Topic: 1973 CB350F "Modest Original" build

[iiAtlas]

2 things: lay the bike on some magazines/towels on its right side (resting on the points cover). Then lift the frame off the motor. Even with the oil pan on, it comes away.

Use a Left Hand drill bit to remove that bolt. Drilling into the center, keeping the bit diameter smaller than 5/16 and you'll be fine.

To reinstall the motor, reverse the top step 

Lifesaver! On phone, will do more of a write up shortly.

[Godffery]

 What He said... Just the head.

Got a link to the builder : http://www.motomucci.com/p/info.html
He's in the Chicago area, about an hr form me.
I also recommend this guy:
Tell'em Godffery sent you! http://theseatguyjon.com/

[Godffery]

 I also found his FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/DSMucci?hc_location=ufi

[iiAtlas]

Just drill the head off, you'll have plenty of bolt left to get a grip on when the pan is off.

Also; I think I may know the guy that built that seat you like?  I'll do a little digging and LYK.

Drill the bold off straight through into the oil pan?  My only fear is mangling the threads but I guess I just have to chose the right size bit and make sure I line up straight, right?  Never done this before! 

Thanks for the seat search help!  If you know the guy thats great, or anyone who can make something similar.  Thanks Godffery!

no no...just drill the head only, off. Then the oil pan comes off and you can turn the screw stub out with vice grips

D'oh! Makes sense to me...hadn't thought of that.  Makes sense to me.

What He said... Just the head.

Got a link to the builder : http://www.motomucci.com/p/info.html
He's in the Chicago area, about an hr form me.
I also recommend this guy:
Tell'em Godffery sent you! http://theseatguyjon.com/

I also found his FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/DSMucci?hc_location=ufi

Thanks for those links!  I'll reach out to those guys and see what they can do.

--

As for the engine, she's out!  Thanks for the tip calj, it makes complete sense and made the whole process a total breeze.  Can't believe I hadn't thought of it before!  I rested it on the side and shimmied the frame out.  No prob.  Let me know if the way I have my engine resting looks bad.





Now that I had more access to the frame and easier mobility I got to removing a few remaining things to prep for blasting and powder coat.  Things like the kickstand, mounts, etc.  I also removed the steering assembly.  Much to my surprise...ball bearings, everywhere!  Shoot!  That was REALLY stupid...they went flying all over the show.  I managed to pick them all up, or so I think.



Two sets of 18, one top one bottom - 36 in total.  I doubt somebody knows how many I should have off hand but this looked about right.  Anyways, next up more cleaning!  Aircraft cleaner and carb-dip arrived today so I should be able to get started on the carbs!

[iiAtlas]

You will be replacing those ball bearings with tapered steering bearings, so ditch them. The races they sit in also need to be drifted out of the steering neck as the new bearings will come with their own races.

So now that you scoured the floor on your hands and knees, you can bin them. 

Hah I thought as much.  The bearing upgrade sounds great!  I more didn't want to catch one in the middle of the night and land on my rear end!! 

EDIT:  Been looking around, what do you think of "All Balls" tapered roller bearings? http://www.allballsracing.com/22-1011.html

[Godffery]

 I'll give "All Balls" 2 big thumbs up.

Update on that seat:
 I just got a call from Tony Prust of Analog Motorcycles, He built that seat pan and modified the sub frame for Dave.
http://www.analogmotorcycles.com/feature/who-is-analog-motorcycles/

[mycoal]

What colors are these two tanks?

[iiAtlas]

I'll give "All Balls" 2 big thumbs up.

Update on that seat:
 I just got a call from Tony Prust of Analog Motorcycles, He built that seat pan and modified the sub frame for Dave.
http://www.analogmotorcycles.com/feature/who-is-analog-motorcycles/

Awesome!! Thanks Godffery, I appreciate the help!  I'll see if I can get in touch with Tony.  Would be pretty cool if he could make mine too!  I'll let him know Godffery sent me 

Ordering those all balls tapered bearings now!  Installation doesn't look too difficult.  Will be nice to not have to replace those 36 ball bearings...hah

What colors are these two tanks?

Hi Mycoal!  The top one is my CB350F tank, it's the stock paint.  Here's what a complete one looks like...



Here's a link to the build of that other bike http://thebikeshed.cc/2014/07/26/kaspers-cb350/.  Here's the relevant passage on tank paint.

The botched tank needed replacing but alas the replacement found had also been treated to a self spray. After dipping the new tank in acetone Kasper discovered the lovely 70’s avocado green scheme that had been scrubbed back to accept the boring black overcoat. A fruitless search for the original colour codes led to a different approach, “I carefully sanded the tank down all over still keeping the original colour, then I painted the original decals right on the tank and coated it with 5 coats of clear..”

--

A question for you all.  Should I remove my swing arm from the frame before powder coat?  Thanks!

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Definitely remove the swing arm. And remove the bushings from it, powder coat, then replace the bushings.

Yes!!!

[iiAtlas]

Definitely remove the swing arm. And remove the bushings from it, powder coat, then replace the bushings.

Definitely remove the swing arm. And remove the bushings from it, powder coat, then replace the bushings.

Yes!!!

Will do! That can be tonights projects, those bolts are on there good and tight.

[iiAtlas]

Yeah, they're supposed to be. Its a kind of a safety feature thing... Easiest to use 2 people. One on a side holding still with a hex wrench, the other manning an impact. Hold tight is my advice. Removing the collar an bushing demands some "tricks" and not force. Let us know when you get it apart and its condition.

Thanks for the tips, I'm sure they'll be needed...will report back later tonight.

[iiAtlas]

Easy peasy!



Hit it with some free all, grabbed one side with a socket and held the other with a monkey wrench.  The two of us clamped down and she came off without much fuss.  That was a relief!  The frame is almost ready to be blasted and coated now.





My only step before I get it done is grinding off some of the unused tabs.  Problem is, I'm not sure which ones I don't want yet!  I'm pretty sure I'll remove the ones which hold the side covers w/ emblem - mainly because I can't find a good set of side covers.  There may be one or two I can remove by the seat, but that'll have to wait until I come up with a seat pan.  I guess I'm still a few steps away from finished with the frame, but the heavy lifting is done.  Just need to work out the details.

In other news...look what I found!



The final ball bearing, sweet!  I felt myself step on something and lo-and-behold here she was.  I'm glad I found it mainly because it means its not somewhere it shouldn't be!  Bagged and tagged it even though I've just gone ahead and ordered a set of All Balls tapered roller bearings. 

[iiAtlas]

Member Frankenfrankenstuff sells them http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,74022.msg822417.html#msg822417
http://www.fb-stuff.com/

Wow, awesome! Thanks for the link. Will have to consider how I want the bike to look. I think once I can mock up the carbs on with the new air filter I'll know more whether I want to highlight or cover up that void.

[iiAtlas]

While I'm ordering the All Balls tapered steering bearing (22-1011) should I also go ahead and order anything else from them?  Can bundle the shipping and make it cheaper.  They sell a front and rear wheel bearing seal kit, as well as a set of fork seals.  Thoughts?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I don't usually buy directly from AllBalls, but plug in the part number into an eBay search, and find them much cheaper.  I would buy wheel bearings, too.  I would stick with Honda OEM fork seals.

[iiAtlas]

I don't usually buy directly from AllBalls, but plug in the part number into an eBay search, and find them much cheaper.  I would buy wheel bearings, too.  I would stick with Honda OEM fork seals.

Good tip, I'll take a look. What's a good source for OEM Honda?

[iiAtlas]

Any experience with 'BikeBandit' as an OEM source?  http://www.bikebandit.com/oem-parts/1972-honda-cb350f/o/m9197  They only list the '72 CB350F as a model - any notable differences I should be aware of?  I'd like to be able to order stock fork seals and some other odds and ends from they (or another place if you all recommend).

EDIT: Users on ADVRider mentioned "David Silver Spares" - they look to be a good source.  https://www.davidsilverspares.com/

[iiAtlas]

An update on the bike, just ordered a new air compressor and blow gun so I can get started Soda Blasting.  Went with this DeWalt 4.5 gallon one.  Portability is key as I don't have space here to set up a permanent shop.  Noise is also important.  I knew I needed relatively high CFM for the soda blast gun to work, and this dewalt at 5.2cfm @ 90psi is the best I could find.  It may still be a bit low but should allow me to do all the parts I need.  Looking forward to getting this so I can move on to the cleaning!

My thoughts are soak in boiling simple green aircraft cleaner, soda blast to remove residue, dip in Berrymans "chem-dip" and call it a day.  I remember one of those fluids (simple green or chem dip) left a residue - thats where the soda blasting comes in.  It's possible I mixed up which one leaves the residue in which case switch the order I stated about.

[iiAtlas]

My thoughts are soak in boiling simple green aircraft cleaner, soda blast to remove residue, dip in Berrymans "chem-dip" and call it a day.

What do you plan to clean in this manner?

Oops! Left that bit out...this procedure is for the carbs.  I've "exploded" all four of them and I will dip one at a time.  Any other part I come across I will soda blast and clean one at a time.

[iiAtlas]

you should only need to blast the exteriors and then dip them to clean the internals. Follow that up with some poking, probing and compressed aerosols to insure the passages are fully cleared of blast media. Boiling step is not needed.

As for the dip, would you recommend Berrymans "carb-dip" or Simple Green Aircraft cleaner?

[iiAtlas]

Berrymans

Great! Can do.

[iiAtlas]

Should I remove the throttle slides from the carburetors before cleaning?  Here's what I'm talking about. Will post pictures better shortly, on my phone.

http://imgur.com/lgcSdYw
http://imgur.com/8EnOPo0
http://imgur.com/FwXfqtG
http://imgur.com/suAGHmk

Edit: removed no problem. What about the butterfly mechanism or any of this remaining brass?

http://imgur.com/FnMP0ku
http://imgur.com/NSSjy5s

Edit 2: I've been told over on ADVRider to leave the butterfly, more harm than good - will do.

Edit 3: Been washing all day! 30 minute soak of the carb bodies, float bowls, top caps, and throttle slide mechanisms.  Bath in warm water.  Then wipe and blow dry with the air compressor.  It's been going well - will update with pictures later.  The carbs are cleaning up nicely.  A majority of the rust particle buildup is gone from the float bowls, but there is still some left.  I'm planning to re-soak them for another 30 minutes then bath and blow dry.  If this doesn't break it out I will soda blast them tomorrow and complete with a warm water bath.  A user over on ADVRider has reminded me about the emulsion tubes so I've got those along with some other of the jets soaking now.










Edit 4: Lost a few o-rings here.  I naively decided to remove both before soaking (as they would be destroyed) and they snapped immediately.  How much trouble am I going to have replacing these?  I believe they are off some component of the jets - any more information would be great!

With O-ring:


Without O-ring:


Edit 5: Ordered an OEM Honda gasket set off http://www.hondapartshouse.com/.  #1 on this diagram Carbs cleaned up nicely!

Edit 6: There are two screws which hold the throttle slide actuating arm plate in place. They are very small, and JIS. I have a JIS set of drivers, but my first attempt at getting them out still resulted in a minor strip. The next three sets of screws came out no problem as I got my technique down. I plan on replacing those screws. Does anyone have a decent idea of where to get them? The Honda OEM source above only includes them in #9 - Arm linkage set for $100+  My current set are certainly reusable, I'd just rather replace them while I have the chance.

[iiAtlas]

Good news! VT plate arrived in the mail today, that's a relief.  When I bought the bike it had no title.  My initial application was rejected.  The reviewer thought it was a dirt bike?  They asked me to provide proof that it has been converted to road legal, or proof of VT inspection.  I called and explained that the bike was street legal from the factory.  After a quick review, the lady agreed with me and said "CO" her on letter and resubmit.  A few weeks later and here's the plate!  A rare positive DMV experience...thanks VT!  Nice to know that avenues like this exist to get the bike properly plated and registered. 

[sbeckman7]

Wow just stumbled upon this thread... thanks for some much needed 350F restore motivation!

[iiAtlas]

Wow just stumbled upon this thread... thanks for some much needed 350F restore motivation!

Hey sbeckman! Glad to have you here. Waiting on my OEM Honda gasket set for the carbs to come (eta Jan 29) then I'll be able to put them back together...or try to at least...