Steam Engine Restoration Part 12 - Modifying And Finishing the Connecting Rod Bearing (Video Post)

When I pulled apart and sandblasted the connecting rod during disassembly, I noticed something strange about the lower rod bearing. The bearing boss had been machined to exactly the diameter of the crankshaft, and the oil passages had never been drilled out. There was no room to pour babbit between the rod and the pin, and no way to lubricate it.

It appeared that someone had simply forgotten to finish machining the rod bearing, which may explain the relative lack of wear to the rest of the engine. Most likely, the engine had never run correctly or for long periods of time, which would also explain its partial disassembly and abandonment. The only way to properly complete the engine was to finish the work and rebuild the bearing.

Boring the lower rod bearing to the correct diameter

Finishing the Boring

Drilling out the bearing grease passage

Tapping the grease passage for a zerk fitting

Drilling shallow holes into the sides of the lower rod. Babbitt will flow into these holes and lock the bearing material in place.

Lower Rod Bearing Cap completed

Adding retainer holes to the upper portion

After 100 years, this part has finally been machined to spec.

Adding grease fittings to the valve eccentric parts

The completed and painted valve eccentric assembly

Prepping for Babbitt

This rod is machined to the same diameter of the crank pin. The side spacers hold the pin in the correct location in the lower rod.

Mold placed into the upper rod bearing.

Adding clay and metal forms to the edges

Forming the spigot.

Ready to pour

The final result. Unfortunately, the Babbitt cooled before it filled the entire space, but this should be more than enough to run it in demonstrations.

Adding the bearing shims

Steam Engine Restoration Part 11 - Finishing the Crankshaft Bearings (Video Post)

I got a bit ahead of myself with the successful test run, so I want to backtrack and post the rest of the Babbitting process.

After pouring the bottom of the main crank bearings, I scraped, finished, and reinstalled them, and then laid the crankshaft in place. Next, shim stock was placed on the joining surface, clay was packed around the edges of the bearing block, and the top cap of the bearing block was bolted in place.

The fresh babbitt had to be poured through the bearing port, so I installed a sacrificial pipe fitting to protect the threads of the hole.

Next, I packed clay around the fitting to form a cup that would guide the babbitt into the bearing block.

Unfortunately, the babbitt hardened a little too quickly this time, so the right bearing block cap didn't fill up all the way. However, since this engine will be run at a reduced capacity, this should be enough material to support the crankshaft.

CL450 Racer - Syncing The Carburetors (Homemade Vacuum Gauge)

This is a quick video post to show the custom Carb Sync Vacuum Gauge set that I built. Most of the available sets use regular vacuum gauges and an adjustment valve to smooth out the engine ignition pulses. Without this valve, the needles would rapidly jump in time with the engine vacuum from the intake stroke, so it is difficult to take a reading. 

Instead of this design, I built a gauge set that uses Glycerin-filled gauges. Glycerin is a thick liquid and fills the entire gauge, which resists the movement of the needle and causes it to move slowly. This action dampens the needle's response to the vacuum pulses, which smooths out and stabilizes the reading.

Steam Engine Restoration - First Start in 80 Years (Video Post)

Last Christmas, the stationary steam engine that I received from my grandfather looked like this, the result of spending most of a century neglected:

But now, after 9 months of work, this engine is a runner!

CL450 Racer - Installing New Mufflers

Unfortunately, I had to remove my custom mufflers this weekend. I pulled over to fill up, and when my foot hit the pipe I heard a loud rattle. When I inspected it to tighten the hanger bolts, I discovered that the mounting rail on the EMGO outer shell had suffered metal fatigue and cracked off.

Busted!

I will try to repair this at a later date, but the metal is so thin and weak that I suspect a weld repair will never really hold for too long. Instead, I installed a pair of stock mufflers that a friend took off his new Harley. They are nearly the same size and have a similar diameter. However, they are so wide near the clamp that they interfere with the frame rail of the bike. I made an extension piece to move them back a bit and clear the frame. They have certainly robbed a little bit of power, but have significantly quieted the bike down (and made me more popular with my neighbors). When not racing, I will probably keep these installed.

KZ400 Diesel - First Try at a GoPro Riding Video

After a long hiatus without any actual "alt-fuel", I've pulled the diesel out of storage, repaired the transmission damage from last year, and tried my first attempt at a GoPro riding video.

Last year while putting the bike in storage, I noticed extensive damage to the supercharger drive sprocket and chain. Looking closer, I found that I hadn't correctly lined up the drive chain, so the sprocket was being eaten up by the chain. I finally cleared through enough projects to get the diesel back on the lift to address the problem.

The drive sprocket was shot, so I made and installed a new one.