Honda line tachometer, canister repair.

[jeswinehart]

Being allowed the privilege to have a go at repairing one of the harder to find Honda line accessories, HairyJR sent me his Honda line tachometer that had sustained damage a long time ago from a shop near him. I will ask HairyJR to chime in + tell the story on that.
Basically he wants it usable again so he can mount it back onto his 350X and use it :cool:

For some SILLY reason Honda made these tach canisters in plastic (speedo's are steel can's) so you can't pry up against them like speedometers that many of us have done taking those apart.
I will just post up what pictures I have so far and until I get the faceplate back from a artist friend who is touching up the white number lettering and small scratches on it. She said towards late next week she should have done so won't have much if anything until then to show.
So for those of you that never seen the innards of one of these (I ain't never), here ya go.

john

[200x350xtriz250]

Is it possible that the cans are plastic on these because they are more electrical and the speedos are more mechanical with just a back light? Just a thought.

[jeswinehart]

I had a choice to make. As close to oem (and flimsy weak as designed) or go for a more durable repair. I choose more durable.

[jeswinehart]

and on to the 3rd. step (or some where around that),,,

[atc007]

Soo cool !!

[jeswinehart]

I need to get some spacer material and cut 2 new ones (originals missing), wait on the touched up face plate and reassembly. Got new glass installed in the glued in grooved flat washer on crimped on bezel (pita that was).
Neat little project to mess around with.
Not a perfect cosmetic repair IMO,,,, but it will be usable once again soon :) Suppose I better give Dizasterfun (Kevin Shively) a call and see if he will have his shop warm next week end and if any of his 350X's will start,,,,

[HairyJR]

My Tach housing got broken years ago (1991) when the front end got removed by a local vendor to weld/install 3 x 4 conversion front end. I recently found a polaroid picture of how the mechanic disassembled the bike, notice the headlight, handle bar and tach all just hanging there. Glass is broken and the mounting studs in the bottom plastic where broken off. NOT a word to me about the damage. Never really liked the conversion so last year I cut off and reassembled back to a 3 wheeler, lucky I kept all the parts. Also attached a pic of original conversion when completed.

All I can say now is John you do good work, thanks!

186310186311

[kb0nly]

Awesome job. I have never even seen a ATC tach in person, they must be rare.

[jeswinehart]

I figured while I was waiting on the artist to get done with the faceplate I might as well figure out a holding jig for re-assembly.
Done some looking around online and a fellow who was working on BSA + Triumph speedometers used this method to hold his gauges while he peened the crimp ring back in place.
Sounded like a great way to hold in place to me so I made my own version.
It will get screwed down to the hobby room table. I did not color the shore 40 hardness rubber, that is what this particular product cures out to be.

[Buster Brown]

Wow! Very impressive. You're a speedo/tach surgeon. My hats off to ya.
Thanks for sharing your hard work!

[yaegerb]

Wow John, your work absolutely astounds me sir. Excellent work per usual!

[Marty]

This guy has major skills going on!

[petesatc]

Your the Man John!!!!!!!!

[jeswinehart]

Well the artist sure took her sweet time getting this back didn't she ! In all fairness she told me upfront she had quite a number of projects going on at the time I dropped it off for her to touch up.
IMO, it was well worth the wait !!!
I will be tinkering around with this over the weekend so ~ stay tuned :)

john

[wonderboy]

Oh man, what I wouldn't give for a scan of that faceplate... any chance you can throw that on a scanner? Or can you get a real nice straight-on picture? I'm trying to recreate that faceplate. (nice work by the artist to touch that up, by the way...)

[HairyJR]

Now that's some nice work, well worth the wait, can't even see the scratches the broken glass made on the face plate. Almost seems a shame to reassemble. Once again John I have to thank you for taking on this project, WOW you do good work.....

"HJ" :beer

[jeswinehart]

Well I reckon I don't hafta assemble right away. Come on down to Bundy Hill July 12th and take all the pictures you want.
I am not interested in laying face down for a scan (oh hell no)

[wonderboy]

Hey John, I think I'm in for Bundy. It will be nice to get to see a real one of these in person!

[jeswinehart]

Yeah, by making the inside and the bottom a wee bit thicker I found the electronics mounting studs came out to be a little short. Plus the original mounting stand off's are a weirdo thread,,, so I made up a pair of longer ones,,,
Tinker with it some more tomorrow to kill the boredom,,,,.

[jeswinehart]

Got spacers made (originals MIA), proper washers located and tach assembled ~ done :).

The holding fixture I had made up worked very well holding tach in place + absorbing the blows from peening the bezel lip back over.
Probably my only real noticeable goof is the depth of face plate is about 2mm to low,,, shows the white around edge but good news is indicator needle swings free.

Interesting project ~ thanks Harry ! john

[dirtwheels]

Looks great man! Actually, its not a goof with regards to the face appearing lower showing some of the white. Thats just how they are. Mine is the same way. I have one that works great and has never been apart and I also have a broken one that is apart that I did the same thing you did by molding some of the plastic back and putting new studs in it. Looks perfect. Trouble is, something on the board is fried. I replaced a bunch of capacitors but still a no go. Then I took it to a local place here in Phoenix and they royally screwed it up even worse.

[jeswinehart]

Oh, okay,,, thanks for that info Vince ! I was just getting ready to get off this computer and look for some photos in old photo albums of the tach I had sevral years ago.

Harry PM'd me and said to go ahead and keep it for a spell and show it off + bolt it up to a X and see if it works so that is what I am gonna do :)

Darn shame about your 2nd. tach getting jack'd up ~ dam.

[wonderboy]

Hey Dirtwheels, I've sent you a PM. I have some ideas on how to fix your tach. No idea if it will work or not, but I think an old Magna motorcycle tach has compatible guts. Details are in my PM.

[manbearpig]

can provide more pics if you need them Mr. Swinehart.

[jeswinehart]

Thanks Man Bear Pig, I am done with this project but definitely appreciate the offer of more pictures.

I stopped by DizasterFuns (Kevin Shively) place on my way home from work to test out Harrys tach and it still works just fine even after all the abuse it suffered years ago.
Kevin had never seen one in person that he could remember so he took some pictures too.

I will be taking it to a get together at Bundy Hill ORV park so show Wonderboy and let him take pictures or what ever then it will be on its way back home to California towards the first of the week.

Got some more cool work coming up in the months ahead so looking forward to having a go at that project in cooperation with one of our very tall German members ~ lol.

[userj8670]

Looks fantastic ! Absolutely outstanding

[jeswinehart]

I been entrusted to yet another rare Honda line tach project !
Although not as busted up as the one original post was about,,, it will require it's own set of challenges.
After having this peice for a couple of days I am running everything thru a thought process of how to best remove the JB weld and replace with casting plastic. Kinda sorta got a direction on that ,,,,
Definitely will need to bor row a "cushion" for the mounting bracket. The taller cone shape ones you don't see ~ lol.
I have mold made for the other two,,, go figure,,, should have made mold of both kinds now looking at it in hindsight

[atcmatt]

Great projects John. Great work as always. I feel like I need a tacho for my 350x now. Would definately be the only one in Australia I would say! Now where does one even begin the search for a tacho! I'm assuming the 350x was the only model which was offered with an optional tacho? Does anyone know the original Honda part number?

Matt

[ATC Dude]

Great projects John. Great work as always. I feel like I need a tacho for my 350x now. Would definately be the only one in Australia I would say! Now where does one even begin the search for a tacho! I'm assuming the 350x was the only model which was offered with an optional tacho? Does anyone know the original Honda part number?

Matt

They made one for the 86-87 200x too. Part number for the atc 350x tach is: 08172-ha5-00

[jeswinehart]

Spent some time tonight with this tach and will be concentrating on the housing repair tomorrow.
I believe the owner thought the face plate would need some touch up but it is in near perfect condition.
Who ever done the jbweld fix really done a nice job. That stuff is super hard to work with since it sets up so quick.
The repair had the bolt at a slight angle but heck all broken area had a coating of jbweld and not all slopped in on the inside.

[jeswinehart]

Got a great start on housing repair.

[userj8670]

That looks awesome John!

[wonderboy]

Hey John!

I think you may have shown it elsewhere, but I can't find it...

How do you cleanly open up the tachs? Did you have the modified needle nose pliers to open the lip? I saw somewhere a fairly blunt set of needle nose pliers that had the tips ground in a special way to help open that metal ring.

EDIT: Ok, so I actually read the first post and see the pictures... Can you get some closeups of the business end of those pliers?

Double EDIT: I think you've got a good enough pic in the very first post. I see what you did there. Carry on with your normally scheduled program.

Thanks!

[jeswinehart]

Done a backer pour on the inside in white to marry outside bottom to inside for durabilty.
Plenty of sanding to do while I wait on some tank parts to come in that I need to make molds of to repair this project as close to oem as I can.

[jeswinehart]

I gotta admit, I was not expecting to receive a brand NEW tach to use for making a mold of the little round stand off's for the tach I am repairing. Holey crap, almost to nice to be handling !
And also included was a rubber cushion that I need to make mold of so I can produce a couple of replacement ones that are missing from the mounting bracket.

[userj8670]

:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool:: drool::drool:That....is....beautiful...

[jeswinehart]

Done the round peg thingys differently then I originally thought to do them. And got the start of the pieces I need to make,,,,

[jeswinehart]

And another picture.

[jeswinehart]

Done with resin pours,,, well perhaps a little touch up (?) as the wet sanding begins.
The remaking of the 2 post turned out well. 1 solid pour. Inside + out side married together for optimum strength.
Only thing left to do with them is to cut too length. Not sure if they need to be hollowed out some what like oem but if need be it is just a detail to do.
Lots of wet sanding coming up ~

[dirtwheels]

Outstanding work. Its looking great.

[userj8670]

Great work John! Love watching restorations

[jeswinehart]

The Mrs. took the little molds and had her way with them while I was at work (:)) ,,,, she definitely nailed both spot on and is recasting a few extras for me.
The canister sanding is coming along, kinda slowly but improving. I done 1 touch up and will need to do it again. I just can't get the last of the "witness" marks out unless I do a over pour,,, again :rolleyes:

[userj8670]

Looks terrific John! I see that you poured into the canister as well - I assume this will strengthen the cannister making it less prone to future cracking?

Additionally, I tip my hat to you and Mrs. S! Those spacers are top notch! Can't wait to see the finished product!

[jeswinehart]

Yes, the mounting area will be much less fragile then originally made. I have handle a small number of these tachs over the years and don't ever recall seeing a one of them with the little round plastic sealing cap that fits into the housing where main wiring loom pass's thru.

[atc007]

No clue lol,,but would spotting glaze cover up your witness mark? It looks like it would,but maybe doesn't adhere well enough?

[jeswinehart]

I don't have hardly any experience with spotting glaze but heck if I have to much more troubles I will look into it 007, thanks !
I did another over pour and promptly sanded way to much so #4 touch up yet tonight.
But I did make a accidental discovery that has some implications to which I do not know the full extent but for me in my project I took the canister to 1000 grit all over and when I decided to take the hobby knife and "v grove cut" the area I am working on instead of using rubbing alcohol + Q-tip to clean area I used carb cleaner.
I done the same a few minutes ago prepping for the 4th. touch up attempt at witness Mars.
Gum out carb cleaner put one heck of a nice satin sheen on the plastic with no sticky mess,,, just a very nice finish.
That was with Q tip, going to have a go at spraying direct from can layer on.
Perhaps this discovery may be of help to folks sanding fenders. Heck, may be already known trick already ???

[userj8670]

Wouldn't carb cleaner eat the plastic? I mean if it eats crud off metal ?

[jeswinehart]

After several more go around with some resins it is done enough. Besides we are out of that particular resin.
Looking forward to seeing what a wipe down with armor all with look like, that will happen after assembly.
Another member and myself have been having great discussion about better crimping techniques then the pounding the lip down.
I will probably try using my mini lathe in this fashion,,, practice on a speedometer first.
Hand rotation only.
http://www.britbike.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=519309
Probably won't be back to this project till Good Friday week end,,,

[atc007]

Looks solid to me! Great job again sir!

[userj8670]

Well done!

[wonderboy]

I've been trying to figure out a good way to do the re-crimp on the bezel... that link it too cool. That seems to be an awesome clean way to redo the ring. Thanks for posting that up John!

[jeswinehart]

Yep, gonna try that technique for bezel crimping. Got a start on the glass side of the jig. 1 more outer ring retainer pour tonight the work on the 2nd back half.

[userj8670]

Thanks for the updates John. Looking better and better!

[jeswinehart]

The glass side will have a secure + cushy area to set.

[jeswinehart]

I have a order to box up then I can get a start on the other jig that will lightly hold everything together with help from lathe carriage.

[jeswinehart]

I don't use this clamp mount roller often ,,, sure is nice to have around for when I do need it.
Straightened up all those wrinkles I put in the bezel removing it with the custom pliers.

[jeswinehart]

I requist ed this thread be moved to mad scientist lair and got my wish. Should have been here from the git go I reckon.
The rear canister mount turned out well.

[jeswinehart]

And this picture certainly befitting a mad scientist :) lol.
A Progresso soup can is virtually the same diameter as a Honda line tach ~ now you know :)
Judging by measurements I will have room for the customized roller skate wheel. I may do some more lathe work on the wheel,,,, angle it a bit perhaps.
The oil filter wrench is going to work perfectly for rotating the device.

[userj8670]

:beer:beerThe ingenuity here leaves me speechless lol.

[dirtwheels]

Looking awesome so far. I think you may have a winner there with some testing and a few tweaks. Great work!

[jeswinehart]

I had a struggle getting the lip on bezel to start rolling over so I switched to a small roller bearing like the fella used in that video I posted up earlier. I admit I was way over cautious but gradually increased pressure and once lip started to roll over and repositioning tool a couple of times,,, well I am very happy with the results.
Little bit of wiring repair to the light wires (bulb was burnt out,,, not sure why wires got hacked on???) + paint touch up on bezel and this project will be heading back to its owner.

john

[jeswinehart]

that I never did show her work on this project. The tall rubber gourmets she now makes by using the loaner one for a mold. Perfect replacements ! She also makes the other 2 short ones used on tach + speedo mounts.

[ironchop]

Wow John that turned out nice. I dig the roller crimper device too.

You two do nice stuff. Definitely a credit to the scene. I'd love to have your skill set, sir

Sent from my Z998 using Tapatalk

[jeswinehart]

It still works,,,, :) !
I tested it out on my 300EX trike with the help of the Mrs.