'76 CP1000 Copper Wing

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Ha! I missed omega man's link! I wondered how my bike was Rube Goldberg-esk...

I saw that bike a few times while I was browsing for steampunk/copper inspiration. If I remember right, I was searching for something to do with ammo cans and steampunk. His trunkbox brought me to his blog.

Hmm... ammo cans... I've contemplated using them to hide the radiator, and/or the gas tank. I've also considered using a jerry can placed like a saddle bag for the fuel tank. I just wanted to open up the frame. But then it's just moving the bulky stuff elsewhere. Tanks/large ammo cans are pretty bulky.
 
I didn't take any of pics of it, but I drilled a hole in the new pulley where it would interfere with the key on the crankshaft, and put a piece of key stock in there. when I tightened it down, I turned it all the way to the left so the keys were hitting, and wouldn't be able to spin.

I also ended up using a larger pulley than most of the pics show. I believe 1.5:1 is the ratio I ended up with.
 
:doh: well i just figure out why i didnt remember this thread i was gone on trip and had no forum access ...sheesh i was really trying to figure out how i would drop such a great thread in my memory .... my memory has been pardon....great thread .... :mrgreen:

eric im not sure it manditory tp pin the pulley ..ive made washers out of brake pads ..that once torque down handle the power and torque of combine as a get back going cause i had to get crops pic ...and you know ..i eventually had replacement pulley that broke right at the key way ...massive torque took ot out... and the cobble up pulley and brake washer i made never failed ... didnt change a thing on it till all combining was done hundreds of acreas later...the power i was dealing was huge over our bikes ... diferent metals as in alumi and steel sort of dose the same thing when torque together ..many ways to keep a pulley on id say .... :mrgreen:
 
I did have it come loose once when I turned the pin so it was hitting the wrong side of the crankshaft key, allowing the pulley to back one turn. I had to patch my radiator after that. Better safe than sorry on this one. I think your drilled and tapped bolt is a great way to do it!
 
So, I'm feeling kind of stupid at the moment.
My bike runs hot and I've tried everything I could easily do to fix it. I ran CLR through the system, tried different types of coolant, tried running without the thermostat, and finally decided it was due to the change in fans after my alternator addition.

I purchased a couple more computer fans and was in the process of installing them, and trying to figure out how to get more clearance when I found the obvious cause. I had always looked at the engine side of the cooling system and it looked pristine. I finally took a look in the bottom of the radiator and found this mess:

Ugly

Ugly

  • Bug

I tried running vinegar for a week, changing it every other day, while riding it to work. It was working, but it didn't get enough out, and I'm not that patient. So I got me some of the hard stuff... Hydrochloric acid. I picked it up from the local hardware store. It's sold as a pool maintenance chemical. Two gallons of 31.45% ran me about $12. I also picked up a couple of shallow totes to soak the radiator in, and a bunch of baking soda to neutralize the acid when I was done.

I filled up the rinse tote with the baking soda and water first, so I could use it in case of acid splashes. Don't forget safety glasses and gloves too!


2 baths

2 baths

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I poured the acid directly into the radiator so it ran through and out the bottom before filling up the tote. It was kind of interesting to see the acid go in yellow/green and come out clear. I added enough water to cover the radiator and let it soak for a half hour. I think it might have been a bit too long though. I didn't like how the soldered bits looked after.
With gloves on, I kept picking up the bottom so the acid would flush through the top, then laying it back down so it would fill again.

When I was done with the acid, I pulled out the radiator and let most of the acid drip off, then I washed it in the soda bath, rinsing it through until it stopped fizzing. I added more soda just to be sure there were no more bubbles:

Fizzy!

Fizzy!

  • Bug


Here's a look at all the junk that came out of it:

Crud!

Crud!

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It cleaned the outside of the radiator quite nicely too. There were several bits of bug from the cooling fins floating around after.

I poured the acid back into the jugs so all I had left was the amount of the extra water I had added to cover the radiator. I slowly added the baking soda to this to neutralize it. It took almost two of the large boxes to neutralize the remaining acid, but eventually it stopped fizzing.

And here's the finished results:

Clean!

Clean!

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I replaced the thermostat and reinstalled the radiator, warmed her up, then turned on the fans. Sitting in my hot garage, 86 degrees outside, the fans were able to drop the temperature and I'm happy!

DISCLAIMER: Hydrochloric Acid is some mean stuff. Do Not let it get near aluminum, it will destroy the aluminum in a violent reaction. It will eat away the solder pretty quickly and, given some time, it will eat away most of your copper/brass radiator. This was a last chance effort before replacing my radiator. I had to re-patch a tube that I had damaged and soldered earlier, but I didn't have any other leaks.
 
Desperate measure for sure but it appears you succeeded nicely. I would likely have stuck with vinegar until it ate the radiator or cleared the blockage.
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=161154#p161154:1qm2lp06 said:
joedrum » Tue Oct 13, 2015 7:19 am[/url]":1qm2lp06]
wow aggressive move glad it worked for you :popcorn:
Click to expand...
+1 :good:
 
[url=https://classicgoldwings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=161153#p161153:37ymm7tj said:
slabghost » Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:19 pm[/url]":37ymm7tj]
Desperate measure for sure but it appears you succeeded nicely. I would likely have stuck with vinegar until it ate the radiator or cleared the blockage.
Click to expand...

I was starting to feel pretty desperate. :beg: I figured with CLR overnight and a week's worth of vinegar with little results, it was time for desperate measures.
 
Ok, it's been a week and a half, and we've had a warmish day or two. Cleaning the radiator has definitely had a positive effect on my cooling system but it is not quite enough for traffic. It looks like I'm going to have to put a proper fan on the front of the radiator. With the riding season pretty much over, and winter riding being a cool and occasional thing, that will wait until next spring.

In the mean time though, this will be my next project for the old wing:

Air compressor

Air compressor

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I helped a friend move his daughter, repair a tiller, and clean up some of his ex-landlord's trash in his back yard. As a gift for the help, I got this poor, neglected, weather-beaten and filthy air compressor. It's probably still good enough to work with some cleanup, but I don't really trust pressurizing the tanks after being neglected for so long. So I've got some other plans for it...

First thing was to pull it apart. Everything was welded together, so out came the Dremmel. Second, thing, get the rust out of it.
Gotta love electrolysis!

Electrolysis setup

Electrolysis setup

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The tanks have been de-rusting for a week now (probably overkill), and I need to drain them, but I don't want them to rust while I'm working on them. What's the best way to keep a gas tank from rusting when it's empty? Should I use some WD40 or motor oil, swished around in there?
 
Oil is best. WD40 will evaporate. For long term protection pour in some oil based paint and swish it around real good and let it drain from the tanks. Those are noisy little buggers but they'll do the job pretty well.
 

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