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Stubborn nipples

Finally got an alternator belt that fits! I also cut the radiator cowl in two to make it easier to get in and out, inspected the thermostat, and stuck it all back together. 10L of fuel in the tank, turned it over for 30 seconds, and it rumbled into life... actually, it purred if I might say so myself. Adjusting the tappets has made a massive difference to the engine noise. They must have been far too big before – probably eroded by all the sand that got in without an air cleaner!

What’s not quiet is the exhaust, which is blowing very badly from the joint I separated when removing the gearbox.

I can’t really run the engine inside the factory for very long, due to the fear of making the staff sleepy, so I set about bleeding the brakes so I could drive it outside. The fronts were all okay but when I tried to bleed the rear left, the bleed nipple just crumbled when I turned the spanner. I tried vice grips, no good, I tried cutting a slot and using a screw driver, no good. I got my friend Martin to try and weld something to it, no good. Cursing, I disassembled the rear brakes I had recently assembled, and removed the cylinders. With the aid of a vice, I eventually got the bleed nipples out. New cylinders were a whopping 25 quid each, non-genuine, so I went to Suzuki for some replacement bleed nipples. Incredibly they were in stock, and I can pick them up tomorrow.

I’m a bit worried about this plan though, the existing cylinders look tired, and I just heated one up whilst trying to weld to the bleed nipple... but 50quid for new ones is pretty steep.

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