Topic: Patina Hyena - 550/650 674cc Hybrid Cafe Build

[DaveBarbier]

Ah, preheat. Interesting. How hot? Like out in the sun or in an oven?


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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

Spoke to a soda blaster who could blast my cases, jugs, head and valve cover for about $50. I plan on assembling the motor with no internals, then tape it all off. I was thinking of using maybe 2 layers of duct tape as the base gasket and head gasket for the blasting. And using painters tape between the case halves. The old valve cover and tappet cover o-rings should be enough for those areas. Anything wrong with this?


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1978 Honda CB550K

[MickB]

Dave I don't reckon you'd need to do that much, the soda'll just wash off with a good strong hoseing down.  Just make sure you get water down every hole and oil channel and stick the hose into the oil channel at the bottom of the engine

I got my engine put together for sand blasting and never used any gaskets. I used a minimum of bolts to hold it together and  only plugged the holes with bits of rags and I had no problems with gasket surfaces.

[DaveBarbier]

Dave I don't reckon you'd need to do that much, the soda'll just wash off with a good strong hoseing down.  Just make sure you get water down every hole and oil channel and stick the hose into the oil channel at the bottom of the engine

I got my engine put together for sand blasting and never used any gaskets. I used a minimum of bolts to hold it together and  only plugged the holes with bits of rags and I had no problems with gasket surfaces.

Thanks Mick, I was probably overthinking it like I do most things on this project.


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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

Just wanting to express my hatred of removing gaskets. The case was easier. Razor blade (with caution, I know) mineral spirits and a green scotchbrite worked pretty well. But the jugs and head are punching me in the nuts and I have no more beer.
Anyone have tips? I have no Dremel tool or air tools. Also having a really hard time with removing the varnish on the head surface which you can see in the below picture.





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1978 Honda CB550K

[Maurice]

That's not that bad. You shouldn't do this in the "good" months, that's the kind of stuff to do in the winter because it is going to take time.

No secret: elbow grease, patience. Maybe some acetone, some of that permatex gasket remover. Razor blades.

Stay away from power tools. And be careful with razor blades, they will gouge the metal if you put too much pressure.

[dave500]

I have an old file cut in half and made into a razor sharp chisel,great for gasket scraping as it stays sharp for ages being hard,carefully pull those dowels out,you can draw file the barrel surface with care,clean the file each sweep,between the barrel spigots is a pain for anyone anyhow,a lot of gaskets back in the day contained asbestos so watch any dust,also makes them hard to remove.

[MickB]

Dave I used a die grinder with a surface prep tool, they are little nylon scourers, they were fantastic, took about 20 minutes to do every surface.

If you have a compressor that is.
Check on Northern Tool & Equipment about half way down the page.

[DaveBarbier]

Maurice: Yeah I know. Tell my bike not to eat gears...or if it's going to do it... do it in the winter. But also I don't have a heated shed, so summer/fall works, ha.

Dave: the dowels came out super easy. I'll try the draw file method. You mean to do this on the head gasket surface? That seems like it'll take material off a lot more. Luckily my grandfather left me a bunch of old Nicholson files of all kinds.

Mick: I've been meaning to get a lot of things. Air compressor, MIG welder, all kinds of things. I'll check out that site, thanks.


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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

Ok, much cleaner now. I noticed some scratches that weren't from me. But all in all I think this'll do.





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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

Just cleaned up the head and removed the valves. All springs are about .5 mm out of spec. I found them on DavidSilverSpares and Partzilla for cheaper. Is that very out of spec that it warrants spending around $80?

Also, two exhaust valves have a slight scratch/nick on the tip. Valve guides look and feel ok when a good valve is inserted. Problem? Two new valves?

Pictures are hard to see.
The worst one:

Not really bad, just a nick.



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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

Also, the combustion chambers have a lot of carbon in them. Is it ok to use a green scotchbrite pad on them considering I'm going to lap them anyway? Or is that a big no no?



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1978 Honda CB550K

[Bootsey]

Hey,

Cylinder surfaces look great, what method did you end up using?
The valve tips you might be able to clean up with some emory paper. Don't go too crazy though. As long as they slide through the guides freely, and there isn't too much play, you should be OK.
If you've got a dremel, you can clean up the combustion chambers with a brass wire wheel. Just stay clear of the seats. But some solvent and a scotchbrite pad should do the trick.

[DaveBarbier]

Hey,

Cylinder surfaces look great, what method did you end up using?
The valve tips you might be able to clean up with some emory paper. Don't go too crazy though. As long as they slide through the guides freely, and there isn't too much play, you should be OK.
If you've got a dremel, you can clean up the combustion chambers with a brass wire wheel. Just stay clear of the seats. But some solvent and a scotchbrite pad should do the trick.

Ok cool, I did the scotchbrite and solvent. Worked alright, not perfect. I'll try the emory  paper, thanks.

For my gasket surfaces I used a sharp razor...very carefully and a green scotchbrite. I found that using solvent didn't help and actually made it harder to come off. But it took hours. Probably 4 hours or more each side and a lot of beer.

Any idea about the springs in my earlier question?


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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

$80.

Spend the time and polish the combustion chambers to a bright shiny state. Helps in many ways down the road.

What does the $80 mean? Spend it?

And bright shiny state like mirror or like my gasket surfaces? Ugh, that's going to take tools that I'll have to buy. And what about the tops of the pistons? Same finish?


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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

Sorry, yes, spend the $.

It's reported that a polished chamber helps improve ignition and deter carbon build up. Polish them up. Not to a mirror finish but enough to remove scuffs and scratches as best you can.

Yeah I've heard that. I'll give it a go. Still waiting on parts anyway.

For all I know you could be a salesman for Ebay  or Partzilla, haha.


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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

I'd buy them through dynoman.net personally.

I could spend a lot of money on this site. Yeah I see KPMI Racing Valve Springs for about $60.

Thanks for the link. I'll get them now.


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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

When I'm good to get the cases together I have Loctite 518 as the sealant. Do I just put a bit in these crank journal mating faces too? I'm afraid that it'll squeeze out into the bearings when I'm torquing it down. I'm asking because there was factory sealant there previously. Same question for places like between the transmission bearings. Such as the below picture.




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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

Also...and crap...but last night I cleaned the head with warm soapy water and dried it with towels and compressed air. For the valve guides I got the water out with carb cleaner and compressed air then left it over night. But I guess I didn't dry them thoroughly enough because inside there's bright orange rust forming. Are these goners? It's on almost all of them, one is fine but here's a photo of the worst one. Can I clean these out with nylon or brass brushes?




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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

They're a lot better now after some cleaning. I just used cue tips and oil. I'll go back to it later with a nylon brush or something similar but as of now the valves slide in effortlessly without dragging but that's when they're oiled. In operation conditions it won't be as oiled as this. So, curious what'll happen.

Thanks again Calj, you've been a big help. I greatly appreciate it. But this isn't the end. I'm going to be asking a plethora of questions as the days go by.


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1978 Honda CB550K

[Bootsey]

If you have to wash any more parts, and are concerned about not getting all the water out, spray in some methylated spirits/denatured alcohol, should help to get rid of any remnants.

[DaveBarbier]

Got the engine soda blasted today...actually calcium something or other. $50 and the guy was super nice and very thorough. After I was done and payed he saw a tiny bit of paint left on the oil filter cover as I was putting it in my car and was like, "Hold on, let me get that spot." He might be as anal as I am.



Took it home and opened it back up and cleaned off all the calcium with warm soapy water and denatured alcohol. Tomorrow is painting day after another spray down with denatured alcohol and warming up in the sun.



Progress is happening. The only thing left to do before assembly is pull the rotor off the crank and change out that main seal. Then assembly time. Pistons, rings, bearings, valves, etc. are all clean and within spec. Can't wait to get this painted and ready for assembly.




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1978 Honda CB550K

[DaveBarbier]

Nice. Also worth dropping the cases in the dishwasher to help rinse and flush the oil passages of any remaining media.

I'll consider it. I want me a streak free shine!


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1978 Honda CB550K

[dave500]

yeah clean and wash over a few times,get all and anything that shouldnt be outta there,dig and blow out any blind threads aswell twice over,chase a bottom tap through all the threads,then clean and wash again!sounds like you had a blaster guy who really cares?

[DaveBarbier]

Yeah it seemed like it. Nice guy and methodical. I should push him into rebuilding carbs...

I'm painting now! Primer coat right now. I didn't chase the threads with a tap. I did that before to clean them out but not after blasting. Hope it'll be ok. I power washed it with warm water and borrowed a friend's air compressor. Cleaned it yesterday and cleaned it again today. For all I know some kid could have come in my shed and touched the motor with his greasy mitts. I let everything warm up in the sun before hand and...ok, ten minutes is up, time for another coat of primer.


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1978 Honda CB550K