I have some questions for Phil Pilgrim, Triumph guru at Union Jack Motorcycles in Melbourne. Encouraged by the statement on his website “No question too difficult, no part too small”, I phoned him up long-distance.
(1) What's the easy way to install new carb mounting studs? Ans. There is no easy way. Grasp shank of stud firmly with molegrips. Use loctite. The two-nut method is no good because you can strip the threads that way.
(2) Is it okay for oil to flow backwards in a Hyde oil cooler? Ans. Yeah, no problem.
(3) Is chafing of oil line from external spin-on type of oil filter a common problem? Ans. Phil says the only oil filter he will use is a suction-side filter, inside the frame’s oil chamber. He has a low opinion of return-side oil filters for T140s. It just so happens that he makes and sells a “Pilgrim Special” suction-side filter kit for AU$70 that supplies a new oil chamber bottom plate drilled to mount a Triumph Trident paper filter element inside the oil tank itself. It will simplify my plumbing problems.
(4) Is it possible to disassemble a Lockheed brake master cylinder without destroying it? Ans. It is possible, but only after heating it to cherry-red with a welding torch. Heating in a gas ring until spit sizzles, like I did, just won’t do the job. Nowadays they are made of stainless steel so it shouldn’t be so much of a problem anymore compared with original factory ones. I will still need to get my original one apart to reclaim some of its parts, as he is not sending me a complete assembly but rather just the major components only.
Next drama: the front brake system has now seized up solid and is rendered inoperable by virtue of zero lever travel. I removed the caliper and pumped one piston out. Neither is seized, though the cavity behind it was full of brown poo. The seals are starting to crumble. Removed master cylinder and found that it pumps down fine when removed. It is clean inside. Re-assembled and tried to bleed the whole system, but found that the lever locked up again with zero travel.
Removed bottom section of brake rubber hose and tried to poke a wire up it. The wire would not penetrate further than an inch. The inside of both rubber hose sections are blocked up solid. Phoned Phil Pilgrim to whine about it and he says yes, they all do that after about 20 years. They get arteriosclerosis in their old age. He can sell me NOS rubber hoses that will last another 20 years. I prefer instead to use a one-piece Harley front-brake hose that I already bought for my Indian Chief chopper project. Meanwhile I have, however, ordered a new Lockheed AP Racing alloy front caliper from Pom Bombs in Wellington, New Zealand.
