Well I'm not sure which forum my "Get 'er goin" post should be in, so I'll post it here and if the mod's see fit, move it to the right place.
(Did someone call for some excitement?)
The LTD had been sitting for about a decade I reckon. The brake fluid in the front master was gel. The inside of the gas tank was surprisngly clean and rust free and the gas still smelled like gas. (Not tarnish)
I pulled the carbs and cleaned the jet's, float bowls etc... The slides looked like new as did the needles.
Trying to fit the carbs back in with the airbox was... Challenging as I'm sure you know. So I pulled it out for now.
I was attempting to get the bike running before spending too much time/money/effort into it. (If it needed major work it'd go on the back burner)
So with the carbs cleaned, oil & plugs checked, gas tank drained & cleaned and new gas added... It's time to give 'er a crank and see what happens.
The bike didn't have a battery so I pulled one from one of my other bikes.
When I turned on the gas, after the float bowls filled, gas began leaking from the overflows?!? I KNOW I just cleaned them, so I tapped on them with a screwdriver handle. It worked for 2 of the three leaking bowls. CRAP! Well it should have enough gas in the bowls to start.
RRRrrrrRRRRrrrrrRRRrrrrr
Choke on, various degree's of throttle, it was cranking but not quite catching. By this time I figured the bowls were empty so I turned the gas on again. Before it began to overflow I cranked the starter again, with 1/4 throttle.
RRRrrrrwahWahWAHWAHWAHWAH (You know that sound were it's NEARLY running on it's on)
<WHOOOFFFF!!!>
Now it's on fire!
(I've managed to lite a few bikes on fire before, so I didn't panic. I know when the source burns off the flames will die.)
I think the bike backfired through the carbs, igniting the spilt gas... and the gas soaked rag I had used for clean up, which was sitting on the footpeg. I kicked the rag to the floor and used another shop towel to beat out the flames on the engine and the cobwebs under the oil pan which were on fire. With the bike out I set my sites on the flaming towel. Beating on it with the towel in my hand managed catching THAT one on fire. Stomping on it only caught my shoe on fire briefly... Looking around... Simple Green. <squirt><squirt><squirt>
<FWOOOFFF!!!>
The bike goes up again?!? and this time it melted through the plastic fuel filter and now the flames extened a good three feet over the top of the bike!
OK, this is going south fast! So I race for the fire extinguisher. It's always a last resort as it makes a horrible mess.
Squeeze the trigger... Nothing... CRAP!
I race for the second extinguisher and this time manage to put out the flaming bike and shop towel.
The aftermath:
Here's a (crappy) shot of my shop and some of the other bikes.
So then the clean up began...
Stay tuned for the next exciting installment of project "New Meat: Well Done"
Ride'on,
~CRASH!~