Tag Archives: /5

Attaching frame ID plate

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Hucky BMW sells ID Frame plates. They aren’t the same as the original plates but they look good and seem like they are made by BMW. The old name plate showed some wear and tear and would look odd against a brand new frame (even though it is tucked behind the forks).
I thought about keeping it on there for legacy… but for $17, might as well put a new one on there and keep the old one as a memento.

I ordered a set of 5/32″ letter and numerical dies/stamps from amazon for $16.

New ID plate

I had a piece of dowel in the garage that was similar to the arc of the steering tube that the name plate mounts to. I used that as a surface hold the plate while tapping the numbers in it.
But damn, it is hard to line those numbers up… and not slip when tapping them in. Of course I slipped on the second to last number and that one digit is out of registration compared to the others.

1/8″ 3mm Rivets seem to do the trick. I rarely use my Rivet gun but when I do, it is one of those tools I’m glad i bought. I think the 1/8″ rivets are left over from my last restoration.

I used a long socket to push the cap of the rivet into the frame as far as it could go.

Done.

Reassembly of transmission and final drive

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I’m definitely not going to take on these daunting tasks myself.  Just look at all those parts!

Someday when i have lots of extra time and extra transmissions to experiment on, i’ll try to figure this stuff out myself.

But for now, they are going to the hands of  an expert.  Luckily everything fit in the saddlebags of my R100s.

Somehow, those parts are going to fit into that shiny housing.

Final drive guts

Trany guts. Looks like a clock exploded.

BMW parts inside of BMW bags.

parts polishing

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I set a box of small parts aside to be polished when i tore the bike apart. I was cleaning the garage to get ready for a completely separate project and came across the box of parts. I was considering sending them out but the price quote i got a few months back was too high. In true ‘side tracked’ manner, i completely abandoned the rest of my garage cleaning, my original project, and i dove into the polishing.
I did a test first on one of the front brake arms to see if it was worth it.

before and after. The camera makes the scratches look worse then they are. The piece came out chrome-like.

The key to polishing is actually the sanding. The more you sand out the blemishes, the nicer the polish will look. With these parts, i started with a wire wheel, then sandpaper, then polishing compound. I could have spent 8 hours just sanding these parts. At a certain point, i decided to cut my losses. Some blemishes where too deep or not completely necessary to remove.

After a wire wheel and 250 grit sandpaper:

After 320, then 500 grit paper:

After the ‘stage 1’ polishing compound:

Done for now. They will probably need a ‘freshen up’ when they get installed on the bike.
This is after stage two of the polishing compound:

bling bling!

Engine Paint

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After TONS of cleaning, I finally decided on which paint to use. I went with a 1200 degree ceramic based engine paint i had sitting in my garage. I had nearly a full can left from an old project. It seemed to go on the smoothest when i rubbed it on.
Yes, i said rubbed it on… meaning i didn’t spray or brush the paint on, i actually rubbed it into the metal with a rag. After i finished, if needed, i would go over an area with a very light spray.

I desperately wanted the POR 15 engine enamel to work but it did not brush on very smoothly. It went on VERY thick and adds an entirely new surface to whatever you are painting (i tested on a BMW valve cover for my 2002). It looked almost like a powder coat type surface.
It sprayed OK but i didn’t want to spray my parts and worry about masking everything off. The rub technique worked well at times, and not at others.
If you buy it, i do recommend thinning and spraying it. It is actually a nice product. I sprayed one side of a 318i manifold and it looks pretty good. i think the thinner and the spray helped it not go on so cake-like.

Anyhow, back to my ceramic based high temp paint… I started with the final drive and front brake hub. When i finished those, i went to look for more paint only to find out it was discontinued about 2 years ago.
Douph! Just my luck…
I began to think of how much paint i wasted on testing, and spraying other stuff…

Final drive painted. Half the front brake hub is painted.

Done and dry.

With fingers crossed, i made it through the project with enough paint to spare for touch ups (if needed). Phew… it was a nail biter though.

Painted transmission case and engine block.

So clean you could eat off it!

Final Drive gutted and cleaned

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On this bike, i am being much more thorough then my own. Because this is going to end up in another person’s garage, i am going through everything i can to ensure minimal issues aside from wear and tear in the hands of a new owner.
I’ve had the seals go bad on my final drive(s) before so i figured i might as well have these gutted, clean them, get new seals, etc… In between all this, I plan on coating the exterior with the same substance i plan to use for the engine and front brake hub.
Out of the two final drives from the two donor bikes, one had a really good set of splines. It has really helped to have an extra donor bike.

Please note, if you remove the innards of your final drive, there is a bearing that can NOT be replaced. It is in the cast of the aluminum. If that bearing goes bad, the whole final drive is ruined. I guess all early 70’s final drives were built this way and BMW finally made final drives in which the bearing could be replaced in the lat 70’s and 80’s.
So if you take apart your final drive, keep that bearing lubricated so it does not dry out and get ruined.

BMW R75/5 Final Drive with gearing removed

Gutted and cleaned 32/10 rear final drive from a R75/5 BMW

Dirty Exterior Final Drive

Cleaned final drive. Ready for coating...

Rear Set mount preparation

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Before i get the frame blasted and powder coated, i did a test fit with the rear sets. On my last bike, i mounted the rear sets to the plate that the mufflers hang from behind the swingarm bearings. I had to create angled shims to get the rear sets to mount perpendicular to the frame. If they didn’t have a shim, the rear set foot pegs would point slightly forward.
The same holds true with the Disco Volante rear sets i am using on this bike. Lesson learned from the last bike… this time BEFORE powder coat, i enlisted a welding buddy to help me create a solid mounting area for the rear sets.
In addition to the rear set mounts, i am also going to fill the holes for the passenger foot pegs and the saddle bag mounts.

BMW R75 swingarm pivot and muffler hanger plate





Rear set mounting hole but notice the gaps.





Small gap on the right side foot peg





In addition to making a better mount for the rear sets, i need to fix the common crack that occurs on the mounting tab. It is often caused by road elements, or the battery drain tube, or rear passenger stress, etc...



AFTER PHOTOS:

New Rear set mount and passenger footpeg and saddle bag holes filled.





Nice and perfect mate between the foot peg and frame.





perpendicular foot peg mount.





another perpendicular shot





Shot of the inner side. My buddy welded the crack and then went a bit overboard with the thickness of the plate he welded to reinforce that area. But I figured it couldn't hurt to have too much metal back there. Especially if that plate will need to handle the weight of somebody's legs/body.





I did a bit of sanding and polishing to smooth the area in preparation for powder coat. It is going to look nice and clean back there instead a stock frame with the passenger footpeg holes and such.