Help required - gray smoke and engine rattle

[AgentX]

From someone who's only been working on bikes for a year, another guess:  re-try some of the above with the judicious application of some heat around the gasket?

Did Ace's razor blade method fail to cut into the gasket material???

[baird4444]

give this a try...   you may not have to be exact but you get the idea....

http://www.moonshiners.org.uk/bulletheadgone.htm

there is also the trick of locating the cylinder at the bottom of the stroke and feeding a good stretch of rope down the sparkplug hole to FILL THE CYLINDER. Then slowly kick it over or place in 4th gear and roll rear tire....
    - Mike

[AgentX]

Genius.

[Arizoni]

I would try heat directed towards the cylinder head.  A lot of heat.

A metal temperature of 300 degrees F wouldn't be too much.

When the head was heated with a propane torch I would then add the levering and whacking.

[wernwilk]

Well....a very sad update.

I tried the indian rope trick with all my weight on the kickstarter it would not budge once it got to TDC.

Then I implemented the trick as posted with angle iron and 3 clamps to pop it all upwards...I did this and added a to the top of the exhaust manifold.....and what happened next has me stunned....it popped aright but instead of the head coming loose it actually shattered the cranckase down at the barrel retaining bolt on the right hand side....its now in 3-4 pieces.......I cannot believe that the head would not come off before this would happen..

So, it seems I now owe my friend a bottom end for his engine.

does anyone have any ideas where I can pick up bullet bottom end or crankcases...

Oh and I still do not have the head off!!!!!!!!

[AgentX]

OMFG.  Terribly sorry.

I think your friend needs to understand that what he bought had some issues, and that you're working pro-bono (I assume), but I'll leave it at that.

Price Part Motorcycles sells re-milled 350 cases for the 500s at what seems a reasonable price to me.

Best of luck.

[maxrotor Afro Samurai]

That sucks major...dude...these setups are just crazy all to tear these engines down....good ideas all of them should work...only to have his engine trashed...

whenever the time comes for me to pull head...as soon as I hit any trouble...i will pull motor...buy 55 gal drum of pb break free...and soak the stupid motor for a week...

Sure bet!

[maxrotor Afro Samurai]

http://www.nolansupply.com/bysubcategory.asp?category=Fluids+and+Lubes&supercategory=Penetrating+Oils&subcategory=PB+Blaster+Penetrating+Catalyst&type=False&specs=True

55gal drum qty...if you thought it wasnt possible...

[ace.cafe]

I would have to guess that the bike was somehow compromised. Like it had been in the Katrina flood or something, and there was internal corrosion locking it together. Or else somebody may have previously been in there to try to cure a leak and used red Loctite on the barrel spigot or something like  that, maybe.

Anyway, that's not normal, and I've never seen or heard of that happening before to anyone.

[wernwilk]

yes, very unusual and very distressing....

I will hunt for some crankcases and see what I find, I'll look at the links kindly suggested on the forum.  If anyone else knows of any other sources I can check please let me know.

I did enquire after a complete motor in India and got a quote of $2600 before shipping.......so crankcase halves would be the way to go if I can find them.

You've all been very helpful in this so far and I thank you all.

I'll be back on with updates when I have them.

[baird4444]

Holy Crap, this really sucks!!
never heard of this happening; can you post some pictures??
            Sorry to hear- Mike

[AgentX]

http://www.pricepartmotorcycles.co.uk/ourshop/prod_2094772-Crankcase-500cc-Temporarily-out-of-stock-due-in-soon-.html

That's the one I was talking about.

[maxrotor Afro Samurai]

Agent X...

Are you still over in India?... looks like they got blocks just laying on the street corner from your build pics you posted...
probably like $10 each over there...

So it seems like we are mainly polling UK places... how about those India based companies on ebay (or not).. bulletwalla.. etc..

on side note.. just saw a hitchcocks news writeup of a truck load of parts being shipped to them... so maybe they will have some in stock soon...
http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/news/27565//Just_in_from_Boston_in_the_US_-_Royal_Enfield_Twins_and_parts

looks like only twins.. sorry.. but also says parts.. and they still have to catalog them all.. so maybe some hope..

[AgentX]

Pretty much all 350s here.  500 UCEs are now common, but the old bikes are 99.5% 350s.

[maxrotor Afro Samurai]

Probably the long way around..but still good news...if he can get the 350 case...and maybe ship it over to those other cats to have it worked into a 500?...same way they mod their current 350 cases...but thats just me ice skating up hill...who knows..tomorrow they may get some cases in...