From "I have to no idea what Im doing" to "This isnt so tough" 78 CB750k

[zer213]

I figured I would join in on the fun of posting my progress, mostly so I can stay on track and keep a record of what all Ive done. So here she is in all her not-ready-for-recycling-yet glory:



Ive already rewired the majority of it. Still have some bugs to work out(the blinkers dont blink and the horn doesnt horn) but Ive replaced all the electrical components, replaced the carb overflow tubes with 1/4" x .0170" polyethylene tubing, replaced the center stand (so easy a small Japanese man on an assembly line can do it) and done a bit of general cleaning.

I pulled the airbox to check and see if the filter was any good, a nice new K & N was smiling back at me when I opened it up, but unfortunately the seal fell apart. I can only assume that a seal is necessary for 2 reasons. One, to keep dirt from bypassing the filter and entering the box through the portion where the top piece meets the bottom piece. And two, factories dont spend money if they dont have to.



So off to Lowes I went and found something suitable to make a seal, yet small enough to fit.



With new seal in hand I got to testing a fit:



And measuring it out (3' if you need to know that):



And cutting 2 slits up the backside so it will fit on the lip without deforming too much or slipping off:



And fitting it on top:



Trim that last little bit off, some super glue and I have a new seal for a ridiculously cheap price!
Total cost:
$5.37 for 17' of weather stripping
3' of that at $0.31 a foot
Comes out to $0.93 for an airbox seal vs $24.99 for a NOS version on Ebay. And I have enough left over that I can do the attic door and save some money on heating/cooling costs in the home PLUS plenty to make a new seal when this stuff wears down in a few years. TIGER BLOOD!

[Piute]

     TIGER BLOOD!to the rescue,
 Hey,must not come in blk.or sure you would of used,getting some of
that this eve for my saddle bagg's,TANKS

[zer213]

True!
And all finished and bolted back down. Perfect fit

[shinyribs]

Thaaaaats pretty cool. Thnks for sharing,great idea

[LukeM]

Nicely done.  My compliments. I just hope it lasts a while.  Gasoline environments can be harsh on foam rubber type products. Neoprene works better, but costs a bit more.

Luke M

[zer213]

True, its definitely a temporary fix. I figured it wouldn't last but a few years and its a cheap workable fix till I can get a job and get something better in there. I would have used something a bit more suitable but with low funds and something I stumbled upon at lowes I figured I would give it a shot. Plus for an hours worth of work and $0.93 for the whole thing its too cheap for me to  really care at the moment. I need to get the engine cranked, up and running so I can go on to step two. Making it stop.

[shinyribs]

The cheap fixes are the best! Sometimes it seems they last the longest,too. "Eh,I'll get around to that ina few weeks".....3 years later....still 'broke'

[TOOLS1]

Did, you go to the Lowes on Two Notch? I used to go there a lot. Sometimes I would have lunch at that wing joint there.
TOOLS

[zer213]

I go to the one over near Home Depot and I20. Are you talking about the one near Spring Valley? Crrrazy small world. How long ago did you move to MO?

[TOOLS1]

Yea I guess it would be Spring Valley. I moved here 3 years ago. Do, you remember "The Villa"?
TOOLS

[Hoko]

Glad I read your thread.  I just took mine apart yesterday for the first time and there were no signs any seal had ever been there so it never even crossed my mind that there was supposed to be a seal there!

[zer213]

The restaurant?

[TOOLS1]

The old biker bar. Used to be the place to party. Would have big name bands.
TOOLS

[zer213]

Off of Percival?

[TOOLS1]

I can't remember the street anymore. It closed in the early 90's. It was down off I-26 by Cayce.
TOOLS

[zer213]

Oh yeah I wouldnt know. I was a freshman in HS in 1993, most of my adventures were on the northeast side of town.
Off topic, was the plastic electrical cover different on the F model as opposed to the K model? I cant get the bottom screw to line up with the hole. Ill post a pic when the rain passes. I think the PO bought the wrong cover.

[TOOLS1]

F and K are different.
TOOLS

[zer213]

Lovely, another part to buy  Yeah I checked out Maier's site, the bottom hole is about 2 inches to the left on the correct one. They seem to have the best price that I can find, I'll have to keep an eye out on ebay for an NOS or parted out one. I wish a salvage yard near here had some of these bikes but the ones I know about usually only have a few newer sports bikes (hayabusa's) and then cars as far as the eye can see.

[rrgunslinger]

Just a thought but I don't believe that seal is nessarry as the intake pulls the air through the filter into the air box that attaches to the carbs.  Not that it is going to hurt anything though...

[Hoko]

You know, I cant find those airbox seals anywhere except for 1 on ebay which is not the right year anyway.  So I'm going to do the same thing.  THX for the idea!   Actually the dirty air that goes through the seam where the seal goes totally bypasses the filter and goes directly into the carburetor which is a bad thing!