Topic: First full rebuild - 74 CB550

[fatmatt650]

Been wanting to do this for a while now and I'm finally diving in! I was at a swap meet over the weekend getting rid of a bunch of old stuff and there was a guy near us w/ an old chopped out 550 on a trailer. My friend, Joe, who I was sharing the booth space w/ has been wanting to "step up" from his cb400f and we'd looked at it a few times but weren't really serious about buying that pile of stink. At the end of the day it was still there, I'd had a few beers (he was driving, it was hot out, things happen), and I volunteered that although it was pretty funky w/ unknown miles I thought it could be pretty cool and I've always wanted to do a full build on a bike. $300 changed hands and here it sits.



Three hours later -


and just messing around -


I'm about to complete the dis-assembly today and then head out to the powdercoaters.

Questions
--------------
1. Any thoughts on powder vs. paint in specific applications - i.e. rims, frame,crowns, etc.

2. Front end is very incomplete, All Balls lists many "compatible" forks, I'd love to swap a complete dual disc front end on if I can find something, anyone done this and could make a recommendation on what to start shopping for?

3. We're planning on having the engine "refreshed" at O'Hanlons in SF but cosmetically, what works for painting an intact engine?

[Mooshie]

Hi Matt:
So will you be riding a 550 in the 2013 relay?  I hope so those 750's seemed to give you all types of consternation (especially the 2011 ride)
Can't wait to see how this one turns out

[SohRon]

Powdercoat is the way to go. Stay away from the glossy stuff unless you want a show bike; a nice semi-gloss will give a great finish without the fuss. JMO, you understand.

For engine paint, I like Dupli-color Cast Coat Aluminum (Dupli-color DE-1650); it's a ceramic based engine paint rated to 500 degrees and gives a good color that isn't too "silvery", if you know what I mean. Here's a shot of my bike that really shows the color pretty accurately






Good luck!

[fatmatt650]

Hi Matt:
So will you be riding a 550 in the 2013 relay?  I hope so those 750's seemed to give you all types of consternation (especially the 2011 ride)
Can't wait to see how this one turns out

Haha. 
I'm actually building this for a friend, he's my guinea pig to figure out if I'm capable of such a feat. Hopefully he'll be in the ride next year.

[fatmatt650]

Powdercoat is the way to go. Stay away from the glossy stuff unless you want a show bike; a nice semi-gloss will give a great finish without the fuss. JMO, you understand.

For engine paint, I like Dupli-color Cast Coat Aluminum (Dupli-color DE-1650); it's a ceramic based engine paint rated to 500 degrees and gives a good color that isn't too "silvery", if you know what I mean. Here's a shot of my bike that really shows the color pretty accurately






Good luck!

That thing is gorgeous! What sort of prep did you do before paint?

[scottly]

Hey Matt, if it was my project, I would leave powder-coating for last. I'd get it running, get the front end sorted, etc, first. I like that flat-track seat! Is that going to be the theme?

[harisuluv]

That duplicolor aluminum is hands down the best paint for these bikes.  It is good quality, and is very forgiving with respect to runs or spots.  Applies directly to metal without a primer and hardens up pretty fast (not too fast!)  Also most of the time you are painting something that is aluminum anyways so if you do something dumb and scratch it or something you probably won't even notice cause it's basically the same color underneath.

[fatmatt650]

I got a call from the owner the other day, he got cold feet. Looking at his budget he decided he didn't want to get into it at this time. Oh, well. I had fun tearing it apart and learned a bit about how to remove a motor (remove the fork and back wheel FIRST) plus it inspired me to dive back into MY cb550 project which as of tonight is now running quite nicely for the first time since 1997.

[Dimitri13]

Just pointing out, the rear rim doesn't look like a stock 18". Maybe a 16" harley rim laced to the stock hub.

[fatmatt650]

Yeah, I destroyed it trying to remove the tire. I've never dealt w/ one of these before (although my other 550 has one as well), they are very thin, cheap steel. I'm looking for a replacement for my other bike.