Topic: From Sh*tty to Shiny: Sbeckman7's CB350F Cafe Resto

[MoMo]

Does the motor turn freely by hand? 

[sbeckman7]

Does the motor turn freely by hand?

Turns out it was seized, I was able to get it unstuck by rolling the bike back and forth in 3rd gear.  After that it kicked freely again and I poured a little seafoam in to each cylinder to make sure that doesn't happen again. It must have had zero lubication as it kicks much smoother now and the faint squeaking sound is gone.  Unfortunately, there was a negative side to the latest series of events.. stripped the #2 spark plug thread while trying to remove the plug   It was absolutely frozen and even after a good amount of WD-40 it just ended up taking little bits of aluminum with it...

What now?  Threaded insert?

[grcamna2]

Does the motor turn freely by hand?

Turns out it was seized, I was able to get it unstuck by rolling the bike back and forth in 3rd gear.  After that it kicked freely again and I poured a little seafoam in to each cylinder to make sure that doesn't happen again. It must have had zero lubication as it kicks much smoother now and the faint squeaking sound is gone.  Unfortunately, there was a negative side to the latest series of events.. stripped the #2 spark plug thread while trying to remove the plug   It was absolutely frozen and even after a good amount of WD-40 it just ended up taking little bits of aluminum with it...

What now?  Threaded insert?

'off with his head' 

[sbeckman7]

 

[calj737]

A little lesson for you, WD-40 is not really going to make a huge difference when metal sticks to aluminum. It won't hurt, but it surely isn't going to unlock the friction. Heat actually does far better as the two parts expand at different rates, usually allowing them to part.

Whenever you install metal screws, bolts into aluminum, use AntiSieze to prevent the joint from locking. And if you don't have one, buy a handheld Propane torch from the local Home Center and keep 2 bottles of Propane about. You may find it works really well with critical parts like plugs and stator bolts 

[sbeckman7]

Thanks for the advice Cal, you can be assured I'll be purchasing a torch tonight as I need to remove the metal brackets that used to be my carb isolators! Today's plan is to drain the oil, remove the engine, and then take care of the spark plug thread. This means that I won't be starting the bike before I begin the full teardown, but it's not a big deal to me either way. I'm committed

[sbeckman7]

Made some good progress today with the help of a good friend!  Pulled the engine   Tonight I will remove the wiring harness (after I've labeled the wires that were connected to things) and the ignition coils.  This frame is getting closer to being blast-ready each day!




Regarding the stripped spark plug fiasco, I will hopefully be obtaining a freshly rebuilt head with a valve job and CB400F valves installed thanks to a friend of Old Scrambler.  Hope this works out!

[calj737]

Spence - Heres a color-coded copy of your stock wiring diagram:
http://www.cmsnl.com/classic-honda-fansite/honda_wiring_diagrams/CB-CL350_K4.jpg

Also, the colors are less important, as long as you connect them back color-to-color at each connector. Nowhere in your harness will a wire change colors from its base color to another. There may be a situation that the wire picks up a stripe on the other side of a connection, but it will still have its base color. This makes things pretty easy really.

I re-read your first post in this thread. You mentioned a Motorsports school in England. Is that Coventry? If so, how did you enjoy it? I've got a son in school in Detroit who's giving some thought to Coventry for his final year for Trans Design, and couldn't help but notice the coincidence.

[sbeckman7]

Spence - Heres a color-coded copy of your stock wiring diagram:
http://www.cmsnl.com/classic-honda-fansite/honda_wiring_diagrams/CB-CL350_K4.jpg

Also, the colors are less important, as long as you connect them back color-to-color at each connector. Nowhere in your harness will a wire change colors from its base color to another. There may be a situation that the wire picks up a stripe on the other side of a connection, but it will still have its base color. This makes things pretty easy really.

I re-read your first post in this thread. You mentioned a Motorsports school in England. Is that Coventry? If so, how did you enjoy it? I've got a son in school in Detroit who's giving some thought to Coventry for his final year for Trans Design, and couldn't help but notice the coincidence.

Thanks for the link!  I've even got the diagram on PDF but sometimes I prefer the lazy method to make slapping the new one on that much quicker   I actually study at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, but it's not far from Coventry and to be honest I believe all of those schools have a good reputation.  If your son has any questions about living in England feel free to put him in touch with me

I want to order handlebars tonight and I have decided on the "drag bar" style.  I've heard complaints of EMGO quality so I will try to steer clear.  None of the bars I am looking at currently say Emgo, but some don't say the brand at all so I hope I don't end up with some.  Currently looking at:

- Bike Bandit: http://www.bikebandit.com/aftermarket-parts/motorcycle-control-and-brake/handlebars-universal/bikemaster-drag-bar-handlebars
- Dime City Cycles: http://www.dimecitycycles.com/7-8-inch-satin-black-drag-handlebars.html
- TC Bros: http://www.tcbroschoppers.com/tc-bros-drag-bars-black-powdercoat-finish.html

Bike Bandit and Dime City Cycles offerings have a greater pull back which I think I may prefer aesthetically, but are of unknown origin.  TC Bros bar only has a 2" pullback but is made in the USA (counts for something I guess) and also powder coated.  Not sure how that would affect controls fitment.

[calj737]

The BB and DCC bars are both from Bikemaster. They're fine enough really. The powder coat may require a little sanding down to get certain switch housings to fit. But thats not a big deal really. Just grab the bars (sorry about the pun) you like and that fit your budget.

[sbeckman7]

Ordering the bike master bars tonight   Just going to knock out the ignition coils and wiring.  That will leave me with just the fork and rear swingers to remove before this thing goes off for sand blasting and powder coating!  Debating whether or not I should try to prep the frame myself (removing paint and rust) with aircraft stripper and a wire wheel.  It would save me about $150 bucks which I would like to put into the engine instead, but not sure how long it would take and how well it would turn out.

[grcamna2]

You are making excellent progress on your bike sbeckman7;it sure is good to see someone so highly motivated to rebuild and restore.

[sbeckman7]

You are making excellent progress on your bike sbeckman7;it sure is good to see someone so highly motivated to rebuild and restore.

Thanks very much!  It's without a doubt the hardest rebuild/restoration project I have attempted but I am learning a lot and excited to see what comes of my vision.  I imagine I'll feel like I saved a nice little machine once I'm done

[sbeckman7]

Got a little carried away and lost track of time. The bike is now down to the frame will upload pics tomorrow. Just have to drive out the stem bearing races and then it's time to clean it up!

[sbeckman7]

The results of last night's wrenching session

[grcamna2]

What's your plan now ? Will the frame be PC'd ?

[iiAtlas]

Glad I found this thread sbeckman7!  I'll be following along, looks like we're at somewhat similar stages.  Good luck with your build.  Happy to help if and when I can!  (Though there are far more experienced folks in these parts...)  Keep up the good work

[sbeckman7]

What's your plan now ? Will the frame be PC'd ?

Eventually, yes.  First step is to clean the frame up, either with a combination of paint stripper and wire wheel or send it out to be sand blasted.  Not sure which one I should go with yet, because I need to keep costs as low as possible and stripping it myself would be a lot cheaper than sending it out.  With that said, I also don't want to be pouring aircraft stripper in my driveway...  It would cost an additional ~$125 dollars to powder coat but I would save my time and avoid the nasty paint stripper.

After the frame is bare, I will be going over every externally visible surface with ScotchBrite and perhaps wire wheel to give it a brushed look.  The final stage will be a clear powder coat with either a matte or semi-gloss finish.

iiAtlas, it's nice to build this in parallel to yours.  Just one more reference!

[iiAtlas]

What's your plan now ? Will the frame be PC'd ?

Eventually, yes.  First step is to clean the frame up, either with a combination of paint stripper and wire wheel or send it out to be sand blasted.  Not sure which one I should go with yet, because I need to keep costs as low as possible and stripping it myself would be a lot cheaper than sending it out.  With that said, I also don't want to be pouring aircraft stripper in my driveway...  It would cost an additional ~$125 dollars to powder coat but I would save my time and avoid the nasty paint stripper.

After the frame is bare, I will be going over every externally visible surface with ScotchBrite and perhaps wire wheel to give it a brushed look.  The final stage will be a clear powder coat with either a matte or semi-gloss finish.

iiAtlas, it's nice to build this in parallel to yours.  Just one more reference!

Agreed!  The more references the better.

Regarding powder coat: a good friend of mine who does requires high quality powder coating for his art pieces has said "the powder coat only comes out as good as the prep" - to me, and I'm budget conscious as well, this meant if I'm going to spend the money and get a good powder coat job done I should spend a little extra and have them handle the blasting/prep as well.  I have yet to get numbers on how much this will cost so that may sway my decision.  This isn't to say you or anyone isn't capable of performing a good strip and/or blast, just that I know my limits and it'll be better and easier for me to send that portion out.

[sbeckman7]

That is some wise advice.  I have called several places around my home and it seems like a sand blasting runs about $150, with the best price I have had for a blast and powder coating coming in at around $250.  If I have it blasted by someone, I will still need to "brush" the frame myself as this isn't something a shop normally does.  Maybe I'll just stick around while they blast the frame and brush it myself as soon as it's done.

[grcamna2]

My PC guy down the road from me here would do the main frame for $150 and if I wanted to he's flexible enough to let me do the 'brush' part before taking it in to PC it.

[calj737]

If you are having the frame blasted, theres no need at all to do any prep work, save maybe degreasing it out of consideration for the blaster. And after blasting, I have never heard of "brushing" a piece before powder coat? Blasting takes it to bare metal with a slight tooth in the metal to assist the powder to adhere. A proper PC job will not need any further touch up from the owner.

[sbeckman7]

Grcamna2, where are you located? Is brushing the frame something you were also considering? Cal, my desire to brush the frame was purely aesthetical so I can get a "brushed steel" look under the clear powder coat.

[grcamna2]

I live in Westmoreland co. PA. I was just using my PC guy as an example to say I think some of those shops can help make a deal with you.

[calj737]

Ah, gotcha. Use ScotchBrite pads. It will leave a directional scuff if you keep your motion consistent. Red or Grey should be perfect.