450 SCR engine rebuild

[Wolf]

..I've found a NOS main shaft, so some progress here.

Did anyone else made the same experience as me with the vintageducati main shaft? Maybe it was just bad luck and I've received a part that was not manufactured to the right specification.

Cheers


Wolf

[Duccout]

Hi Wolf,

A couple of parts that I have bought from them have not been great, but we have to be grateful that someone is making parts at all. There is very little new stuff left now and so many of these engines have been raced that used parts are often pretty bad too.

Glad that you are making progress.

Cheers,

Colin

[LaceyDucati]

Wolf

Not seen/tried any gear shafts, but recently had absolute mare with a set of their bottom bevels that a customer sourced. Spent about 6 hours going round in circles with engineers blue, then gave up and fitted a good used set! I've had similar issues with their rod kits, I have a few new ones in my metal scrap bin.....I don't like to dis companies, but after their extremely incredulous response to my report/complaint about there rods........

Lots of their stuff is fine and good value, but definitely buyer beware.

Regards Nigel

[Duccout]

I wonder where their bottom bevels are sourced from? Old Racing Spare Parts sell bevel gears, so possibly those are supplied to Ducati Vintage, or maybe they have them made themselves?


Cheers,

Colin

[LaceyDucati]

I don't know if they are all feeding from the same manufacturer and whether they are manufactured in Italy.... I've not really seen any good replica sets either for singles or twins. Spiral bevels need very specific machinery for manufacture and are not really something viable to produce via a large quality manufacturer.

Nigel

[Duccout]

Very interesting! I must take care of my bevels! Thanks Nigel.


Cheers,

Colin

[Jordan]

Good opportunity for someone to make simpler and cheaper straight-toothed bevels.
They were available at one time for racing Ducatis (because of less friction?).
Reportedly, they are noisier. (Who cares?)
British OHC engines for road use, such as Norton International and Velocette KSS had straight bevels.
Also, they are much simpler to set up and shim, compared to helical bevels.

[LaceyDucati]

Jordan

I have quite a few straight cut lower bevel shafts from the old Nova stock I bought. Have recently been looking to have a batch of crank gears to match. Good straight cuts probably won't be any noisier than bad spiral bevels! You are right, making straight cut sets is probably a better plan.

Nigel

[Wolf]

...interesting, without the manual I've wouldn't recognized the scratch on the idler pinion as a timing mark for the 450 motor....

[Wolf]

...I've found this on new piston rings, never seen that before. Maybe these blowholes will cause a predetermined breaking point...