Before I do any more work on the motor I bolt the cases into the frame and consider the bent frame top tubes; as I said before I’ve seen this defect many times and I know I can sort it.
It’s essential to have the cases firmly bolted in place to retain the relative positions of the mounting holes in both frame and engine. With a selection of lumps of wood and a substantial aluminium billet held underneath the point on the frame at the apex of the bend I can fit two lightweight scissor jacks pushing vertically upwards. I load up the jacks and fire up my MAPP torch; the trick now is to gently warm the area in question. This took me about half-an-hour and it’s essential to distribute the heat over both sides. It would have made this process much easier if I’d had two torches, but I
