Laphroaig!
1965 Triumph Bonneville TT
- Thread starter Number 6
- Start date
Number 6
Registered user
I always find that the more complete the bike the slower the progress, lots of little jobs that don't show much difference. Also the fact that I'm building three bikes at once doesn't help. I need to get some painting done and my spray booth (trailer) is full of stuff, fortunately my neighbour has offered me the use of his garage to store it so I'll get it sorted out next week.
The T120C is sulking in the corner. (and the T150 needs the clocks rebuilding, it's not really doing 50mph)
and the two TR6Cs are now on the ramps.
The '68 is getting a 5 speed gearbox and belt primary drive, today I fitted new Torrington bearings and oil seal to the mainshaft high gear.
I'd already opened up the crankcase opening to clear the 5th gear before I built the engine but this can be done with the engine built and in the frame. It's a very straightforward conversion.
The pencil line shows how much material needs removing.
The die grinder makes short work of it.
Once I get these two bikes to the same level as the T120C, I'll get back on that. Promise.
The T120C is sulking in the corner. (and the T150 needs the clocks rebuilding, it's not really doing 50mph)
and the two TR6Cs are now on the ramps.
The '68 is getting a 5 speed gearbox and belt primary drive, today I fitted new Torrington bearings and oil seal to the mainshaft high gear.
I'd already opened up the crankcase opening to clear the 5th gear before I built the engine but this can be done with the engine built and in the frame. It's a very straightforward conversion.
The pencil line shows how much material needs removing.
The die grinder makes short work of it.
Once I get these two bikes to the same level as the T120C, I'll get back on that. Promise.
You can, it’s called Laphroaig. I love whisky but I hate Laphroaig.
(Edit. Beaten to it by PP)
Number 6
Registered user
Looks like we're in for a week of good weather so today I emptied the trailer and converted it to a spray booth. I need to paint some parts for the TR6Cs and so I might as well do the petrol tank for the TT at the same time.
Before............
and after........
I'd made a start on the tank a couple of years ago, cleaning out all the threaded holes for the 'Triumph' badges and the knee grips. I also managed to pull out some of the larger dents by heating the tank and using a slide-hammer. This was the starting point for today.
Four hours of rubbing down with 240 grit wet and dry and soapy water and it was looking a little better.
Each side had been painted differently at some stage, the Burgundy colour on the left-hand side was metallic as was the light green on the right-hand side. There was some small traces of the original Pacific Blue in places.
It's had a good few resprays over it's 60 year life, I really like the way it looks with all the different colours. I'm quite tempted to go with the Rat Rod look and just Clear Coat it, I reckon it would look great with the new badges and knee grips on? The underside looks great, if the top looked the same I'd definitely not repaint it.
Before............
and after........
I'd made a start on the tank a couple of years ago, cleaning out all the threaded holes for the 'Triumph' badges and the knee grips. I also managed to pull out some of the larger dents by heating the tank and using a slide-hammer. This was the starting point for today.
Four hours of rubbing down with 240 grit wet and dry and soapy water and it was looking a little better.
Each side had been painted differently at some stage, the Burgundy colour on the left-hand side was metallic as was the light green on the right-hand side. There was some small traces of the original Pacific Blue in places.
It's had a good few resprays over it's 60 year life, I really like the way it looks with all the different colours. I'm quite tempted to go with the Rat Rod look and just Clear Coat it, I reckon it would look great with the new badges and knee grips on? The underside looks great, if the top looked the same I'd definitely not repaint it.
Love the look of the underside. Shame it’s not all like that.
Number 6
Registered user
The tank is quite rare being a 3 gallon item for the USA market, most other markets got the bigger and uglier 4 gallon unit. Apart from a few dents it's in really good condition with no internal rust whatsoever, one thing that did concern me though was the nuts that were brazed onto the mounting brackets. This is usually done when the original threaded mounting holes are buggered up by previous owners.
There was no way of knowing how bad things were without first removing the nuts, I had a few options in mind, the favourite being to make up some threaded plugs and braze them in place if the worst came to the worst. I cut off most of the nuts with a slitting disc on the angle grinder.
Then ground down the stumps flush with the brackets.
I ran a 5/16 x 26 tpi CEI tap down the holes to see how bad things were, to my amazement the threads were in excellent condition. The tap also broke free the remaining slivers of the nuts that had been brazed on.
I'm impressed with my angle grinding skills, those slivers were barely 5 thou thick.
The problem with the mounting holes is that they are only 1/4" deep and the threads can strip very easily. Fortunately the holes weren't stripped but the bolts probably had been at some time so someone brazed on the nuts as a repair. The nuts were 5/16 UNC, a popular American size, the original 5/16 CEI bolts would be difficult to source in America. I tried a couple of CEI bolts into the cleaned out holes and they fitted perfectly, so another lucky day.
I had a delivery today from RS Bike Paints, top quality stuff but not cheap, this is 301 quids worth. The Riviera Blue and Mist Green are for the TR6Cs. I'd already bought the Pacific Blue for this bike, which is a two-part Candy, blue clear lacquer over a silver metallic base. All the paint is Cellulose as per original factory finish, the only drawback is that mistakes are very expensive, it's impossible to touch up, it has all to be done in one go. If it's not right it all has to be sanded back to primer and start again.
After much filling and sanding I got the etch primer onto the the bare metal and filler.
This is what the TR6Cs should look like, the '67 in Mist Green/Alaskan White
Same colours but a different scheme. The Mist Green is gorgeous.
and the '68 in Riviera Blue/Silver Sheen
There was no way of knowing how bad things were without first removing the nuts, I had a few options in mind, the favourite being to make up some threaded plugs and braze them in place if the worst came to the worst. I cut off most of the nuts with a slitting disc on the angle grinder.
Then ground down the stumps flush with the brackets.
I ran a 5/16 x 26 tpi CEI tap down the holes to see how bad things were, to my amazement the threads were in excellent condition. The tap also broke free the remaining slivers of the nuts that had been brazed on.
I'm impressed with my angle grinding skills, those slivers were barely 5 thou thick.
The problem with the mounting holes is that they are only 1/4" deep and the threads can strip very easily. Fortunately the holes weren't stripped but the bolts probably had been at some time so someone brazed on the nuts as a repair. The nuts were 5/16 UNC, a popular American size, the original 5/16 CEI bolts would be difficult to source in America. I tried a couple of CEI bolts into the cleaned out holes and they fitted perfectly, so another lucky day.
I had a delivery today from RS Bike Paints, top quality stuff but not cheap, this is 301 quids worth. The Riviera Blue and Mist Green are for the TR6Cs. I'd already bought the Pacific Blue for this bike, which is a two-part Candy, blue clear lacquer over a silver metallic base. All the paint is Cellulose as per original factory finish, the only drawback is that mistakes are very expensive, it's impossible to touch up, it has all to be done in one go. If it's not right it all has to be sanded back to primer and start again.
After much filling and sanding I got the etch primer onto the the bare metal and filler.
This is what the TR6Cs should look like, the '67 in Mist Green/Alaskan White
Same colours but a different scheme. The Mist Green is gorgeous.
and the '68 in Riviera Blue/Silver Sheen
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Just lovely. Triumph always were good at styling their bikes but the 60s models really had the most gorgeous paint colours and designs.
I have to say this is easily my favourite thread at the moment.
Me too seahorse.
Fabulous work. I watched the Dylan movie when it was released and had a yearning for a mid 60s Triumph 650. Before they went daft trying to keep up with the Japanese and overstressing the design. Plus all the quality issues of the 70s occupations etc.
An earlier, well sorted twin with just enough power for the weight ... and that snarl ...
Keep it going @Number 6
An earlier, well sorted twin with just enough power for the weight ... and that snarl ...
Keep it going @Number 6
Number 6
Registered user
Off to France and Spain tomorrow, normal service will be resumed in June.
Number 6
Registered user
OK, I'm back. We had a great two weeks away, down through France and over the Pyrenees into the Picos de Europa, I'll do a short write up in the Ride Reports section.
As always, once I have a break from a restoration I find it very hard to get motivated again. I put off the difficult jobs and start doing simple things just to get back in the garage and then gradually things pick up again. I find painting very stressful but it's incredibly satisfying once done, my problem is I have to paint in my trailer, which is basically painting outdoors, so the weather plays a big part. When I primed the tanks it was too bloody hot and the paint was drying almost before it landed on the parts. It looked awful but sanded back really nice. Then I had to wait for cooler weather but then it was blowing a gale and raining
At this point I'd like to mention Chris, @Tunneruk. I'd followed his projects on here and was amazed at not only his skill but also the way he described his work, he was truly talented and I had planned to ask him to do all my paintwork but very sadly that was not to be.
After much thought I decided to have a go myself, inspired by Chris's work but knowing full well that my standards would never match his workmanship. If I got a half decent result then I would be happy and it would be entirely due to being inspired by Chris. My only previous painting experience was 43 years ago doing a bare metal respray on a 1958 Series ll Land Rover, that took many gallons of the original Nitromors with a wire brush and much burned skin.
This is now the third bike tank that I've painted, the pictures above show the starting point, this is the tank now in primer and with the lower half painted in Silver Sheen.
All paint is cellulose except for the lacquer which is a two-part 2K, whatever that means.
All I know is that you can paint anything else over cellulose but you can't put cellulose over anything else as it reacts very badly.
There are several stages to get the tank to it's finished state.
1. Etch primer over any bare metal areas.
2. High-build primer to fill in any scratch marks and provide a base for the colour coats.
3. Silver Sheen to the lower half of the tank, this is a one part metallic.
4. Silver metallic base coat for the Candy Pacific Blue. I really like spraying these base coats, you can see the metallic particles floating in the air, it's like throwing a handful of glitter!
5. The Pacific Blue top coat which is basically a tinted lacquer that lets the metallic base coat show through, it looks great in direct sunlight. Several coats are needed to gradually build up the colour to just the right depth.
6. The Metallic Gold pinstripe, these were originally done by hand with a brush. I bought a new Trident 900 in 1993 and the pinstripes were also then done by hand, I went on a factory tour and saw them doing it, amazing skill.
7. 2K gloss lacquer to give it all a shine and make it fuel-proof.
Then it needs to cure for 7 days before flatting the lacquer back and polishing it up. Any mistakes after the second stage means sanding it all back and starting again from 3. A lot of work and very expensive, some of these colours are £120 per litre + VAT
This was the tank masked up ready for the gold pinstripe, 1 1/2 hours to mask it up, about 30 seconds to apply the paint. (it's still silver yet)
This is where it's at now, all painting finished, awaiting polishing. The picture doesn't do the colours justice, it's a beautiful shade of blue that looks great with the silver and gold. I'll get some pictures in the sunlight once it's finished.
I've also painted the oil tanks for the TR6Cs, these are finished in black cellulose after many hours of filling, priming and sanding. Again they will need to be polished up when fully cured.
The weather's looking good for next week so the next job is to paint the fuel tanks for the TR6Cs, they're both rust free but one needs the mounting holes restoring (studs welded in) and they both need some small areas of filler. So unfortunately the T120C TT will be on hold again but I have to paint when the opportunity arises. Thanks for all the interest, it really does help with the motivation.
We had a great two weeks away, down through France and over the Pyrenees into the Picos de Europa, I'll do a short write up in the Ride Reports section.As always, once I have a break from a restoration I find it very hard to get motivated again. I put off the difficult jobs and start doing simple things just to get back in the garage and then gradually things pick up again. I find painting very stressful but it's incredibly satisfying once done, my problem is I have to paint in my trailer, which is basically painting outdoors, so the weather plays a big part. When I primed the tanks it was too bloody hot and the paint was drying almost before it landed on the parts. It looked awful but sanded back really nice. Then I had to wait for cooler weather but then it was blowing a gale and raining
At this point I'd like to mention Chris, @Tunneruk. I'd followed his projects on here and was amazed at not only his skill but also the way he described his work, he was truly talented and I had planned to ask him to do all my paintwork but very sadly that was not to be.
After much thought I decided to have a go myself, inspired by Chris's work but knowing full well that my standards would never match his workmanship. If I got a half decent result then I would be happy and it would be entirely due to being inspired by Chris. My only previous painting experience was 43 years ago doing a bare metal respray on a 1958 Series ll Land Rover, that took many gallons of the original Nitromors with a wire brush and much burned skin.
This is now the third bike tank that I've painted, the pictures above show the starting point, this is the tank now in primer and with the lower half painted in Silver Sheen.
All paint is cellulose except for the lacquer which is a two-part 2K, whatever that means.
All I know is that you can paint anything else over cellulose but you can't put cellulose over anything else as it reacts very badly.There are several stages to get the tank to it's finished state.
1. Etch primer over any bare metal areas.
2. High-build primer to fill in any scratch marks and provide a base for the colour coats.
3. Silver Sheen to the lower half of the tank, this is a one part metallic.
4. Silver metallic base coat for the Candy Pacific Blue. I really like spraying these base coats, you can see the metallic particles floating in the air, it's like throwing a handful of glitter!
5. The Pacific Blue top coat which is basically a tinted lacquer that lets the metallic base coat show through, it looks great in direct sunlight. Several coats are needed to gradually build up the colour to just the right depth.
6. The Metallic Gold pinstripe, these were originally done by hand with a brush. I bought a new Trident 900 in 1993 and the pinstripes were also then done by hand, I went on a factory tour and saw them doing it, amazing skill.
7. 2K gloss lacquer to give it all a shine and make it fuel-proof.
Then it needs to cure for 7 days before flatting the lacquer back and polishing it up. Any mistakes after the second stage means sanding it all back and starting again from 3. A lot of work and very expensive, some of these colours are £120 per litre + VAT
This was the tank masked up ready for the gold pinstripe, 1 1/2 hours to mask it up, about 30 seconds to apply the paint. (it's still silver yet)
This is where it's at now, all painting finished, awaiting polishing. The picture doesn't do the colours justice, it's a beautiful shade of blue that looks great with the silver and gold. I'll get some pictures in the sunlight once it's finished.
I've also painted the oil tanks for the TR6Cs, these are finished in black cellulose after many hours of filling, priming and sanding. Again they will need to be polished up when fully cured.
The weather's looking good for next week so the next job is to paint the fuel tanks for the TR6Cs, they're both rust free but one needs the mounting holes restoring (studs welded in) and they both need some small areas of filler. So unfortunately the T120C TT will be on hold again but I have to paint when the opportunity arises. Thanks for all the interest, it really does help with the motivation.
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Nice one Andy 
Good to see you back and on the case again
Number 6
Registered user
Thanks Paul.Nice one Andy
Great job No 6 and a fabulous tribute to our dear friend. 
I still get a pang when I see his name on the list of threads when I open the page
RIP Chris
I still get a pang when I see his name on the list of threads when I open the page
RIP Chris
Very good of you to credit Chris No6. I suspect you and he could’ve had some lengthy chats.
Lovely work, as always.
Lovely work, as always.
It’s called Llagavulin!
Absolutely!Great job No 6 and a fabulous tribute to our dear friend.
I still get a pang when I see his name on the list of threads when I open the page
RIP Chris
Many years ago I had an head-on collision on a Job Norton Interpol with the radio on the tank. I took the tank and radio (previously secured with 2 bolts, a large elastic strap, various radio wiring and the fuel lines) over the handlebars with me, courtesy of my pelvis and delicate parts of my anatomy… It bloody hurt!
Back on track - a fascinating read, I’m bowled over by your knowledge and skills. Thank you for your time and efforts on the write up
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