General Category => Restoration Projects => Topic started by: kartjockey on September 26, 2020, 07:14:51 PM
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I have been thinking of an approach of how to go about restoring this bike. i have decided to photograph every part as I received them. To have a bunch of photos to refer back to as the restoration goes on. The manual is very helpful as it has already uncovered the myth of what the little ring was for just behind the seat. Choke knob!
So I will just begin at the beginning. First picture is of the lean release where the original owner paid the bike in full. Shows matching engine number. Next pic is a receipt that shows he bought a rod and other parts. The story is he 'blew a rod in '48!' I guess the receipt proves that. Other photo shows his payment receipts as he made payments towards owning the bike.
Lots of pictures of the frame. Pay close attention to the small clips (or hooks) back near the rear wheel drop-outs Those are what the springs hook on that holds the "hood" in place. The hood is three sided in that the grill in front of the engine is attached to each side cover. These hooks are what makes it a 1940. Kind of strange as it is very clear to what the purchase date was. ( I have that first payment receipt)
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Wico is an FW-982D. Flywheel measures 6 1/2". A 3/4" tube fits into the exhaust port nicely. Not sure what to make of the air intake tube. tried to zoom in on photos and it appears it was held on by a spring. Maybe added by the original owner. Not sure how all of it fits in there yet. ( assembling components now to see)
Original generator needs some repair but have donor generators that will help with that.
Rodney had this engine running as is.
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Pertaining to the frame the manual says they came silver standard. But black could be special order. Somewhere it was sprayed red after it had been taken apart. Kickstand mount shows this as the red had not been scratched through there. Clearly a lot of silver is evident and certainly shows that on the underneath indicating it may at one time been silver.
The original kickstand had been repaired but I already had a 1940 in my pile. Kickstand marked B.C. Jiffy
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Tires are both 26X2.25. Both brakes are 4" diameter brake drum. Spokes are .105" instead of .120" like later bikes.(bob kerr knew this!)
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Both brakes are 4" diameter brake drum. Spokes are .105" instead of .120" like later bikes. There is a grease fitting in the center of each hub.
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MS style Tillotson. Carb stamped MS93D.
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Tires are both 26X2.25. Both brakes are 4" diameter brake drum. Spokes are .105" instead of .120" like later bikes.(bob kerr knew this!)
I knew this too, and Wayne supplied a new set in Stainless Steel!
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Out early this morning to mock up the rear half to better understand this bike.
Filled gas tank to check capacity. 5 quarts to the bottom of filler neck. Photos certainly show the need for the odd shaped gas tank. At only 5 qts. perhaps they were trying to get all the fuel they could fit. The copper fuel line is interesting!
Also wanting to understand huge notch in motor plate. It seems some notching may have been necessary for belt clearance but also looks roughly cut out like maybe it was extended more towards the engine pulley.
I put a rod in place for the brake rod. Looks like it can be straight with no bends right to the backing plate.
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And so it begins. What a cool winter project. Tom, is the headlight a miller unit like the generator. That's what the earlier bikes had on them. The light and the generator are hard to find, but come up on ebay occasionally. Bob
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Great documentation , Tom . Please keep it up .
Interesting tread design on the tires . First I've seen like that .
Is that light generator at all reparable ? Looks a little too well used . :(
Pete . :)
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Tom, is that the original rope drive? LOL
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I just checked my 39, it also has the grease fittings on the hubs.
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It is believed this bike was born with the headlight that i got with it. "the Fog-Master" Los Angeles. I might end up using the Miller as it would match the brochure. It's well known that Simplex used a variety of headlights.
The broken generator part can be replaced by the tail light style generator as they interchange. I believe the Miller model
11 R.2. is correct. The other with the built in tail light is not. Zoomed in to see on brochure to look.
I was searching and bought a few headlights from the UK long before i bought this bike. They were made in England. I understand they had the battery switch option because they were required to have parking lights in Europe. (generator would be stopped)
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Those are the correct miller headlights. Looks like really nice examples. Ebay has the generators sometimes. I always watch, I'll let you know if I see one. Bob
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Very interesting tail light array .
Are all three parts , are they all lights or ???
Pete . :)
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The large one is a reflector only. The smaller ones are equipped with bulbs(6v). Referring to the 1939 photos of the Serviglide and servicycle they just used the large reflector thus no working taillight.
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The large one is a reflector only. The smaller ones are equipped with bulbs(6v). Referring to the 1939 photos of the Serviglide and servicycle they just used the large reflector thus no working taillight.
Maybe the small lights were an option at the time ?
Will you use them as mounted or go by the brochure and have the reflector only ?
Pete . :)
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The tail light set-up may be specific to the 1940 Serviglide but it does match the 1940 brochure. I believe it is the 1939 that has only the reflector. And maybe the 1940 Servicycles. (Review the 1940 brochure that is posted here)
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Trying to understand the intake tube. The 'aftermarket' breather is ingenious!
Pictures of the hood. Clearly silver paint on this. Unbelievable how the striping and logo has lasted. Pictures show how the springs attach to the clips versus the wing nuts on the 1939 Serviglide.
Seat cover is leather. Certainly looks original but who knows. It appears that someone added some riser boards on the bottom side. Maybe to restore mounting bolt holes. I am sure I will learn more as I disassemble the seat. The leather is quite pliable and perhaps the leather could be died and still used. The cushion has hardened.
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I didn't realize that the side panels and the grill was attached as one piece. I assumed they were like the late model scooters with one separate piece for each side.
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Fuel tank holds 5 qts. Gas cap is the same as other Servicycles. Offers confirmation to suspicions of early Simplexes having nickeled gas caps.
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Is the tank made of steel ?
None but the neck look like rust .
Pete . :)
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Tank is made of steel but painted silver
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Wow. After sorting through the literature i got with the Serviglide I found a letter from the original owners son. His name is Bob Filip. So once again I turned to the internet. I was finding a trail of dead ends. After that I turned to Facebook. There were a few on there but none around Dearborn, Mi. I started at the top of the list and sent a pm asking if his dads' name was Joe and had he ever worked with Rodney Martin. A reply came back in minutes. "yes to both". He lives in Tennessee now but his wife has family here in Midland and they visit about once a year. And from there I have heard some great stories. I love Simplexes!
I copied some of the conversation for you.
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Dad sounds a little like someone else we know . ;)
Neat to be able to piece some of the history and to be able to talk to someone that actually rode the bike .
Thanks for sharing , Tom .
Pete . :)
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PD, that's a fair observation that I won't deny. When the tolerance is open I will take it! LoL
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I took the carb apart this morning. Not sure what the difference is between the 'D' to an 'E'. Outside appearance looks the same so I will need to disassemble an 'E' to see differences in brass components.
I had the good fortune to buy some of Bob Legrons' things a few years ago and bought his carb repair tools. Take a look at those worn out parts. That's a lot of telegrams! The shaft took a majority of the wear.
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Don't think I've ever seen a throttle shaft that worn .
Maybe from running with no filter ?
Pete . :)
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The brochure says 'horse hide'. Well...I think i just got through skinning him!. The leather is still pliable and soft but was severely stuck to the cushion. Cushion is some kind of foam. And looks to have been crossed back and forth to form a good cushion effect. The board is nothing special. The seat cover had vent holes in each side.
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What are you going to do with the leather ?
Maybe use the original and just refurbish what's there or find some nice cow hide , pig skin or maybe deer skin .
Interesting about the crossed foam .
Maybe they got a good deal on leftover pieces from another job ?
Pete . :)
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Tom, I guess it depends on where your going with the restoration. Your quality of things might require Heather's Leathers. Be nice to see this at Portland next year. Bob
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Definitely will be having a new cover made. Looks to have been black horse hide.
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I took apart the Miller Dynamo. I had planned on using a different housing for the wheel end but once I got it apart I found that the screw boss for the flip mechanism was broken away. So I am on the hunt!
Last picture shows the screw and flip hook. In my other photos there is a noticeable hole on the outside. Turns out the is where the screw boss broke away. I guess one too many nighttime telegrams!!!
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Looks like you weren't the first one to get inside that dynamo , Tom .
Can't fab a new boss in place to make it work ?
Pete . :)
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Getting parts lined up to get off to the chrome shop. Plus I found a place in Flint that will zinc chromate parts for me. AND...the serviglide engine has spark!
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Spark , that's kind of important . ;)
Have you redone the motor yet ?
Pete . :)
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Haven't went through the engine yet but will be. While it was still together I wanted to spin it over with a drill motor to check for spark. It did have spark as Rodney said it did. I found a couple of replacement coils just in case. The guy was definitely an electrical buff. Had advertised them as being tested and came with test measurements!
Concentrating on getting everything cleaned up to get off to the chrome shop and the zinc platers. The zinc guy said what ever I can get in a 5 gal pail is one price so I have gathered various items to take there besides the Simplex stuff.
I will be sand blasting the fenders and braces tomorrow. Frame will get blasted this coming weekend.
I have new spokes and even bought red rim strips to match up with the original ones that were on it.
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Red rim strips, now that is a detail that no one will ever see. Tom, you are the man!
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Tom ,
Please post the coil descriptions and measurements . Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places , but , I haven't found any measurements for any of the coils , anywhere .
And , red tube protectors ... That's paying attention to detail .
It's the little things that make the big things run right . ;)
Pete . :)
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I recently got a bunch of the parts sandblasted. Removal of the old paint uncovered some of Simplexes signature brazing that the early bikes seemed to possess a lot of back then. Even the duel tail ight exhibits brazing. Rear fender is deserving of some repair for sure. It looks like fender braces were held in place with #10 screws originally but then somewhere along the line they were replaced 1/4" bolts. Unique braces made to clear sheave.
Take notice of the sheave. Fewer mounting holes than the later versions.
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Check out how clean the carb body came. I soaked it in a carb cleaner. I tried to note any difference from the MS93D to the MS93E. Other than the E having a throttle stop pin I couldn't find any difference. The brass components were plated though. Maybe the revision letter was changed to designate age. Don't know.
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Frame is blasted! Lots of brazing uncovered! Also corks in the holes by the seat. I have new corks and need to go over the frame but it will be left as it is. The tube on the bottom was packed full of 2 cycle oil smelling dirt!
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I worked on the frame today. Some obvious deburring and also fixed the detent holes for the kickstand. I made one throttle cable ferrule and created a reproduction of the cloth covered cables that Simplex used. i couldn't quite find any manufactured repros but did find them for bigger motorcycles. Also making spring cups for the springer front end. I took the spokes out of both wheels and plan to ship all of my parts to chrome shop after the first of the year.
Rebuilt the dimple on the kickstand.
Contemplating necessary repairs for the air tube. I wished I knew more about the air tube and air filter set-up for a Serviglide.
Old cable pics are from my '48 and second cable is from the Serviglide. For comparison.
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Tom ,
Probably not exactly what you're looking for , but have you seen fabric heat-shrink tubing ?
It's not the same pattern as on those cables . Maybe worth a look .
https://www.google.com/search?q=fabric+heat-shrink+tubing&newwindow=1&sxsrf=ALeKk03ztSPtz33jwy_cV4dHzc9CdgQUzw:1608517621915&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju_N-Lg97tAhVGRKwKHUhBDM8Q_AUoAnoECAUQBA&biw=1315&bih=622
Pete . :)
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Intriguing. I had not seen that!
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Interesting covering. I think that is what you see on many HDMI cables these days.
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A few more parts made. Three ferrules for the cable ends. Three cups for the springs on the front end. I ended up welding the detent holes all of the way closed and re-drilled them. Made for a cleaner job
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Tom, this is fantastic work! Are you shooting for Portland 2021 or 2022 for the debut?
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Planning on 2021 in Portland. Good, bad, or indifferent!
Personal goal to let Rodney and Bob(original owners son) see it and ride it this summer.
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Made this tapered punch to straighten the frame tubes. I heated the ends and then drove the punch into it to force it out round again. The corks should go in nicely now. Bob said he can account for a few dents here and there when he was riding it and even dumped it in to a ditch once!
The frame is ready but will have it blasted once more to go over my repairs and the bottom needs blasted better. While cleaning up the frame I uncovered four 8-32 tapped holes in the floor board and four more in the neck. Two on each side. Wondering if that is the way the splash guard attaches at the top. Not sure about the floor board holes but I swear I can see screw heads in the 1939 brochure pictures.
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Tom, is picture 3 the back of the headstock? That looks like it was touch cut!
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Yes. Seems they got the torch out a few times! Wayne's 39 looks much the same.
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I couldn’t stop myself, I’d have to get the air sander and smooth that out!
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Tom ,
Not sure this will apply , but , I was browsing and came across some wiring that you might be interested in for this build .
http://www.magnetoparts.com/wire.htm
(http://www.magnetoparts.com/images/wire/Yellow.gif)
Pete . :)
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Thanks PD. Cloth covered wired is definitely in the plans.
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The worn piece has been remade and welded back on . I don't have the air breather for this bike or even know what one looks like. I assume this may be the original ait tube as it looks like it was mated to the carb for a long time but unsure. Sure looks like it will take something like this to clear the rear wheel.
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I was surprised once again when I uncovered more brazing! Pic shows comparison to later H model cylinder. Although the original Serviglide crank pulley would certainly still have worked I decided to use another that was better. Original was 2.960" OD so I figured I would just turn the OD down on the replacement(3.187) for clearance. That thing was as hard as a rock!!. I plunged into it with carbide and once I got a curler started it would cut. Thinking about how much the belt would rub on it when still I guess I understand it. The original does not seem hardened as I could mark it with a file. Maybe because the belt is always engaged on a direct drive.
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I’m surprised that you have a one piece pulley, my 1939 has the multi piece pulley that allows for gearing changes.
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Hmm ,
Does the Serviglide have a longer stroke or is it just the sleeve skirt that makes it taller ?
Pete . :)
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Shorter stroke 2 1/4"
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Out with the old and in with the new! Original seat board was 19/32" thick. I found this size at home improvement stores but only in 4 X 8 sheets so ran some plywood I already had through my planer. Equal amounts off of each side. No one would know but me but that's one too many! Then applied some black MinWax stain sealer on it to protect the wood from the elements. Still really haven't found the desired cushion for it. Like Goldilocks. Too soft or too hard.
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Nice work as always! Only 5 months to Portland.
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Maybe a combination of a little too soft and a little too hard ?
Pete . :)
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Moving forward on the Serviglide. Took a bunch of parts to a zinc chromate shop in Flint today. Some for the Serviglide and lots of other various parts for Simplexes. And some for a 1960 chain drive tricycle. $100 minimum so collected any parts I thought I may want done one day.
Cleaned up the axles and brake drums. Uncovered more brass! That is one custom grease fitting!! Axles are sort of unique as they have flats on them that need to be lined up to fit into the frame slots. It seems like I read a brochure where Simplex was boasting 7/16" 'stronger' axles so maybe old dropouts were still for a 3/8" axle. Otherwise, not really sure what the point of them would be. Any thoughts?
Brake shoe surfaces look great and I just spun them in the lathe to sand the surface clean.
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Tom ,
I think you're likely are right . They upgraded axles , but had old dropouts to use up .
But , it wouldn't be that hard to resize dropouts , either . so ???
Pete . :)
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Backing plates . First two pics are of the front and last two pics are of the rear. These are 4" dia. by 3/4" wide.
Rodney had bonded linings on to the shoes several years back and posted about it on this site. They certainly look like they will stay. I did buy lining material so we shall see as I begin to clean these.
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Those linings look pretty good to me .
I'm guessing the bonding agent has had enough time to properly cure . LOL
Pete . :)
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Ordered some engine parts from Wayne. I asked him about the flats on the axles. he recalled all of them being like that up until 1042 or so. I need to find the literature where i read about the 3/8" axles.
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Since working on the Serviglide I have been able to reflect on some of the receipts the owner had while running this bike. Many of the receipts just have part numbers on them. One is for a condenser and points. Some receipts show where he made 4 payments on a windshield. But then I noticed one for a crank pulley. No way of knowing for sure but perhaps it was changed and updated to the one piece pulley or maybe it is the style it original came with.
Looks like Joe Filip was Messenger #279 and got a salary advance!
Plus it looks like the Serviglide was in a wreck. Oh no!
One thing is for sure.... this bike was well ridden!
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I was able to pick up my parts at the zinc platers this past week. I met a great guy there that has worked there since 1975.
Parts for the Serviglide and other simplex parts plus parts for the 1960 Tricycle.
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After reviewing brochures and manuals it appears the reflectors on these early bikes were faceted. I have found these in a plastic lens and now have ended up with several of them. Since finding those I have found these but in glass. Much more brilliant and maybe more period correct.
So far quite costly and I need a couple more. But that is the price we pay for fame!
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Glass reflectors ... Ain't nothin' like the real thing , baby . ;)
Pete . :)
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I cleaned up the backing plates recently. Any stories I have heard about Simplex purchasing parts to assemble their bikes with in the early days are being validated. British parts specifically. Also proven with the goose neck as it has a 3/8-20 thread pitch.
Rick has identical ones for his 1939. Both of our rear backing plates have had the slot altered by hand. Even though one end was squared up a bit with a file I can see the radius of that end and tend to believe it was the other end at the tip that was lengthened. After holding it in place on the frame it became evident that this would be necessary to achieve enough belt adjustment towards the rear of the drop outs.
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Sandblasted the tank. Definitely more silver paint to confirm the color of the bike. Adjusted the mounting straps some as the fill spout was wearing a bit against the cross brace right behind the seat.
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So my cylinder had a couple of broken fins. Ugh! Bob Kerr says, "well just fix'em" He sent some pics of fins he had repaired. He had stacked braze over and over to rebuild the fins. Then sanded them straight. On one fin I tried this method. Actually went quickly and once I got going with the torch it went well. On the other fin I used a piece of 10ga. steel. It was tricky to get the brazing tip down in the bottom of the fins but it did work out. After the torch work I contoured the fins to match the others.
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Nice work , Tom .
Looks a lot better than my makeshift fins .
They do the job . Just don't look exactly right . LOL
Pete . :)
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PD. That's unique!
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PD. That's unique!
Thanks and you're probably right , Tom .
I can't imagine anyone being as 'desperate' as I was to reach cooler temps . ;)
Someday , I'd like to install a plug base temperature gauge to see just how hot that motor gets .
Pete . :)
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PD. That's unique!
Thanks and you're probably right , Tom .
I can't imagine anyone being as 'desperate' as I was to reach cooler temps . ;)
Someday , I'd like to install a plug base temperature gauge to see just how hot that motor gets .
Pete . :)
Pete, use a no contact thermometer on the head. I've seen as low as 280 degrees on some to as hot as 370 on some.
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Pete, use a no contact thermometer on the head. I've seen as low as 280 degrees on some to as hot as 370 on some.
Rick ,
That seems a safe temp range . A lot of the 50cc motors run in that area . From what I understand , 400 degrees and up is a dangerous region .
Pete . :)
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So some updates on the Serviglide. The brake hubs have been painted and with the rims already being re-chromed I have taken them to have the spokes installed. It's the same guy that did my green bike. I had taken several pictures of the wheels before I took them apart. The spoke lacing is very unique as the spokes are the same size on both side of the hub. He was willing so I let him at 'em!
The fender holes have been repaired and re-drilled.
And recently, I had the pleasure to meet Bob Filip. he is the original owners son. Now living in Tennessee he still comes back to Michigan for family and to tend to a small farm north of here that his dad had. He was excited to see the bike again and although it wasn't finished I offered to let him ride it when he returns next year. His reply, "I better not...probably wreck it again!
Such as Rodney is Bob is an intellectual guy as well. He had many interesting stories of his time at Ford motor Company. We could have talked a long time.
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Thanks for the update , Tom .
Hopefully , we'll see it in Portland next summer . ;)
Pete . :)
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More work done on the Serviglide. I don't know if over time things 'settled' on the frame but gradually the filler neck on the gas tank was wearing against the frame brace there. So I welded the hole closed in the rear tank hanger and re-drilled it to slightly lift the tank a bit.
After cleaning the frame thoroughly I noticed holes in the floor board. Upon cleaning them out I found them to be threaded. So I zoomed in on the brochure and noticed what looked like trim pieces garnishing each side of the floor board. I came up with the trim pieces and matched holes to the threaded holes. Will need to decide what coating on them to use if any.
Also remade the splash guard. It also had threaded holes on each side by the neck of the frame. This design is my speculation of how it may have looked as the top portion of the splash guard was cracked off and missing.
I have the tank etched clean now and have purchased POR-15 to maintain a nice inner tank surface.
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Tom ,
The upper splash guard you came up with looks like it's suppose to be , to me .
And , Por15 doesn't have a very good reputation in the motorcycle world . Maybe good for a while and then separates making a real mess in the tank . Granted , maybe it wasn't applied meticulously . But , there's been way too many bad reports for me to ever chance using it .
Caswell is likely some of the best tank sealer to be found . I don't recall ever seeing a bad review .
https://caswellplating.com/epoxy-gas-tank-sealer.html
Pete . :)
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As always, excellent work!
I agree with Pete, I’ve read a bunch of bad reviews about Por tank sealer. I went with Bill Hirsch sealer on 2 bikes, seemed to work well.
I was surprised by the bad por sealer reviews, as I have used por-15 coatings on several things over the years and I find it excellent.
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I picked up my wheels from the bike shop. Kevin got the spokes right via the photos I took of the wheels before removing the spokes. Kevin has been doing spokes a long time but kept commenting how 'heavy duty' the rims were. He's a great guy that is helpful and professional. Glad he was willing to do them. These wheel use the same length spoke on both sides of the hub using unique spoke holes. So glad my choice of replacement spokes and nipples all worked out!
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I finished the headlight for the Serviglide. I had the bezel re-chromed and polished all of the outside small bezels around the green jewels. Tested with a variable voltage supply. There are small slits in the reflector inside that are aligned with the filament of the center bulb so when it is turned on it lights up the green jewels. The switch can be switched to 'D' for dynamo or 'B' for battery. There is a battery mount inside. Miller is a British company and at the time of manufacture it is believed that a person had to supply lights on their vehicle whether you were running or stopped.
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Lookin' good , Tom .
Neat idea , the reflector slits .
Pete . :)
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If you hold the phone a little lower we could see your handsome face in the chrome ring! Lol
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The gas cap on the left is the original one from the serviglide. I had it nickeled only as the ones I have seen seem to be nickeled but no chrome.
The other cap while being a 'reasonable facsimile thereof' and is very nice I still had to send the original out to be redone!
These repro caps may still be seen on Ebay. Search 'Harley JD oil caps' $60
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Tom, is the repro cap nickel or chrome. The $60 one on eBay says it’s chromed, but the is a $69 one that says nickel.
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Sorry for that! My Ebay purchases show I bought the $69.95 one. Nickel. Shows one left!
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Thanks Tom, I just bought his last one!
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Apologize for the hiatus fellas! But I am back at it. Laid down the paint this past weekend. I will be painting the fender braces and the wheel pulley black. Everything else had silver paint way down underneath! Seeing the old silver paint helped to validate the 1940 brochures suggestion that these bikes were silver.
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more
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Tom, is that a downdraft booth at work? I’d love to have access to one, but I just use my lowly garage. :-[
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This is the rack that came with this bike. After sandblasting the brazing came shining through. Notice the comparison photo of the eyelet hole versus the springer eyelet. it appears simplex broadened its use. it is exciting because it validates this rack to the time period and helps prove it is a simplex original.
Comments??
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Definitely looks Simplex original. I wonder if the flat bars on top were for a companion seat? Also interesting that some is brazed and some is welded.
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Tom ,
Nice job on the paint . I'm envious of the booth . I just wait for a calm day .
The flat pieces atop the rack look out of place to me . Like maybe they were added after the factory .
They just don't look Simplex simple . Like Rick suggests , maybe they're for a buddy seat . I'd think that the rack would be strong enough without them , but , could be the intended passenger wasn't exactly a lightweight . ;)
Pete . :)
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That's a lot of pretty silver paint. I'm sure it will really POP when it's all back together. Looking good! Bob
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I really had to think about what I wanted to do with the luggage rack for this bike. The cross bars seemed so abstract that I wondered if someone had added them. But since they were brazed I decided to go with the fact that they were original. And if not well then they are still authentic to the bike. So I repaired what was there with braze of course! Then put it under a coat of primer and satin black enamel.
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I made a stand to assemble the Serviglide on. Not rocket science but stable and it works. There are some holes in the motor plate that have me curious. There is an elongated hole by the exhaust hole and then two more by the kickstand. I could reason the elongated hole is for some kind of hole to help mount a two-piece exhaust tube. ONLY speculation! A certain amount of speculation will be fitted into this ride as I don't have a great deal of info on it. The other two holes I have no idea. Let's hear some thoughts!
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Hmm ... Would the throttle cable possibly have been routed through that elongated hole ?
Pete . :)
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Usually an elongated hole is for some kind of adjustment. This is really looking sharp. We knew you could do it.
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Tom, what kind of primer did you use?
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I decided to sleeve the original rotary valve for this motor. I did it for my '48 and still had enough material to do another one. The early engines had a unique rotary valve unlike the H engines. I have been told it was an effort by Simplex to help with low end power. I also learned that this engine will run with an H rotary valve. None the less I went forward with restoring the old one.
Fortunately, the block measured quite well and by sleeving the valve I will have a running clearance of .0035 per side.
I have two of the valves so that helped with set up and location of the slot and hole. I made a shaft to mount the part for machining. And instead of just using an endmill cutter near the slot size I used a quick program to actually mill the shape of the slot out. This allowed me to sneak up on the size and not take just one bite at it.
Last picture is a page from the early manual. Shows this style rotary valve.
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Great work Tom! Not that I expected anything less from you.
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Impressive! Love the detail!
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Ha . I'm still jealous .
Some guys have all the great toys .
Nicely done , Tom . ;)
Pete . :)
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That is a great idea! I wish I had thought of that instead of making a whole new rotor valve when I did the K model.
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A few weeks ago Bob Filip(son of original owner) messaged me out of the blue to tell me he had found the original registrations for the Serviglide. A temporary registration and the permanent registration. He mailed them out right away.
I was ecstatic!
Pics show front and back of each.
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That is some great documentation! Amazing someone saved it all these years.
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Excellent . Proof positive history . ;)
Pete . :)
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Those need to be framed and put on display with the scooter. I know your were surprised to open that package knowing how you love documentation. How awesome they found it and sent them to you.
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What a Score!! Always great to have provenance.
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After two years of great perseverance, I finally own the correct Miller generator for the Serviglide! After a few fallen attempts through that time, I managed to locate a guy in Argentina who had one. Whereas he did not sell internationally he had a friend who did on Ebay. This guy (Raul) gave me a heads up right at the time he posted it so I could swoop in immediately and buy it. Then it was just 13 days of waiting until it arrived. It was a Kodak moment for sure!
I have it restored back to service ready condition. Many people say that they were black. There wasn't any black paint on this one or the one that came with the Glide. However, I have quite a few of the other models that have the red side light molded in them and there are some of those that are black.
Over time collecting Miller generators I managed to get the wheel guard and an array of parts. I had a wheel and the guard parkerized as that seemed the nearest to original.
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You are a persistent man! Well done.
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Once again , patience pays .
Nice work , Tom . ;)
Pete . :)
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Way to go Tom. That just gives you that warm fuzzy feeling when you are finally able to get that one allusive part. But now, will it make it to Portland? Bob
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Way to go Tom. That just gives you that warm fuzzy feeling when you are finally able to get that one allusive part. But now, will it make it to Portland? Bob
Bob, are you and Mike going to bring a ride to Portland?
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Rick, We should both have wheels this year.
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Here in the first few pictures I tried to show the rotary valve as it rotates. Shows how the separate hole and slot come in to view.
Next shots are just of block in position. Looking back I wish I would have mocked the motor up completely along with the rear wheel first. It would have been easier while constructing everything and not have to worry about not scratching the paint. All turning out ok but would have helped things.
I tested the spark after assembly. It jumped .125" gap and appeared like it could have jumped a wider gap than that. I own a meter that reads capacitance. I checked the condenser that was in the engine when I got it. I compared this to some NOS ones and also to the Wico book. Seems to me if they are close they work. I could have used the one this engine had in it but by now I had a NOS one installed and left it.
Last pics the motor has the throttle rod installed and is ready to test run.
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Pics of the glide prior to installing the engine. The way I made the assembly stand I couldn't put the front wheel on yet. After receiving the license registration from Bob Filip I decided to go back to the Ebay seller I had bought from before so as I could have a license plate done to match the numbers. Correct colors for Michigan 1940.
As I was taking the old cover off of the seat I threw the tacks in a cup. Then when I got the new cover back, I decided to just use them again. The way it was is the way it is!
Proof lights work! Plus, pics before and after of the generator.
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The re-build looks to be coming along nicely , Tom . 8)
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What a beauty!!! That's definitely going to the exhibit hall at Portland. Bob
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Super Job. That is really cool.
Scooter
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Some of the final pieces to be plated. After reading the manual for the Nth time I learned that the front brake adjuster had thumb wheels rather than nuts. These are my version of those!
The spark plug wire clamp had an 80-year-old grommet on there BUT I found some on a marine site that were a match. So, it got a new one.
One more view of the ignition before installing the flywheel.
Lastly, showing my assembly stand. I fired the engine on the same stand. I used the rope starter pulley from my 1949 Firestone outboard as it bolted right on to the three center holes. After that I was able to pull start it as with any engine.
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Pic of my replacement condenser strip. Someone 'saved' it long ago. Anything to get going! It measured .010" thick. I used some brass shim stock to make the replacement.
Look at the above picture to see it installed.
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That looks like some more metal artwork. Nicely done. Bob
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Last few pictures showing air breather, tube and flange at carburetor.
I noticed on the 1939 Servi glide brochure what I suspected to be a lubrication decal. I came across a 1940 Servicycle on the internet that had went to auction. They had posted several pics. Luckily they had a nice view of the decal plate. Plus I was able to see a choke plate in person at Jim Lokai's house. So rather to go without I decided to go with that verbiage and had them reproduced.
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Out into the sunlight!
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Beautiful work Tom!
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Very nice , Tom .
I have to ask ' what is that tube behind the seat on the right side and in front of the fender ' ?
Seems to be a mild velocity stack .
Pete . :)
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Will we see this beauty at Portland? Only a week to go. Get er done. Another fine masterpiece of art you've created. Bob
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It will be in Portland! I came up with the breather as it was missing. But I believe the breather tube to be original as it appeared to have been mated to the carb for some time. Plus it was about the only way it would work given the space constraint.
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It will be in Portland! I came up with the breather as it was missing. But I believe the breather tube to be original as it appeared to have been mated to the carb for some time. Plus it was about the only way it would work given the space constraint.
I suppose it would lessen the amount of 'dirt' getting in . You might have to be mindful of shirt and coat tails , unless it needs a bit more choke . ;)
Pete . :)
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That is really cool. Great Job.
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Pictures from the 2024 Judging building.
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Nice display , Tom .
Pete . :)