Topic: My first bike: '78 CB750k

[fendersrule]

Thanks guys. I'll give Carl's honda a call today. Do I need to buy anything else for this job? Just the gaskets?

I suppose just a flat head screwdriver is needed to dig the old ones out.

[toytuff]

Thanks guys. I'll give Carl's honda a call today. Do I need to buy anything else for this job? Just the gaskets?

I suppose just a flat head screwdriver is needed to dig the old ones out.

Angled pick works well. Lowes sells a nice set of assorted pic sets.

tt

[Stev-o]

A pic is good if you have one, or just use a crappy small screwdriver and pry it out.
Clean the head after you remove the gasket and a couple dabs of grease will hold the new one in place til you mount the pipe. The Kerker header was easier than expected and I used new SS screws.

[fendersrule]

I used some brake parts cleaner and a paper towel to clean the area behind the old gaskets. I'm assuming it doesn't need to be "perfectly" clean...it is an exhaust area. I followed your suggestion stevo and put a few very tiny globs of lithium grease....just to hold it in place. Pretty straight forward, and didn't take too long at all.

[Stev-o]

Yep, should be good to go. What's next?

[fendersrule]

Waiting on the painter to spray the epoxy. Probably should be starting the bodywork this week perhaps.


I restored another emblem/garnish plate.  New one bottom, old one top. New one is in slightly better condition, so I'll keep it and sell the first one eBay. This one still has the posts and the fastener rings. New one is almost 100% perfect. Old one is still in great shape though, but it isn't "perfect."


Cleaned and reorganized the work area to rock the side covers and tank.

[toytuff]

Those emblems don't show up to often. Someone here might need it.

tt

[theofam]

toytuff's right.  I looked quite awhile for one of those fork emblems.  You'd be doing your sohc4 brethren a huge favor if you posted it in the for sale section.

Great progress on the bike!  I'm looking forward to seeing your paint with the gold-only stripe - it'll look nice.

[Stev-o]

Took me a while to find that emblem for my '77 too.

Toy - Theo is in the Denver area.

Theo - Want to check out a bike for Toy?

[toytuff]

Took me a while to find that emblem for my '77 too.

Toy - Theo is in the Denver area.

Theo - Want to check out a bike for Toy?

Thanks guys. Love the bike. No title. 

tt

[theofam]

Toytuff, pm me if you need me to check out a local bike. I'm just wrenching on Paddy the next couple days.

End of thread jack!

[fendersrule]

Still awaiting to get my tank and side covers back.

I did manage to do quite an excellent undercoat job on the front fender.

Quick and dirty masking:



a couple coats of primer sat in real well:


Undercoating looks fantastic:


Finished:



OEM or not, it's simply better.

[Stev-o]

Looks good, I've done it to one of my bikes in the past too.
Honda didn't do it to save cost and they didn't know we'd still be riding these bikes 35+ years later.

[fendersrule]

I've got the tank chrome trim soaking in vinegar.

I noticed that the plastic sleeving are still on them. I'm tempted to remove them (like I did on my brake/clutch levers).

The inside of the trim is pretty rusty. Not sure if I should be going the mile on these, or just cleaning it as good as I can and calling it good. They are formed around the clips too, so I'd have to remove the clips out of there if I really wanted to get the insides clean.

....hmm.

[iron_worker]

That fender looks pretty cool actually. Almost a shame to flip it over and hide it. lol

IW

[fendersrule]

Turns out that I was appointed the painter since the guy who runs the booth is out sick. Works better for me, because then I can develop the trust needed so I can come back and re-use it.

[Stev-o]

You are so lucky....

[fendersrule]

If you guys hate bodywork, then beware



This repair came out pretty good. Just need to fill the rest.


First step is to guide coat, regardless of your experience. Eyes and hands can deceive. 


SEM guide coat applied.


Before guide coating and sanding, I guessed I had about 6 imperfections. Turned out that "6" was a little low. The tank is still in outstanding shape, but like all 40+ year old creatures, it's going to need skim coating.


Honda's sheet metal on the sides of the tank isn't perfect. I'm guessing that even new Honda's were not "razor flat" on the sides. Like usual, I'm going to take care of this by skim coating.


Once the areas have been identified, then I usually take 80 grit (along with a scotch bright) to remove the guide coat, and to scar the surface for the filler.


Followed by wax and grease remover.


Application of filler is a skill that's developed over a long period of time (I need to grab a nib file tomorrow). The sanding of filler a beginner can do with 5 minutes of training (for a reasonably small area).

Just going to let that sit for the night because I'm bushed (I painted this today during my lunch break). I can probably have this tank finished and ready for high build in 3-4 hours. A seasoned pro could probably do it a little faster.

[fendersrule]

She's ready for phase two. High build and blocking! I adhere to the skimming technique as this ensure flatness and perfection. I even straightened out some of the stock sheet metal that wasn't truly straight on the sides. This will be better than new.


These don't need hardly any work other than priming + wetsanding and calling it good.


Poor bike is getting dusty.


And my Valley Green Metallic paint arrived!

[fendersrule]

Shot two more light coats of epoxy on the tank because I've uncovered lots of bare metal doing the skim coating. I then proceeded to shoot 2-3ish coats of high build...didn't take a photo of this though.


It's time to block sand. This in my opinion, is where it all comes together.


Just like with the epoxy, I through on a light mist of guide coat.


I went first to the worst area, and it blocked out perfectly, even leaving plenty of material behind. This is the moment where you know things are just going to go perfectly.




Blocking is complete. I don't see any reason this tank shouldn't come out perfectly. I like to have low material, so I blocked it to where it was low while keeping things flat. This will also ensure that it's going to be razor flat.

[fendersrule]

One more progress update coming up: wet sanding with 600.

While this is off at the paint shop I'm going to be doing some last minute things so I can start riding it. I do have some questions:

1) I plan on changing the oil and filter. I suppose I can get the filter at Napa (don't care for FRAM at the other places). I've already got some Shell Rotella for it (I hope a gallon is enough). I'm going to use the manual to see how to change the oil, but I assume it's pretty easy. Do you guys recommend flushing the engine with anything?

2) It just got a brand spanking new battery yesterday. Filled it up with acid, let it stand for 30 minutes. I think checked the volts, and it was pushing out 12.7, telling me it was fully charged. I then went ahead and put it on a trickle charger for the time being.

3) I looked in the master cylinder reservoir, and it looked good. Wasn't perfectly clear, but it looks good enough. My new '72 CB450 however....murky brown...

4)I plan on using the Kerosine and bbs trick to the tank to flush it after painting since I have my doubts about vinegar. I've learned that things that soak in vinegar flash rust right away, even after rinsing with water. I'd be more curious about what to coat the inside of the tank with, and making sure that it coats everything (the '78 tank is far more complex inside than let's say, a CB450 tank as far as getting in every nook and cranny). I think the rust inside is pretty light, and it's something that probably can easily be handled by vinegar. I'm not sure if kerosine and bbs is too hardcore...

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

There's lots of concern voiced on the boards about the efficacy of different coating solutions.  Ethanol fuel seems to cause many of these to fail over time, and to corrode fiberglass as well.  I'm still waiting to hear the "word" on what works.  Unless you run race gas, most fuels available to the public (at least here in CA) have ethanol content.

[fendersrule]

Actually, I've been reading on how good Phosphoric Acid is, and how superior it is to vinegar.

You can get this stuff at any paint shop. There's many brands...SEM makes one. PPG has a gallon of it. But the POR 15 "Metal Ready" is sold for a cheaper price by the gallon, and it contains phosphoric acid and Zinc, just like the other ones.

The problem with vinegar is that it doesn't contain zinc. It will immediately flash rust. Zinc will cause that to not happen. I'll post my results using Metal Ready at a later time, but I really feel that this will be a great solution, but is a little bit more expensive (I think about $26 for a gallon).

[ezdzd]

Those emblems don't show up to often. Someone here might need it.

tt

I've been looking for that front emblem for my 78 for about a year.... It would be super awesome if you would sell it to me.

[toytuff]

Those emblems don't show up to often. Someone here might need it.

tt

I've been looking for that front emblem for my 78 for about a year.... It would be super awesome if you would sell it to me.

Already have dibs on it. Sent him a PM earlier today.

If it changes we will sure let you know. 

tt