Topic: Project: 7-Fizzle - V1.1 - If only spring would get here...

[bjbuchanan]

You are going to definitely verify this but depending on your engine year you may have unused o rings from a complete gasket kit. Search extra o-rings or the like.

Also the one extra rectangular gasket is for your starter cover it has a gasket. There is also the other rectangle one for the breather up top of the valve cover

[iron_worker]

Interesting story on the pistons actually .... I was a few hours away from heading off to UPS to ship the +.50mm pistons back when I got a call from the lady at Cycle X. Apparently they somehow sent another guy in Saskatoon the wrong pistons but he wanted the +.50mm and got the +.25mm. So she gave me his number and we arranged to meet up at lunch and made the swap. Sweet!

Met up with Don... super nice guy. Said he taught the engine course at the local technical school for the last 28 years and just about to retire. He is building an engine for his son to build a 750 into a dirt bike. I don't know exactly how that will work as a dirt bike but sounds like a cool project.

I put him on to the SOHC4 forum so we'll see if he joins up. lol

IW

[iron_worker]

Btw, the o-rings I found are not included in the Cycle X kit are:

-neutral switch o-ring
-starter motor o-ring
-clutch adjuster o-ring
-not sure what it's called but the o-ring that fits on the small shaft that is screwed into the points side of the crank

IW

[cheftuskey121]

oh wow what a story! I am not familiar with the area at all but it sounds like it wasn't the worst trouble in the world and you didn't have to wait on shipping! I just bought the fork ear reflectors for a K1.....and my fork ears are from a K3 or K4......the thread size on them apparently IS different, and they wont screw in, so now I've got to ship back to Oregon (from corner to corner of the US) and wait for them to ship back again. this bike is teaching me patience

[iron_worker]

Well it wasn't too far from work (10min drive) so I just popped over at lunch. It got me the pistons quicker but I really doesn't get me any farther ahead since I'm waiting on head studs. ha

Oh well, I think it really helped him out because it sounds like they were out of stock of the +.50mm pistons and he was going to have to wait a month to get new ones.

These bike projects have a way of throwing at least a few curve balls at you.

IW

[mwvachon]

"He is building an engine for his son to build a 750 into a dirt bike. I don't know exactly how that will work as a dirt bike but sounds like a cool project. "

...and they laughed at me when I was wondering how cool it would be to mate up a 750 motor onto a snow-blower...

[Scotty J]

A seven fitty on a snowblower?  Meh.  Go for the gusto, MWV!


Putting one on a dirty sounds like a pretty spooky idea...  Kinda heavy, y'know?  At least he's being original; a google image search for "cb750 dirtbike" returns nothing that looks even remotely dirty.

[iron_worker]

I have to assume he is using the stock frame since I think a dirt bike frame would probably bend in half with a 750 motor hanging on it. lol He mentioned something about having a huge back tire now and that it was for trails and exploring in BC, Canada.

Seems like there are definitely better options for adventure bikes but building something custom and unique is still way cool IMO.

IW

[seanbarney41]

me and my bud take dirt trail shortcut back to the shop from our favorite bbq spot regularly...me on my cafe 750 and him on Ironhead sportster ...it's fun to show up places with weeds stuck in your pipes.  I think a 750 on a diet with dirt tires and some extra suspension travel would be a lot more interesting than a bmw gs.  There are at least a couple on here that have done it

[DustyRags]

Woah. Just found this thread yesterday afternoon, and have been completely useless at work every since. That's an awesome build! Will definitely be following this!

[edhaeuser]

I just read through almost all of your thread for the second time.  If I have not said so before....Awesome job!!!!

[dave500]

Woah. Just found this thread yesterday afternoon, and have been completely useless at work every since. That's an awesome build! Will definitely be following this!

at the end we will find out,,whats he building in there?good job iron man!youll keep this bike forever!

[CROMOLY]

I have to assume he is using the stock frame since I think a dirt bike frame would probably bend in half with a 750 motor hanging on it. lol He mentioned something about having a huge back tire now and that it was for trails and exploring in BC, Canada.

Seems like there are definitely better options for adventure bikes but building something custom and unique is still way cool IMO.

IW

I met a guy once on vancouver island cowichan area who was building all sorts of things with 750's. Dozens of them.
Like stretched hillclimber and dirtbikes. He was good at it too.
Could it be the same man


Cromoly.

[Scotty J]

Hah!  Iron Man!  Now you HAVE to paint it up in red & gold.

[iron_worker]

Thanks for all the kind words fellas. Another update in process.

IW

[iron_worker]

Here's an update from Friday Night/Saturday ... yeah I'm cool and stay in on Friday night to work on my engine. ha The crank seal ended up showing up that I ordered from Cycle X ...UPS Express. Don't ask how much it cost. So thanks to them for shipping it quickly and getting it to me in time for the weekend.


So we meet again split cases...


Not what I wanted to see after having sealed them up once already.


Parts parts parts.


What all the fuss was abuot. You can see the trimmed shoulder of the seal and how I just used some threebond to hold it in. I thought it would be fine ... and maybe it would have been... but it was eating away at my soul! I had to fix it.


So I scraped all the threebond off and started again.


Went much quicker this time despite having only 1 pair of hands.


Last time I used the impact to drive on the alternator ... this time I decided I might as well check that it was torqued properly to 75ft*lb... this is how I locked the crank. Worked well.


Back to about where I was before. Only a few hours lost overall.


The rig I worked up to test my shifting. Vice grips on the end of the advancer rod to spin the crank... 2x6s with a screw to hold up the chain so it doesn't jam.... hahaha


Shined up the right side covers a bit.


Popped in some new seals.


All together with the clutch mechanism in place... I'm undecided if I should replace the o-ring on the advancer rod thingy and the clutch adjuster. I'll have to open that side up again if I do I guess.


Oooo shiny!


Thanks to whoever pointed out that this gasket was for the pump. Decided to replace it now.


The old gasket was paper thin!


Locktite on the philips head screws since they are tough to get real tight. This is about as far I as I can go down here since DSS didn't send my oil pickup screen. ARG!


I threw a set of rings in the bore and checked the gap. Top gap was right at .009" and second ring gap was .012"... seems a bit tight to me. Anyway?


I also threw a piston with rings in the bore and it seemed reaaaal tight. Hopefully that's normal. I didn't have much oil or lube on it so that's probably why I guess.


And #$%* was getting a bit out of hand in the shop so I stopped to do a major re-organization.

So that's about as far as I can go with the motor until I get an oil pickup screen from DSS (if they believe me that it was missed by them... I'm not that happy with their service overall) and get my head studs from Dynoman. 

I also stripped out the remainder of my liner in my tank using paint stripper. It worked pretty well but still left some in the corners. That stuff is tough as nails!!! I think I'm done with trying to remove the rest. The stripper was really nasty stuff to work with and I don't think whats left is going anywhere. It's survived 15 years of fuel, tumbling abrasion in the dryer with screws, and now paint stripper too. The chunks I pulled up from the bottom were like hardened tar or rubber. Super tough stuff. Would have been a good lining job if it was applied properly.

Major things left to do:
-Finishing treating the inside of my tank
-Lace up the rims to hubs
-True the completed wheels
-Finish wiring
-Find a shop to do my paint (decals and emblems on the way)
-Order new seat and other small bits like harness ties, etc
-Finish top end build once head studs arrive
-Get engine back in bike
-Tear down carbs and clean them up for blasting ...maybe
-Disassembly to go back down stairs... lol

IW

[Garystratos201]

Engine work looks really sweet.........Gary

[iron_worker]

Thanks Gary. Despite all the nay-sayers I'm pretty happy with the fully painted route so far. lol

Btw, I measured my ring gap just out of curiosity and I got .009" on my top ring and .012" on my second ring. .009" Seems like it's on the lower limit of what's acceptable. Any thoughts?

Also, I'm looking for the seals that go around the slide rod in the carbs. A couple of mine were torn I noticed. Looks like some carb kits include an o-ring but I'm not sure if that's what it's for. The stock seal isn't an o-ring it's more of a shouldered ring.

I have a post on the main page about this: http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=118618.0

Any help is appreciated.

BTW, I did get more done yesterday but I didn't get a chance to get the pics up. I started battling with my wheels to re-spoke them and ended up very frustrated.

IW

[cheftuskey121]

Iron, if you have any questions about the spokes just ask, I only took a few
Pictures of mine but I can try to explain if you need help. I trued up my front wheel within .25mm goal was to get it down to .5mm so I am pleased. Now the rear wheel is giving me trouble and I'm going to try and finish it tonight. It was off laterally by .75" and vertically by .25". Laughable

[iron_worker]

Well at first I was completely lost with the spokes. Then I figured out that you have to do all the ones with the head on the inside of the rim first. So I built up the front wheel that way and wasn't too.

The rear I started out doing it the same way but I don't seem to be able to get the same amount of "free play" on the rear (I'm guessing because of the shorter spokes. I can get all the inside facing spokes started but by the time I do that there isn't much "play" left to get the rest of the spokes in. The angle seems slightly off on the nipple holes and it keeps wanting to cross thread the nipple onto the spokes.

I'm wondering if it's the repro rim being not exactly the same as the original. 

IW

[edhaeuser]

Well at first I was completely lost with the spokes. Then I figured out that you have to do all the ones with the head on the inside of the rim first. So I built up the front wheel that way and wasn't too.

The rear I started out doing it the same way but I don't seem to be able to get the same amount of "free play" on the rear (I'm guessing because of the shorter spokes. I can get all the inside facing spokes started but by the time I do that there isn't much "play" left to get the rest of the spokes in. The angle seems slightly off on the nipple holes and it keeps wanting to cross thread the nipple onto the spokes.

I'm wondering if it's the repro rim being not exactly the same as the original. 

IW

I had to take a drill slightly larger than the holes in my rear rim and then drill the holes out while angling the bit to where the spoke is coming from....does that make sense?  These were the rims from David Silver.

[iron_worker]

Yes my rims are also from DSS. Not that happy with the quality but I suppose at less than half the price of OEM I can't expect them to be full quality.

I was hoping to avoid the drilling since that just leaves an area for rust to form.

IW

[iron_worker]

So here is what happened Sunday but I didn't get a chance to upload the pics...


Figured I better get my tank de-rusted so I rigged this up. Tank filled with water and scoop of laundry booster. Rebar in the tank and bent to follow the shape of the inside more. (-) on the tank, (+) on the anode ...rebar.


A beautiful rig if I do say so myself... lol Rebar swings freely inside the tank (ie no metal to metal contact)


Some bubbles start to form.


If I put it on "boost" it really goes!


Carbs need my attention. They look ... dull... and sad. This is why I didn't go the polished route on my engine. The bowls were polished ~ 6-8 months ago.


Noting a few bracket locations etc.




De-racked.


I thought I would take this apart but I think Honda put a permanent "plug" in that holds the shaft laterally. I could drill it out but I'll just prep it by hand and tape it.


Choke rods.


These were also spotless 6-8months ago. Must be the ethanol in the fuel. Arg!


They're going to the blasters like this. I was going to get him to do the insides too but I chickened out thinking it might clog some small ports. All ports will be taped off and I will go through them carefully to get any remaining grit out.

.... MEANWHILE ....




Lets try to lace up the wheels. Note: this is after a few failed attempts. Start by putting in the spokes that face to the inside.

Get one side in the holes and just start the nipples on each one to leave some wiggle room.


Then do one side of the "outside" spokes.


Then the other side of the "outside" spokes.


A went around the wheel tightening the nipples a turn at a time until they were tight. I used the wire as a marker of my start point.


The 90 degree ones are the outside spokes and the less than 90 degree ones are the inside facing spokes.


I tried the same system with the rear wheel without the same results.








I can get the inside spokes started but as soon as I try to do some outside spokes it seems like I run out of "free play". The angle of the spokes seems to not quite line up with the angle of the holes and tries to cross thread each nipple making it very difficult.

I gave up before I had a rage attack. lol

So I continue to plod along... any advice on assembling the wheels is appreciated. I'm pretty sure it's probably an issue of the repro not being 100% accurate.

IW

[cheftuskey121]

dude the stuff coming out of that tank looks like straight dog vomit. I would know, my black lab likes to throw up more than her stomach can contain, its an anomaly. gross. I can't attest to the wheels, unless the DSS ones are DID rims. the rear rim was harder to lace, not much wiggle room at all. you didn't mention it so I don't know if you did, but make sure to lift up on the rim to bring it level with and above the hub, that will shorten the distance so you can get spokes in. by the time I the first two sets of spokes on the rear rim, I could barely get the last 20 in, had to have the nipples against the outer rim and thread them very carefully. royal pain. if your rim IS off, then I can't give any advice there. good luck man, its looking great. I am so exhausted from working 13 hour shifts and getting up at 5am that I just don't feel like writing an update....this is my update. a whole fat nothing. haha

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

dude the stuff coming out of that tank looks like straight dog vomit. I would know, my black lab likes to throw up more than her stomach can contain, its an anomaly. gross. I can't attest to the wheels, unless the DSS ones are DID rims. the rear rim was harder to lace, not much wiggle room at all. you didn't mention it so I don't know if you did, but make sure to lift up on the rim to bring it level with and above the hub, that will shorten the distance so you can get spokes in. by the time I the first two sets of spokes on the rear rim, I could barely get the last 20 in, had to have the nipples against the outer rim and thread them very carefully. royal pain. if your rim IS off, then I can't give any advice there. good luck man, its looking great. I am so exhausted from working 13 hour shifts and getting up at 5am that I just don't feel like writing an update....this is my update. a whole fat nothing. haha

Dog vomit?  More like dog soft serve.