Now the motor has been timed all the work on the bottom end is complete and all that is left to be done on the motor is with the cylinder head.
However as this is a cast-iron head it is a heavy lump and the motor is heavy enough to manage without it so I’m going to fit the motor and barrel into the frame as is and then bolt the head on once it’s finished.
- Sockets used as spacers
In this photo you can see two sockets on diagonally opposite head bolts as spacers under the head nuts.
The purpose of these is to keep the barrel down snug on the crankcase to make the motor easier to handle.
These bolts are actually the tops of a pair of long U-bolts that go down and round the main bearing housings so that once the head is on and bolted down, the barrel is sandwiched between it and the crankcase locking the whole into one solid lump, essential when the motor is used as a stressed frame member as it is on a Panther where the motor takes the place of the front downtube of the frame.
Anyway with the barrel held down with these sockets the motor can be “cradled” to carry it and I’ve got to carry it out to the garage from the workshop, including down a flight of stairs! and it’s B—-y heavy!
Once I get it there it’s definitely time to knock off for a coffee!
Back to the job and now it’s time to build a platform of timber planks between the wheels of the bike and then lift the motor onto it.
Needless to say the holes in the motor mounting lugs on the motor do not align with the holes in the engine plates! Sodd’s Law rears it’s ugly head again! But I can get a screwdriver into the top mount, so I use that as a podger to pull things into line.
Suddenly the bottom lug and plate holes line up, I get the first engine stud in place and put a nut loosely on either end so I don’t accidently knock it out again. (BTDTGTTS)
With one stud now in place it’s just a case of lift at the front of the motor and the other studs can be slid into place, remove the timbers and that’s it! another step on the way.
- Motor in Place
In theory there’s no need to support the front of the motor, the frame and engine plates being substantial pieces of metal, but as a case of “Belt and Braces” I’ve run a webbing strap round under the front of the sump and up round the frame top tubes.