Topic: 1974 CB350F - First Restoration

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

A while ago someone on your build thread suggested: "There's an ebay vendor called gumtwo who sells great repro seat covers."  I would second that recommendation as I have ordered from him before and recovered a C105 seat with no complaint of his product, except that maybe the cover originally seemed to have a fold on it which has become less noticeable with time.  There were instructions on how to recover the original foam, and the fit and originality were excellent.

Sorry I should have been slightly more specific.... I looked at gumtwo and the covers look good.  However with the seat foam not being stock anymore would it be better attempting to go back to stock or looking for a seat cover that might fit my needs?  If the seat foam has been glued together wouldn't it be difficult to remove the pieces to make it stock size?  Or should I look at just getting a seat cover and attempting to upholster it to the new foam size?

From the look of you pictures, I'd try removing the added pieces.  They shouldn't be too hard to cut off (if really stuck I'd trim new foam adds above the joint with a sharp knife) and then you should have a block of foam that is close to the original shape - at least that's what it looks like to me.  With the new cover in hand, you should be able to confirm shape before mounting, and if needed add some more to the old.

Agreed.  You should be able to cut/trim the foam where it is joined to the additional material, and stick with an original-style repro cover.

[mark9331]

Tonight was a success!!!!  Took a little tweaking but she started up and was idling rough... So we changed the idle screw and seemed to run pretty smooth!  Pet Cock is functional now so need to clean the rest of the spray paint off and that will be done.

Today was spend money night as I ordered the rest of the parts to get her running nice and not as loud (1 exhaust pipe is rusted through).  Tried to get the oil bolt off with the engine a little warmer but no luck still.  I think I will try the chisel method first then move for dremel and screwdriver.  At the same time while I am waiting for parts I am going to rebuild the master cylinder.  I also need to think about getting her painted after I remove the rust.... Procrastinating on that because I know its going to be a messy pain in the ass.  Tomorrow is Friday and I think I will stop and get a cheap bottle of wine so I have a cork and can get it started.  I feel pretty good considering this is my first build of any kind and she is running after less than 3 weeks of ownership.  I also have to figure out why but the carbs were letting gas running freely I am not sure if a float got stuck or what.  It wasn't happening at first but when we tore them apart to re clean the slow jets one was running free.  I will have to look into that a little more but I do not think it is a big deal just the pin sticking.... I hope!

Next steps:

• Get Oil Filter Bolt Removed
• Get Front Brake Working
• Detail Detail Detail

I know you cant tell but this is a screenshot from the bike running.

[2strokeTrush]

If you have any questions feel free to shoot me a PM. Between you and 2strokeTRush working on your 350's I'm feeling pretty bad about not getting mine back together.

  Shoutout spotted.  Go work on your 350 man, I want to see some new pics of her outside of your build!!


Congrats on getting her running man thats always a great feeling!  Did she smoke much?  If I were you I could start soaking that tank now.  Soon you will want to ride her and dont want to be waiting around on a tank to soak itself clean!  BTW 4into1 has those oil filter bolts once you get it out.

[mark9331]

Congrats on getting her running man thats always a great feeling!  Did she smoke much?  If I were you I could start soaking that tank now.  Soon you will want to ride her and dont want to be waiting around on a tank to soak itself clean!  BTW 4into1 has those oil filter bolts once you get it out.

Thanks its pretty awesome!  I ordered the bolt from 4into1 already and is on its way!

No smoke what so ever.  It did spit rust and crap a good 5 feet though.  We had it rigged up through a squirt bottle and simple filled the carbs then turned her on for a few minutes a couple times and made sure she ran and idled nicely.  My plan is to get her soaking by Saturday.

I am going to attack the bike with the dremel tonight or tomorrow in hopes of not breaking anything but the bolt!

On other news I went to the PO and picked up the title today.  He asked about it and I told him I started it up last night but the oil bolt was stripped.  He said oh I dont remember that.... BS! Oh well.

[mark9331]

Hmm.. Still having a ton of trouble with the oil filter bolt.  I started to drill it out as cutting the slot did not work.  It looks like I need about a 3/4 inch drill bit to clear the bolt but any feedback from anyone that knows the actual dimension of the oil bolt would be great!  Right now I have a 3/8 inch drilled about 1/2 inch deep.

My boss as my front brake cylinder as he was going to use air to push it out then I can clean it up and reinstall.

I have cleaned the front fender and it looks really good.  Any suggestions on some of the metal on the bike that looks sun bleached and otherwise not as shiny brilliant black as it once was?  I am wondering if there is anything like the stuff you can put on black plastic to make it dark again?

Shipment of stuff should start arriving this week which is great news however the oil bolt is really going to slow me down.

I also poured vinegar in the gas tank yesterday up to the brim.  I plan on letting that sit for a couple days then filter it out with a cloth and keep doing that until the tank looks good.  I also used an unconventional method to plug the 3 holes on the bottom.  I was walking around Walmart looking for a good plug and couldn't find anything.  I actually found some foam ear plugs for $2 for 7 pairs and just put those it.  They work really well and have not let any liquid out!  FYI if anyone needs to plug those holes in the future.

[Bankerdanny]

FYI Mark, a pet cock is not what you think it is. The part the lets fuel out of your tank is a petcock. It's a small but important distinction.   

[mark9331]

FYI Mark, a pet cock is not what you think it is. The part the lets fuel out of your tank is a petcock. It's a small but important distinction. 

Correct.  The copper tube that distinguishes the reserve from the main tank completely corroded through.  I have not been able to pull the small part out of the petcock to replace the tube (if you can even replace it).  So when I run the tank I will be running the main tank however I will have no reserve due to the fact the tube is gone...

[mark9331]

For your metal restoration, try soaking some aluminum foil in water, then rubbing it on the metal. Follow up with a quality metal polish (Never Dull, Mothers, Meguiars, etc).

You really need to use a handheld propane torch on that oil bolt. The engine case and it are both aluminum so you can heat it up really well without risk of damage. There's an O-ring on the bolt and under the filter cover, so you'll end up having to replace those.

A last resort is to cut the head of the bolt of and pull the cover, then unscrew the shank afterwards. Can't believe you're having that much trouble.

The oil bolt is still giving me huge fits!  I borrowed some tapered drill bits but drilling with them is going very slowly....  The drill bit is either dull, metal super hard, or I am very weak!  I am hoping to have it out tonight as I spent 5 hours on it last night and a couple hours the night before!  I started with cutting the bolt head off as it was just not workable any more.  I then used a dremel drill bit to approximate the center of the bolt and start my pilot hole.  I gradually worked my way up to use the largest bit I had.  The next day (yesterday) my boss told me he had tapered drill bits in his car for some reason and dropped them off at my house.  Again the drilling with the tapered drill bits is flaking the bolt off versus actually drilling it.  This is probably due to the much greater surface area that the bit is taking up but either way it is annoying.  I am finally almost to the 13/16ths of an inch and hopefully that will be large enough.  I also must have spotted the center pretty good since I have not seen any case metal yet on any part.

On a positive note I got my  package from 4into1 and most of the other stuff I ordered will be here on Wednesday!  I also ordered a motobat battery as I did not want to deal with acid and SS brake lines.  I felt like I was neglecting my CBR so I ordered a helmet lock that mounts to the rear set instead of dealing with the seat all the time.

The dreaded bolt.....  You can see the taper and hopefully will break through tonight!!!!



This is an example of paint that I am trying to re finish or touch up or anything to make it look better without having to tear it all apart and get it repainted.... Please tell me there is another way in the short term...

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Of your fork ears are rusty on the outside, they are likely crusty on the inside face. It might be worth it to take off the top triple and the fork ears to inspect them. You can address the rust and repaint.

[jamesv220820]

Of your fork ears are rusty on the outside, they are likely crusty on the inside face. It might be worth it to take off the top triple and the fork ears to inspect them. You can address the rust and repaint.

agreed should only take you 15 minutes to get those bad boys off and you just follow the torque settings when putting the forks back on.

[2strokeTrush]

If your looking for a quick fix for the fork ears, I sanded mine down and then did 3 coats of PlastiDip. I think it looks good, Just a thought.

[mark9331]

So today the motorcycle gods decided I was worthy!!!!!!!  2 hours the day before yesterday, 5 hours yesterday, and 1 hour today the oil filter bolt finally came off!!!!!!!  I was using the step drill and I was getting very close to the case when the bolt moved and tightened.  It just moved a little so I decided to press really hard and turn the drill in reverse.  It backed the bolt out!  I was floored.  I couldn't believe that I was able to back the bolt out without any damage to the case or anything else.  It was pretty amazing.

But wait! It doesn't stop there!  I went to check the gas tank as it as been sitting since Saturday afternoon.  I used an old t shirt and filtered the vinegar as it came out.  There was soo much rust it kept clogging the t shirt and I had to find new area for the vinegar to seep through.  I then used my garden hose and rinsed the inside of the tank out to see where I stood.  I figured I would need to do this for about a week to get results.  Well I was very surprised to see the inside of the tank was 100% clean.  I mean it looks amazing!  Not a spot of rust.  Yet again I was simply amazed that this would work and I would be able to see results this quickly.  I ended up putting the filtered vinegar back in for 2 reasons.  The first being since I had the oil bolt off I wanted to re assemble that and put fresh oil back in the engine and did not want to lose that opportunity today by spending time rebuilding the petcock.  The second being that I washed it out multiple times and a couple of those hard to get flakes came out so I wanted to be 100% sure it would be clean and ready to go.

Tomorrow is bike night (people get together and converse about bikes at a random place).  So I am not sure how much I will get accomplished.  However, I am looking for advice on how to remove the old latch from my gas tank.  I have not been able to find a good tutorial on how to.  I started to drill the end out with the dremel but I stopped as I did not want to ruin the connection.  So any suggestions would be great!

Going along with the tank after I empty the vinegar out for good I read it is good to mix water and baking soda to stop the reaction.  Then should I quickly rebuild the petcock, reattach and fill completely with gas?  Or does it matter if I fill it completely and just have it part of the way full?  I do not want it to flash rust.  I ask because I am attempting to locate someone that will paint the tank and my side covers black for cheap and of course I need the tank empty to paint.  I emailed one place and they quoted me $400-$500!  My boss said if I find someone really cheap it should be around $100ish if they have left over paint or something.

Either way here are some pics to bask in the glory of the amazing motorcycle gods that finally threw me a bone!

Finally got the bolt off!!!!



I must have bad luck with Honda's.  The oil filter is from my CBR and it is from my first oil change.  It was on soo tight from the factory even the screw driver through the filter wouldn't work.  I ended up taking my farings off and using a c clamp to crush it and smack it with a hammer! (only took me 2 days vs 3 this time)  Yes I kept the oil filter and plan to keep the bolt as it reminds me of what a pain in the ass it was!



Pictures of the inside of the tank.  This is after the first rinse and it actually looks better now... All the black crap came off in the following rinses.

[mark9331]

If your looking for a quick fix for the fork ears, I sanded mine down and then did 3 coats of PlastiDip. I think it looks good, Just a thought.

Hmm I am not 100% familiar with Plasti Dip but I will have to look into it.  I am wondering if I should just wait until winter to really do more detail and powder coat.  With most of my parts arriving tomorrow I am really wanting to get her running in the next week or two and then ride her well!  I don't want her to be super ugly but at the same time she does not have to be the prettiest one out there!

[2strokeTrush]

If your looking for a quick fix for the fork ears, I sanded mine down and then did 3 coats of PlastiDip. I think it looks good, Just a thought.

Hmm I am not 100% familiar with Plasti Dip but I will have to look into it.  I am wondering if I should just wait until winter to really do more detail and powder coat.  With most of my parts arriving tomorrow I am really wanting to get her running in the next week or two and then ride her well!  I don't want her to be super ugly but at the same time she does not have to be the prettiest one out there!

PlastiDip is like spray paint but dries like a rubber spray,  It can be taken off with a pressure washer or peeled off like nothing was ever there.  May be what your looking for if you want to eventually go another route.  Available at most hardware stores.

[mark9331]

So this morning I was sitting here thinking... I have been so engrossed in the oil bolt and trying to remove it I have no idea what my next steps are!??!?!  I decided to put a list together of what I think everything that needs to happen to get the bike running/road worthy in no particular order:

• Remove Tires
• Replace Tires/Rim Strips/Tubes
• Install Seat
• Clean Exhaust Clamps
• Install Exhaust
• Install Jets in Carbs
• Install Carbs/Air box
• Install Fuel Lines/Overflow Lines
• Install Battery
• Install Throttle Cables
• Clean Master Cylinder
• Clean/Refurb Caliper
• Install Brake Line/Brake Parts
• Install Rear Turn Signals
• Finish Cleaning Tank
• Install New Latch on Tank
• Install Petcock
• Finish Cleaning Chain
• Inspect Sprockets and Hope they are good

It would also be nice to get the tank and side covers painted however this will not stop me from riding her!

Most of this list is very easy to do I think the hard parts for me will be the front brake and tires.  I am hoping this list is close to inclusive but I might not be able to see the forest for the trees.

[mark9331]

So this morning I was sitting here thinking... I have been so engrossed in the oil bolt and trying to remove it I have no idea what my next steps are!??!?!  I decided to put a list together of what I think everything that needs to happen to get the bike running/road worthy in no particular order:

• Remove Tires
• Replace Tires/Rim Strips/Tubes
• Install Seat
• Clean Exhaust Clamps
• Install Exhaust
• Install Jets in Carbs
• Install Carbs/Air box
• Install Fuel Lines/Overflow Lines
• Install Battery
• Install Throttle Cables
• Clean Master Cylinder
• Clean/Refurb Caliper
• Install Brake Line/Brake Parts
• Install Rear Turn Signals
• Finish Cleaning Tank
• Install New Latch on Tank
• Install Petcock
• Finish Cleaning Chain
• Inspect Sprockets and Hope they are good

It would also be nice to get the tank and side covers painted however this will not stop me from riding her!

Most of this list is very easy to do I think the hard parts for me will be the front brake and tires.  I am hoping this list is close to inclusive but I might not be able to see the forest for the trees.

I plan this weekend to get the tires and chain/sprockets complete.... Still Trying to figure out what to do about paint... I read some people doing pretty good jobs with rattle can however I also heard that if you get gas on it is no bueno so need to figure something out.

Tires Came!



The Dos Amigas



Some parts left to install

[mark9331]

Some things I did not think about purchasing that I probably need to purchase....

• Gas Cap Pin that connects cap to tank (Need to remove to repaint)
• Exhaust bolt and double sided threaded screw (one is extremely stuck and I cannot get the bullet style bolt off)
• 1 Clip to hold the emblem on (have 3 1 was missing)

Do you guys have any suggestions where I can get this stuff?  I would not need the exhaust pieces if I could get the bolt off... Any suggestions on that?

I know the clip for emblem is on 4into1 but I was hoping to order all at the same place....

[HondanutRider]

You may be able to reuse the gas cap pin.  The stud for the exhaust connection is likely a standard metric threaded one that maybe a dealer or auto parts place would have.  You just need to have the correct length and thread size (excess can be trimmed off); and the middle portion should not be threaded so that it can be tightened into the engine on the one side.  The clip for the emblem is similar to standard ones used for many years in auto application, so again an auto supply place probably can match up.  Otherwise, you are going to have to replace with OEM or specialty parts from a place like David Silver.

[jamesv220820]

wow your digging into the bike fast.  much faster then me lol.  So are you replacing the rear turn signals with OEM ones or are you going for a resto-mod look

[mark9331]

wow your digging into the bike fast.  much faster then me lol.  So are you replacing the rear turn signals with OEM ones or are you going for a resto-mod look

Doing a resto mod type right now.  The main goal was to get her running ASAP and then worry about getting her the way I want.  I actually just picked some cheap black metal ones off of ebay for $15 that will work for now and get her road worthy.  The old ones are really bad looking.

[mark9331]

Updated list of to do's.  I also found someone that would paint my tank and side covers by next weekend so I should be ready for the big reveal Memorial Day!  If my seat comes.... Still not 100% sure about it being here by then but we will see.

I also have a tentative plan on Saturday afternoon to remove the old tires and put the new ones on.  I also am going to plan to complete the rebuild of the front brake assuming the master cylinder doesn't need anything but cleaning.  If it does need more I will need to order parts.... Rufus from 4into1 probably loves me from this build!

I ordered a gas cap replacement pin from Ebay.  I have not gone to AutoZone or anything to check for the emblem cover but I will do that this weekend (plan to change oil on the other bike).  I will also attempt to get the bolt off before I really look into procuring another one.

• Remove Tires
• Replace Tires/Rim Strips/Tubes
• Install Seat
• Clean Exhaust Clamps
• Install Exhaust
• Install Jets in Carbs
• Install Carbs/Air box
• Install Fuel Lines/Overflow Lines
• Install Battery
• Install Throttle Cables
• Clean Master Cylinder
• Clean/Refurb Caliper
• Install Brake Line/Brake Parts
• Install Rear Turn Signals
• Finish Cleaning Tank
• Install New Latch on Tank
• Install Petcock
• Finish Cleaning Chain
• Inspect Sprockets and Hope they are good

Tank and Side Covers looking all nice and ready to be painted!



Looks ready to ride right?



Rear Pads besides being dirty do they look okay?  They worked nicely before rear wheel removal

[mark9331]

You need to re-grease the swing arm bushings and the steering head bearings. I didn't notice those on your list.

Ah good to know.  I will have to look up how to do that but should not be hard... I hope.  I am guessing I should do that before I put the wheels back on.

[mark9331]

Not a lot accomplished today...  I did drop the tank and side covers off to be repainted so that was my major win for the day.  I started to disassemble the master cylinder and I guess you need air to get the cylinder out so I will be taking that tomorrow along with my tires to get those complete.

• Remove Tires
• Replace Tires/Rim Strips/Tubes
• Install Seat
• Clean Exhaust Clamps
• Install Exhaust
• Install Jets in Carbs
• Install Carbs/Air box
• Install Fuel Lines/Overflow Lines
• Install Battery
• Install Throttle Cables
• Clean Master Cylinder
• Clean/Refurb Caliper
• Install Brake Line/Brake Parts
• Install Rear Turn Signals
• Finish Cleaning Tank
• Install New Latch on Tank
• Install Petcock
• Finish Cleaning Chain
• Inspect Sprockets and Hope they are good
• Grease Swing Arm Bushing
• Grease Steering Head Bearings

[jamesv220820]

You need to re-grease the swing arm bushings and the steering head bearings. I didn't notice those on your list.

Ah good to know.  I will have to look up how to do that but should not be hard... I hope.  I am guessing I should do that before I put the wheels back on.

The swing arm can be done with wheels in place. The front is easiest to do with forks out and wheels off. Be aware, there's dozens of tiny steel ball bearings in the upper and lower bearing race. When you open the steering head by sliding the stem down, those balls like to jump out, scatter about the garage floor like roaches in the kitchen and hide from you. A soft towel laid below helps catch them and corral them.

Do find the process in your manual so it is done properly. It may take an extra set of hands to loosen the front end up and wrangle the forks/steering head while holding the bike very steady. Inspect the balls for "flat spots" or misshapen appearance. They wear after years of improper greasing.

Ha I still find those little steel balls on occasion in my workspace!

[mark9331]

I mounted and balanced the wheels today.  It was a pretty cool experience as I have never done it before.  Relatively easy but still pretty cool.  The rear tire is more enduro that I would have liked however it will work for a season or two.

The master cylinder was a pain the butt to get apart.  I ended up ripping it apart and ordering a new one as I couldn't get it to budge with air pressure.

I am still struggling to get the piston out of the brake.  Applied about 60 lbs of air pressure to it but it did not budge.  It is not frozen since with a c clamp I was able to compress it.  I read on one of the forums I might need to use 80 to 100 lbs of pressure does that sound right?

Not sure how to clean the exhaust clamps.  You can tell they used to be shiny but they are rusted now.  I tried soak in simple green but that seemed to do nothing.

• Remove Tires
• Replace Tires/Rim Strips/Tubes
• Install Seat
• Clean Exhaust Clamps
• Install Exhaust
• Install Jets in Carbs
• Install Carbs/Air box
• Install Fuel Lines/Overflow Lines
• Install Battery
• Install Throttle Cables
• Clean Master Cylinder
• Rebuild Master Cylinder
• Clean/Refurb Caliper
• Install Brake Line/Brake Parts
• Install Rear Turn Signals
• Finish Cleaning Tank
• Install New Latch on Tank
• Install Petcock
• Finish Cleaning Chain
• Inspect Sprockets and Hope they are good
• Grease Swing Arm Bushing
• Grease Steering Head Bearing

Old Rear Tire on the Changer



Front Rim... The insides were a little rusted so we lined with duct tape and the rim strips to help.



Balancing the Front Tire.  it was perfectly balanced without doing anything.



Front Tire Re Installed on bike after some TLC.  The PO must have not used rim protectors to change the tires since there are scratches but it will work for now.