Half-Caf: my '80 cb750f SS cafe project

[shinyribs]

I was thinking that last night:"He went with a 900 over doing a 836 kit...now he wants to bore THAT!"

Of course,I would have to give you cool points for that,but I can understand leaving well enough alone too.$200+ will buy a lot of gas in the meantime,and there will always be that extra power waiting on you later!

[Half-Caf]

shinyribs wrote

there will always be that extra power waiting on you later!

We shall see, I guess  but for now, I must go on!
Another day means more teardown -which means more photos!

I will start by detailing how I got my cylinders off.
My first step involved a good coating of blaster anywhere I could get it. This included the entire gasket border as well as down the engine studs.
I followed that up with a hammer and a 2x4 chunk. I dispersed the impact over the entire area of the fins and worked all the way around several times (adding blaster periodically) I think this step broke things loose somewhat so I could proceed with the next step...
 There is a small pry mark on each side of the cylinder block. However, the problem is that these things are made of soooft aluminum
My solution was to get the largest screwdriver I could find and use some leverage underneath it to pry straight up.


A screwdriver shaft worked for the starter (left) side


I used the handle of my small socket wrench on the rotor side


Once I got it up about 1/4" I was able to take a firm hold and just work it out by hand.
You may have noticed that I actually used a ratchet strap to secure my engine. That really came in handy with this part.

With the cylinders off I was looking at this:


A couple of the pistons took a little motivation, but I got them all off as well


I also began my clutch removal, but alas, my progress was halted by the need for a special lock-ring tool to remove the clutch. So, this is her as she sits:


While I'm waiting for that, I would love to do get my rims painted. I got the tires off today and began cleaning up the rims with some emery cloth (PO must have done some really aggressive prying).
There is a high of 85 tomorrow which is perfect for that epoxy-based paint

[Half-Caf]

Got some supplies today! A buddy gave me $50 for a side-job and I could definitely see a few good ways to spend it



Can you tell what's in my future?

[Half-Caf]

Ok, today was a bit rough and quite the mess, but I finally managed to separate my crankcase today.
To be honest I'm definitely getting sick of intricate engine work -you ever feel like you're going to throw your project out the window if you don't step away from it? It's like that

Anyway, here are some pics of my recent progress:


Oil cover removed


A peek inside


Transmission


After I took the crank out, I noticed some blistering in the finish (where the sleeves go in)





Should I be concerned?

[Half-Caf]

Another post with some stem progress:


These tabs in the front had to come off


A mock up after some rough dremel work

And from the rear.

I'm still not sure what I'll do to cover up the grinding spots. Some of that spiffy red paint would be nice, but no such luck. Although, I guess the headlight will be there to cover up whatever I decide on

[Piute]

                        Clean up yo grinding and paint it blk. and ring on top to match,
        I'd have those Lil cracks cheaked out by A Pro.(machine shop)before I went any further,
      They wont machine if it's  bad.

[Half-Caf]

Piute wrote

Clean up yo grinding and paint it blk. and ring on top to match,
        I'd have those Lil cracks cheaked out by A Pro.(machine shop)before I went any further,
      They wont machine if it's  bad.

I'm not having any engine parts machined, so I'm not really worried about that.
If you look at it from the side, the aluminum appears to be fine, but it looks like there is some sort of coating on it and that is messed up  

Perhaps I will just get my dremel in there and smooth it out so none of it flakes off inside. Thoughts?

[shinyribs]

I can't really tell looking at the pics what is going on. It looks like one of two things I have run into in the past.

1: Superficial casting anomalies. Nothing major,but a good place for dirt and debris to hide from your oil filter. Like you said,it would be a good idea to clean that up with your dremel

2: We had a batch of carburetors one time that started peeling.Looked just like that,but you could scrape the flakes off easily with your finger nail. We contacted Holley and they admitted  to having some metallurgy issues. They ran the batch numbers and replaced all of them. But I seriously doubt that is what is going on here.

I really think your looks just like normal casting anomalies. You typically dont see that in cast iron,or more modern castings,but it is not uncommon in older aluminum castings. See if it flakes off real bad,if not,smooth it out and dont sweat it. Looks like the inside of every TH350,TH400 and Powerglide I ever rebuilt.

If you take a piece of something red off your bike to a paint shop,they can scan it and give you some touch paint. It normally doesnt cost very much. Maybe $20 tops?

[Half-Caf]

Update: the small "cracks" inside my crankcase all appear to be superficial. I am almost hesitant to take the dremel to them just in case messing with the surface would actually cause it to flake off easier ...maybe I'm just being paranoid?

In other news, I decided that I'm also going to tear apart the head so I can perform a proper cleanup.
This means I need a valve spring compressor -luckily, I found out that advance auto rents them for free (and is 1 block away!)

The exhaust ports on the head feel pretty smooth inside, but there is a lot of carbon buildup on the intake side.
Is this normal?

[shinyribs]

It is normal on older carbureted vehicles. Old carbon can be very tough to get off. Purple Power at full strength seems to break it up pretty good,but it still takes a lot of scrubbing if it is caked on thick. If you completely disassemble the head a machine shop should be able to dip it for you. Some of the older vat dips were pretty strong and would actually dissolve aluminum completely.Lost an oil filter adapter on a BBC like that once.It was just gone.Glass beading is an option,too. Too bad you dont live close by.I could toss it in the blasting cabinet and get it spic and span for you.

It would be tempting to clean off those cracks,but it obviously hasn't caused any problems so far. One of those mind over matter things. How did your bearings look?

[Half-Caf]

shinyribs wrote

How did your bearings look?

Which ones? There's a bunch in there
I haven't noticed any problems, but then again, I guess I'm not 100% sure what they would look like, anyway.

One of the rods on the crankshaft had a tiiiny bit of play in it. Is that acceptable?

[shinyribs]

"Which ones?"- Any of the rods or mains. Any scratches or copper showing? Any blueing or discoloration?

Is your play side to side or up and down in relation to the piston movement? Some side to side is typical of rods in any engine,but up and down should be pretty much imperceptible to touch. Of course side to side on a crank should be imperceptible as well.

[Half-Caf]

shinyribs wrote

"Which ones?"- Any of the rods or mains. Any scratches or copper showing? Any blueing or discoloration?

Is your play side to side or up and down in relation to the piston movement? Some side to side is typical of rods in any engine,but up and down should be pretty much imperceptible to touch. Of course side to side on a crank should be imperceptible as well.

The play was only on the #1 rod (where it joins the crank). you can shift it left to right ever-so-slightly.
I really hope it's nothing, because I would probably get sick to my stomach if there was one more thing that needed replacing in the engine.

[Half-Caf]

Ok, I've been doing some more engine work and decided I would fill you all in.
First off is the paint. Originally I went with rustoleum flat black (it was either that or gloss).


A little too rat-rod for my taste

I found some semi-gloss meant for gas grills that I threw over the flat black

Looks much better, I think.

I also painted my comstars with some special epoxy-based paint



Much better! (and less 80's-looking)

The peg brackets got some love, too


As I mentioned before, I decided to remove my valves and clean the head out a bit while I've got it off.
This pic shows the carbon build-up pretty well


So I got to work on this bad boy


Here's all the bits I removed


I wasn't able to find a valve spring compressor around here, so I decided to improvise.
You can make your own as they are basically just a c-clamp with a special attachment.

A chunk of conduit and some grinding did the trick

You could even weld it to the clamp if you want. However as this is a friend's tool, I decided not to

[shinyribs]

Ah yes! I love home made tools!!! I dig the painting you've done. Less 80's-looking for sure. It's amazing that satin black can look old school or modern depending on how you do it. Very cool man.Looking good

[TOOLS1]

Just don't drop those egg trays.
TOOLS

[shinyribs]

Should I?....ice cube trays

[Piute]

shinyribs wrote

Ah yes! I love home made tools!!! I dig the painting you've done. Less 80's-looking for sure. It's amazing that satin black can look old school or modern depending on how you do it. Very cool man.Looking good

 

   Blacked - out bike started in  "07" in production .
  Had to buy 07 parts cause they didn't make stock for my 05.
   Any how IT'S here and it's bad stealth,wicked,just plan cool,
   For me just a spray and ride heck with polish n polish n pol......missed a spot.
      Chrome may get ya laid
           BUT wont get ya home
                                 Money well spent on dependability is wise
  Sure somebody going to be negative and show some blk.out bike from 70s or so well start with my F2

[Half-Caf]

Yeah, I definitely dig the black look
Hopefully I'll start putting the whole thing together soon -I'm excited to start seeing things come together!

I've been busy with work, vacation, and a friend's wedding, but I've been ordering parts and am back to the grind now!
Today I was able to finish up my fork rebuild. I decided to go with the 20W considering the weight difference between the 750's and the CBR.

Anyway, here's some pics for those of you who like the eye candy. Hopefully this weekend I'll get the new motor together.


On the operating table


Guts removed


Lowers removed


I got some cheapo spray bottles from the $ store that had ml and cc measurements.


New oil, seals, and a bit of clean-up and we're ready to go!

[Piute]

  Painting always helps to keep ya busy,works for me,
  Now lets get that engine together,