Just a quick update on my progress. Not as far on as I had hoped but with Summer holidays & work etc only getting the chance to work at evenings & the odd weekend. The dark evenings will give me more time to get stuck in!

Most of the bulk parts removed along with engine & gearbox so not far to go now until its fully stripped down.

As you can see from the "Organised" chaos I am in need of a work bench!

What is the best approach to cleaning the engine & gearbox casings?

The frame parts I will probably get sand blasted or something of that nature before repainting.

Any other suggestions to help me along will be greatly appreciated!!

email (option): slantz.cal@gmail.com

Hi Stephen...That looks like quite a good M20...If you are having parts blasted prior to painting check with whoever you are planning to use that their set up is suitable for the tin wear...

Anything too powerful could give you lots of trouble...

Personally I usually get the tin ware chemically stripped first and then only a light bead blast will leave it nice and clean for painting...

One exception is the oil tank...Clean out the inside as much as you can with paraffin or similar followed by hot soapy water...Then get it chemically stripped and complete the preparation for painting with a rotary wire brush...

I think blasting oil tanks is unwise as you can never be absolutely sure that there isn't any bead left inside the tank...

That lot will keep you busy for some time and I would recommend putting the engine and gearbox to one side until you have the basic chassis back together...

Also, build that bench now and get all the parts sorted and into containers/bags so it's all kept together in an orderly fashion...

You'll find the whole exercise a lot easier if you have the correct facilities in place to make it like that and ultimately you'll do a better job...

Also make plenty of notes regarding how things fit together and take lots of photos as well...It's surprising how you will forget where all the bits go after a few months have past and their appearance changes after painting/plating etc....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Thanks Ian!!!

The bike itself aint in bad nick to be honest with virtually little to no rust. So I am now debating if it needs blasting at all!? As fast as it may be it might not be necessary!

The oil tank was still half full of oil when I took it off the bike so I wont be doing much to it other than a bit of prep for the new paint.

The petrol tank on the other hand, from the outside looks in great shape but the inside has had 30+ years of fuel & crud laying in it so it will need further inspection. I will possibly go down the road of getting it dipped & the inside reconditioned if possible!?

I have took plenty of photos & made notes along the way. I also bought a service manual to guide me through any difficulties may crop up!

Thanks for the help, I`ll post pictures throughout the build!

Cheers!

email (option): slantz.cal@gmail.com

I was absolutely staggered how much accumulated sludge and detritus was in my oil tank when I came to clean it out. I had to use long screwdrivers to loosen up the sludge, followed by multiple flushes with degreaser, brake cleaner (solvent) and even hot detergent washes before I was happy enough to send it to the painter.

With no oil filter as such on the bike, the gunge has to go somewhere and whilst a lot is carried off in an oil change, it mostly settles as a sludge in the bottom of the oil tank. You won't get a better chance to clean it than when it's removed from the bike so my advice would be to do it now! Good luck!