Yes, they were being sold by DurhamDucs - I'm lucky he is just 14 miles from me. He did me a bit of a deal, but they were still north of £300. They were off an original 1992 black, which was verified by the V5. I also got a new airbox, sothe battery tray that was melted can be junked. The tank has a hole. So I haven't stopped paying yet! It also has a small dent. So I'm going to need a specialist to braze, knock out the dent, and patch paint.
(not wishing to hijack thread, almost anything is possible from Ducati of this era, I ordered mine in Nov 1991 with white wheels, it arrived May '92 with black wheels and '91 graphics!!)
Yikes, where has the month gone! OK progress since I last updated: I tidied the garage and plumbed in an old sink unit so I could clean parts. The bike frame, wheels, and subframe are back from powdercoat. The engine has been mostly stripped by Ducati John It was established that the oil galley plug was fine, and I made the decision NOT to split the crank cases. This is a 13,000 mile engine The piston ring gap is 0.85mm - so i have three choices - build it up with original, buy new Ducati rings (John said the 'L' shaped ones I have are the least favoured), or buy high compression pistons and rings. Still cant decide... I have most of the engine bits back home now - for cleaning and painting. Today's job is to try and clean up the engine block. I have replaced the primary, clutch, and alternator covers with a couple of spare bolts. The plan is to block up all other holes with odd bits and pieces/tape. Cover it with engine degreasant and pressure wash it. Then I will painstakingly go round with a dremmel and wire brush. I am beginning to wish I had split the cases and then I could send to the blasters. However, all the advice I have had was that this could cause a whole heap of trouble down the line - and extra expense. The heads are going to the blasters. Do I have to take the plastic spacers between the fins out? I am concerned that I might break a fin!!! The barrels are in very good condition with original paint. I am considering just cleaning the face.
when Baines overhauled mine they couldn't get rings on their own, so replaced complete std pistons, IIRC the difference in cost was hardly anything. Great thread this, keep it up!
Ha ha, dunno, not put them in yet, rebuilding over winter. Putting Flatslides on. See my thread. Cost it makes sense to upgrade as standard pistons and rings are even more money.
Dropped JE's into mine (check C.R.)- standard bore, with just a very light hone to help the new rings. No carburation issues.
OK, thanks for the advice - i'm going to go with the JE high comp option I think. Here is my progress on the engine clean and paint... This is what I bought... I WAS going for this look, as it it the only contemporary engine in the Ducati museum (from the Paris-Dakar winning Cagiva) But I have decided it is too muted and I will just have to buy a Cagiva and do the treatment on that! So... I current thinking is to go for something like this... Just to recap... I took the engine to Ducati John to strip. I then decided NOT to split the cases, and keep the bottom end intact. I fear that this was not the best decision. I have seen several successful restro projects that have either a) kept the engine together and preped and painted it as a whole or b) stripped the cases completely and taken them to sandblasting and paint before reassembly I would definitely follow one of these strategies in future. One of the main issues i have faced is preping the engine while it is open to the elements. For example, dremmel wire brushes shed their fronds quite rapidly. these shrds of metal can go anywhere! it is very difficult to mask off the bores with the con rods still in place - there are lots of small oilways etc all over. I ended up putting the alternator and primary cases back on temporarily to act as shields. I used a magnet to try and catch as many as possible So - I am now nearly ready to acid etch prime just need to degrease - any experience with different degreasesrs? also - would love a tip for the 'champagne silver' colour of the original engine casings.
I have used VHT silver paint and a clear laquer which discoloured kinda like the original. As regards degreaser id use something like brake cleaner myself, which evaporates.
Wolfram, I made a decisin not to split the casings as the plug looked OK similar yours and the bike has done similar 13k miles. I put a something down of suitable size - AND IT MOVED. Have you checked or tried rotating it, Just because its not fully out does not mean it's not loose. Obviously now splitting casings. Great thread by the way, keep it coming. Cheers Gaz.
Have compiled a fasteners list - here it is https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6323071/1991 900ss fasteners list.csv
OK, here are some pictures... This is the engine being warmed up ready for etch primer and here is the 'spray booth' Here is the engine after first attempt at etch primer and another I am using the primary casing and alternator casings to cover the workings. They will be painted a different colour later. I am going to tape them up now and replace them before putting on topcoat. This painting lark is scary - it is very difficult to achieve even coverage as there are so many sides! this will be even harder with the colour and lacquer.
