Seeing a wonderful shade of Red!!!!

[Go Go Diablo]

Hi all,

One of my goals this fall is to complete a very good 503 restoration. A typical full restoration, but with a brand new NOS motor and more. September 1st is almost here, so I better get going.

To start, last summer I sandblasted the chassis, hood, handlebars and ski seater tub and have them painted already. It's a good start.

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The 503 Hood is one of the two on the left. The handlebars are closest to us in the picture (note where the voltage regulator mounts.

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The 503 chassis is the one on the right.

Sorry I do not have any before pictures. The chassis components did not come off any Diablo in particular. The restoration will be completed and assembled from parts on the shelf at the shop. More to come!!!

[Go Go Diablo]

Today, I started another gearbox rebuild with this restoration in mind. Used a good gearbox and it will get all new bearings, one NOS drive sprocket along with another drive sprocket that is as close to NOS as one could get without being new. It will also get a NOS Driven Chain Sprocket, a NOS lower gearbox cover and a new chain (size 50).

Did you know that the 502/3 gearbox has a chain that is two links longer than the 500 gearbox? If you count the chain pins, the 502/3 gearbox has 58 pins and the 500 gearbox only has 56. Both are size 50.

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[Barrie2777]

When I did my gearboxes, along with the cork seal, I applied some gasket seal and used a double lipped seal at the axel. None of them leak a drip at this point , even the 500 which I drove most of last winter.

[Go Go Diablo]

Barrie,

If you got a gearbox to stay dry especially through the summer, you deserve a reward. That is incredible.

Tonight I finished up the gearbox. Goes together very nice with a brand new chain. Something else I've been doing to gearboxes lately is putting a special Loctite Sealant for loose bearing fits on all bearing housings. The aluminum bores often get a little loose and the sealant specifies it can fill up to 0.015" of bore clearance. Now that is pretty sloppy, but even bearings that are a little loose can use this help.

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Next comes the Bogie Wheels. For this Diablo, I will be putting two NOS Doubles on the front and two NOS Singles on the back just before the Idler Sprocket. The rest of the bogies (the ones just along for the ride), will get reconditioned bogies. More to come on that.

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Notice the right and left hand OEM Lubrication Zerks?

[Go Go Diablo]

Sandblasted and worked on the Bogie Wheels today. Sandblasting is a must to get these pieces clean. Then I add weld between the tubes and the inside of the U-Bracket even if the original welds look good. The added weld makes a permanent connection as many of the original welds will break.

Typically, I put lubrication zerks in the middle of the bogie tube. On this next batch, I'm going to locate the zerks to the side like an NOS bogie would be placed and I expect once on the machine with the lubrication zerk toward the outside, they will be easier to lubricate. Before I do this to all bogies, I will finish a few and paint them. Then pump some oil into them and see how the oil flows into the tube from an end instead of the middle.

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[Go Go Diablo]

Finished up some Bogie wheels last night. When adding more weld to the U-Bracket and tube, remember that the brass bushings are on the ends of the tube. Although this does not matter when welding single mount bogies, it is important on the double mount bogies. Also, the lubrication zerks need to be welded onto the tube. Even though the lubrication zerks press into a 3/16" drilled hole within the tube, the tube material is not thick enough to support the zerk alone.

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Note above that I added weld to the inside connection points of the U-Bracket. Welding on the outside puts you over the bushing and welding in that area quickly burns through the thin tube and into the bushing.

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Another process I'm using with these bogies is to self apply Powder Paint. To do this, I've purchased a Powder Paint Kit from Harbor Freight and use an old oven. The paint goes on well and is tough as nails. Please do not try this in the house. If wrecking the wife's oven is not bad enough, the odor that emits from the oven will fumigate the house.

Lastly, I did pump oil into the finished bogies with the zerks to the side and the oil ran through the tubes just fine. I don't know how grease would work, but for oil, the offset zerk is a good upgrade.

[Go Go Diablo]

Bogie assemblies are done. I powder coated three sets of bogie assemblies for three restorations in progress. In addition, powder coated some extra bogie assemblies for future needs.

I have a number of NOS bogie tires and bumpers. These babies will go on the reconditioned bogie assemblies for this NOS restoration.

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Next in line is to powder coat bumper brackets and prepare the Idler Sprocket assembly. Then assembly begins. That's the fun part.

[Go Go Diablo]

Last night was spent blasting and powder painting all those misc parts you need to put a Diablo together. In fact in this case, enough to put three of them together. Bumper brackets, motor mounts, heat shields, idler sprocket shafts, idler sprocket springs, seat hasps, toe clips and ski seater spring clamps.

The powder painting has become efficient. I've learned a few tricks that make it easier than when I started and rotating batches in and out of the oven has improved also. Overall, it only takes a little more time and the cost is neutral. The results are worth the extra time.

For this special 503 restoration with NOS and new parts, I'll be using reproduced parts where I can and only use blasted and powder painted parts if I have to.

More to come this weekend.

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[Barrie2777]

Is is amusing watching your post here as I do two HUs-SKIs at the same time as your three Diablos. The mound of parts you have to contend with compared to the small pile I have makes me laugh every day. I work a little on the machines then wait two weeks for you to catch up. Keep up the good work though and I like that powder coating you are doing. I'll be painting after the first week of October. I will be camping all of next week.

[Go Go Diablo]

Cadillacs do have more parts than Chevettes......