I have very nearly finished a prolonged sorting out of a new wiring harness for my PA which has two brush dynamo and a mongrel regulator/cutout. It has been my most frustrating job so far and thought it would be interesting to ask others about their most frustrating job was.
Trying to get my PB engine returned from a rebuilder who never finished it! Pure frustration! No name being mentioned....somewhere in the middle of the UK
I spent ages trying to rebuild my M Type engine with Triumph Bonneville con-rods. With all the fitting up that's necessary, the crank has to go in and out several times and was taking me about half a day every time! The problem was that these rods have studs not bolts and the studs get in the way of the crankshaft as one feeds it in. This is especially the case if the crank is a new counter-balanced one with much more bulk than the original "bent wire". Fortunately I read somewhere that the Triumph rods are prone to metal fatigue, so, as mine were over 20 years old, I decided to abandon them in favour of a new set of Phoenix rods, which have caps secured by bolts. Life was suddenly transformed and I started enjoying work on the engine again!
Where does this thing about Bonneville rods come from? For twenty years (and many miles) I had them in my J2 with no problems, yet people kept telling me they were risky. My rods were already second-hand when fitted!
Duralumin (an outdated term, but still used in some circles!) only age hardens over a period of several weeks after heat treatment, after that it is metallurgically stable.
It is however very susceptible to corrosion in damp atmosphere.