Author Topic: 1977 CB750k restore project  (Read 34474 times)

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Offline edwardmorris

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #25 on: May 15, 2014, 10:03:20 AM »
Just noticed you're in Colorado, why not just get the swingarm rebuilt by Mark/Hondaman? He's in CO as well, won't need much for shipping...

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #26 on: May 15, 2014, 11:03:03 AM »
What more will hondaman provide other than new bushings in the swing arm?  However... A motor rebuild sounds a little more appealing.  Is he in the denver area?

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #27 on: May 15, 2014, 11:19:17 AM »
Holy crap, he's in Lakewood!  I live 10 minutes from the legend himself.  Contacting for sure.   

Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #28 on: May 15, 2014, 12:24:55 PM »
That would be like having Mike Rieck just down the road from me! 
1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

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1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
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Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #29 on: May 16, 2014, 08:45:03 AM »
I didn't have much time last night but I did accomplish some stuff.  I removed the swing arm main bushings and the rear shock bushings.  Those plastic pieces were a bear.  Finally got them by hack sawing slits in them, then taking a nail and hammering down the sides.  This broke them in half and they came out.  The rear shock bushings I used the long bolt and socket method and pushed them right out.  This worked really well.  I kept the old bearings to push in the new ones. 

I have a question regarding the engine mount bolt.  One of my mount bolts on the bottom of the frame bent close to the threads. Is it possible to straighten? 

I also called Woody's Wheel works here in Denver yesterday and asked them about spoke replacement and true.  They quoted about $420 for custom stainless steel spokes and what they call a "superlace" that is supposed to make the wheel stronger.  I saw Sohron do this in one of his threads.  Does that sound worth it?


Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #30 on: May 17, 2014, 09:47:06 PM »
I guess the extra cost is for a hand full more spokes since they do a "Super Lace" and maybe they up charge on that too.  Glad to get a perspective.  I'll call around. 

I started in on the air box last night. 


Untitled by dustygillingham, on Flickr

Both of the through bolts had issues.  This on the PO decided to glue shut but the bolt would spin on the inside.  The other side would also just spin in place.  I removed both of the them and all the other parts and started cleaning.  The seal between the top and bottom has always been all screwed up and never fit well.  I think the reason is the box is warped and doesn't fit well together.  Any ideas on how to get the box to fit better?


Untitled by dustygillingham, on Flickr

See how things don't line up?


Untitled by dustygillingham, on Flickr


Untitled by dustygillingham, on Flickr

Something else I wanted to ask, I always thought the bike leaned way over on the side stand.  Does this look bent to you?

Untitled by dustygillingham, on Flickr
 

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #31 on: May 17, 2014, 10:43:24 PM »
Okay, maybe it was the custom spokes and the different lace pattern. I asked them for a price with just spokes and super lace. No extras. I shop around for sure. I have time.

Any thoughts on the air box?

Offline edwardmorris

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #32 on: May 18, 2014, 05:28:02 PM »
Contact Bill/Benton Racing, he has a batcave full of all kinds of hen's teeth, he might be able to find you a good air box.

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #33 on: May 27, 2014, 09:38:35 AM »
I finally have some progress to report.  Between the sprinklers being busted, mountain bike getting stolen, and weekend travel the CB has taken second priority. 

Anyways I got the tires off which was bear.  The rims don't look too rusted on the inside.  They will go to powder coat with the frame and everything else.



I got the bearings out of the front hub.  These weren't too bad either. 
If I order an all balls bearing for the front does it come with a new retainer ring?  it says seal but they seem to be the same thing. 



On the back hub I could only get the brake side bearing out.  The others will not budge.  I'll have to take them to someone with a hydraulic press. Side note, if you own a dewalt 4" grinder, the tool that comes with it fits the rear bearing retainer perfectly. 



I took the air box completely apart and used some longer bolts with washers and wing nuts on the button to secure the box.  This seems to pull the box together like it should be.  The other bolts would spin in place so I couldn't get the box tight enough to pull things together correctly.  I spent some time on it and the inner plastic fender cleaning and things came out pretty good.   There is no longer a seal between the boxes but I might just try to make one by laying some rubber silicon in the grove.   



I should be taking a bunch of items to powder coat this week, I just need to get the bearings out of the hub. 

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #34 on: June 03, 2014, 09:15:28 AM »
Posting a quick update.  I've accomplished very little with the project. 

I busted the hub on the inter retainer ring, but found a replacement from a member so hopefully that will show up shortly. 

Question on the hub, do people usually replace these rubber dampers inside the hub?  mine are cracked, and I don' know the state of the ones that will show up.


I redid the main ground and battery cables with some left over wiring I had.  Big nice 0 awg wires.  I still need to come up with a protection boot for the connections. 


I tried to get the pitting out of the fork tubes but the chips won't come out.  I tried aluminum foil and water, sand paper, steel wool, buffing wheel and those chips seem to be there to stay.  Should I replace the tubes or just do my best to smooth them out and call it good?



Do people typically replace the lower shock bushings in the swing arm?  I haven't seen them for sale.


Fun stuff is approaching, I plan to drop off things to powder coat this Friday.  I'll probably do everything but the wheels and do the wheels at a later time since I'll be waiting on the new hub.  I also got in touch with Hondaman and sounds like I'll be dropping my engine off with him in the near future for a good Hondaman tune and look over. 

Any thoughts on powder coat gloss? I was going to do a solid flat black but now I think I want a little gloss. 

I'm looking for a set of good inexpensive rear shocks.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.


Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #35 on: August 22, 2014, 01:37:18 PM »
So Summer was the worst time to start this project.  Not getting much done.  I did get all my parts back from powder coat though and i'm super pumped on the color.  10% gloss was a perfect choice. 

I also dropped my motor off with the Hondaman himself.  He's going through the top end.  I probably won't break into the bottom end.  that guy is a encyclopedia of information.  He suggested to not paint the engine and just polish things and it will perform better.   

He also had a pair of 750F fork tubes that were the same diameter as mine.  I think i'll pick those up off him, they're 7/8 inch longer but that shouldn't be a problem.  I do need to check the inner diameter though because when you buy the new piston rings they come in two different sizes. 

I'm almost done cleaning up my controls and will paint and put them back together shortly.

Next up is to order some spokes and lace the wheels, put the forks back together. 

I'll post pictures later on.   

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #36 on: October 02, 2014, 08:47:44 PM »
I dropped my motor off with Hondaman.  The man is just a major encyclopedia of Honda CB750 information.  I was going to install some bushing I bought online for the swing arm, but he showed me they wouldn't fit.  He has a process to make custom bushings and he taps out the swing arm bolt to install grease certs.  It made a lot of sense and this way I won't have to replace in a few years. 

Got my stuff back from powder coat a few weeks back, I love the color! 
Untitled


I got my tank all sanded and my paint booth made. 

Untitled

Make sure to put a vent in!  I started out without one and couldn't see anything. 


Found this when sanding the gas tank lid


I got the seat off and found some cracks.  I wish I would have dropped this off at powder coat with the other items but I'll just paint instead.  I'm using it as my test product to get the spray gun working right when I start painting.  I repaired the crack with JB Weld


I got my graphic made up by my friend who does design.  the skull stencil matches what use to be there and I had him add Honda. 
Untitled

I want a 750 decal for the side covers yet but haven't found one that I like so far.  I basically want one like this bike:
http://www.cb750cafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/lunsford120-500x281.jpg


sorry for the fuzzy picture.  I patched all the holes in the air box.  Hondaman strongly encouraged against having holes in the box.  The man knows his stuff so I fixed it with some plastic repair.  I'll sand and paint with my other plastic products. 


I got the epoxy primer and high build primer down.  now I just need to find some flat white paint for the skull and get the stencil decal actually made.  Automotive paint is freakin expensive.  I went with SEM Hotrod black kit for the black paint so i'll probably get the SEM white paint as well.  Getting the decal made has been a pain too.  No one will make just too small stickers for a reasonable price.  Kinkos said they would make a decal but it's not removable and might pull the paint off.  Any suggestions for a place to order custom removable decals on the internet?
image

I put the forks back together too, my first reassembly and move in the right direction.  I got some fork tubes from Hondaman for a steal with springs!  They are for a CB750 F0 and slightly longer but diameter is correct and that's what matters.  Plus they're clean and smooth unlike my flaked out old ones. 

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #37 on: December 01, 2014, 05:12:00 PM »
Got some good progress to report. Finished all my painting and I'm super happy with it. I used the SEM hot rod black and white kits with a harbor freight HVLP gun. I wish I would have done more than 2 fill primer coats because the bodywork does show, but oh well it's much better than before.

I got the stencil stickers printed at carstickers.com. It was super cheap and easy.

I only got a little paint bleed on the side cover pin stripes.

Hondaman is in the motor and already finished my custom swing arm bushings and bolt fitted with a grease zert and track for grease to actually get to the bushings. This is a much better option then putting in the bronze bushings you buy from any of the common cb750 stores. He's much better at explaining it but basically there are four different sizes on the swing arms and the design of the 77 doesn't allow grease to actually get around the bushings. He's done thousands of swing arms. Trust me, he knows best.

I'll post pictures when I get home from traveling.

My next task is to rebuild the wheels. I ordered Buchanan spokes but forgot to measure my offset and I have no idea how to obtain that info. I basically need someone to measure theirs for me.

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #38 on: December 07, 2014, 07:15:14 PM »
Okay, finally got some spare time to update the project posts.  I think there's only a few people following anyways. 

I was waiting to paint my controls with the rest of my items so I finally got to rebuild them and put them back together.  I did a full write up here since there wasn't one on the forum showing pictures of the left controls. 

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=143351.0

Here are some shots of the paint job. 

If you look at my profile pick, I got the bike with a skull/bones decal painted on it.  It was super rough and I loved it.  here's a slightly cleaner version. 




[url=https://flic.kr/p/q2iuLK]


Here is my swing arm back from Hondaman.  I highly recommend having him do your bushings, especially if you have a 77 or later like me. 

[url=https://flic.kr/p/qiyTwv]


Offline AintNoEasyWay

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #39 on: December 08, 2014, 05:33:49 AM »
The decal looks sweet. Now you've got me thinking about sending my swingarm out to the one & only Hondaman.

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #40 on: December 08, 2014, 11:35:47 AM »
. Hey Calj. What you see is all paint. I painted the white, put the decal down then painted black and pealed the decal off. The SEM product says to not put a clear coat on. I called SEM to ask them about gas on the tank and they said it's very durable and the clear coat is not recommended

Offline martin99

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #41 on: December 08, 2014, 01:14:01 PM »
Okay, finally got some spare time to update the project posts.  I think there's only a few people following anyways.

Don't bet on it! There may only be a few posting, but if you look at your view count you will see this is being followed with interest :)

I really like what you've done so far, the skull and crossbones harks back from the past when the image of us bikers was a bunch of greasers drinking, fighting, making a racket and just being generally unsociable. Halcyon days! ;D

Keep it up, I think you're going to end up with a good bike that's going to draw lots of attention.
Build threads:
77 750F2 Refresh Project http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=144075.0
TRIBSA http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,160296.0.html

1977 CB750 F2
1958 Norton Model 99
2011 Triumph Street Triple 675

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #42 on: December 08, 2014, 06:04:47 PM »
Great to hear that more people are checking out the build.  I'm sure it will draw more interest as things are about to pick up.  I should have the motor back from Hondaman soon and I'll have to clean and prep it. 

I called Buchanan today and I have to send in my hub so they can build a spoke for it.  The ones they sent don't fit.  I opted to send it in so they could make sure it fits just right.

Front Wheel laced up fine and i'm working on truing it right now.  I don't really understand how to start and my little gauge is all over the place.  I'm assuming you make sure it's straight then you worry about roundness. 

A center block brick and the axle is a pretty simple way to get the bearings in. 

Powder coat wheel laced up with Buchanan spokes

Borrowed a truing stand from Hondaman and bought a Harbor Freight gauge.  I didn't see the need to buy the arm to attach it ad I just clamped mine on.  Gauge is not shown.

Offline edwardmorris

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #43 on: December 08, 2014, 09:17:07 PM »
.......A center block brick and the axle is a pretty simple way to get the bearings in.........
Just going by the pic here, did you set the hub with the center lined with the hole in the block, then hammer the bearing down using the axle? If so, you've dealt some serious damage to that bearing via side loading. They need to be tapped in gently by only hitting the outer race. For the recessed one, you need to drive it the same way by stacking the old bearing on top, again, only hitting on the outer race.

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #44 on: December 08, 2014, 09:37:24 PM »
I froze the bearings and put the hubs in the oven. I could almost get them in by hand. I did use the old bearings to drive them the rest of the way. I gave them a few taps with just the axle but nothing serious and they feel glassy smooth.

Offline edwardmorris

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #45 on: December 09, 2014, 08:55:59 AM »
I froze the bearings and put the hubs in the oven. I could almost get them in by hand. I did use the old bearings to drive them the rest of the way. I gave them a few taps with just the axle but nothing serious and they feel glassy smooth.
Cool. So how does it feel having the legendary superhero for a neighbor  ;D?

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #46 on: December 09, 2014, 11:56:51 AM »
I have to say this re-build would be very different without his help.  ask him questions constantly about all parts of the motorcycle.  It's amazing the numbers, tolerances, history, parts, ....everything he knows off the top of his head about these bikes. 

He's got his work cut out for him on the 1977 pistons though.  You can't order replacements so's he's trying to get a 1980's DOHC CB piston to work in my motor.  I needed new internals pretty pad, valve guides especially.

 

Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #47 on: January 07, 2015, 09:06:14 PM »
I really wish things were going faster but that's just life. 

I got my steering bearings installed with the help of Hondaman, I already had tapered bearings but didn't even realize they weren't stock.  this made replacing pretty easy because it was basically a piece for piece swap.  I pressed the races in with the old races, which worked pretty good.  still required some tapping with a hammer towards the end. 






I got the triple tree installed and put the bars on, I feel like these Ultra low renthal bars will be exactly the look i wanted. 



I went with smaller more modern gauges and just made the original gauge bracket work.  I cut off the edges and drilled some new holes so the gauges would be in the location that i wanted them to be. 



I could have just used the brackets that came with the gauges but I didn't like how high and how far out it spaced the gauges.  I liked them sitting lower and closer in.  This is as low as I could get them till the backs hit the ignition switch. 



I started polishing my valve cover but i'm not really happy with it.  I subbed clean with a scotch bright pad on a diy grinder, then sanded, 180-220-400-500-600-800-1000 then polished brown then polished white. So much work for not as shinny as you want it.  my hands were destroyed from sanding.  I think i'm going to sand again though to try and get things shinny and smoother.  I'll post after pictures later.  any tips for sanding these things? or polishing?



Offline dgilling

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #48 on: January 08, 2015, 09:15:45 AM »
Gauges: check interference against the back of your headlight bucket. Pulling the gauges in and down can create a different problem there.

CalJ this is something I didn't think about, but I am planning on going with a bottom mount bates style light or something different.  I don't really like the look of the headlight ears.  If it interferes with the gauges then I'll probably build a small bracket to extend the bottom mount out a little further.  Either way, something I didn't think about.   

Steering stem: your picture didn't show it, but just in case, did you install the threaded spanner nut under the top clamp too?

You can kind of see it in the handlebar picture, i'm pretty sure I have this all installed correctly. 

Polishing: the part needs to be "clean" first. If you decreased it really well, then try heating (bake @300 for 20 minutes) to help drive any grease and impurities out of the alloy. Then, start at about 320 grit. Then 600. Then wet sand with 800, 1200 and finally 2,000. Then move to the polishing wheel. Each cloth wheel needs to be really clean and you will need some serious pressure and time with each rouge to get a high polish lustre.

If you have access to a bead blaster, I bake, degrease, then use fine grit glass beads. Then I go straight to 800 and move up from there. The glass beads create a satin lustre and can even out a lot of the deep scratches and remove the oxidation without the effort of sanding.

I did a rough cleaning job to what I thought was pretty clean, but nothing like what you described.  Does putting it in the oven leave an aroma or anything to worry about for the same place I cook my food?  I also stayed in the same spot the whole time for the whole process which could have lead to cross contamination from older dirtier items.  I didn't clean up the work space till the very end.  After the polishing, which could have gotten dirty during the polishing process.  I would just set the diy grinder down on the bench.    I only had a diy grinder and drimel for the polishing too, so I couldn't put down a serious amount of pressure.  If I did the it would just keep the grinder or the drimel from spinning. 

I did wet sand on the higher numbers.

What do you use to degrease?  I used a regular orange degreaser spray and just wiped clean with a cloth.  do you soak? 

Offline seanbarney41

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Re: 1977 CB750k restore project
« Reply #49 on: January 08, 2015, 02:45:10 PM »
On your polishing...it looks like you didn't sand enough to even get the factory clear coat off, so that when you got to the buffer, the compound just gooped up in the clearcoat.  That factory clearcoat is pretty tough, I usually start sanding with 80 or 100 grit to get it off, or use paint stripper first.
If it works good, it looks good...