This would be a good time to paint that motor.
++++1
Take my word for it -- the paint on the engine covers looks
fantastic.
But before I finished the job, I found that stripping the paint off the case itself proved to be far more difficult than expected, and I ran out of enthusiasm. I was planning to get the whole engine together, then tape off the (fantastic) covers, and finish the paint job that way.
(Or there's always the "junkyard" look that the kids these days seem to like.)
This is a great time to have a cold beer (or several) and pat yourself on the back for getting that motor together! Really cool that you got calmed down and used your head (or old rings) instead of throwing a hammer thru the wall. These bikes require more patience than parts, and are a great reminder that to resurrect a 40 year old machine, takes longer than a weekend.
Beer was enjoyed, yes!
And, now that you mention it, the throwing of a hammer also occurred. Although, to be fair, it was a rubber mallet-type hammer, and I threw it through an open garage door, not a regular hammer through a regular wall. And, I should point out that, only moments earlier, as I was
gently tapping the cylinder block down (in an attempt that would prove to be futile), I accidentally scraped the side of that rubber mallet against the exposed threads of the HD cylinder studs, leaving a large pile of rubber scraping dust inside my freshly-honed, brand new No. 4 piston slot.
But that's all behind me now. I spent the last hour of my Sunday, chilling to some good music, as I meticulously picked the crud and carbon out of the nooks and crannies of the cylinder head, which will soon be reassembled. It was slow-going but oddly satisfying.
