worthy to restore?

michipons

michipons

Hero member
Location
Palma de Mallorca
Hi!

This is how the exhaust of my 3C look like, question is... is it worthy to restore them? or better to buy a replica? All tubes and exhaust are ok except the right silencer that has a deep scratch and a big dent, all others are smooth but chrome is very bad...

If you think is worthy... do you know somebody who does that sort of job with good quality? In Mallorca no way :'(

Miguel

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If you don't mind the bike being louder then you could buy a new system from someone like Malcolm Cox. Otherwise you may find that a stock system will be hard to find in new condition and probably expensive as well. You still have the small intermediate collector which will restrict you power a bit.
I'm afraid I can't help regarding restoring your system. That could also be quite expensive. I hope others have better information for you.

Jim
 
helicopterjim said:
If you don't mind the bike being louder then you could buy a new system from someone like Malcolm Cox. Otherwise you may find that a stock system will be hard to find in new condition and probably expensive as well. You still have the small intermediate collector which will restrict you power a bit.
I'm afraid I can't help regarding restoring your system. That could also be quite expensive. I hope others have better information for you.

Jim
Click to expand...

Hi!

I don't mind at all and I even like it! a set from Malcolm is my most realistic option, but before that, I wanted to investigate the option of restoring... I like the idea of keeping those if it makes sense pricely. I don't consider a NOS unless I found a real opportunity (very unrealistic), so is either restoring or buying a replica set.

Miguel
 
If you're reasonably handy with a welder, you could have a go at restoring the exhaust yourself. What have you got to lose by trying?

Those 3C exhausts are pretty much just empty cans. Cut the damaged one open (split it lengthways with a thin cutting disk in an angler grinder) so you can beat out the dents. When you've bashed it back into the right shape, weld it back together. Grind the welds smooth and get the system re-chromed.

Surface scratches can be filled with bronze, then the surface ground (or filed) back and polished smooth before chroming.

The work is basically the same as restoring a chrome bumper on an old car. So if you don't think you have the skills to do it yourself, you could ask someone who works on classic vehicles. If they can't do it, there's a good chance they'd know someone who could.

A quick look on the web for classic vehicle restorers in Mallorca found Taller GJ Classic, Carrer Son Oms-4 near Palma Airport. I just noticed that KGBikes is across the road from Taller. They build bikes from scratch (admittedly Harleys) so an exhaust repair shouldn't be beyond their skills. Either of those businesses would be a good place to start in your search for someone to repair it.

 
'While you're at it', maybe modify the exhaust collector to make it more free-flowing, as in Jota exhaust systems. May improve the performance.

cheers,

bazzee
 
Depends a lot on whether you have a good chrome plating shop available?  Refinishing the originals is often more expensive than buying a new aftermarket one, but at least you know they are right.  Repairing those mufflers might be not worth the effort though, but those can probably be found in good condition second hand or even NOS?  Header pipes and collector I would certainly recommend getting refinished if you can and if they in a salvageable condition in the opinion of the plating shop.  The middle one in particular gets a lot of stone chips and takes many coats of copper and buffing back to fill the chips and get a good result without buffing the metal too thin.  Important to have a really good chrome shop!
 
Hi!

Well, i am getting better with welding, but I din?t know if enough good for that, also, I only can weld with MIG, I guess for this has to be TIG?

The problem here in the island is the chroming, there are only two guys doing it, one is a disaster the other one is extraordinarely expensive. So I guess those shops you mean, will do half of the job and then send it to Barcelona for chroming, but for sure I will give it a try and ask them!

Miguel
 
In the i have blasted the header pipes so as to clean them and also provide a key for the black paint, collector much the same.
Exhaust if you can weld then do the same have them black.
Regards Andy 😁
 
Be careful if you need to cut open those 3C silencers.  Far from being empty, they contain a bunch of organ pipe baffles that run almost the full length of the silencer.    I found this out years ago when I tried to convert a spare set of silencers to open Jota cans. 

If possible, retain and replate the three exhaust header pipes, condition permitting.  The pipe bending on the 3C headers is a work of art, I think.  Just about all the after market replacements I've seen simply don't compare aestetically.  And then the are alignment issues to consider.

Replacing the small tube collector with the bigger Jota version may be an issue if you retain the standard silencers.  When I tried it, my 3C had a huge flat spot in the mid range.  Perhaps rejetting would have fixed it, but I never got that far because I fitted Jota 'silencers'.  However, the big collector seems to work OK on the 1200's with their Lafranconis. 

Tom
 
Keep the 3 headers and replace the rest Miguel, there are sometimes usable silencers for sale on leboncoin. Don't buy those awful seamed silencers from the later triples, they look really naff on the 3C.
 
pf1 said:
Keep the 3 headers and replace the rest Miguel, there are sometimes usable silencers for sale on leboncoin. Don't buy those awful seamed silencers from the later triples, they look really naff on the 3C.
Click to expand...

What is the difference between 3c exhaust and later ones? At first sight, jota silencers are very similar to 3c. Does Malcolm make replicas of 3c silencers?
I have requested several quotations to exhaust restorers in uk... I?ll keep you jnformed about answers.

Miguel
 
The original silencers have a labyrinthine exhaust path with four reversals of direction and packing.
The resonators have a similar exterior but are completely free of any restriction inside.
 
The Sock said:
The original silencers have a labyrinthine exhaust path with four reversals of direction and packing.
The resonators have a similar exterior but are completely free of any restriction inside.
Click to expand...

In that sense, I can?t be very easy to open them, repair and close... as dellortoman suggests, or am I wrong? I found a pair of original silencers, so maybe I even try it!

Miguel
 
I have been having a look to Cox exhaust, and so far, I have seen only for the Jota, and without the Laverda inscription... does he make a replica for the 3C on request?

Miguel
 
michipons said:
In that sense, I can?t be very easy to open them, repair and close... as dellortoman suggests, or am I wrong? I found a pair of original silencers, so maybe I even try it!

Miguel
Click to expand...

With the used originals I would be surprised if any chromer would touch them. The carbon and other detritus inside pollutes their chemical baths. With a 'Jota' resonator you can blast the internals clean, making them acceptable for re-chroming.
 
michipons said:
I have been having a look to Cox exhaust, and so far, I have seen only for the Jota, and without the Laverda inscription... does he make a replica for the 3C on request?

Miguel
Click to expand...
I know he was working on replica silencers, complete with inscription, but don't know if they are available yet.
 
I would forget about re-chroming. You can save the header pipes and collector by bead blasting or sand blasting, then either have them ceramic coated silver if you are desperate for a chromish look, or better black. For that matter, blast them then spray them yourself  with a couple of coats of high heat paint. You will get many more years out of them. I also have often used high heat exhaust wrap on the header pipes and the collector, not everyone likes the look but very functional. Lots of suppliers. Here is one. 
 
https://www.heatshieldproducts.com/automotive/exhaust-and-header-wrap#:~:text=Exhaust%20and%20Header%20Wrap%20Benefits%20and%20Facts%201,performance%20and%20mileage%205%20Made%20in%20the%20USA

I used a lot of exhaust wrap when I turbocharged my 1979 Honda CBX, had to control exhaust heat in tight spaces. I have also used exhaust wrap on three different Laverda triples.

Paul LeClair
 
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