thanks for the welcome BobbyR!
here's what i am working on:
i was riding the '77 on the highway, and it started running poorly. the oil light turned on but i decided to ignore it because i just had it inspected and the oil changed. (such a regretful mistake) the engine blew up in dramatic fashion, smoke billowing out of it. when i pulled off to the side of the rode, i saw that i had blown two large holes through the bottom end of the motor.
i purchased the '78, which is in much better condition overall, but has a problem with the top end. i am hoping to swap the good parts from the '77 into the '78 and have it up and running again before winter is over.
some other things that are on my mind:
i haven't opened up either engine yet, so i do not know the condition of either, and i am probably naive to think that i won't be opening up a can of worms.
i don't know if i should just look into buying new top end parts for the '78 while also searching for a new case for the '77 so that i'll have two working motorcycles some day instead of just one.
i just acquired many of the tools i'll need today for this project and will start the process of removing the engines from their frames this weekend. i am referencing the shop manuals, clymer's manual, and this forum. it will be a slow process because i am brand new at all of this, including working on anything mechanical. any advice is greatly appreciated.
