GL1100 Carb Rebuild – Pilot Screw Adjustment

I’ve been rebuilding a set of carbs for my 1980 GL1100 GoldWing. I’ve followed Randakk’s manual. In it there is a recommendation to remove the flag gaps from the idle mixture screws for full adjustment. The factory caps limit the amount of rotation. These caps can be easily removed by heating up the glue inside with a propane torch and pulling them off.

I removed the caps, and threw them away since I didn’t anticipate needing them. Then I installed the carbs. The pilot screws are almost impossible to reach and adjust. Motion-pro makes a tool, but most reviews say it doesn’t work well for the GL1100. Others have created tools with bearings and machine tools, but that didn’t seem like an efficient choice.

There is a post from 2011 where a mechanic drilled holes in the adjustment screws and put roll pins in. Seemed like a good idea, so I tried it. Didn’t work well on the first one, the 3/32″ hole was almost as big as the screw head and I mangled it in the process. The same post mentioned using epoxy to secure teh roll pins. Hmm… why bother drilling the holes and putting roll pins in? Wouldn’t it be simpler just to use epoxy? There’s no load on the screws and the epoxy should stand up to the heat and vibration fine.

So, that’s what I did. Grabbed some wingnuts and epoxyed each one to the end of the pilot screw. So far so good, they are easy to reach. Will they hold up long term? Who knows.

GL1100 Pilot Screw Modification

1965 Buick LeSabre 4-Door Hardtop For Sale in Colorado

Buick LeSabre Hardtop For Sale


It’s finally time, I need to sell my old 1965 Buick LeSabre. It’s been a good car, I drove it for about 10 years. It belonged to an older gentleman, when he had to be moved to an assisted care facility his car was sold and I bought it. It had about 60K miles on it at the time.

 

The Good

The car now has about 130K miles on the original Buick 300 V8 engine with an AFB 4-Barrel Carburetor, a Dynaflow 300 automatic 2-speed transmission (Buick’s version of a Powerglide) with a switch-pitch torque converter. No A/C, drum brakes, original dash, seats, chrome, etc.. There are a few minor upgrades, HEI electronic ignition, radiator out of a 455 Oldsmobile, dual exhaust and Aluminum wheels. The carb has been jetted very lean and when it was running well I could get 20+ MPG on the highway.

Tires were new in the Spring of 2010 and only have about 2000 miles on them.

All the class is good and windows operate properly.

I have a friend who’s wife has a Mercedes Benz convertible and he used to complain that no one ever looked at their car, but heads would turn when driving mine.

 

The Bad

 
The car does have a few problems and is currently not in driveable condition. The front centerlink needs to be replaced, it is available from Rare Parts through most major auto parts stores. The transmission leaks, I have a filter kit for it that I never put in, I don’t know if a new pan gasket will fix it or not. The transmission worked OK when I parked it but it has been sitting for about a year. It also has not been started in the last year, it ran fine when I parked it but I would recommend some new gas and maybe some carb cleaner.

The car also has some rust, mostly in the trunk floor area and where the rear body mounts are located. Everything else is pretty much normal wear and tear for a care of it’s age. There are a couple small dents that were there when I bought it, but nothing too major.

 

1965 Buick Price

 
I want this car to go to a good home. I’m asking $900, but will consider reasonable offers and possible trades. Please, no lowball offers. This price is basically salvage price plus what I can get for the wheels and tires on Craiglist. If I want to crush it I will tow it to the salvage yard myself.

The car is sold AS/IS, no warranty, you must pick up in Greeley Colorado. Delivery within a 50 mile radius may be available for a reasonable fee.

Below are some pictures, both inside and out, as well as closeups of all the rust spots I can find. Most of these pictures were taken last winter, but nothing has changed since that time.

 

Contact Me About a 1965 Buick LeSabre

 
The LeSabre has been SOLD

My Dad’s Motorcycle – Suzuki T20

In 1975 my Dad bought a motorcycle to use around the farm. It was a Blue Suzuki T20, 247CC twin two-stroke. He rode it for a few years and then it just got parked. When we moved in 88, it just sat outside. Slacker and I tried to start it one time, but couldn’t get it going.

Last weekend we gave it to Clayton, he’s going to try and restore it. Looks like he’s in good company, here’s a video of Jay Leno’s T20.

UPDATE: So it appears that the Jay Leno video is no longer available. Here is a nice one from Youtube – my Dad’s bike was this color.

Greeley Colorado Emissions testing station

In case anyone is looking for the Greeley Emissions Test location and had trouble Googling it like I did, here is a map.

As of this writing, the location is 2844 30th St. Greeley CO

It looks like this station and the one in Dacono, CO are the only two Emissions testing stations in Weld County. There are other Northern Colorado stations in Fort Collins, Longmont, and Loveland

Buick for sale

Looks like it’s really the end of the road for my 1965 Buick LeSabre. I am in the process of purchasing a new car, a 1996 Honda Accord in Excellent condition.

I know, I know, sounds like I’m a sellout, but with $4/gallon gas coming this summer it just makes sense. So, if you are looking for a classic ride and want a slightly rusty LeSabre with 130K original miles on it that still needs a center link and a transmission pan gasket shoot me a message.