Topic: Stev-o's K4 "Big Bang Theory"!

[Terry in Australia]

600 bucks! Geez, most of these guys don't pay that much for their bikes!

[PeWe]

600 bucks bike need 5000-10.000 bucks for restauration?
I can not find that low priced CB750 here. Sometimes 3000 USD that need parts for 5000 to look OK. Better to buy a restored one for 8000- 10.000
Sometimes Cafeed bikes where they have removed good old parts and think they can get more

[Stev-o]

You need better rods!

As much as I'd like to do a full hot rod motor rebuild, not going to happen on this one.

When I "Feel the Need for Speed", I jump on the Z1 900!

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

You need better rods!
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,165965.msg1918035.html#msg1918035
Coming soon from APE
Honda CB750 "Hot Street Rod"
Designed to fill the gap between oem rods and Carillo H Beams.
Designed for the street hot rod that needs the added security of a non oem rod, but doesn't need a full on race rod.
100% machined from 4340 billet steel and heat treated. APR 12 point bolts round out the package.
HSR750 Will debut at under $600 a set.

Interesting.  The APE rods look very similar to Carrillos, but are priced competitively with Cycle X's Super Rods (cheaper when compared to Super Rods with ARP bolts -- $625).

[PeWe]

Those rods mounted on an APE crank feels attempting to my next build.... It can cost to be encouraged on this forum 

[02z06dave]

I was really hoping to see you go all out on this one. Oh well. Are you going to be making any other changes or just the motor work?

[Stev-o]

I was really hoping to see you go all out on this one. Oh well. Are you going to be making any other changes or just the motor work?

Sorry to disappoint, Dave.  I'm really trying to get my [expensive!] H2 project bike on the road this summer, so I prefer to get this K4 back together and running asap [prolly should have just took it out of service for the summer].

Will there be other changes to the K4?  Good question.  Stay tuned!!!

[RAFster122s]

As I understand it and have seen it done...
For big holes generally the easiest repair method is to take a junk case and cut a hole it it to harvest the oversize piece.  You have to bake the cases to get them to release and oil or other junk and it never hurts to preheat them and the patch when you go to tig them back together.  The existing hole is cleaned up to enlarge it to a geometric shape and dress the edges.  Goo to check for cracks with machinist penetrating dye so you make it large enough and not have a slow weeping leak or weak spot.  Naturally that is done before harvesting your patch.  You slowly file/dress the patch piece to be a very close fit and then the preheating the case and piece up to a good temp over 200 and was thinking it was done a bit above 300. Then they tack it in place and slowly stitch it closed alternating back and forth across the patch so they have a good repair.  If the case is thick they have to pay attention to both sides.  It has to be done under a nitrogen gas to help prevent  the case material from smutzing up a boogery mess.  Then you file the welded areas and blend them back into the case.  It is often good to not have a polished case but a painted one as you often get small bubbles in the weld despite the nitrogen gas because the honda case alloy was not very high quality until the 80s.  Any voids get filled with JB Weld.  Sometimes a person repairing one is so skilled and done carefully and  you will not be able to find the repaired spot after painting from the outside.  The inside is cleaned up and unless it is needed for clearance you will not need to file the area flat.  Glyptal paint on the case internals  after repairing and dressing it up for a pretty repair inside and you would never know it had been repaired or difficult to spot.

I have seen Triumph cases repaired and polished and you are very hard pressed to find any evidence of an issue.

Good luck getting her back together...

You would have to really  look at outside of the case to see where it hit..needs a little bit of welding.
 

I guess your case was better than mine, I dont know a weled that can fix a 3" hole!

[Stev-o]

I'm back with a quick update.   The last couple weeks have been busy and not much work done due to the Memorial Weekend Holiday and Family coming to visit last weekend.

I did get down to New Braunfels and picked up a nice K2 motor [no top end] from forum member Trey.  He offered it for $100 so no negotiation was even necessary! Thanks Trey.
He said it is a low mileage motor, about 20K miles or so.

The motor was fairly clean but am cleaning it up more to get it prepped for paint...

 


Spraying the 836 jugs that Bill B sent me....



  steve meriggi

I'm reusing the head, it will get a couple coats of VHT Aluminum as well.

 

[Stev-o]

Quick update....


Finished painting the motor and got the shiny new 836 Wiseco pistons installed!





If you recall, I bought parts from Bill B, a bored [to 836] cylinder, a wiseco piston kit and a head gasket.  Turns out, the gasket was for an early head, I have the later style, I didnt even think about that...duh!

Contacted Bill and he had a late style and shipped it over quick for a very reasonable price.  So I have an extra 836 head gasket, guess I'll have to build another 836 motor!

The engine is nearly fully assembled, with a little luck it will be done by the weekend...

[budman]

You're making it difficult to not 836 my chopper engine.

[Stev-o]

You're making it difficult to not 836 my chopper engine.

Now you have to! 

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

No replacement for displacement.

[riverfever]

Man you're not lolly gaggin' down there!

[Tews19]

Engine looks clean! Nice job painting the cases!

[Stev-o]

Man you're not lolly gaggin' down there!

Heck no!  Wanna get this bike back together and stay focused on the H2. I have three different bikes disassembled in my shop right now!

Engine looks clean! Nice job painting the cases!

Thanks...nothin like a fresh coat of paint....

[Stev-o]

Update,  got the motor put together this past week, thanks to my buddy Danny for his help....


 


With a little help, we were able to install the motor in less than 30 minutes.


 


Just for the heck of it, I pulled out my Clymer and read the section on engine installation, I just loved the technical details they give you:

1. Place engine in frame from the right side.
2. Install the mounting bolts.

It's that easy!  Ha!!  Of course you'd have to be a He-Man to lift that motor solo, but with two guys, it actually is pretty easy.

Got pretty effin hot in the garage [92 degrees] so called it a day but feeling good having that motor in the frame!

Now I'll work on this thread a little, I'm bootin the foto-bukit pics and flickrizing it...

[CBGhia]

Good stuff!  It's so hot here that I don't even want to go into the garage at all.  I'll never get my CB done like this.

[CycleRanger]

Got pretty effin hot in the garage [92 degrees] so called it a day but feeling good having that motor in the frame!

Looking good Steve!

Yeah I was gonna say it must be nice to have air conditioned space but I guess not....
When my exhaust fan kicks on in my shop I know it's ~110 and about time to quit.
I can usually make until about 3pm.
Fortunately I do have a small office in the shop with a window unit so I can duck in and post here while I cool off a bit. 

[Tews19]

Looks good Stev-o. When do you plan to start her up?

[Stev-o]

Good stuff!  It's so hot here that I don't even want to go into the garage at all.  I'll never get my CB done like this.

That's BS, it needs to be done by Oct! We gave you a free pass last year. 

Got pretty effin hot in the garage [92 degrees] so called it a day but feeling good having that motor in the frame!

Looking good Steve!

Yeah I was gonna say it must be nice to have air conditioned space but I guess not....
When my exhaust fan kicks on in my shop I know it's ~110 and about time to quit.
I can usually make until about 3pm.
Fortunately I do have a small office in the shop with a window unit so I can duck in and post here while I cool off a bit. 

It would be nice to have AC, maybe one day.  I do the same thing, my home office is just inside the garage door so I can escape to coolness, check the fiche, order parts etc. 

Looks good Stev-o. When do you plan to start her up?

Thanks.  Said and done it will be a couple weeks....

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Just for the heck of it, I pulled out my Clymer and read the section on engine installation, I just loved the technical details they give you:

1. Place engine in frame from the right side.
2. Install the mounting bolts.

It's that easy!  Ha!! 

 

[Stev-o]

Quick update....with the engine back in the frame and bolted up, I next wanted to install the oil tank.

What were I'm sure forty three year old oil lines looking kind of nasty, I really didnt want to reinstall those.  Forum member Rafi started re-popin these oil lines last year, I had an early set he made installed on The Park Racer.

After I pulled this motor, I PM'd him asking if he had any left. He didnt, but said he planned on making some more, and he has. These are a great upgrade for a real reasonable cost.  Thanks Rafi.
[see his thread in the parts for sale section if you are interested]





Got a few other things buttoned up before it got too effin hot in the shop.
Clutch cable installed and preliminary adjustment, right side footpeg and rear brake pedal w/switch...

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Those lines look good.  Nice work, Rafi!

[Terry in Australia]

Those lines look great, I'll be installing a set on my Redneck Bitsa, which is probably a waste of a good set of Rafi's oil hoses, but I can't bear the thought of using the originals.