Topic: First bike, first build.....76' CB550f...*new pics and a short vid!!*

[Bru-tom]

hey guys! several weeks ago i got my learners licence to ride a motorcycle for the first time in my 28 years on this earth, why it took me so long, i dont have an answer to that! 

none the less, 3 days later i bought a Kawa Z200 in pristine condition. but being almost 6ft5" i needed something bigger.

i looked long and hard to find something with a good platform to start building off. many many hours of searching and seeing these bikes are really sought after no matter where you are from, i came upon this beauty for half the average going price. There was something about this bike that was different than the others id seen, so i bit the bullet and went out blazing to make sure i get her. not much was known about the bike by the lady selling, so my gut took over....

With her being 1000 odd km away, i got a mate to go check her out for me with limited bike knowledge, needless to say, many other potential buyers were hounding the lady to sell, but i had already secured the deal! i must have changed my mind a millions times trying to decide whether i should go for something that doesn't kick start, motor hardly turns over, no battery, this and that.....

a week later and 1.5 days late, 11pm on a Saturday night, she arrived!

add pic:



first day of stripping and attempting to get her to start Jaya3 and i found a few odd and ends:

-kick start shafts spline is shot, assumed that the kick start lever was not fastened properly.
-tank is rusting inside, minor though.
-filters are clogged with miffed old fuel.
-a blown front Tyre and tube; doesn't make moving around too easy!
-carbs are sticky, really sticky and funked up with old fuel.
-ignition switch not making contact properly

so thats the basic list of "to do's" before i think any real progress can be made..she needs to start and eliminate my fears of it being a dud...

my mate jay reckoned we swap carbs to see what state the motor is in... after sorting that out, connecting a battery, fixed ignition switch....

"VOILA"!!! she started on like the 2nd push of the start button! as if it last ran yesterday! was super stoked!

a few pics:











excuse the chops, been a while since i last posted pics...

so the main thing id like to do now, is fix the carbs up. the frame was also painted with hammerite and is in superb condition! otherwise, everything else has surface rust on, but nothing some electroplating/powder coating cant sort out 

ok, so to my horror, i found that my tank had a flat spot on the one side...turns out that there is a blemmin plate that has been welded in is responsible. stripped the gunk off and this is what iv found:







so my options for now are: fix, fix and/or fix. i hammered the high spots out as much as possible without causing more damage. going to deoxidene and clean the inside of the tank before i do anything to the outside. then etch-primer the bare metal before filling with some good  quality filler and then shape. as you can see from the last pic, the welds are pretty high and tried to remove as much metal as possible so it will not affect the badge once its finished. i think i need to remove more and TIG it closed if i go thorugh...

i did however find a cb750k tank to try out, but....you decide:











my feeling is that its a tad too large so i am going to return it and just fix mine for now....UNLESS, once of you kind fellas can wort me out with a replacement :thumleft:

my puppy says hi:

:biggrin:

did some work on my carbs...got them back from a guy who loosened them up and sorted them out. i found that one of the needle valves little spring pin was not extending or pushing out. i tried soaking it in everything i could lay my hands on and nothing. searched the net and it turns out that these things are helluva expensive to bring into the country. so i started picking at the end of it and eventually got it to move a fraction of a mm. so there was hope.... and then, after hours of tinkering, it popped out! yay!

here she is fitted:



and while i was at it, i set the float levels at the 22mm as per the books:





turns out that they were +- 6mm out! with my limited knowledge, the pickup when the float is at its highest wouldn't pic up any fuel because the pickup would have been above the fuel level...but yeah, going to test them today. wish me luck.

if they work i want to strip once more, and make them pretty again! :biggrin:

anyways, the carbs run 100%! well, at idle at least. i think she may be running a lil lean, when you rev up a bit, she splutters and kinda backfires. but wont know until i ride her.

anyways, i have been doing a ton of research regarding cleaning of carbs cases etc. there is a million different "home brews" one can choose from. but i think i want to try the baking soda blasting technique.

here is my home made blasting kit 

all found at the hardware store and bits i had at home.

had the pneumatic coupling bits laying at home, drilled a hole in the top of the air gun thing, i tried silver soldering the fitting onto the gun, but wouldnt take to alli-duh so pratley steel sorted that problem out for me:



drilled a hole in the lid of a little plastic bottle i found at a plastic warehouse shop and fitted the other side of the fitting thing. i dont really have a name for anything i used, as its a concoction of various pneumatic bits i had...also added a o-ring seal i had laying around and seemed to fit perfectly in there....





and fitted:



going to try my new kit out very soon!

i found these babies i think i may fort to my car just for fun. and to practice my skills at rebuilding carbs- hahaha, weber suckers!











as you can see they are pretty messed up with crud and stuff! i have soaked them in clean green, 2l neat in a bucket. just to get all the muck off.

lets see whats il decide to do next?...

 finally got my bike home after sitting at Jays place for a coupla weeks, lets just say i had some space issues lol.....and subsequently have more now hahaha.

the clutch was stuck, had to ride it around the block a few times but managed to get it loose with jays help. got her running good enough to ride her home yesterday. a fake license plate later and we were on our way  :biggrin: she ran like a dream pulls really nicely. the clutch i will strip and clean all the bits nicely and im sure that will solve that problem. along with a nice newly lubed cable 

i also found that there was some surprisingly hot stuff spitting onto my leg while riding. and it turns out that i have an oil leak from the head gasket. not exactly the nicest of finds, but i did really want to have a look inside and do some maintenance while its open.

need some tips here from ya fellas though... i was thinking to replace the following whole open:

-do comp test, if needed, replace rings
-replace stem seals
-cam chain

if's:
-cam chain tensioner? is it necessary?
-what about mains and big end bearings?
-
-
-
-
-

any other things i should replace while im at it?

aaaanyway, i started the strip down today. got 90% of the stuff off the rear, all wires clearly marked. luckily, everything was working before i stripped, so i have no excuse to have wiring problems later on! 

my front brake caliper has always been stuck, had to loosen off the caliper in order to move my bike around. finally got round to taking a closer look. seems that these older bikes do suffer from brake issues while standing.

got the piston out with the master cylinder, didnt want to go the pneumatic or grease gun method to break her loose...yet, and got to see that my master cylinder still works 

the piston is quite pitted though, is this beyond re-use? will the seal still work? if not, i saw some for sale in Stainless Steel on david silver spares, so i may just turn one up on the lathe when i head back next week.... any concerns?







inside; i think a good clean up with suffice and a new oring will do the job...





lastly, what is this washer for, looks like nylon and i think it was between the caliper piston and pad?



it kinda shot out when the piston gave way  :biggrin:

and finally, just to show that soda blasting does in fact work! need a tad more pressure though, only hit t with 6bar...could do with 8 though..







not the cleanest, but the alli was really really pitted and corroded from standing for 20 years!

[Bru-tom]

here are some teasers to show you what iv been doing all week long....and when i say long... i mean mofo long!  :biggrin:





will post more pics tomorrow or so...

thanks for looking

[brooze72]

Wow, nice job on the polishing!  Good work.  Yes you are correct about the nylon washer that lives between the caliper piston & brake pad.  Not sure I would trust that piston to not tear up a new seal, just sayin, maybe look for a replacement IMO.

[Bru-tom]

thanks mate! yeah, i have sourced one from TTR400.com. he actually lives here in SA! bonus! i have stripped my bike down to the frame now. i want to clean up the flakey paint tomorrow and get her nice and clean before i pop the head off and see what seals need replacing before i order from DSS.

i have polished quite a bit more, i am really happy with most of the parts especially the original handlebar switches
i will post more pics this weekend.

i am so lucky all my wiring was still orig, yes, some fixing here and there, but all its all still colour for colour and it all worked before i stripped it all off, so i have no excuse for when it goes back on hahaha

[KennyRedman]

Looks great! My caliper piston looks a bit like that.  I'm going to get a new one, as I'd hate to lose any brake fluid- best to be safe than sorry.

[Bru-tom]

i agree 100%!

i was going to make a stainless one at work, but due to the galvanic properties on stainless and allu caliper, and the hydro brake fluid loves absorbing water, there will actually be a reaction that will take place that will lead to the piston eating away at my caliper! and with the price of those, i think $40 for a phenolic piston is a small price to pay!

[Bru-tom]

another sneak peak



before draining my oil, i "tried" to remove the oil filter housing bolt only to find its a common part to  give trouble getting out. it didnt help that the PO screwed the head up so bad that it took me like an hour and a half to get the thing off! needless to say it came off. im damn disappointed that i never took a pic of it before repairing.

now because im on a budget, i decided to repair instead of replace. i slapped her in a lathe at work, turned down the head. Tig welded another bolt head i found, not the right OD though, so i machined down a washer to fit over the welded bolt and welded it to the nut i previously welded on. quite a lot of work to only save $15 hahaha. but its a saving and i now have a 17 hex head now instead of the measly 12 hex!

[Bru-tom]

more updates:

here is some polished bits i have also done.

i did the side covers already, but had to fit them to the motor to seal it up before i stripped the paint off of it.



i am also supper stoked to have been able to repair my original switches and get them operating and looking really good!





i had to fix this switch, all that was there was the white inner piece. the knob part was broken off. had to pin it and glue it on. Its really strong now!



pic of the left side:



thanks for looking

[Bru-tom]

my major thing to do today was strip as much flakey paint of as possible. I needed to seal all the holes up as there would be lots of water involved.

I went to my local hardware store and found these beauties! perfect fit in my exhaust ports..





added some red rubber grease to everything that i thought may let water in and i was good to go.

some before pics, my Pit, Ozzy wanted to know what was in the bag lol





Applied first layer of paint stripper, what a messy substance!





and after some scrubing:





you can see what my other passion is in the background, my collection of vintage grills



thats all for now

[Bru-tom]

i got busy again today, started with removing the already stripped-headed bolts and screws from the tappet cover. I had to use the dreaded chisel and hammer on some and one size smaller socket smacked on, on the others. what a pain in the arse i tell you. people that screw these things up like this should not DIY!

none the less, great success and no damage incurred to the tappet cover.

After some inspection, the PO also stuffed the rubber sealing gasket, with gasket maker....and silicon FFS!

what i pulled off the top:



from:



but good news, rocker arms are in great shape!





bearing surfaces also in great nick (that's oil on the lobe):



if you look at the far right bottom, i also had to remove a previously snapped tappet bolt, i mean, how tight did he want to tighten the blemmin' thing?!?!





and that was that....

I really battled to loosen the lock nuts on the tappet adjusting screws. Seems there are s few stripped nuts there too. going to have to replace them too. Found one screw face pitted, but no damage to valve so its replacement time for that one too, for safety sake.

next on my to do list, remove head and inspect where the leak is coming from...

thanks for looking

[Bankerdanny]

It's all looking good.  Polishing is a skill I really want to acquire.

Personally I believe that if you are going to pull the head, even if you don't replace the chain you might as well replace the tensioner unless it is in perfect condition (which is highly unlikely). It's a regular wear part.

What kind of car are you thinking of using those old Webers on?

[Stev-o]

Fantastic polishing! And I like how you make do with what you have. What's next?

[Bru-tom]

its not too difficult, just takes time

thanks for the advice! which tensioner part though?

see here:

1: https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB550F0-SUPER-SPORT-1975-USA/part_4741/
2: https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB550F0-SUPER-SPORT-1975-USA/part_176172/
or 3: https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB550F0-SUPER-SPORT-1975-USA/part_4740/

all the above are quite expesive i might add

i am replacing the chain though, just to be on the safe side.

they were off my dad old alfa, they were laying around so i thought id spruce them up a bit. was going to fit them to my vw mk1 1.8 GTi, but this powerplant is waiting to be installed, one of VW most awesome motors ever produced, 2l 16v ABF, completely rebuilt with Jenvey Direct to head ITB's:













sorry about all the pics 

[Bru-tom]

Fantastic polishing! And I like how you make do with what you have. What's next?

thank you buddy, i cant afford to replace everything thats broken, i am an apprentice ATM

well, my head needs to come off, im building a rear hoop this week and hopefully ordering parts.

and cam tensioner, hope bankerdanny chimes in and advises me which part

[brandEn]

Thanks for all the pics! Looking like a great project thread.

[Bru-tom]

Thanks for all the pics! Looking like a great project thread.

not a problem, always enjoy taking them

[Stev-o]

That V Dub motor looks great and that explains your mechanical skills on your first bike. 
BTW, a 550F was my first SOHC Honda, great bike.

[Bru-tom]

thanks mate. it was my first motor i ever built. the internet taught me everything i know! hahaha

im loving the bike so far, especially the way it delivers power and the sound is fantastic! I never could see myself on a bike before, especially a new school one, but the older 70's bikes are wicked!

[FunJimmy]

Good looking build.
Subscribed

[Bankerdanny]

You know, I have never actually looked to see what the tensioner parts cost. they are kind of pricey, and not all of them are available either.

[Bru-tom]

You know, I have never actually looked to see what the tensioner parts cost. they are kind of pricey, and not all of them are available either.

hahaha, now you have and see why i want to be specific 

im going to hopefully remove the buggers from the motor later and have a look see myself see whats potting...

[Bru-tom]

Good looking build.
Subscribed

thanks mate, i just cant find enough time to work on it...well, if i had my way i wouldnt have a job

[Bru-tom]

so here it goes, some before pics, after a slight polish and repair on the float bowl screw threads, had to re-drill and tap m5...



its always good to make a reference and mark each carb, i scratched the corresponding number in each foat section:



you need to remove some parts, not all pictured below, i only thought of this now... but here are some:



this puppy here needs to be removed to the left if looking from the same direction as two oics up. be sure to loosen the throttle cable assembly thing with the spring and the two ends that attach it to the base plate, also pictured next. There will be two keys that come expose themselves after the shaft starts moving out (to the left) so keep them safe for reassembly later on.





there are also linkages that you need to remove with little ball joints on the ends that operate the slides.

there will be two of these, i will be replacing these o-rings from a industrial o-ring supplier and the fuel resistant type. i will, be posting sizes of all the o-rings i will  be replacing so you all can save a few bucks on your carb rebuils..



i then removed the butterflies:



next i removed the choke butterfly shafts, make sure you note the order of all the washers and stuff, so it makes your life easier later on when you assemble.



i then whooped the tops off and removed the small nut holding the shaft in and removed the slide with the needle.

 I found a sort of grease in there? or was it old sticky dirt?



also, see the floats, they get removed after the float bowls are removed, a little punch can be used to push the shaft out. mine were all stiff, they should be loose-ish. on the left is the shaft that holds to slide assembly in. be sure to remove the felt washer from the shaft bush area, it keeps dirt out (it might go missing when the cleaning process starts) place all washer etc back on the shaft after removal so you know here the bits go later on.



i then removed the float bowls, the  main jet retaining spring, the main jet (o-ring will be replaced), idle jet, needle and seat (o-ring will be replaced too. The emulsion tube was a pain to get out, it comes out the in the same direction as the main jet. do not damage the top when pressing on it to remove it, as the needle needs to slide in and out of it. mine was very stuck! but after a bit of brain storming, they all came out:





here is the needle and seat (o-ring will be replaced), with the main jet and idle jet which gets removed from the outside, it screw out and there is a spring under it. normally you would screw each one in until it stops while counting the turns, so you know where to set it when re-installing. Unfortunately, mine were all out, so i never bothred in for rich and out for leaner mixture. (I have done a lot of reading huh  )



fully stripped:





then after some cleaning with thinners, i soda blasted them with this DIY piece of kit:

http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/

they did not come out all shiny, but that didnt matter! they are clean and beautiful!

with some decent advice from harisuluv: no need to rinse them off after blasting (i was concerned with corrosion as the thinner left a white residue after cleaning them in it)none the less, they were super dirt free and dry before i blasted, so there was no reason why the soda would/could stick in any part of the carb. thats good 







so after all the blasting, i cleaned all the orifices out with compressed air for a while i might add, not because there was soda coming out, but because i wanted to make a million % sure they were all clear you will notice with the air shooting in all the the orifices and where they end up and make sure they are all clear. if they were dry to start off with, you wont have any issues

in the next few days i will be getting the all the o-rings needed for a complete rebuild including the float bowl sealing o-rings. will post sizes too as mentioned above.

some parts will be replated (dont like paint where there is fuel) and replace the main spring.

the jets and brass bits will be cleaned and serviced, so they can be reused.

thanks for reading

 

i also managed to finish my phosphor bronze bushes. it was a lot of work to be honest, i machined them to a hundredth and even a thousandth of a mm. hahaha, it was unnecessary i reckon, but hey, i measured a million times and cut a million times too 

when i stripped the swingarm, i found that there was little to no grease lubricating it. the bushes were seized and not doing what they were supposed to do. so out they came. one came out no probs, the other needed some wrestling. two cuts with a hacksaw and some wacks with a punch and out it came.







anyway, here are my measuring tools used:



i firstly machined the length of the bar, faced it and the flipped it round in the chuck, i like doing that because if i ever need to remove it, its way easier to centre it in the chuck as its level and straight.

machines the two OD's, 32mm and then the surface that meets the inside of the swingarm. The ID of the swingarm measured 26.495mm. a press fit for most material, the oversize measurement that one should use is: 0,001mm oversize if anything oversize at all, an exact mach for size will press in good and tight on its own. Anything more then you risk in the inner pinion mating surface can collapse enough to cause issues. i left 1mm of meat on so that if i run into any issues when boring the inside, i can come back and finish the outside off without trashing the entire job.



drilled the centre out, went with a 19mm and left the rest to boring...



i also machined three rings in the inside of the bush so that the grease could lube the mating surfaces as my pinion doesnt have the spiral cutouts, and joined them with two longitudinal slots with a special tool i made. i ran it up and down in 0.2mm increments from the inside edge to the outermost ring, not going the full length as then the chances of the grease oozing out the outer bits more likely.

i did have some minor wear on the ends of the pinion due to the original bushes being seized onto it and not lubed. so i polished them up with some wet and dry 600 grit sandpaper.

All done! took some time, it took up to 10 tiny cuts to get rid of 0.05mm hahahaha, a bit anal i must say, rather too little than too much hey.....









now i need to remove the lower shock rubber bushes, then clean the paint up and press these babies in...

next on the list, bar end mirrors and indicators

i will post my progress with my complete rebuild this weekend, should a lekker update

[Bru-tom]

i already tack welded my rear hoop on, took a few tries to get it 100% round and the right bends etc, but im happy with it...

i welded a plate in the end of my cut on the frame and , then i welded the hoop to that. It seals the frame up nicely. also, i have a nice idea to add some strength and function below the hoop...

anyway, here she is an all her glory:



"i think you should cut here dad"



made a few cuts with the grinder, removed a bit here and there. i used a 2nd cut file on the left over welds and followed that with a 120 grit flap wheel thing on my grinder. my plan is so that the once painted, there must be no sign of there ever being any brackets etc there.





poser!









if you take a squiz at where the arrow is pointing, i am welding a triangular 5mm piece of steel, it will carry the lines of the bike and make a sweet indicator mounting point



weight reduction:



wanted to finish welding my rear hoop on and the indicator mounts, but after an afternoons cutting and grinding mission, im buggard, thats tomorrows job!

[Spike]

Write up, photos and mechanical work are very well done!  Keep up the good work!