TDR Project – Strip Down Day 2

I didn’t get as much done as I had planned on Sunday as removing and draining the fuel/oil tank was more of a pain than I had expected.  I had planned to drain the fuel/2T oil, coolant, gearbox oil and rear brake fluid but did not quite achieve this.

I had heard tales about how tricky it was to remove and drain the TDR’s fuel/2T tank and I soon learned this for myself.  As soon as I lifted the tank away from the frame the two stroke oil tube came off the bottom of the tank.  I did not see this happen and the first indication of it was a pool of two stroke oil on the floor.  Thankfully I had some cloth nearby to stem the flow while I grabbed the waiting oil drain container and pulled off the tube which connects the 2T oil tank to the TDR’s auto-lube pump.

Awkward 2T Oil Draining - 1

After a couple of minutes I spotted an old coffee jat that I could wedge into the frame so that the last of the oil could drain without me holding the receptacle while it drained.

Slightly Easier 2T Oil Draining - 2

Next time I do this I will drain the 2T oil before removing the tank by disconnecting the auto-lube tube from the auto-lube pump and draining it from there.

While the last of the oil was draining I decided to drain the rear brake fluid.  One of the bleed nipples on the rear caliper had seized and nothing I tried (or used) would shift it.  In the end the predictable outcome was reached – snapped off bleed nipple.

Rear Caliper Bleed Nipple Snapped

Half Of The Rear Caliper Bleed Nipple

This is the first fastener that has refused to come out during the strip-down and ended up damaged, so I guess that’s not too bad.

My MityVac was again used to make very short and clean work of draining the brake fluid from the rear brake system (I sound like I’m a MityVac salesman but I’m not, honest).  By this time the two stroke oil had drained completely so I could remove the tank and then spend the next 20 minutes draining the petrol into every petrol can I could lay my hands on, it’s amazing how far a few litres can go.  The last of the fuel in the tank was a pig to drain as you need to swirl the tank around to trap the fuel in one corner then tip it up to drain it through the fuel tap.  The fuel tank looks like a real cock of a job to replace, I fear for my knuckles.

Tank Removed

By this time I had had enough of draining fluids so chose a simpler task and removed the rear light and mudguard from Mildred’s rear subframe.

Rear Light And Mudguard Removed

By the time I had finished my few hours labour I had bought a TZR125RR Belgarda front end, front brake and front mudguard for this project.  I just can’t resist the USD fork option but this has added more money and much more time to the project.  Am I getting in too deep?  When will it all end?