Author Topic: '76 CB550F Survivor: Preservation vs. Restoration (Read 15203 times)

Tews19 · « **Reply #25 on:** August 30, 2013, 07:27:34 am »

Bridgestone bt45s I put on all...

Any thought into the PM?

sanglasmick · « **Reply #26 on:** August 30, 2013, 08:58:09 am »

+1 with Tews! Go with decent rubber. That's all that's between you and the road!!!

Scott S · « **Reply #27 on:** September 03, 2013, 04:01:56 pm »

Another "What should I do?".... The black paint is flaking off the Honda emblems.

I did go over the tank with some Meguire's 3 step cleaner/polish/wax. And a little chrome polish on the chrome. The aluminum still needs attention.

Scott S · « **Reply #28 on:** September 03, 2013, 04:05:02 pm »

Hmmm.....could this be the original air filter?

Why, Yes...I bet it is. Still in like new condition. The cotton is still soft!

Scott S · « **Reply #29 on:** September 03, 2013, 04:06:55 pm »

Worked on the bent/floppy LH turn signal. Actually have it straighter than the RH side now! I worked on the RH side a little, too. Not quite perfect, but certainly better than they were.

Scott S · « **Reply #30 on:** September 03, 2013, 04:11:01 pm »

Went ahead an pulled the carbs today.

Yeah...that's probably why it wasn't running at 100%. They actually weren't that bad, with #1 being the worst.

Scott S · « **Reply #31 on:** September 03, 2013, 04:13:42 pm »

A Simple Green and water bath, some carb cleaner, a little elbow grease...

The jets, emulsion tubes, slides and various other parts are soaking in a bucket of Berryman's until tomorrow. I'm waiting on new O-rings and needle valves/seats to show up for reassembly.

Scott S · « **Reply #32 on:** September 03, 2013, 04:15:19 pm »

This is my first F bike; all the others have been K models. What's up with this?

And what's this bracket for?

BeSeeingYou · « **Reply #33 on:** September 03, 2013, 05:26:37 pm »

Quote from: Scott S on September 03, 2013, 04:15:19 pm

This is my first F bike; all the others have been K models. What's up with this?

And what's this bracket for?

That may just be a junction box for electrical wiring. The 750F has one also but a different shape and location. I would vote for preservation. I had the same decision when I got my F1 though I would say mine was in even nicer shape with 6400 on the clock. I just polished up the chrome, touched up any corrosion on the frame and started to drive it. Didn't polish any aluminum. I try and take very good care of it but stuff happens and it gets little nicks and dings but you can tell it's an unrestored original and I like that better than a shiny full blown resto that you are afraid to drive any distance. I just did a 400 mile trip up to "lake country" and I am still cleaning the bugs off.

They aren't that valuable so just enjoy it and maybe down the road when it starts to show it's age you can restore it. My bike is not as nice as it was when I got it but my intention was to ride it not keep it as a museum piece. One thing you might do...I wish I had...take off the muffler and get something else in it's place. These original mufflers where so cheaply built they rust out just looking at them. Mine was really nice but now after 4 years it's rusting through in a few places. That way you have for the resto in the future. To find one it decent shape is almost impossible.

Scott S · « **Reply #34 on:** September 03, 2013, 05:45:37 pm »

Well, I DO have the Kerker that came with the bike....

Tews19 · « **Reply #35 on:** September 03, 2013, 07:11:13 pm »

If you notice the headlight bucket is smaller on the F then on the K's... Not enough room for the birds nest of wire harness so if you look the wires connect under the tank.. I actually like that set up more..

RAFster122s · « **Reply #36 on:** September 03, 2013, 07:33:56 pm »

I would repaint the pegs and kick stand. The forks and sidecovers can be stripped and simulated the original finish but it is a little risky. You polish them then use a red scotchbrite to scrub them in the original direction.
The failed/failing clear coat is allowing corrosion. ACF50 can help stop further corrosion.

It is a great piece of history, preserve it and enjoy it by riding it.

David

Sparked · « **Reply #37 on:** September 03, 2013, 08:55:27 pm »

Preservation is my vote. Clean it up without ruining the "story" of the patina.

Scott S · « **Reply #38 on:** September 04, 2013, 04:52:01 am »

Quote from: Tews19 on September 03, 2013, 07:11:13 pm

If you notice the headlight bucket is smaller on the F then on the K's... Not enough room for the birds nest of wire harness so if you look the wires connect under the tank.. I actually like that set up more..

That explains the bundle of wires when I built the STF bike. It had a 550F harness and there was a bundle of wires along the backbone....I guess they would have been covered by that junction box originally.
I have a couple of K bikes in the garage....off to compare headlight buckets!

Scott S · « **Reply #39 on:** September 04, 2013, 04:59:25 am »

Quote from: RAFster122S on September 03, 2013, 07:33:56 pm

I would repaint the pegs and kick stand. The forks and sidecovers can be stripped and simulated the original finish but it is a little risky. You polish them then use a red scotchbrite to scrub them in the original direction.
The failed/failing clear coat is allowing corrosion. ACF50 can help stop further corrosion.

It is a great piece of history, preserve it and enjoy it by riding it.

David

The kick stand got "restored" yesterday. I'll do the same for the pegs, eventually.

I like to disassemble as much as I can and not just spray bomb every nut and bolt with paint, if possible.
These are a set of 400F pegs I did; the 550F pegs will get the same treatment.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #40 on:** September 04, 2013, 10:39:17 am »

If you use an enamel or oil based like the Rustoleum in a can, you can bake the finish on low heat (provided you have permission from SWMBO or SO) for a couple hours and it will make the paint be more durable I'm told. FWIW

Scott S · « **Reply #41 on:** September 04, 2013, 10:49:18 am »

Believe it or not, WalMart gloss black in a spray can is some of the best paint I've ever used for some of this kind of stuff. VERY durable, about a dollar a can, and not TOO shiny. Works great for frames, pegs, stands, brackets, etc.

The pegs and centerstand got the treatment today.

I also did the 3,000 mile tune-up, minus setting the timing. As soon as I get the carbs back together and have it running again, I'll time it and synch the carbs.

Bankerdanny · « **Reply #42 on:** September 04, 2013, 12:41:36 pm »

Quote from: Tews19 on September 03, 2013, 07:11:13 pm

If you notice the headlight bucket is smaller on the F then on the K's... Not enough room for the birds nest of wire harness so if you look the wires connect under the tank.. I actually like that set up more..

I didn't know that. That explains some of the oddities I noticed when I did a preliminary fit of the '77 F harness onto the '75 K frame I am using. I knew I would need to make some changes to deal with a different key location and idiot light setup, but I didn't know some junctions were under the tank rather than in the headlamp shell.

Scott S · « **Reply #43 on:** September 05, 2013, 11:18:28 am »

EvapoRust worked just fine on the tank! I threw in a few "tumbling stones" that I've had from an old job and shook, rotated and let it sit, turning it every now and then. Dumped it out, rinsed, poured in some denatured alcohol, dumped that out, then air dried and let it sit in the sun before adding a few ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil to coat it.

Scott S · « **Reply #44 on:** September 05, 2013, 11:22:01 am »

This explains why trash was getting into the carbs: broken fuel filter.

Luckily, I had a spare, good filter that was on a leaky petcock (these '76 only petcocks were a faulty design and Honda replaced them the next year). Swapped it over and now I won't need to run inline filters. Clean carbs, clean tank, clean filter, new lines, all good!

greenjeans · « **Reply #45 on:** September 05, 2013, 01:02:05 pm »

What a find. Those carbs look absolutely fabulous - you can tell you got a good one by the brightness of that cadmium plating on there - still has a good gold color to it. So very jealous.

On the rare occasion I find one that is that nice, I usually do the engine cover bolts one at a time - just a quick shine. Amazing what it does to the appearance of the motor.

She's a beauty.

Scott S · « **Reply #46 on:** September 10, 2013, 05:07:50 pm »

Got the carbs back on today. I hope to fire her up soon so I can set the timing and synch the carbs.

I also went over the clutch cover with some 320 grit and a few different grades of Skotch Brite pads, followed by 0000 steel wool and aluminum polish.
The little end cover I'm holding is an NOS piece .... I'd say my finish is pretty close! It's not perfect, seeing as I did it on the bike, but it's not OVER restored, either.

I'll do the sprocket cover and alternator cover soon, too. I'll probably just pull the forks when I have the new tires mounted and give them the same treatment, as well as some fresh fork oil.
I am NOT looking forward to doing the tappet covers, though!

KennyRedman · « **Reply #47 on:** September 10, 2013, 05:11:43 pm »

Looks great, Scott. I need to find the plastic filter part for my petcock, too.

Stev-o · « **Reply #48 on:** September 10, 2013, 07:21:40 pm »

Agree with your decision to paint the kickstand and pegs. Why would you want rust?

Scott S · « **Reply #49 on:** September 16, 2013, 12:03:58 pm »

New stock grips and levers.

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Author Topic: '76 CB550F Survivor: Preservation vs. Restoration (Read 15203 times)