Suggestions for keeping track of disassembled parts?

[bj]

I started my first complete tear down of a bike recently and I'm starting to get overwhelmed with parts. I'm using labeled ziplock baggies for small parts and trying to take photos during the disassembly.

I wondered if anyone has any suggestions about how to keep track of everything. I sure don't want be wondering where things go when I'm putting the bike back together.

[Hoomgar]

Your on the right track bj. Everyone does different things but I find that using the baggies and boxes works best. Put parts in baggies and label each bag with a marker. Then put all associated baggies in a box. Like all valve parts each in their own bag and labeled for which cylinder they came from. Then all those bags put in a box labeled valves. Thats how I do it.

[Macmatic]

When I started the rebuild of my GS750EF I did it like this:

Lots of "naked" pics of the bike from a little distance and close ups of pretty much ever point and angle for later reference. This was before I had the factory manual which pretty well shows where wires and cables are routed but the pics (and the Ricks) were both needed for a few final details.

As I removed each part I bagged it WITH its hardware and a note about what/where it was. Things like the headlight and upper fairing frame got hung on the wall with the hardware bagged and attached.

All the small parts bagged got put in a couple of Priority Mail boxes from the post office, about 1'x1'x8". Then I used two sets of shelves, one to store and one mostly for "working parts", ones that I was in the process of rebuilding.

Its a pain in the a$$ but if you keep things clean and organized you'll have a better time of it in the end. Good luck, you'll feel great when you put your first miles on YOUR bike. I know I did!

/\/\ac

[Sandy]

Your on the right track bj. Everyone does different things but I find that using the baggies and boxes works best. Put parts in baggies and label each bag with a marker. Then put all associated baggies in a box. Like all valve parts each in their own bag and labeled for which cylinder they came from. Then all those bags put in a box labeled valves. Thats how I do it.

What Hoomie said. Plus I like to put as many screws and bolts back in the holes they came from were poossible and take photos as you progress with the disassembly.

[ptm]

For smaller jobs like rebuilding carbs, I like to use egg cartons (preferably paper). I use the 12 small pockets for the small parts and the lid side for larger parts. With one for each carb plus one for common pieces like idle screw and throttle rod, I can keep everything well organized. The only drawback is if you knock one over. With bags, you can't accidentally dump the parts on the floor.

Plus what everyone else said - lots of pics, label everything, put bolts back where they came from...

[Alan Schlosser]

When I pulled the engine out of my Polaris snowmobile to rebuild it, I took digital pics of everything, especially the wiring routing. Every nut, bolt and washer went into labeled zip lock bags. The guy helping me thought I was nuts. During reassembly, I would take one bag at a time for whatever we were putting back together. Again, thought I was nuts. Well, when we were all done, he looked at it, smiled, shook his head and said, "That's beautiful. You can't tell it was ever touched".

[SqDancerLynn1]

Lets see did that wiring go under or over that part ??
baggies work good I like to use Glad storage containers with lids

[jhw84]

Coffee cans. Various sizes for various parts, they come with their own lids, however, I liked them better when they were made out of steel.

[KEITH KRAUSE]

Might seem crude or old-fashioned but anything that looked like it may be confusing during re-assembly, I simply made pencil scetches of all parts. Every washer, spacer, harness connection...everything.
My bike was broken down as far as possible. It WAS a little spooky seeing it all over the garage floor. With these drawings, I put it all back together perfectly except I somehow reversed an engine mount plate. My friend helping me slip the motor in noticed it right away but it was fun holding the motor, trying not to scratch the new powdercoating and with a "free" hand, unbolt and turn the plate around. :roll:

[bwringer]

I just remember everything...









I use the baggies 'n boxes method, and I also make sure to wrap vulnerable bits in shop towels as appropriate to keep then from getting damaged. Internal steel parts, like camshafts, gears, etc. also get a sloppy coating of plain engine oil to keep them from rusting. Cams don't really fit in the Ziploc bags i've found, so I coat 'em with oil, wrap 'em in towels, and carefully pack them into a box.

I've also been known to sneak into the kitchen and steal plastic containers with lids.

Egg cartons work great, but usually only use them for things I'm completing in one go. For small parts, egg cartons are hard to store without spillage, but they work great for valve buckets and things like that.

I would also add that through bitter experience, I store valuable parts up high and far away from floods, cats searching for litterbox substitutes, and where stray dogs can't whiz on them.

[DaveDanger]

I like the baggies and photos method myself as well. I begain by laying out a component that I've never had apart previously, and lay it out in order of disassembly and snap a good well lighted picture of that layout. A digital camera now makes this a simple and cost effective method, whereas I've used an old polaroid for years, so I could check my photo quickly. I then baggie or box the parts and label the container with a sharpie and drop in the photos (polaroids). I don't have to actually store the parts in a specific order with some special container this way. When I'm ready to reassemble, I pull out the photo, lay the parts back out the way they're intended, and reassemble as required. It doesn't hurt to snap photo's of the bike/engine/wiring/hoses before you take them off either. Every little bit helps. It's not unusual for me to have 15 or 20 photos taped to the side of an aircraft fuselage to help identify the hoses/wiring/etc on an engine that I'm working on. Makes it simple

[bj]

Thanks for all the great suggestions everyone. I think I like bwringer's "just remember everything" the best. Unfortunately with my memory I think photos, baggies and nightly study of my Clymer's manual will have to surfice.

[AOD]

I use the 8x10 aluminum baking pans you can buy at the store in a pack of 10. They're great for keeping parts separated and you can reach in quickly to get parts, isntead of fumbling through baggies.

The drawbacks are they are not 'stable' in that you have to have a nice spot for them to sit, and if you're accident prone you may wind up with parts all over, heh.

I used four of them to rebuild my carbs last winter. I wrote a #1-#4 on each and each part I took out of the carb went into a bin.

~Adam