Attaching your Club Badge to the Radiator
- by Ron Hayhurst
- Download this article here
It has been said that some members are dissuaded from buying a club badge due to the perceived difficulties of fitting it! The notes and pictures below show one method of attachment to the exposed honeycomb pattern radiator of the earlier models. A similar but simplified method can be used for those with a radiator cowl. Others may have used a different method including bolting to a separate bracket.
picture 1
The cast aluminium badge, as supplied, has no lugs or attachments that enable it to be mounted, so holes will have to be tapped into it unless you are going to attempt to find an appropriate gluing method. With short lengths of rod screwed into the badge it can be secured through the radiator as seen in the first and final pictures. The tricky bit is finding a diameter of rod that passes through the honeycomb, and picking up the centres on which to drill and tap the holes in the badge.
I found that the maximum diameter that could be used was ⅛" (3.2mm). This is the material shown in the pictures which is 10 gauge welding rod. It is copper coated and has an appropriate diameter to take a 4BA thread. This is used on my RP Saloon. A smaller thickness rod could be used if going for 6BA which I have on my 4 Seat Tourer. 3mm rod would be a good size if using a metric thread and if you can do it in brass or stainless so much the better.
Method of Securing Straight on to the Radiator
- 1. Get your rod material and check that it can be poked through the radiator at the point where you want to place the badge.
- 2. Obtain a sheet of clear plastic, lay it over the front face of the badge and with a felt tip pen trace the profile of the badge on to the sheet.
- 3. Mark a point on the lower right of the badge on to the sheet as indicated in picture 2 and drill or punch an ⅛" hole at this point – hole A
picture 2
- 4. Poke an ⅛" drill through the honeycomb at the intended place for the lower rod and mount the plastic sheet on to the drill as seen in picture 3.
picture 3
- 5. Poke a second drill through at the intended place for the top rod, using the plastic sheet as a guide. Note that there is more vertical scope for choice than with lower rod. Very carefully mark the sheet.
- 6. Make this second hole in the sheet - hole B - then lay it over the rear of the badge and mark though the holes on to the badge.
- 7. Drill and tap the badge taking care to make the holes square to the face. For 4BA a number 33drill (0.1130"dia) should be used. For 6BA it is a number 43 (0.0890"dia). See picture 4.
picture 4
- 8. The two rods should be no more than 2½" or 65mm long. Thread one end to just the thickness of the badge and put about a ½" of thread on the other.
- 9. Screw in the rods until flush with the front of the badge and make a trial check on alignment and thread length. If it appears that the rods are not quite square but can be rotated to get alignment make sure this position is carefully noted and re-used after coating with Loctite 270 Studlok (which “sets” very quickly*!) See picture 5.
picture 5
- 10. Slide a couple of small fibre washers on the rods and immediately* offer up through the honeycomb. On the inside fit a large diameter plastic/fibre washer and steel washers behind appropriate nuts. These can be secured with a retaining compound such as Loctite 641.
- 11. Paint over the ends of the rods. Use Hammerite Smooth Blue.
picture 6
Method of Securing on to a Cowl
The principle described above still applies except that the spacings in the cowl slats can be measured and transferred to the badge and a couple of strips measuring (say) 1" by ½" can be drilled and tapped to hold short rods. Alternatively long bolts could be passed though from the inside with clearance holes in the small strips.
Tools
For those not having tapping gear, simply Google “Tracytools”. They have all you need for the above work and you will be quite surprised how little the kit costs.