Author Topic: From Sh*tty to Shiny: Sbeckman7's CB350F Cafe Resto (Read 68092 times)

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #25 on:** January 31, 2016, 10:16:01 AM »

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 · « **Reply #26 on:** January 31, 2016, 05:55:26 PM »

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!

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #27 on:** January 31, 2016, 06:39:16 PM »

Quote from: calj737 on January 31, 2016, 06:20:23 PM

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.

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #28 on:** January 31, 2016, 07:35:19 PM »

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 · « **Reply #29 on:** January 31, 2016, 07:44:59 PM »

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

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #30 on:** January 31, 2016, 08:05:44 PM »

Quote from: grcamna2 on January 31, 2016, 07:44:59 PM

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 · « **Reply #31 on:** February 01, 2016, 12:24:41 AM »

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 · « **Reply #32 on:** February 01, 2016, 11:08:05 AM »

The results of last night's wrenching session

grcamna2 · « **Reply #33 on:** February 01, 2016, 12:31:19 PM »

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

iiAtlas · « **Reply #34 on:** February 01, 2016, 12:57:53 PM »

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 · « **Reply #35 on:** February 01, 2016, 12:59:27 PM »

Quote from: grcamna2 on February 01, 2016, 12:31:19 PM

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 · « **Reply #36 on:** February 01, 2016, 01:04:00 PM »

Quote from: sbeckman7 on February 01, 2016, 12:59:27 PM

Quote from: grcamna2 on February 01, 2016, 12:31:19 PM
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 · « **Reply #37 on:** February 01, 2016, 01:17:23 PM »

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 · « **Reply #38 on:** February 01, 2016, 02:09:15 PM »

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.

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #39 on:** February 01, 2016, 03:36:49 PM »

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 · « **Reply #40 on:** February 01, 2016, 04:26:08 PM »

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.

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #41 on:** February 01, 2016, 05:12:03 PM »

Got it. I don't think it will be a problem like you guys said, just have to do a little more hunting around I guess! I will probably have the frame blasted, so now it comes down to finding the shop that can blast the frame, let me go over it with the scotchbrite, and then PC it for under $250 total. So far I've spoken with West Coast Powder Coating (South San Francisco, CA), Melrose Metal Finishing (Oakland, CA), and Myers Sandblasting (East Oakland). Going to make a few more calls tomorrow and hopefully narrow it down. I'd love to have the frame sent out by the end of the week.

grcamna2 · « **Reply #42 on:** February 01, 2016, 05:23:14 PM »

Possibly look for a PC shop in a smaller town that you would have to drive a bit to get to..,more $ for fuel..
Try to get a fair quote for all the parts you want done in one shot;I ended up paying much more for all the little 'extra' parts later on.

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #43 on:** February 01, 2016, 06:16:43 PM »

Good to know. Fortunately I should be able to use the powder coating gun and over at the local community college. I'm taking a paint class just for this project

grcamna2 · « **Reply #44 on:** February 01, 2016, 08:46:15 PM »

I'd like to get some time in on that craft also,it would sure beat 'rattle can'

iiAtlas · « **Reply #45 on:** February 02, 2016, 07:10:32 AM »

Quote from: calj737 on February 01, 2016, 04:45:35 PM

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

I can confirm this! Though accidentally...used ScotchBrite green on one of the float bowls and I have a nice brushed look which I wasn't exactly going for....

iiAtlas · « **Reply #46 on:** February 02, 2016, 07:30:44 AM »

Quote from: calj737 on February 02, 2016, 07:26:42 AM

Green is the most coarse, then Red, then Grey. Maybe start with Red to even it out, then follow with Grey to smooth it out.

D'oh! I thought the opposite. Here is how it came out.

Oddly enough when I was putting the carbs back together yesterday I didn't even notice it. I have a feeling the effect has started to dull. I'm confident I could get the scratches out if I continued cleaning, but I don't want a "polished" look. Anyways...problems for another time. If you're going for a brushed look sbeckman ScotchBrite will get you there!

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #47 on:** February 02, 2016, 09:28:22 AM »

Good to know. And ironically, you have given me an idea for what could be a nice on my bike w/ brushed frame.. matching float bowls!

Some exciting news on the engine: I will be receiving the built head I mentioned earlier! It's a ported 350F head w/ lapped 400F valves and ground seats. Also significantly cheaper than the Time-sert thread repair kit

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #48 on:** February 02, 2016, 12:02:13 PM »

Alright guys, called a few more places and narrowed it down to 3 choices. Two of them (Melrose and Champion Powder Coating) have top reviews, can blast and PC clear for ~250, and are happy to let me brush the frame with scotchbrite between the processes. The third one (Leon's) said they would do everything for ~175 but they have 3 stars worth of mixed reviews. I'm thinking for this reason, I will go with either Melrose or Champion. I am on a tight budget (self-inflicted) but I want to only do this once and do it right. Clear powder coat probably shows blemishes more than a painted color! Hoping to drop the frame off somewhere tomorrow

In other news, my Carb isolators and clamps arrived today from Japan and they look good! $30 well spent.

sbeckman7 · « **Reply #49 on:** February 02, 2016, 02:34:24 PM »

Ow ow!! Look at this beauty

Starting from the top down. Looks good so far:

Then the head came off. I think it could have been worse, but there was definitely sitting water in this thing:

The cam lobe journals had a good amount of wear it seemed. Is this normal for a bike with 24k miles or does it suggest an oiling problem?

They're just so cute

But jeez talk about room for boring!! This block could have been a good 2" narrower if it was purpose cast. Oh well, scaled production architecture does that...

The bores looked good as I rotated the assembly a few times. Definitely some cleaning to do though. Should I pull it apart even more?

And lastly, the reason this all started: looks like the stripped thread didn't go all the way, but it only has ⅓ of the grip length it used to have.

So, oh wise community, what next? Do I need to go further? I want to clean it up a bit (exterior as well as pistons and sealing surfaces) but I'm assuming it's best to do the outside with the engine either fully disassembled or fully assembled. Any advice?

Thanks as always!

News:

Author Topic: From Sh*tty to Shiny: Sbeckman7's CB350F Cafe Resto (Read 68092 times)