Author Topic: CB400 Four resto/mod----done and on the road!! (Read 14685 times)

spuds · « **Reply #50 on:** January 11, 2018, 08:12:58 PM »

Thanks Andy - when you dig into yours....start up a thread!! Love these little bikes!

Thanks Cal and nvr2old----I've got the tank sitting on a surface in the basement office....working up the nerve and courage to do some masking and gentle sanding to get rid of some paint around the top.

Realized too that some of my pics were lost when the server had its "episode" a while back, so will try to summarize some stuff here to get caught up:

The rear wheel got assembled and and trued. This is a powdercoated 2.15x18 ebay find, with new 400F spoke from the dealer. Mounted it up on the rear axle with some spacers to lock it into place and set to truing it up. It was a lot more persnickitty than the front one was....had to walk away a couple of times to clear the mind, but in the end got it pretty good.

Also received some bits and bobs from 4into1.com....most notably a rectifier/regulator unit, the valve cover "packing" (o-ring / gasket thingie), some oil filter stuff, cam chain tensioner bolt, and a few other little things.

Also started to slowly and carefully (don't laugh----last engine I took apart was a B&S 3.5 hp lawnmower engine in grade 8 shop class----that was more than a few years ago!!!) taking bits off the engine to change the head gasket. Can't help it....did some polishing along the way...

Having a little trouble getting the cylinder "jugs" to come away from the lower cases----tried some light hammering on a wooden block from below so far....need to keep at it I guess!!

calj737 · « **Reply #51 on:** January 12, 2018, 04:36:00 AM »

Yeah, the base gasket (between block and case) gets pretty darn stuck. Go easy. There should be a small beveled area on either side that's suitable for using wood shims to knock in and help persuade the pieces apart. Patience is required here to avoid damaging the fins or marring the gasket surface.

spuds · « **Reply #52 on:** January 12, 2018, 06:06:06 AM »

I'll look for those bevelled areas and try shims....that sounds less "dangerous" than pounding from below with a block on an area of fin!

thanks

b1jackson · « **Reply #53 on:** January 12, 2018, 06:12:52 AM »

Fellow Canuck here will likely be tackling my CB400F restoration this summer. Thanks for the inspiration and photo filled postings. I definitely don't mind seeing the "tore it apart" and "cleaned it" updates. There is great pride in those important steps!

spuds · « **Reply #54 on:** January 12, 2018, 10:14:40 AM »

Hey fellow Canuck!! Hope your winter there has not been too nasty. I guess there was some recent talk about a major storm working its way up the coast?

We woke up this morning to lots of grass showing....lost a lot of snow through the night.

No robins back yet though.

Rob_D · « **Reply #55 on:** January 12, 2018, 08:12:56 PM »

Looking good from Oakville, spuds.

We should have swapped 400F's - yours looked cleaner than mine before you even started! I've got a cb350 that's been sitting in boxes in my basement for about a year now...so it's great to your progress.

spuds · « **Reply #56 on:** January 24, 2018, 09:05:51 AM »

More engine ....cleaning.....

Did manage finally to budge the cylinder block away from the lower cases, and carefully lifted the block off the pistons. Some major cleaning required under that block!!

Pulled the pistons, and set to work on cleaning them and the combustion chamber domes --- carbon buildup. I know it'll like build up some again, but seemed to me that these pieces should be cleaned up a little before being reassembled.

Currently working away at getting rid of all the base gasket material, and tending to those crusty cylinder studs.

Was over a buddy's place last week too....wanted him to go over my efforts on cleaning and assembling the carbs. I had cleaned interiors, jets, orifices etc, installed new o-rings and gaskets, we set float heights, and overall, we think they came out well. Ready for fuel lines!!

spuds · « **Reply #57 on:** January 27, 2018, 07:36:39 PM »

Cleaning up the bottom faces of the engine cases

And installed the battery tray/airbox and inner fender too...

Flyin900 · « **Reply #58 on:** January 30, 2018, 08:48:48 PM »

Since you have the motor mostly apart are you considering valve seal replacement and lapping? How does the cam chain tensioner look? The guide seems to wear less and the tensioner usually ends up with a grooved section. While you have it apart this far, you may as well do a little more thorough check on the wear items.

I am just working through a 1975 CB400F that is a full rebuild from the ground up of a 25K mile bike.

Gitano · « **Reply #59 on:** January 31, 2018, 06:18:23 AM »

I'm in the process of also rebuilding a '75 400F, my first one so I have a ton of questions that are being answered by this forum (thank you all!). One I've had and Flyin900 just mentioned, is how one determines if the cam chain tensioner and guides are too worn and should be replaced. The engine I'm working on supposedly has 26k miles on it. Any guidelines on assessing wear?

Flyin900 · « **Reply #60 on:** January 31, 2018, 07:01:57 AM »

Guidelines for wear are in the factory service manual under the specifications section around page 100 or so in there. You can download the FSM manual from this forum.
Mine had about the same mileage as yours and the tensioner was worn below spec, while the guide part was still within spec yet 40 + year old rubber. I replaced the cam chain and both the guide and tensioner arms. I had the motor totally torn down with the cases being split, so I was able to check the crank and con rod bearings and U shaped tensioner arm too.

spuds · « **Reply #61 on:** January 31, 2018, 04:59:43 PM »

Will for sure check the tensioner/guide for wear---thanks for that suggestion.

Gitano----I think I saw in your thread that you're looking for a tach (or speedo?) base plate or something? Shoot me a picture of what you need - I have all my OEM gauge stuff that I'll likely not reuse---I can see if I have what you need.

In other news - the wee bike now sports some rebuilt and upgraded aluminum bodied Koni 76F's. These have been modified with Ikon "dial-a-ride" adjustable damping internals. Woot!

Gitano · « **Reply #62 on:** February 01, 2018, 05:07:34 AM »

Many thanks, Flyin', for pointing out the specs in the manual. I'll take a look at that.

Spuds, thank you for letting me know of parts availability. I just recently sourced a gauge base, so if it really is in good condition, I am good. Otherwise, I will reach out.

Many thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

b1jackson · « **Reply #63 on:** February 01, 2018, 07:17:48 AM »

Hey Spuds. Back tracking in the thread to your seat shaving, did a floppy 60 grit end up being your go to to shave that seat down? I'm kinda at that stage right now with one I'm experimenting with and have had moderate luck with a belt sander.

Always looking for something a little better.

spuds · « **Reply #64 on:** February 05, 2018, 08:40:16 PM »

For sure Gitano, let me know.

B1: yup....probably not the most glamorous or technically proper way to do it, but a 60 grit flap disc on the angle grinder to get rid of the big chunks, then 80 grit on a block for the finer shaping. Watch the changing 'grain' in in the foam with that grinder...it will bite too hard when it finds it. I was really lucky to not have it bite too much!!

In other news got some new shoes on the rear, and got that stubborn exhaust all down to it's major component parts. Man---can you spell "stuck together real good!?!?!?!?".

Picked up some extra header pipes...they're in a little better shape I think than mine. There's some work to be done on the headers that are permanently attached to the collector...Will post up some pics here of the areas that I would like to bring back to prior glory---to get some input on what product/tools might be the best bets.

Also know pretty much for sure that I won't use that end can. Hoping to find something that's just a bit shorter. Kinda liking the "reverse cone" look.

spuds · « **Reply #65 on:** February 10, 2018, 10:04:47 AM »

Well, figured I'd stood around staring at the pistons, gaskets, cylinder block etc long enough---time to get this motor's top end buttoned back up. I *know* that a complete engine teardown was probably the right thing to do, but....

Got the cylinders back on so far.

Nothing here that most you folk haven't seen before, but it's all the small little victories that combine to a sense of progress right?

jakec · « **Reply #66 on:** February 10, 2018, 02:05:33 PM »

There is a guy near me selling a 400f in boxes. The thing is that the motor is rebuilt and painted black. Headers are black. Frame is painted and naked. Tank and covers are naked.

However everything else is pretty untouched, meaning the boxes and boxes, and boxes of parts are all in worse shape, like off of a daily rider quality bike, with chipper paint, little surface rust here and there, etc.

I feel like if I took on that project I'd have to get the rest of the bike up to the level of the stuff that's already been cleaned and painted. ,While I would prefer a normal engine the black is not so bad. But thinking about having all those small parts cleaned and painted at cost, makes me think that the project budget would quickly go way out of control.

I'm wondering, how much is all of the outsourced work that you're having done setting you back? I see that aside from aquiring a lot of parts you are having a lot of things professionally painted.

spuds · « **Reply #67 on:** February 10, 2018, 05:18:24 PM »

sounds like a challenging, project!

So far, I've outsourced the front rim powdercoating, and the tank/side covers painting. I'm very fortunate to have a professional painter who's day job is doing bodywork/painting cars etc, and his boss lets him do the odd little side project there at the shop. He charges me a very fair rate, as for him it's a break from working on minivan fenders....

Painting work can be as cheap or expensive as you want it I guess....

Flyin900 · « **Reply #68 on:** February 10, 2018, 08:34:56 PM »

Spuds a tip on your carbs before you go ahead and install them back on the bike after a rebuild it is good to run a gas bottle hooked up to the carbs to test for leaks. Saves the headache of having to pull them back off again and much easier to do a clear line fuel level check if there are leak issues.
Nice work on the resto mod and I do like the wheels and the general cleanup of the internals in the motor will pay off for you.
That muffler you have is a DSS reproduction item and not cheap to import into Canada, so you should be able to sell that to someone who is restoring to original.
Nice to have a local painter with a shop and that is really good when it is -20 C and no heat in the garage.

spuds · « **Reply #69 on:** February 11, 2018, 07:17:32 AM »

Good tip on the carb leak test prior to putting them back on....cu'z that's not fun!

The muffler says "Campbells" on the back. I found a "Campbell" custom exhaust place on the web and though---ooohh...could it be from them?? Sent them some pics, and learned that, no, it's not.

Will likely put it and some other stuff up eventually...already sold a few items.

Flyin900 · « **Reply #70 on:** February 11, 2018, 09:39:08 AM »

I received the same muffler with my latest CB400F build and bought one from DSS a few years ago on another CB400F build and it looks to be much the same style of one from what I can see in the pictures of yours. Landed here I believe I paid around $250+ CDN a few years back, so you should be able to get a decent price from a restorer.

Nice detail work and pictures on your restoration. I tend to take the pics more to give me a reference when I am putting things back together, as I can't usually remember what I had for breakfast... never mind a few months later putting it back together.

The carbs can sometimes be leakers with the metal tip fuel needles and sometimes just a rap on the bowls fixes that and sometimes not, so I always check now, as it does save some frustration later.

spuds · « **Reply #71 on:** February 16, 2018, 09:07:49 AM »

Thanks for the continued curiousity and comments folks.

Some more little tasks completed----cylinder head, camshaft, etc all back on, valve cover and breather cover back on, all with new gaskets and o-rings etc and moving surfaces smeared with assembly lube. Next steps there are to adjust the valves---the adjusters were all backed way off (according to my interpretation of the top end disassembly instructions in the manuals), so they all need to be set.

My tires are ordered, so they'll be going on the wheels in the last week of Feb, and with having a rolling chassis again, the engine can go back into the frame! yeah!!

Also scooped a nice little muffler for almost next to nothing---I think it will install and line up nicely, it's baffled so (but what do I know?) I think it should work just fine with the stock jetting/air filter.....time will tell. The goal of having something shorter and less "megaphone shaped" and not necessarily that much louder would be achieved if it works. If not, I keep shopping!!

New (to me) little silencer alongside the Campbell's pipe that was on the bike.

The wee silencer mocked up (loosely) on the headers....'cuz I couldn't resist.

spuds · « **Reply #72 on:** March 04, 2018, 05:09:30 PM »

Tires on, brake calipers and new shoes out back, wheels back on the frame. Roller!!!!

Flyin900 · « **Reply #73 on:** March 04, 2018, 07:54:17 PM »

Spuds,

Looking good and moving along very well. If those are Avon Roadrider tires they are a great tires on these small fours with nice grippy rubber and don't tramline in the grooved pavement.

I was going to suggest that you can put the motor back into the frame using two people by laying the motor on it's side and lifting the bare frame over the sideways motor. It avoids scratching the lower frame rails on the oil pan. I don't think you can do that now with the bike being a roller with those extra parts attached and the weight.
I have done this by myself on one occasion and it makes the job fairly simple in bolting up the motor and moving the frame around to the correct alignment. With the main stand attached to the frame just flip the frame back upright flip down the main stand and block the front section of the frame and your ready to attach the front forks. After that the bike is a totally stable platform to continue to build out.

spuds · « **Reply #74 on:** March 05, 2018, 07:49:35 AM »

They are indeed Roadriders.

It was down to between them and BT45's. Probably wouldn't go wrong with either, but I see the Avons on a lot of builds, so that played a part in swaying me towards them.

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Author Topic: CB400 Four resto/mod----done and on the road!! (Read 14685 times)