need engine assembled in SoCal.

[gtw]

Hi,
Can anyone recommend an independent shop in Southern California that can re-fit the top end on my '83 R100RS motor. I had the heads done and one barrel re-coated but the guy I was using moved to Canada. Need the Bing carbs done as well.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Gary
Anza, CA,

[magoo]

Do you have a tool kit? How about a torque wench? It is a failry simple job, and there are plenty of helpful resouces on the internet. You would be much furher ahead to puchase the tools and do it your self. You could walk away with the satisfaction of knowing the job is done correctly and your wallet is fatter.

The Airheads club has some very friendly and helpful members in the area, well worth the membership price. They also have tech days on occasion, where more seasoned members will help and guide you with repairs.

www.airheads.org

The guys at the www.boxerworks.com fourm are very helpful and informative.

Doug Mc Gee

[pmdave]

If you're going to own an ("old") airhead, you really need to start getting your hands dirty doing your own work. If you feel you are a complete mechanical Klutz, and incapable of learning, then I'd advise you to move up to an oilhead.

One of the fears of mechanic wanna-bees is that you'll break something, screw something up. All mechanics break things and screw up. There are absolutely great and skillful mechanics around (they call themselves "technicians" these days), but even the best snap off bolts, mix up hoses, etc. But they don't just throw up their hands in defeat, they figure out how to repair the damage and move everything forward.

So, the worst case scenario is that you put it back together, get it wrong, bend something, and have to call for help. When you get through with the fixes, you'll be that much smarter about the machine, and about working on mechanical things in general.

The first step is to lay your hands on a good "shop" manual (repair and maintenance book) The official BMW manuals are written for BMW trained technicians. The Clymer or Haynes shop manuals are written for the untrained. Lots of pictures of how it goes together. You can read the details, and then if you don't understand, ask specific questions to allow you to move forward.

The second step is to lay in some tools. I have found that in general, the cost of buying tools is always less than the cost of professional labor to do the same job. And the tools are then available for the next job. You don't need to buy a whole set of wrenches, just the ones you need for the job at hand. It's much better to buy two expensive wrenches than a whole kit of cheap wrenches.

The third step is to clean everything, frequently. Every time you remove a nut or bolt, wipe it down and place it in a container--say a small steel bread pan. Make a note of where it came from. Take digital pictures of everything as you take it apart, and compare to the pictures in the shop manual.

The instructions in the manuals are VERY specific. If you follow them to the letter you should be able to get the bike back together the first time. If not, well, there's the second, third, fourth, etc. And I can assure you than many of us have had to do the job several times to get it right.

pmdave :thumb

[carockwell]

Being an ex British and Italian car mechanic myself I recommend you consult a professional. You can call Matt in Long Beach at 562-688-3821. He does nothing but BMW bikes and has a good reputation.