Factory Restoration of 1980 CB750C.

[nickels767]

May as well get this topic started now, even though it'll be a while before I begin work on the bike...

So, in the last three months myself alongside 2nd Gear Motorsports have done the following.

New front pads
Scuff front rotor
New rear shoes
New speedo cable
New tires
New battery
Installed free tranny that came with bike - in pretty bad shape, however the one on the bike was hooped
New fuses all around
New plugs
New wiring here and there

Hmmm, I think that's about it. Bunch of minor stuff.

MECHANICAL - to be completed
New tranny - looking into Cycle X's Racing tranny.
New clutch - again, Cycle X
New brakes - not happy with whatever i have going on. Front brake takes all my force to lock up, plus front and rear squeal like hell. I knew I should have gone high-fric with my riding style...

VISUAL - oh dear god, check out the pics... this is going to be hell...
Remove, repair, spray, install tank, front and rear fenders, levers, handle bar core, rims (partial colour), battery covers, instrument bezels, backside of mirrors, possibly levers, the following colour


Repair, spray bottom end of engine, frame, basically whatever is left
flat black

Repair, polish, buff, restore chrome exhaust, valve cover, chain guard, odds and ends


Stainless screw kit
New mirrors and levers will need to be sourced - hopefully you guys can help me here. I want mirrors that are as close to factory as possible, but GOD these mirrors are ATROCIOUS. Will be looking for something much slimmer in profile, hopefully a bit wider, and less hideous when looking at the bike head on.


And yeah, that's about it. Here's the kicker. I have no mechanical knowledge whatsoever. If somebody pulled it apart and assembled it for me, it would be beautiful, I'm a professional finisher. However, some parts will likely be sprayed in place, because I'm pretty well hopeless. I can do things bit by pick, but I become greatly overwhelmed once I get two or three layers into things. But, it's my first bike, and I've waited forever to have on. I got my license when I was 18, but finances kicked my ass... so I went 5 years avoiding the roads in summer time.

I'm going to go snap some pics of my areas of concern... maybe we can discuss my best ways to repair some of the worst areas. The bike has been dropped, and I quote, "30-50 times".






























So, what do you guys think? Anything not within the realm of paint and polish? Just realized looking at the pics (better res than real life lol) that I've got a lot of linkages that may need replacing. But oh well.

[TOOLS1]

I do not see anything there that some flat-black spray paint won't take care of. Except those awful hand grips.
TOOLS

[nickels767]

That's why I'm here.

I'm more or less on a budget, but if anybody has suggestions to clean her up, let me know!

Just remember, I'm going for mostly factory here. I want it looking original, plus once it's restored I'll save $800 a year on insurance!

Collectors plates, god's gift to people who drive old crap in B.C.

[TOOLS1]

You need to invest in a soda blaster.
TOOLS

[nickels767]

Oh, I should note, to make this project more fun, I don't have a garage. This'll be a pull apart in my parking spot... transport parts to work, work on, then run home project. YAY!

[motogrady]

As far as looks.

A box of Brillo.
A toilet bowl brush.
A bottle of dish washing liquid.  I recommend Joy..
A hose with water.
A rag.
A sunny afternoon. with about 3 hours to kill,
will do wonders.

You have your work cut out for you.
No gas cap, rust, yikes.
CV carbs, very touchy, maybe start reading up on them,
a few threads about them here.

Good luck guy, keep us informed.

[nickels767]

Sorry bud, I've got the gas cap, I just popped it off to show the rust and flaking paint on the underside of the cap.

How does one deal with a rusty tank interior? Do I just not?

[motogrady]

A few ways, a bunch of BBs, some kerosene and shake till your arms 'bout fall off,
thenflush again with kerosene, a magnet gets the BBs out.  A radiator shop can steam it out.
It's a hassle for sure.

Put a clear, plastic inline fuel filter in the gas line, one for a lawn mower will work.

If the carbs wern't drained, theres a good chance the carbs a gunked up.
The fuel dries up, get's like sticky grease.

Clean the tank, put the filter in, then a half gallon of fresh petrol, run
the gas line to a clear jar and take a sample.

Repeat till you get clear fuel.
Then try the carbs, you might luck out at it will start right up.

Anybody else have a good way to clean a bad tank?

[TOOLS1]

If it is just old gas, I use mineral spirits. If it is rust, I use muratic acid.
TOOLS

[shinyribs]

TOOLS1 wrote

You need to invest in a soda blaster.
TOOLS

That would help. And they are cheap.

If you want to put things back original looking (i.e. the rusty spot on your petcock,carb clamps...)you could invest in a cad plating kit like Eastwood sells. The kits are fairly inexpensive but there is also some DIY stuff to cad plate with basic ''household items''. IIRC,all you need is vinegar,sugar,a battery charger and a sacrificial piece of zinc.

[Butcherblock]

Give her a good clean to see what you are working with.  000 steel wool does wonders on crome. A good bristle brush, lots of water, soap and elbow grease will get her looking pretty good. I would buy a can of spray on rust converter. It will change the rust black, and stop it from spreading as fast.

Download the factory service manual. Do the maintenance.  Its pretty easy and cheap. Get a clymer manual too. Shouldent be to expensive.

Take lots of cell phone pics.  When you disassemble something, you can go back to your pics to see what it looked like.
Put small parts in a tray so you dont lose them. Take your time with projects.

Where in b.c. do you live? I'm in Victoria, I'm sure I could help if you live here!

Welcome to the forum, there is so much knowledge here, your sure to succeed!

[nickels767]

Damn Butch, I live in Coquitlam.

I'm sure everything will go well. I'm not overly concerned. When it all comes down to it, if I can't get get something apart perfectly or if anything becomes an issue, I'll either work around the problem or run it down to 2nd gear and get them to give me a hand.

I forsee about 60 days of unridable weather, which should give me moooooooore than enough time to get it cleaned up, and at the very least tackle the clutch so I can be rising something respectable next year.

Might start some basic detailing this week, and I'll see what chrome can be salvaged.

How does one polish chrome? 600-1000-2000-4000-7500-wool pad-foam pad w/compound? Or is that overkill? I've never polished metals before.

[Truck]

If your trying to remove rust and grime you can't beat ultra fine steel wool. just make sure you keep it wet, steel wool is very flamable when heated and you don't want you bike going up in smoke before you get in a good ride! Good luck and keep us in the loop.

[Lucky 1]

I would just strip it down to the bare frame and start there.

Paint stripper on the frame then sand blast and powder coat.

One item at time.

[nickels767]

See, we've missed the fact that I am doing this by myself, have no mechanical knowledge, and no garage to work in.

Completely stripping it down is not an option.

[shinyribs]

Have faith Nickel. Once you start working on this thing you'll see just how easily they come apart. You'll be fine.

I'm looking forward to seeing this paint job. Awesome color choice!

[Truck]

Garage's are for wimps, you got a living room don't ya!?  

[Hoko]

Hi Nickels, welcome to the forum.  About getting rust out of the tank (which is a massive problem for the DOHC carbs) here is a link to a post by Sarge on our forum.  I'm going to have to clean my tank too.  I'm leaning toward the electrolysis because as Sarge says in the post. "Unlike acid etching, the surface left behind is rust-resistant." which should minimize repeat problems with it.
http://honda-cb750-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/Rust-removal-for-fuel-tanks-any-metal-actually-2-techniques-with-links-td4041695.html