GEAR REMOVED AND CLUTCH DISASSEMBLY FOLLOWED BY SPLITTING THE CASES AND CHECKING THE ENGINE INTERNALS OF THE PROJECT BSA BANTAM B175 FOR DAMAGE AND WEAR PLUS A BIT OF TWITCHING.
FOR PART 1 • STRIP DOWN HORRORS ON ...
CHECK OUT ‪@retromechanicalengineer‬ FOR MORE BANTAM STUFF

[@brianmichaelhoward9038]

You have to remember that a lot of sixteen year old lads had these for their first motorcycle until they passed the test. Three spanner’s and a hammer was the total tools you owned. They were thrashed to an inch of their lives. Stick some clip on’s and rear sets on you were Mike the bike, and funny you never thought of looking at the brakes.

[@TweedsGarage]

and a liberal application of black and white checker tape along the tank and round the fork shrouds 🏍

[@453421abcdefg12345]

Nice to see inside! This one shows all the signs of having been run on a tight budget, the stuffer plate has obviously been giving problems in the past by the look of all the punch lock marks, the usual way would be to punch near the screw slot so the eruption swells into the slot to lock it, done like that it would never come undone in service, you could build up the damaged kickstart tooth with weld and re profile it, as it is the first tooth it only serves as a start for the stressed part of the quadrant . God luck on the rebuild! Chris B.

[@TweedsGarage]

Building the tooth up with weld is an option that i have considered if i can't get a reasonable replacement Chris ( currently watching a couple on ebay) i will repair the original as it should be of interest to some. Regards from the Garage.

[@shedbythetracks]

Thanks for letting me spend the evening with you in your shed. I hope you appreciate the fact that I kept my opinions to myself and my fingers out of the way. (I was told there would be snacks) 😕Cheers from your loyal viewer on the plains.

[@TweedsGarage]

Always a pleasure to have you grumbling in the corner Randy, there was a complimentary open tin of anchovies on the shelf, I'll point them out next time you drop in .

[@shedbythetracks]

😁@@TweedsGarage

[@andreasvenator]

It´s a cold and sunny Sunday here in Germany and there´s nothing like moving up the tinker curve with Mr. Tweed. Boy do I need to make friends with a gent who also has a lathe! Great going on all your home-made tools! I also see eye to eye with you on the sympathetic restoration aspects! After all, these are old machines and you´re not going to drag race that finished motorcycle! Stay happy and healthy...love your work!

[@TweedsGarage]

A friend with a lathe is a friend indeed Andreas 🙂and thank you for your kind words. Its a bit chilly over here too , i was outside wearing shorts and teeshirt 2 days ago, I'm now inside in a woolly jumper and the heating has come on 😲.

[@petermckee1061]

Wonderful progress Allan. Enjoying this restoration very much. Cheers, Peter.

[@TweedsGarage]

Glad to hear it Peter 😁

[@stevea1987]

Nice to see a tired old engjne getting a sympathetic save 🙂 May I suggest when you true the crank, measure the runout at the main journals. There’s a chance the flywheels might not be perfectly concentric to the journal.

[@TweedsGarage]

Are you trying to suggest BSA weren't machining Batam parts to the highest engineering standards Steve?!!!!...... 😉( fear not checks will be made )

[@dwillett7281]

You’re a talented man 👏

[@stevea1987]

@@TweedsGarage I wouldn't dare to suggest that... but I do know that my 70's Suzuki was a bit out! haha.

[@anvil259]

Your introductions are just brilliant... 😃😃

[@TweedsGarage]

Excellent.......my work here is done 😉

[@chrislee7817]

It's had a tough life and dodgy maintenance in its life. Glad you will sort it. My clutch compressor back in the day involved laying the bike on its side and getting my mum to stand on an old piston that fitted the centre plate. She was a bit light so had to push on the ceiling. ☺

[@TweedsGarage]

I bet she said things like " will this take long as I've got the spuds on " 😆. Nice bit of thinking outside the box though 👍

[@nickbarber2080]

I don't know if they still do,but they used to make liner sleeves for Bantam cylinders...I used a D175 one when converting MZ TS125s to 175cc...saves scrapping an otherwise sound barrel.

[@TweedsGarage]

Sounds like a good idea, I'll do a little investigating 🔎

[@clivelee4279]

If you stick with the + 0.030” piston , for a bit of added interest, do the old school knurling the skirt procedure, that’ll have the armchair toolmakers kicking off .

[@TweedsGarage]

Skirt knurling.......there's another rabbit hole I've just been down Clive....yes i can imagine the that would set the internet alight 😁

[@rickibenka9497]

Being a Bantam owner, I really enjoyed the video Allan, thanks. Looking forward to Part 3. I'm away to watch Part 1 now. 👌

[@TweedsGarage]

Glad you enjoyed it, there's a playlist for the bantam Videos on my channel for your viewing pleasure.

[@rickibenka9497]

@@TweedsGarage That's my entertainment lined up for this evening.

[@glenmiller3783]

It looks like previous owners should have stuck to knitting. love watching the lathe work.

[@TweedsGarage]

Maybe crochet, i think knitting might have been too advanced 😁

[@davidfranklin1885]

You will get more LIFE out of your 4 cycle cylinders by using 2 cycle oil in your fuel. I bought a 70cc 4 cycle moped, change oil to synthetic after 200 miles, then ran it on 92 octane fuel with 50:1 2 cycle oil mix. Got 18,000 miles on the original engine before it lost compression due to ring wear. Did a TOP END rebuild and am at the 22,000 mile mark & moped runs like new. Kind Regards, Dave in USA

[@TweedsGarage]

That is good mileage on a tiddler, well done Dave 👍

[@davidfranklin1885]

Thank You! Think about it. High performance 2 cycle engines in pro chain saws last many years via lubrication to the inside cylinder walls with 2 cycle synthetic oil in the fuel. Same benefit can be had for 4 cycle engines. ALSO, I changed the synthetic oil in my 4 cycle scooter engine every 200-300 miles PLUS I stabilized the fuel. Dave in USA@@TweedsGarage

[@chrissills962]

Such a lot of damage done,you are doing a good job Mr Tweed.

[@TweedsGarage]

Thanks Mr Sills 👍

[@AllenORourke1954]

Loving this series Allan, looking forward to part 3... Allen O'Rourke...

[@TweedsGarage]

nice to have you following it Allen 😊

[@philhermetic]

your seal knowledge is awesome! it was in fact the wrong way round!! if only I had known this when I built my "George Todd" fast road bantam, I wouldnt have had to bump it off all the time! Ya live and learn! Always put the spring to what you are sealing!

[@TweedsGarage]

With oil on one side and fuel/oil/air mix on the other its understandable that mistakes are made on getting the seal the right way round.

[@philhermetic]

@@TweedsGarage all the wasted years of fruitlessly swinging the kickstart! Really enjoyed the video! Phil

[@robbie2awesome]

wow what an awesome video, learned so much, thank you.

[@TweedsGarage]

My pleasure Robbie, glad you found it useful. 🙂

[@coplandjason]

Looks like the Artful Bodger has been at that engine, good to see you're doing the necessary to get it back to running properly.

[@TweedsGarage]

I don't think there was anything artful about it Jason 😆

[@SloopyDog]

The clutch plates had cork inserts on my 125 cc BSA Bantam. I took a corner too fast that had loose gravel on it and the bike went one way and I went the other. When I eventually picked it up the bike was still running but all the cork inserts had fallen out. We used to buy bottle corks from the chemist and we made our own inserts for the clutch, then we sanded down the corks until they were the right size. cheaper than buying new plates.

[@TweedsGarage]

Blimey you must have been cornering like Sheene to knock the corks out!!!!....had the pleasure of poking new corks in the Excelsior clutch ( i bought the pre shaped corks as it was cheaper than drinking 9 bottles of wine 🍷 😉 )

[@SloopyDog]

@@TweedsGarage I was moving a bit and going down a steep hill. Where I lived, it was hard to get motorcycle parts, you had to be good at make do and mend in those days. The corks from the chemist were only a few pennies and they worked great. We had very little money in those days. Second hand bikes and cars were very cheap, my first Bantam was only £5. My first car a 1947 Ford Prefect was £15. Great days with very little money.

[@TweedsGarage]

@SloopyDog great days indeed and a lot simpler times and it taught you so much to be self sufficient keeping your mechanical transport running. Something today's youth is missing out on.

[@colinsmith4699]

A good video

[@russellmills4878]

Very interesting video, thank you. I have had an inpact driver fir forty years but never use it because I cant work out which bit to twist to set it to loosen. The L and R markings don't help because it doesn't show which part to twist, the bit holder or the body. I have tried hitting it into wood to clarify but its in conclusive. You tubers never show properly which way to twist when setting up for loosening

[@TweedsGarage]

unfortunately or fortunately depending on which way you look at it, my one has jammed a long time ago in the lefty loosey position so I never have to worry about it. Best way is to find a nut and bolt of reasonable size, fit a corresponding socket on your impact driver, clamp the bolt tightly in the vice, wind the nut down and just nip it down with a spanner, then put the impact driver over the nut and give it a hefty whack whilst retaining a firm grip of the body of the impact driver, if it loosens it is set the correct way, if tightens you need to push and twist the socket end of the driver into the body of the driver the opposite way you done it last time ( probably towards the L position ) then give the nut another whack and hopefully the nut will have loosened ...........then never touch the setting again :-)

[@billdyke9745]

That's a shocking amount of top end wear for a 14,000 mile engine. 114,000? That would be more like it, in which case you, sir, have a record breaker on your hands... 5 times round the world on a Bantam! It was on the road for, what, 25 years? 4,500 miles a year? Doubtful... Anyway, thoroughly enjoyable. Keep up the good work. 👍

[@TweedsGarage]

Cheers Bill and will do 🙂

[@retromechanicalengineer]

I couldn't agree more on the barrel, if you can find rings I think it will run fine with a hone. It's better to save the bore size if you can. I'm glad you made a crank saver, they damage easily. The three speeders especially are vulnerable on the mag side. I didn't see any shims on the crank journals, so it probably hadn't had the endfloat checked last time it was built. That could account for your slightly damaged rod. Thanks for the mention, I can already taste the tea and cakes! Best wishes, Dean.

[@TweedsGarage]

Yes i was pondering the lack of shims, shim set to be ordered when i order new circlips ......and tea and cake its the taste of victory 😁

[@retromechanicalengineer]

@@TweedsGarage darn right! Looking forward to it. Best wishes, Dean.

[@clivewarner2162]

If you machine half an inch off the inlet part of the piston skirt you can get a lot more power at high rpm. To get high RPM is pretty difficult without doing something to stabilise the crankshaft extension that drives the contact points. Installing a crank sensor and electronic ignition fixes that. Also, take a surform plane to the cylinder head and take an eighth inch off to increase compression. Oh, and enlarge the inlet, weld a larger flange on, and fit a 1.5" SU carb to it. I think that's it...

[@TweedsGarage]

Reed valves and spanny chamber too perhaps 😁

[@clivewarner2162]

I did the crankcase padding but it never seemed to have much effect.@@TweedsGarage

[@dalesmit7869]

Cant wait for the next video, Allen. While watching the crank allignent @24:00 if you have access to a lathe, an idea came about. Mount the center in a lathe and run a bit across both sides of the crank until alligned (lathe off obviously, simply to run the bit across? Would that work?

[@TweedsGarage]

It is a way to do it between centres on a lathe, it'll get you close ( better than it is now ) but you are reliant on the centre holes in the end of the crank being in good condition and the ends being straight ( which is rare as most cranks have been knocked at one end or the other in their lives ) so the more accurate way is resting the crank on its bearing surfaces and clocking it.....it will be shown soon. 😉

[@colinwellman9480]

That was more damage than I thought you'd find. I've never mucked about with two strokes so here is a daft question. Is it possible to fit a liner? Maybe not because of the porting? Told you I know nothing. What I do know is I've had my KZbin permissions withdrawn for 2 days after my wife saw the opening footage of the young lady with the feathers. She now thinks Tweeds Garage is some sort of perverted channel. I'm in the shed watching this video and expecting to be discovered

[@TweedsGarage]

Sorry about that, I'm sure you'd agree it was worth it 😆. You are quite correct, they can be resleeved but it does involve recutting all the ports so its a bit of a job but not impossible. Good luck on not getting caught.

[@colvinator1611]

Having been a villiers nut in the 60's I'm now looking at getting my 1st Bantam project. Am I better going for a late one ? I do fancy the 150 D5 around ' 57 though. Great videos, thanks a lot.

[@TweedsGarage]

I think if that's what you fancy then go for it, some say the B175 is peak Bantam but i say buy with your heart.

[@asciimation]

It's getting so expensive now to do these things properly now I think unless you're doing a perfect, back to factory restoration it's fine to be a little more pragmatic. Why rebuild something so it can do another 30000 miles when it's unlikely to do even 1000! I do find it difficult though to say something is good enough when it's not perfect. I've had to learn that 'skill'. With the Velo clutch I was able to put the whole thing in the press to release the spring tension to undo it all.

[@TweedsGarage]

I did watch that Simon, that LE engine has some really nice engineering and seems to take some punishment judging by the wear you've encountered on the strip down.

[@andrewphillips6053]

If you cannot find bantam piston rings, look for a Japanese alternative.

[@TweedsGarage]

I had the luck of the devil Andrew and found a NOS .30" on eBay .......found on the same sight I´ve also got a 1960 Hepolite piston catalogue coming which will be a gold mine of piston/ring compatibility/alternatives for older vehicles.

[@StuartsShed]

Ah ha! The thing doer thing revealed.

[@TweedsGarage]

All is revealed....tastefully of course 🙂

[@StuartsShed]

It’s all done in the best possible taste!

[@nickcoppard5335]

Just ten minutes ago I came across the bsa clutch tool and fly wheel extractor

[@TweedsGarage]

Sounds like you're all set for a Bantam adventure Nick 😉

[@nickcoppard5335]

@@TweedsGarage had most d1 d3 d5 d7 d14 d14/4 then worked through all the Enfield crusader range last being super five , had the d7 Todd tuned racer it was mental

[@TweedsGarage]

The racer sounds like fun :-)

[@nickaxe771]

If you bought a plus 40 set of rings....could you not file the ends down to fit?....I have often wonder about this....never tried it. I love your logical thought process. Yes I bored out to plus 60.....scary place to be as no more rebores....I have heard there is a place in the midlands that will re-sleve the bantam block.....in fact I found them....they sound good but???? Re the ethanol.....I found I needed to retard the ignition timing 1/2 a deg when 5% came out....not 10% I would imagine a futher 1/2 deg retard is req.....so I just but the more expensive E5 99octane. My B176 motor seems to like it....I used to get a horrible clacking odd firing on the over run.....thats more or less disappeared with E5 99octaine.....I am wondering if I was getting so sort of pinking maybe. Nick in Cheshire.

[@TweedsGarage]

Hi Nick, Luckily I managed to find a .30" ring set on eBay just after making this video, the width of the new rings is about double that of the old ones so should be a vast improvement but a .40" set would be the next step. I shall keep an eye on the timing/ fuel. It could of been pinking ( normally happens under load ) but the ethanol tends to run hotter so it might have been. Some super unleaded doesn't always have ethanol in it depending on brand and area the petrol station is ( Esso is one ) but if you're in Wales there's no escaping it .

[@nickaxe771]

Oh good well done Sir.....what do you think....at a push could a plus 40 ring set be made to work in a plus 30 bore....adjust the end gap to suit? Looking forward to watching more of your videos.....love your presenting style.@@TweedsGarage

[@nickaxe771]

Yes did puzzle me the roughness on the over run....but its way better now. Re having to retard my timing on using E5 ethanol petrol some years ago....I noticed a roughness on the motor soon as I started to use E5.....retarded it was back to normal. It doesn't get used much now as I bought another bigger bike.....still love it when I get around to having a ride on it. @@TweedsGarage

[@TweedsGarage]

@@nickaxe771 it can be done but you have to adjust the pin rebate the same amount, otherwise it'll jam on the pin

[@oldfarthacks]

Are you playing with your bike's knobs again? I do so like your intros. A very good job of going through the motor, finding the issues and finding solutions. Can that cylinder be sleeved?

[@TweedsGarage]

Somebodies got to 😁

[@oldfarthacks]

@@TweedsGarage So very true. LOL