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Valve guide material
- TomW
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Tom
'78 KZ1000B2 LTD stock + Vetter Fairing & luggage
'91 ZG1200B5 Voyager XII, stock
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- testarossa
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1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN
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- TomW
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I suspected aluminum bronze, but with silicon added. I need to do some more research.
Tom
'78 KZ1000B2 LTD stock + Vetter Fairing & luggage
'91 ZG1200B5 Voyager XII, stock
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1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN
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- TomW
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Planning on machining your own guides? Aluminum bronze is "interesting" stuff to machine.
Thinking about it. I don't even know if I'll need new ones yet. I only know that the old girl smokes on deceleration. Maybe just needs seals. Compression is 130, 140, 150, 160#
with a squirt of oil in the cylinders, not much lower without the oil. I figure it wants a valve job. The valve clearances were very tight before adjusting them last spring.
Machining characteristics of al. bronze = 30% machinabilty compared to 360 brass. Could be exiting. Done much on this stuff?
Tom
'78 KZ1000B2 LTD stock + Vetter Fairing & luggage
'91 ZG1200B5 Voyager XII, stock
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- testarossa
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I used to have to make a part with numerous 3" deep holes under 0.250" diameter with intersections. The tolerance was +/- 0.001" and they were a bear to get right. The holes were always running small at the bottom.
1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN
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- TomW
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I wouldn't try to drill to size. I'd drill to .010-.015" under, then bore to make sure the hole was concentric, then ream to size. I could finish the outside in the same setup or finish on the Sioux pilot between centers. I have to make or buy a pilot anyway.
I have mist coolant on the lathe for the tough jobs.
Tom
'78 KZ1000B2 LTD stock + Vetter Fairing & luggage
'91 ZG1200B5 Voyager XII, stock
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- TomW
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Personally, I work in a machine shop and would purchase guides. Not worth my time unless I couldn't find them for my application. Just my .02
If I was working, I'd buy them without an eye blink. I have more time than money. Besides it's a good feeling when you know you can do for yourself. I gotta make that lathe pay for itself, over and over. I figure I'll save about $55 if I make 'em. Money to spend on stuff I can't make, like tires or gasoline.
Tom
'78 KZ1000B2 LTD stock + Vetter Fairing & luggage
'91 ZG1200B5 Voyager XII, stock
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You really want more than mist coolant for this material. Think flood coolant, preferably through spindle, and my ultimate preference would be cutting oil, not water soluble. The stuff will give you a hard time with that reamer, but you can make it work. You may need to go a couple of thousandths oversize to get it right, but you'll just have to experiment. That job that I mentioned having a difficult time was being finished with reamers, but I still had to go + 0.002" IIRC with flood coolant (water soluble.) You'll get it, just be patient, and don't try and over speed anything. The chips will start turning brown and then purple if your surface footage gets too high. If you see the drill pulling purple chips, then you know you just drilled a funnel. :laugh:
1978 KZ1000 A2 Click--->Build Thread
2004 ZX-10R
2007 Harley Sportster 1200
2020 Harley Street Glide Special
Angola, IN
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- BSKZ650
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making them yourself would be cool, but for my money I would buy them might be money ahead in the long run.
just my 10 cents worth
77 kz650, owned for over 25 years
77 ltd1000, current rider
76 kz900, just waiting
73 z1,, gonna restore this one
piglet, leggero harley davidson
SR, Ride captian, S.E.Texas Patriot Guard Riders.. AKA KawaBob
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- TomW
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Tom
'78 KZ1000B2 LTD stock + Vetter Fairing & luggage
'91 ZG1200B5 Voyager XII, stock
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ohh BTW,I spent 10 years as a automotive engine shop, and did a lot of bike heads also
77 kz650, owned for over 25 years
77 ltd1000, current rider
76 kz900, just waiting
73 z1,, gonna restore this one
piglet, leggero harley davidson
SR, Ride captian, S.E.Texas Patriot Guard Riders.. AKA KawaBob
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