Ducati 900ss Light Resto/Fix Up

[Druid]

That's looking good.

What is it about Ducati and engine paint? My Monster looked as though it had spent most of its 10 years parked in 3 feet of sea water.

[IanB]

First minor delay of the project today, but it's been pretty plain sailing to date so not unexpected. The wire attached to the starter motor terminal refused to come off. No matter what. I guess an exposed position at the front of the engine & 25 years of road crud can do that.

Off with the starter motor then but this involves removing the left side crankcase cover in order to get access to two of the mounting bolts

[IanB]

Starter motor off & in pieces we couldn't ignore the worn bushes & general age related wear to everything so it was decision time - a repair kit for £70 or a Ducati supplied replacement OEM starter for £415 were the two obvious options. I wasn't convinced about the repair kit & I certainly wasn't prepared to spunk all those beer tokens on an OEM unit so a new pattern starter motor with a 12 month warranty on the Electrex World website at £120 delivered seemed to a good compromise. It’s on its way.

Apart from this minor hiccup the week has been mostly more turd polishing

[weeksy]

Media blasting easier?

[IanB]

Media blasting easier?

Possibly. I've got a blast cabinet but it's not large enough the for the engine to fit in & this is just a light resto so I don't want to remove the barrels split the cases .

I could send it away for blasting but where's the fun, sorry pain, in that?

[weeksy]

Media blasting easier?

Possibly. I've got a blast cabinet but it's not large enough the for the engine to fit in & this is just a light resto so I don't want to remove the barrels split the cases .

I could send it away for blasting but where's the fun, sorry pain, in that?

All very fair points mate... you're doing a top job !

[IanB]

Update on costs to date:

Frame weld £100
Degreaser & cleaning stuff £20
Powdercoat frame £192
Head bearings £50
Ignitech system inc DHL from Czech Republic £156
Import tax & VAT for above £43
Upgraded starter cable kit £80
Inlet gasket £8
Nuts £4
Exhaust clamp £8
Silver engine paint £15
Black engine paint £15
Etch primer £10
Starter motor £120

Total to date £821

[IanB]

The turd is now polished & rolled in rattle can glitter. All being well it will be back in the frame this weekend

[Rockburner]

What do you reckon on the life expectancy of the engine paint?
It can't be worse than the OEM stuff but how long do you reckon for basic rattle can stuff?

ime, about a month, (maybe less)

[IanB]

What do you reckon on the life expectancy of the engine paint?
It can't be worse than the OEM stuff but how long do you reckon for basic rattle can stuff?

I guess time will tell mate, as you say it can't be worse that factory finish!

[IanB]

What do you reckon on the life expectancy of the engine paint?
It can't be worse than the OEM stuff but how long do you reckon for basic rattle can stuff?

ime, about a month, (maybe less)

[Rockburner]

What do you reckon on the life expectancy of the engine paint?
It can't be worse than the OEM stuff but how long do you reckon for basic rattle can stuff?

ime, about a month, (maybe less)

In explanation - I'm a lazy bugger who very likely didn't clean off ALL the old oil and grease from the engine when I painted it..... (you need to really clean it off properly, with very nasty chemicals).

[IanB]

Manged to grab few hours in the garage this morning, to fit the new starter motor (after swapping over the dog gear as the new one was the wrong ratio) & also clean & prep the oil cooler ready for a coat of paint.

The crankcase cover was then refitted & whilst it's not yet time to start reassembling the bike, the frame went onto the engine for a few minutes just to have a little look.

.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

What do you reckon on the life expectancy of the engine paint?
It can't be worse than the OEM stuff but how long do you reckon for basic rattle can stuff?

Halfords engine paint is good, but it's brush on rather than spray.

[weeksy]

Manged to grab few hours in the garage this morning, to fit the new starter motor (after swapping over the dog gear as the new one was the wrong ratio) & also clean & prep the oil cooler ready for a coat of paint.

The crankcase cover was then refitted & whilst it's not yet time to start reassembling the bike, the frame went onto the engine for a few minutes just to have a little look.

.

You'll be building whole custom bikes next!!

[IanB]

This week we had to face the first unknown on this project - would the airbox still fit in the frame now I've filled some of the free space with the new strengthening bar? If it didn't fit it it would be a back to the drawing board ball-ache involving fitting pod filters & possibly even splitting the carbs.

Sometimes however fortune favours the clueless optimist & this was one such occasion, loosening up the carb trumpets gave enough wriggling room & it went in. Job done. Huge relief.

[IanB]

The engine was then treated to a hi flow oil filter & fresh Shell Advance fully synthetic.

Swing arm & shock were then refitted & it's now starting to look like a motorcycle again. Hopefully by the end of the weekend the front & rear ends will be back on then its onto the wiring.

[KungFooBob]

I see someone has already 'customised' the airbox lid

[G.P]

Good news on the airbox fitting mate. anf great progress
Not sure they need fully synth, Rich @ Louigi always puts 10/40 Semi synth in these motors.
Can't do any harm though!

[IanB]

I see someone has already 'customised' the airbox lid

Yep, one of the 27 previous owners was obviously a hacksaw tuner.