funny how it is a year later since I bought the bike! I have learned SO much from this forum. my brain is a sponge and is soaking up little tid bits of info as well as too many DOH! moments. I am very thankful for the family-like support from you guys here. I have made some of my greatest friends on motorcycles and am sure that won't cease. enough of the sap, onto business.
I finally have something to report! I picked up a '75 engine from Bill Benton. it had the exhaust studs on it instead of the exhaust flanges. he was kind enough to help get them out before I brought the engine all the way back from ATL. they were a bear. well, 2 of them in the center where the most heat is were almost welded in there. lots of heat, penetrating oil, hammers, and finally vice grips did the trick. all other 6 were extracted with the double nut method. here is the only picture I took of the engine.
engine seems to be in good condition. he said it was higher mileage (30-50) and was taken out in favor of a hot rodded engine. crossing fingers for leak free/smoke free operation. if nothing else we got the cam chain tensioner adjusted, as well as the valves and timing. it was a fair amount of dirty and cakey. took lots of brushing, soda blasting, more brushing, more brushing, and more brushing to clean. then it was time for paint. I love the way Yolandas engine looked so I used the same VHT engine paint. cast aluminum #995. now to keep that pretty paint pretty. found a post here awhile back regarding engine paint curing. I am not taking this engine apart unless I have to, so I painted it whole like the first. I could not cure the first one though because it would not fit in the oven.
it would not fit in the KITCHEN oven, but nobody said you can't MAKE an oven. well that can't be accurate, I am sure someone has said that, but they haven't said it to me! I made an oven out of a cobbled together cardboard box large enough to fit over the entire assembly. I used a spray adhesive and lined the inside with aluminum foil. I cut a flap in the top for venting (didn't use it). I cut a hole in one corner of the shorter end to put my heat gun in there to blow heat along the long side and the cut another hole at the end of the long side facing across for my hair dryer. this way I could supply heat from the heat gun and use the hair dryer to really distribute the heat in the box. I also covered the table underneath with foil. cardboard does not ignite at a temperature that low so I was not concerned about fire. I sat outside and supervised the whole time though. I placed old t-shirts around the perimeter of the base to help insulate it. by golly it worked. I had a meat thermometer I used frequently to check in different places. coolest areas seemed to be 180 and hottest were 220. fine by me! I cured it for 1.5 hours and its solid as a rock! so now I have a portable parts curing oven that will fit a cb750 engine.
and when the engine emerged.....very pretty. I used about 6 coats of the VHT paint. 2 cans did the trick. 10-15 minutes between coats. kept the paint can warm. even though it was 55 outside, the warm paint seemed to stick and dry very well.
Don't mind the engine guard bar, it was used to help keep the engine propped up so it did not fall forward.
