PROGRESS REPORTS

Exhaust Pipes

There were a lot of things that I wanted to do to the bike but most of them (like de-raking the neck or doing the top end of the engine) involved extensive work and downtime. My goal was to get as much riding in as possible before it got too cold to ride anymore, then tear it apart and rebuild it.

But I figured that putting a new set of pipes on it would be something that would have a major impact on the appearance and I could do without too much downtime. I mean, what's the big deal? just rip the old system off and install the new pipes - right? Little did I know that I would be forfeiting nearly three weeks of prime-time riding!

Here's the old exhaust system:

There's a couple of problems with the old system:

The appearance is very "unsightly" to put it kindly
The front pipe goes outside the frame and is below the bottom frame rail. This is OK when you have extended forks that raise the front of the frame to give more ground clearance, but can be disasterous with stock forks and making a tight right hand turn. The pipes hit the pavement, the tires lose traction and you "go down."

So, I ordered a nice set of staggered duals from Paughco and waited for them to arrive.

When I installed the new pipes I found that there was a slight interference between the rear pipe and the oil tank - not good! Circulating oil contributes significantly to engine cooling and the exhaust pipe touching the oil tank would just be making the oil hotter. The problem is that the oil tank is not stock - it's a little wider than stock to accommodate a larger 12 volt battery, which was installed by a previous owner when it was switched from 6 volt to 12 volt electrics. The Paughco catalog even said that the pipes would not work with oversize oil tanks, but I didn't realize when I ordered the pipes that the tank was oversize.

So, I ordered a nice chrome "stock" oil tank. It's not really stock because chrome was not an option in '57, but it is identical to the stock unit in size and construction. And, of course, since it is stock, the 12 volt battery that I have won't fit in the opening in this tank.

So, I had to get a small 12 volt battery that has the same length and width dimensions as the original 6 volt battery.

In order to change the oil tank you do have to remove the seat, rear wheel, and loosen the rear fender. So, now my "simple" exhaust system installation is getting a little more involved.

When the tank finally arrives and I get it installed I run into another problem. The vent line going from the block to the oil tank had 45 deg. nipple on the oversize tank and the new "stock" tank has a straight nipple and it is welded into the tank - no way to change it, and the braided hose cannot bend enough to clear the rear cylinder head.

So, I ordered a set of "triple-chrome", "stock" steel oil lines.

When they arrived (or, I should say - when two of the three lines arrived) I found out that what I really ordered was some cheap Taiwanese junk. The "triple-chrome" looks like brushed aluminum or zinc plate. Worse than that though is that the threads do not properly fit the nipples on the oil tank or on the oil pump. They are the correct pitch but are just not cut deep enough. As mentioned above - the vent line is the one that had the interferance and I did manage to get that line installed, but it required and extraordinary amount of effort to engage the threads.

The other line that they shipped I ended up returning because I could not get the threads to engage no matter how hard I tried.

OK, the tank is installed, the oil lines are hooked up, the new pipes are on - just need to fill the tank with oil and fire it up to find out how the new pipes sound. Maybe I should just flush out the oil tank just to make sure that there is nothing in it before filling it with oil. I remove the drain plug and spray some mineral spirits in the tank. YIKES!!! all kinds of crud and junk is coming out of the tank - most of it scaley flakes of rust. The brand new oil tank that I bought is full of rust - must be from the salt air during the shipment from Taiwan. (Note to self - don't order anything from catalogs unless it states 'Made in USA').

Now what! I consider my options:

I can return this tank for an exchange - involves shipping time both ways and the new one will probably have the same problem.
I can just order a new Made-In-The-USA tank and return this tank for a refund - still involves shipping time one way.
I can try to salvage this tank.

I decided to try to salvage the rusted one. I removed the tank from the bike, plugged all the oil line fittings and suspended it so that the filler neck was vertical.

This would ensure that there would be no places for air to get trapped inside. Then I put two quarts of water in it and added two quarts of hydrochloric (muriatic) acid and let it work for two hours. This is nasty stuff - don't get careless with it. The fumes will burn your lungs, contact with your skin will result in burns.

But, it did a fantastic job of removing all signs of rust in the tank - took it right down to shiney metal. So I reinstalled it, reconnected the lines, added oil and the pipes sound great!

And I think the new pipes really do dramatically improve the appearance.

This page last updated on December 18, 2006