Engine-Ready

Post date: Apr 13, 2016 4:11:37 AM

Tomorrow night the engine goes back in, filling a gaping hole in the Suzuki's frame and one in me as well. I just don't seem "whole" without being able to hop on and go for a ride once in a while. Last October, and my last ride, seems like years ago these days.

Hopefully all will go well, and I'll be able to find homes for all the remaining bits and pieces still scattered about my garage - there are many! But each of them is so familiar to me - once the engine is secure I should be able to pick up the pace and (Lord willin') have the wheels rolling again on Saturday or Sunday.

One of the things I'd been wanting to do is find a way to restore the Suzi's worn-beyond-recognition data plate. In it's special place behind the headlamp housing, forty years of chafing against cables and wiring looms has taken a toll -- only the embossed frame number ("53019") and month of manufacture ("7 / 74") were still easily read. I didn't want to remove or alter the existing data plate, in case that's illegal or something (who cares, right?), but with the frame nicely painted it just seemed I should do something.Tonight I had a brainstorm and figured out a way to make a waterproof data plate overlay:

I had already typed the text onto a reverse image Word file, and sized it to match the existing plate, replete with bad spacing and layout. What was evading me was a waterproof way to print it on sticky material to apply over the original plate, with a cutout to reveal the original serial number and month of manufacture. I finally printed the word file onto drafting film (waterproof sticky-back acetate-like material), and applied that to a short length of aluminum foil duct sealing tape (also waterproof). Over the top of all that (so the new label overlay won't rub off like the original did), I applied a layer of clear plastic package sealing tape. Then I cut it to the same size as the original, made little cutout windows for the original stamped numbers to peek through, and carefully stuck it in place over the original plate (crooked, just like the factory applied the original). It looks pretty "stock," if I do say so myself.

Time for rest - tomorrow we plant the engine!