Been busy with a million other things but I finally found some time to prep my engine for a rebuild.
When I originally started this project I was going to see how cheap I could do it.
As I got more into it I slowly changed my mind and decided that a full rebuild was in order.
I figured that even if I hated the bike when I got it done, I could always press in some 17mm inserts and run it in my KX5 which has a 11 year old engine that has only one ring and piston swap which was done last year.
Since I am not an engine builder I decided that I would send it off and have it rebuilt by a professional.
Unfortunately I do not know any local builders that are up to my expectations so in the mail it goes.
But, before I send it off I got thinking about if I was an engine builder, what would I like to see?
How about a dirty, grimy engine? No?
How about engine that is clean on the outside but untouched on the inside? Ok, but leaves a lot to be desired.
So, I decided that I would take it all apart, clean and inspect all the parts, and pre-order what I thought would be needed.
Of course, taking the engine completely apart means that every nut, bolt, and washer should be labeled and cleaned...
After all, do I want to pay a great engine builder to clean my parts?
So, with a little effort, every nut, bolt, and washer was cleaned and labeled to save him as much time and effort as possible.
I got as far as the exhaust valve asy today.
As you can see below, spending a few minutes cleaning can really speed up your builders inspection process.
What would you rather inspect, the valve on the left or the valve on the right?
All those engine builders out there feel free to contribute your feelings on this
Back on topic... sorry I ran it off in another direction...
Regarding cleaning parts before sending off.... for me personaly... the dirt and grime on the parts tell Me storys of what condition they, and the motor, are in.. they talk to ya in a way...
problems that may be hard to spot on a clean part... on a dirty one can stand up and SCREAM at you....
The dirty parts can also tell you, as a motorbuilder, issues with the customer as well... things they could be doing wrong, that will in turn destroy your perfectly good work, causing the customer to be unhappy once again..
So the parts can tell you how to fix the customer as well as their motor..
(I am reminded of Kaw Riders recent post about the V3 reeds with the Bow in them that was run at 100:1 on castor 927)..