The following jobs have been undertaken on the UFM:
The fuel tank mounting bolt holes had been drilled out and helicoiled for more substantial bolts. Bert machined up two plugs, threaded them and Loctited™ them into place. These will enable us to use the standard 5/16″ BSF tank bolts again.
Remote Float Bracket Removal
This bracket had been brazed onto the UFM to enable a place where a remote float bowl could be hung. During Peter Johnson’s last year of racing, a hotter cam was fitted. This cam was copied from a profile formulated by renown Aussie racer Eric “Debbo” Debenham and required a change to a GP2 carb fed by the remote float bowl.
The bracket was carefully ground off. It would have been nice to have left it but it prevented the fuel tank from seating properly. Using the blog search feature to look for “fuel tank” will locate the section where I detailed how I’d managed to acquire the original fuel tank in New Zealand. This early tank was interacting with the bracket and so it had to go…
The brazing work had distorted the UFM and some cracking was visible. The cracks will be sealed with solder and the scar painted over with suitably coloured paint.
18.08.20
The soldering work has been completed. The resulting covering of solder is not very pleasing to the eye but a proper repair was necessary as the previous soldering job, to repair cracks caused by brazing the bracket on, was not effective and the cracks had been weeping oil.
Tomorrow Bert will put some petrol in the UFM and leave it for a while to ensure the leak has been well ‘n’ truly sealed.
Grey Flash 2751 