Coating conundrum and rusty disc

Having acquired a 77ish Morini 350 for the Forgotten Era hill climb
project I have been merrily stripping it down to the essentials today. I
may do a TOG and Ebay the surplus bits out or might keep them in case I
ever want to put it on the road. The angle grinder is not coming in to
play this time, unlike when I built my original Morini hill climber in
1980. Everything removed is being safely stored in a box.

Anyway, the cast wheels, front brake caliper, and side cover badges
seemed to painted in garish gold. The frame and tank has been painted in
red to a standard reasonable enough for the track and I assumed someone
had thought it would look good with gold accessories.

I discovered though that the 'paint' is soluble by petrol. In fact it is
all a bit tacky (to touch not just look at). Lo and behold under the
gold is the same dull silver finish that my 79 Sport had as original.
The 250 has faded gold wheels BTW which was standard.

So could it be some kind of demon anti-rust compound that someone has
applied liberally (it has been in storage for years), or has someone
just slapped a totally inappropriate type of paint on? It is almost like
a thin coating of copper grease IYSWIM.

Which ever it is, what is likely to be the best solvent to remove it
quickly?

Unfortunately they didn't coat the cast iron front disk with it. What
appeared on cursory examination to be surface rust has actually pitted
the surface slightly. A bit of a pain as the disc is otherwise not
scored and seems to have been professionally drilled. I think I have a
stainless one on in the shed and I can even borrow the 250 one if all
else fails, but is it worth having it skimmed, or will the slightly
mottled surface left once the rust goes be OK.

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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

I spoke to Alex at NLM recently about skimming Morini disks and the
answer was a comprehensive No. It should be OK as is if not scored
and if it's only surface that'll soon come off!

 

In communiqué

If it was only surface rust of the kind I used to get on the Guzzi I
would just get on with it, but a bit of close examination shows loads of
tiny pits in the surface. Never seen a disc do badly affected. Could
make for improved wet weather braking I suppose, or a stick in the wheel
effect which might be interesting to say the least.
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+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

Ebay item 120217788132? - a completed item, but it's on a BIN and
they had a few of them.

Pricey, but I wish it had come up before I bought a new standard disk.

 

In communiqué

<checks price>

I think I'll pass. Particularly as it also shows all the usual symptoms
of a weak spark. Having one old and one new type transducer is another
issue. From experience with the K2 I know they will work (indeed it does
run on two) with an old type red pickup, but the advance will not be
correct on one pot. I have enough components to make one good system,
but it's time to prod about with the multi-meter tomorrow. The coil in
the stator is probably on its last legs.
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+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

I'd bang it in and see what effect it has in actual use (a couple of runs
up and down the road will show if it'll come good).

 

Slightly? You want to see what condition the discs on your car are in if
you leave it sitting for a year or two. Slightly is nuffin' to worry
about, what counts is how it works. Don't be replacing them until a
crack shows, which is pretty rare on CI discs.

 

It'll clean up fine in use. worth checking that it's still within tolerance
for thickness, though, CI discs work much better and wear faster.

 

In communiqué <>, Austin

Well, with the master cylinder and caliper borrowed from the 2C [1] it
seems OK at garden path speeds. Whether it will induce sufficient
retardation after the finish at Hartland in April is another matter. I
think I may be able to put it in to the 2C to bed it in before then
though, along with the nice new pads I have treated it to.

[1] Caliper is identical but master cylinder smaller bore. This is
generally reckoned to give a better brake, and born out by my own
experience.


--
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Gilera Nordwest * 2 Yamaha WR250Z |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+