Half-Caf: my '80 cb750f SS cafe project

[shinyribs]

I did notice the carbs were off,plug those holes when you grind!That seat looks perfect on that bike. You really have me regretting not going with a two passenger seat right now. I never thought it could look that nice! My girl wants to rideOh,love the color on your frame and the stripe on the tank. Looks nice. I dig it!

[Half-Caf]

Ok, a big update this time around
We had one day in the upper 60's this week that really had me jonesin' (love that word) to get the bike out. Turns out thats exact;y the motivation I needed to get back to work on the bike. I took my carbs apart today and found a ton of grime in them. I attribute much of this to the stupid "purple power" crap I used last time. Anyway, as I did a full disassemble, (apart from unbanking) I found that I am missing a few parts: one fuel mixture spring; one tiny o-ring for the accelerator pump; and another o-ring for a drain screw.
Here are a couple pics for reference:







Also, now that I have a closer look at the cleaning guide, I see that the washers and o-rings for my mixture screws never came out of the carb bodies.



Given all the little things that are either messed up or missing, I'm thinking buying an entire carb rebuild kit wouldn't be a bad idea. The best deal I found was on ebay for $60 shipped: carb rebuild kit

Any objections to aftermarket kits like these? I figure it wouldn't hurt even just to replace all the rubber bits.

Anyway, the carbs, slides, caps, and bowls are all taking a pine sol bath as we speak. Looking forward to getting back on the road!

p.s. Ribs, I hate to break it to you, but the stripe on the gas tank is going away

[shinyribs]

I mention that I like stripe so you ditch it...i see how it isya cut me deep

[Half-Caf]

Sorry Ribs, hopefully you will like the new design, too. The tank's clear coat is pretty crappy and turns to goo at the sight of gasoline.
I drained the tank today and will start the sanding/bondo process soon. Maybe this is a question for piute:
What's the easiest way to strip one of these tanks? (I don't have access to a sand blaster)

In other news, I went ahead and purchased a full carb rebuild kit. It should be here early next week so I can reassemble things.

[TOOLS1]

Aircraft stripper. You can get it at most auto parts stores.
TOOLS

[Piute]

                                  As THE TOOLman said ,.

   People always wont to stip everything ()
 There usually no reason to strip unless you believe there's old filler that needs removed,uasualy paint is old enough not to worry about a lift,IF so use a primer sealer
   I like to give a light scuff with 100 grit by hand to see were the Lil dents are ,Grind dent and about 1inch pass the dent,I use reg 4" on that don't grind to much into metal just make it nicks of shine.
  Then After dents are filled (sanded to 100 grit)Prime it ,2coats THEN use a rubber squeegee puddy speader and coat your tank with very thin layer of puddy,some places wont even take your just using as a PRE.guide coat .this will fill your grind makes that did'nt get sanded well enougfh.couple coats of primer,let set couple hours (if can paint)then prime again with different color primer.IF going to paint dark color use dark color prime last ,remember how much primer you used don't sand thru.
  BUT primer will take some of the shine,so don't use it heavy.

[shinyribs]

Half-Caf wrote

Sorry Ribs, hopefully you will like the new design, too.

I'm sure I will! I ALWAYS like a new idea. My motto used to be "old cars and new ideas". I gotta incorporate bikes into there somehow. Too bad shipping is so expensive and slow,or i'd say send it to me and i'd blast it for ya. Be glad to help still.

[Half-Caf]

Thanks for all the tips, guys! I really do appreciate all the help I get on here
I will keep ya'll posted as things progress.

[Half-Caf]

More progress! Here are my carbs before I went at them with my dremel. They are now much cleaner:



Also, I began sanding my tank and the paint came off in little turds  It was slow going and I decided I definitely didn't want to paint over top of that stuff. I had tome "citristrip" laying around, so I gave it a shot.
About halfway through, you could see some of the original paint:



After I got all the crappy paint off, I gave it a good sanding with 100 grit. Much better





I will take my dremel to it and get all the little detailed places tomorrow. I can't wait to get it painted and get riding!

One concern I had was the quality of rattle can jobs. The one that was on there (previous owner's) started breaking down when gas touched it. Not good for a gas tank  Will the new paint do the same? Also, is clear coat recommended? I'm new to this whole paint thing.

Here is what I have for the new job. The dark is the base and the pearl will be a graphic added on each side. I also have a can of black "automotive primer" for prep. Thoughts on quality?

[shinyribs]

Moving right along! Looks good. The rattle can paint jobs are known for being gummy.Coming off in "lil turds",well never heard it described that way,but you hit the nail on the head. If you are going to spray that on bare metal,i would seriously consider using an etching primer first. It will help the paint to bond to the tank better for one,but also the paint will "cling" better,helping to alleviate runs. You might be surprised how cheap a body shop-like maaco or earl scheib-will squirt some paint on there for you. But if you are just of the mind to paint it yourself,I say DIY is the way to go! Rattle cans rule!

I'm anxious to see the finished result....so anxious I have not logged off since your last post

[TOOLS1]

I have used a lot of rattle cans. I like Rustolum automotive enamel, and the Dupli Color paints. I have had good results with them. You get what, you pay, for.
TOOLS

[Half-Caf]

I guess I'm not so worried about the new paint being gummy if its sanded (I hope I won't be doing that any time soon). But it is important to be that the paint would be able to hold up to some gas runs or drips.

[Piute]

     The rustolem I used has  a 7 day cure wait time to be complete then clear and 7 more days the compound and lots of wax,never have I had any can paint go bad on anything clear is your buffing and smothing so you don't go thru color.

[shinyribs]

Sorry guys. I didnt mean to sound like rattle cans were no good. That is not the truth of it at all. Spray paint is still enamel,just has a different way of propelling it. I agree with Tools,Rustoleum id dang hard to beat. It's my favorite paint to use,whether with a brush or a aerosol can. But like Piute said,aerosol can paint jobs do take awhile to cure properly. Any paint will eventually die if exposed to gas for long periods,but for what you are doing,you'll be fine. Sorry guys,didnt mean to come off hoity-toity earlier

[Piute]

                           Hott-Totty x 2
                        Rise N shine 80deg. ?..Spring already hot

[Half-Caf]

Did some more today. The tank is all cleaned up and should get some primer tomorrow. I also painted the top of my carbs black for a little flair.

However, the carbs are giving me trouble. 2 of my slow jets are stuck in the carb body and not budging. The slot for the screwdriver is completely gone now. At this point I'm just hoping I don't junk my carbs trying to get the stupid things out.

[shinyribs]

Can you get vise grips on the jets to get them out? It doesn't matter is the head is boogered up as long as the opening is clean  Looking forward to seeing the new paint job/seat

[Half-Caf]

No. On the CV carbs the actual jets are down in what's like a narrow tube.

[TOOLS1]

Did, you remove the float bowels before trying to remove the slow jets?
TOOLS

[Half-Caf]

Tools: yes, everything is removed and I'm just working off the carb bodies.