Topic: Speed-O/Tach Guage Faces

[mwvachon]

Hi All,

I did the obligatory Forum search before posting this...
Just wondering if anyone has purchased the following from good ol' eBay:
Honda Four CB750 CB 750 K1 mph disk instruments gauge Item number: 4549162300
Decided to try and rebuild the guages as replacements seem almost expensive as the OEM exhaust was. I just ordered them and awaiting arrival. Just wondering if anyone had tried these yet?

The old CB750 is now almost completely torn down and just need to pop the engine out and pull off the wheels prior to sandblast & painting the frame. It's gonna look soooooo purdy!

[jwalters]

Too bad you didn't find my post first, could have saved you some money:
http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=1111.0

I bought those, and they appear to be ok, but I have a cafe racer project, so I opted for Carpys gauge displays.
http://www.cb750cafe.com/parts.php?id=5

Can't go wrong either way, be careful pulling those little indicators off, make sure you pull STRAIGHT up.  I snapped on off, and now I am afraid I am in the market for a new rpm guage 

jesse

[mwvachon]

I have a repro tach that fits a K2 and up... It's up for grabs!

[mwvachon]

Mine is a K1, so those faces wouldn't have worked... 

[mwvachon]

Almost forgot to update this thread!
The guage faces came in the other day - they look super! Dead on duplicates, except for the glossy plastic surface.
Pkg. came with both faces and instructions. Faces have a plastic film on front (for protection prior to install) and an adhesive backing. Instructions do inform that if these faces are too flashy - simply give them a shot of Dulcote (which I definitely plan to do).
Another great restoration resource!
 

[Dennis]

if these faces are too flashy - simply give them a shot of Dulcote (which I definitely plan to do)

So what is Dulcote and where do you find it?
I've never heard of such a product.

[Tim.]

I'd like to see a scan of the instructions.  I'm thinking about ordering a set for a 2nd set of gauges - mayby Carpy's.  Someone should work on an SOHC4 club version    My original gauges are too nice to mess with, but I'd gladly set up a 2nd set for fun.

[mwvachon]

Dennis:
Dulcote is a clear, satin finish spray paint typically found in hobby supply shops. You can also try looking in your local x-mart in the car/truck model area.

Tintin:
Will get the instructions & some shots later today.

[Dennis]

Thanks for the response!!
Learn something new everyday.
You can tell that I NEVER go into hobby shops, can't you?

[dusterdude]

for those that want to know,the gauge faces are on ebay now.

[dpen]

To pull speedos & tachos apart easily & safely (not damaging anything) go to
www.salocal.com/sohc/tech/tech.htm   brilliant site.

[mwvachon]

Tintin - Sorry for the delay in posting this... These are the instructions that came with the guage faces:

INSTRUCTIONS TO INSTALL HONDA REPLACEMENT GAGE FACES

>Disassembly of the gage: There are two methods. The method used depends on whether it is a
K0 or K1 and later guage. K0 gages have plastic covers and can be opened easily by grinding the
rear plastic lip back to the side. After this is done, the guage top will easily slide up and off. The
K1 and later guages have metal covers and a metal band that holds the guage together. It must be
pried off or cut with a thin saw to get the guage top off. In either case, you must be careful not to
damage this band that is a necessary part to hold the guage together. Once the guage is opened, the
needle and the face can be removed. First, carefully pull the needle straight up and do not bend
the shaft. At this point, you may remove the two screws that hold the face to the mechanism. On
the K0 and K1 gages, the warning (idiot) lights (neutral, oil, turn and high beam warning lights)
are in the guage face. The coloured crystals must be removed in order to work on the guage face.

>Preparing the guage face: The old guage face is used again as a rigid surface on which the new
face is applied to. It is best to remove all the old paint from the old face. The new guage face is
nearly equal to the thickness of the paint on the old face. The paint can be sanded off or
removed by paint remover (make sure the paint remover will not eat the old plastic face!). Once
the old face is clean from old paint and made smooth, a new face can be applied. On the K0
guage, apply the new face directly over the old translucent blue plastic face. In this manner, light
will shine through the guage numbers. On the K1 and later guages, paint the old guage face white
before applying the new face. If the new face appears too shiny for you, a light spray of "dull
coat" can be applied to the surface. The coloured crystals can now be re-glued to the back of the
old guage face. If you follow the instructions carefully, it is possible to obtain good results when
applying the new face over the old one.

>Re-assembly: With the two screws, refasten the guage face to the mechanism. Install and align
the guage needle so that the needle rests at zero. Fasten the K0 cover on the mechanism by
applying silicone glue. Depending on how the K1 and later guage was disassembled, the band
can be re-installed a few ways. The band can be re-bent over the ridge. It can be re-glued back
together with silicone glue or fastened from the back. In any case, it should be done neatly so
that the work done is in the back and not seen from the front.

That it! Mike V.

[Tim.]

I like the instructions - pry off the band or cut it off - just don't damage it 

I'm not so sure about that bit, but would give it a try on some old gauges for fun.  Whoever has an Adobe Illustrator or whatever file of the gauge faces, please share 

[Bryan Boyle]

I just finished mine; got the faces from the fellow in italy...don't remember the name, but, the pair was
25 $US.  Real shiny mylar.  I didn't paint the green backing plate, just used the red 3M buffing pad to take
the paint down to the plastic. 

I pried (prised) the ring holding the gauge together from the back side carefully by using a small (actually, it
was an xcelite green common miniature) screwdriver, and disassembled the whole thing down to seperating
the black outside case from the inside green reflector..there were a couple dents in the black case that I
wanted to work out and respray on the tach; the speedo was in good shape.

Used the dulcote on the face to dull it down.  Repainted the end of the needles with red enamel.  Reassembly
(making sure the sealing gasket o-ring under the chrome crimp ring was in place) was a bit fiddly...ended up making
up a stand out of 2x4 lumber, 3/4" plywood with a hole cut out of it large enough for the body to fit thru, but
would support the face of the crimp ring (if any of that makes sense.. . 

Key take-away?  Take your time.  Don't rush it.  Results are inversely proportional to the care with which
you approach this task...

[dpen]

Go to the salocal site I mentioned previously. It has concise instructions & clear colour photos.

[mwvachon]

Well,

Started on the speedo today. Ran into trouble before I even started! Picked up the unit and could hear a rattle inside that I didn't notice when I pulled it off the bike. All the more reason to pop it open! I did the baby screwdriver/bigger screwdriver trick and it worked just fine! I worked the smaller screwdriver under and then all around the metal clamping band. bdboyle was right - patience! I then slipped in the larger bladed screwdriver and worked that around the band until the rolled edge was nearly vertical and slipped the ring down off the back plate. When I opened the unit I found the source of the rattle [see pic].
These are apparently light deflectors for the two back-light lamps. Looks like they rusted and cracked at the base where they join to a riveted plate. There's no way to really fix this, so I think I may try just taking a short piece of small diameter PVC, split it lengthwise, and glue each half to the back of the face plate so that they divert the back light the same way the original tabs did. I also noted that the rubber boots around the oil & flasher indicator lenses are a bit tired looking, but usable. There is a metal tab that sits over these lenses, but the openings are a bit smaller than the lens flange. Another strange discovery. I sanded and painted the original guage face with flat white as advised. I noted that the hash marks in the replacement guage faces are translucent, so paint underneath is probably going to enhance visibility - especially at night.

[750deepsouth]

That wee broken bracket - when I restored my gauges I had one broken as well. I made up a little fibreglass filler - can't actually recall the product name now - and mended it using that. Made sure the  filler was under, over, and around the joint area. There is no stress on this part at all, and mine is still rattle-free. I'll try to find the correct name/product.

I haven't read all the topic posts, but I gather some are using the Italian {?} replacement faces. Here is another source I have used, look up
Item number: 4553289498 or type Honda CB750K series Instrument appliques into the ebay search.

I have used both types, and this second source is, imho, better. Check out the results on my website.

http://www.mypages.co.nz/~andyf/Honda.htm

Andy

[CHUNG]

There is a guy in Sothern California they call "The Clock Doc" Expensive but they tell me that he is the man and can restore the workings as well. There were a gazillion of these bikes so replacement is an option, just thought I'd thow the name in..... someone might have another project that replacement wasn't an option. Later