It was satisfying to get the new Rotax 582 out of its box and sitting on the Shadow’s engine frame at last.
But it was only there temporarily, as I took it off and put it on repeatedly while I did a series of jobs before it can be installed properly.
A small change in the 582 crankcase moulding necessitated grinding out two clearance scallops in the rear engine plate.
Next, I custom-made some exhaust mounts, taking care to have muffler tilted to the same angle as the rear bulkhead. The cylinder head mount neatly skirts around the spark plugs and features an access hole for the temperature sender. Stainless bands hold the muffler to its webbed mounting plate. Two LORD rubber mounts will help absorb vibration.
Lastly, I wanted to align the pull-start cover and re-route the starter cord, so it didn’t rub on the rear hanger tubes. I added a ‘turning’ block to achieve this.
Now it’s off to Leitch Motorsport, so Barry can weld on the 12 loops which take the 6 springs holding the manifold and elbow ball-joints together.