I’ve now reached an incredibly gratifying part of the BMW R80 build; the re-installation of the freshly painted motor and concurrent rebuild of the motor’s clutch and top-end.
I returned from Melbourne on Sunday evening to find that Sam and Ren had not only completed paint preparation for me, but had also put the motor in for its intended two-pack satin black paint. The results were exactly what I was after.
Painted Cylinder Barrels
Painted Transmission
Painted Bottom-End & Cylinder Barrels
Painted Valve Sections
Painted Top Cover
Keeping to plan, I started by clearing up the “BMW” lettering with a flap-wheel:
Top Cover Shaved
I intend to use fine grit sandpaper to tidy up the polished finish on the lettering. That said, the result thus far is looking quite good!
In order to rebuild the motor (top-end, clutch, re-install transmission/drive-shaft) I’ve opted to re-install the motor bottom-end to make life easier in the long run, and in order to do that, the frame needed a bit of attention.
Frame With Haggard Old Paint & Surface Rust
The above picture doesn’t really do it justice… The frame was far from terrible, but definitely not “clean”. I sanded/flap-wheeled and degreased the frame where it needed help in preparation for some new paint.
Sanded Back & Degreased Frame Section
With the frame ready for paint, Sam kindly primed and painted the frame as required.
Primed Frame Section
Painted Frame Section
I left the frame alone so as to let the paint set. When it was ready, Sam and I manoeuvred the motor bottom-end into the frame from the right-side (which was the easier side). We’d ensured to tidy up, re-grease and position the motor mounting bolts prior to lifting the motor into the frame. We covered sections of the frame in cloth to prevent scratching the freshly painted motor and/or frame. With a little effort we eased the motor into the frame and gently rubber-hammered the mounting bolts through.
Motor Bottom-End Returned To Frame
At this point I decided to call it a night. The motor bottom-end was now sitting within its frame and the painted frame/motor looked just the way I’d envisaged… Actually no, they looked a lot better than I’d imagined. The comparison is quite astounding:
Before
After
I do intend to replace the majority of stock fasteners with stainless steel variants, however that will come a little later.
Tonight I am looking to replace the main rear-seal and reinstall the transmission. As always, I will throw a post up covering this.
Thanks for reading!
Motor Comparison