Topic: CB550 or CB500 Aluminum Side Cover Castings (build?)

[wolf550]

Not sure if this is where this thread is supposed to go so If it goes somewhere else let me know
and YES I am going to try and make some of those aluminum side covers for my two bikes - CB500 and CB550
This is a non professional build using techniques I found on youtube showing other people making various other parts with aluminum.
I have seen a few pics of the previous pieces that have been made by major shops or companies that were for the CB750 and they were just plain AWESOME but...

each one of the threads where someone was going try and make a pair for themselves or try to get a group of members interested never got up off the ground or if they tried to make some but didn't succeed.

I am hoping this project will be a success but if not at least it can be a learning experience for myself and anybody else out there who might have the expertise to finish off where this leaves off.

Recently I have only been making a few of the finned engine side covers for the stator and points
Alot of trial and error went into making failed pieces so I went to work checking out metal casting forums/ youtube/ any pdf books online to look at. and after that I kept going at it. little by little making progress.

Ok.
Started ordering more sand that should arrive next week and today started melting my aluminum cans down to make stock
I'm Using a Propane type forge burner setup with Large bucket filled with Kaowool
right now I only have a 4kg crucible but I may have to go larger. I was able to fill it with 108 cans each time today in about an hour. if I did this one at a time that would take me forever so I crushed the cans first and cut them into sections to fill one can with the top cut off (about 8 cans total in the 1 can)
Online it said I should get about 1.5lbs of aluminum if I fill the 4kg crucible all the way. after removing the dross I filled it to the top of the crucible and made 5 separate ingots. unfortunately I do not have scale to check these but they feel heavier than a pound.
my question I will be able to answer after the first try is if this will be enough material to fill the side cover cavity.

I have a two ways I am going to try casting these molds. one is a top fill where a slit is exposed on the front of the side cover filling the bottom section first then rising to the top. this would leave a section that I would have to cut off where the face is and see if I could smooth it out. the second which I think would be better is a bottom fill where I would have the filler hole on the middle inside of the cover  and the aluminum would rise up to the back of the cover where the flippers are.

I am going to start with the side covers that you would drill a hole and achor with a nut and bolt.
the reason is from reading about the other kind of side covers that were made with the prongs or bungs on them is that they would break off after a ride or two not realizing it fell off and then having to back track and hope someone did not drive over it like someone did with one of my shorty mufflers that flew off after the spring clip gave up. (just as I was walking up to get it an SUV went right over it! and I know she saw me standing there to get it!)

that is where it is at right now as soon as my shipment of sand arrives I can get started with the process to see Easy this isn't. LOL
oh yeah the last pic is a pair of side covers I saw on one of the other threads for the 750 that were $440 back in 09' so I have no idea how much they would be today.

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

Awesome. I had done some experimental sidecover sandcasting a few years back. So frigging heavy. Nice setup. Woohoo!!

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[wolf550]

would looooove to see those!
if I complete a set I think that the idea of a "what did you cast for your bike today" might come around.
this was the cover I worked on today
I need to get a drill press soon.

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

You are using existing parts as your patterns which makes the job both easier and....not. easy that you can just copy, but the shrink rate makes all overall dimensions and hole locations pointless.

If I were you I would fill holes and make the ribs shorter so the pattern pulls better. Less cleanup.

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[FrankenFrankenstuff]

Here is a before and after. Rough sandcast cover and then after machining. These are my points covers, haven't found the sidecover pic. Mine was a brick. Ha.

What I did was design the part and scale it up due to the shrink rate. 1/8" a foot? Dont remember.  Then I 3D printed the pattern.

What you are doing is awesome. Keep it up. Make more parts. Make them your own.

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[wolf550]

yes the shrinkage! I will have to see how they look.
i had bought a few used covers over the years cause they kept breaking either at the bottom or one of the top prongs.
I finally said no. bought those rough broken covers for 20 bucks, taped them up and made some bigger fiberglass indestructible ones.
didn't bother to sand down and bondo fill to make them smooth just painted and slapped a 550 decal on them.
if the aluminum ones shrink too much Ill have to make another fiberglass set and see it that solves it.

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

Nice work!. I have zero luck with fiberglass.

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[FrankenFrankenstuff]

I could send you a set of covers for the cause. Just cut them into 4 pieces, make a gap and fill it accounting for the shrink.

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[SF]

Here is a before and after. Rough sandcast cover and then after machining. These are my points covers, haven't found the sidecover pic. Mine was a brick. Ha.

What I did was design the part and scale it up due to the shrink rate. 1/8" a foot? Dont remember.  Then I 3D printed the pattern.

What you are doing is awesome. Keep it up. Make more parts. Make them your own.

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I have one of these covers and love the look....I’ll be on-board if your making sides.....keep up the cool work!


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[FrankenFrankenstuff]

Those ribbed 750 covers in your original post are from Yamiya in Japan. I am sure they are more than $400 now. They were machined like that with the openings because they were so frigging heavy I bet.

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[wolf550]

Going to see how these first pours go
but definitely if they come out too small and I need a plan B that would be the way to go
since these flippers sit flat against the tab holes I thought maybe the next pours I would add cavities where tabs would go but the size of the metal tabs. You know when the rubber grommets are out they look like pills. I just add that size to the back flippers, dremmel down to fit and use lock pins on all three.
just some ideas. I'll get the rough sketches down to let you all see the madness in this brain.
the measurement of the mold boxes are pretty big 12x15x8
might have to get a 5kg we will see.

[wolf550]

Those ribbed 750 covers in your original post are from Yamiya in Japan. I am sure they are more than $400 now. They were machined like that with the openings because they were so frigging heavy I bet.

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they are so cool though!
Seeing those gets me pumped up to at least Do those!
(Do or do not. There is no try)

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

Bless us with the madnesssssssss! Woohoo!

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[wolf550]

here is a quick sketch showing a side cover with the tabs that would be anchored in using some pin locks
I am sure there are other more sophisticated locks out there but I will keep checking

[wolf550]

I was finally able to get the last bit of cans melted down today before the clouds started to move in.
should have about 10lbs ready.
I was going through my previous pieces of side covers to reflect at the progress that has been made since i first started.
when I lined them up I did one of those curious side head tilt looks.
the first two looked bigger than the last two which seemed odd.
so I bust out the measure tape. lo and behold they were!
didn't know how this happened until i remembered.
I had put the first side cover on my 2nd bike after I had ordered another side cover from Ebay and started using the new one instead.
the new side cover fits into the older side cover.
was there a finned side cover for the smaller 350 four?

[Stev-o]

Cool project, subscribed...

[wolf550]

Thanks Steve-O!

Really Liked your"bestxmas thread"
got me a 77 light pearl blue C3 that has been beggin me to put an engine back into it!


going to go ahead and fab up the side covers and fix the tabs where they are broke and get one of the bottom side molds started

will post a pic after

[Stev-o]

Thanks Steve-O!

Really Liked your"bestxmas thread"
got me a 77 light pearl blue C3 that has been beggin me to put an engine back into it!

That def was the #best Xmas ever!   I love the C3's, I took mine out last weekend for a Sunday Drive.

Do you have a motor or buying a crate motor?

[wolf550]

bought it from a guy locally.
he said it can out of a 68 or 69 camaro.
I have walked by it every day now for almost a year.
I figured I would learn how to install and replace stuff as I go.

[wolf550]

So while I wait for my green sand to come in, I used my last 7lbs of petrobond sand I had laying around to see how much of fill the inside of the cover would hold.
it will take the whole amount after I compact it all the way.
Even with 25lbs coming tomorrow I think i will have to cut the bottom mold so I don't have to fill the entire back area.
but first I will try the entire mold first and then cut if need be.
on the side covers I went ahead and cut off the broken tabs so I can redraw them in the sand and after casting go back and file down what I wont need.
probably this friday will be a burn session. forcast calls for sunny skies here.

[wolf550]

Today I got my green sand in the mail and well shucks it filled half the mold with little compressing of the material.
going to order the next size up and should get that next week i think
in the meantime Ill work on a couple of finned side covers with the rest of the petrobond for for now.

I will get a list of materials and post them to show what has been spent so far as soon I get them together.

[wolf550]

So it can be done.
I can do it.
Now how well?
well........

I always start with a half mold to see where there might be tricky areas when removing object being cast
After mixing the casting sand in the molds I started noticing some problems with the plastic covers where the bends are near the lips
where the finned engine side covers will release easily due to a straight drop in the sides, these plastic covers are curved inward by the areas where each of the tabs are.
Each time I went to lift the plastic cover up off the sand mold the sides would break off drastically.
to try and remedy the areas I pulled out enough sand to be added to the other side of the casting mold.

here came the second problem.

since there are curves on the inward area of the bottom mold, the top was having the opposite effect.
when I would go to split the two halves by removing the top half, the sand would break away where the curves are.
I tried to salvage the areas where the sand broke away and after it filled I would just have to grind away the excess aluminum.

Time to melt.
after melting 7 of the aluminum muffins I was ready to pour wondering how much would it take to fill the mold.
I ended up using only half of the melted aluminum on this one.
I have yet to grind off the excess along with the gateway but even with this extra aluminum and the areas where it didn't fill, this side cover does not feel all that heavy.

Round 2
I'm going to end up cutting the bottom wooden casting mold in half since for the bottom half it doesnt see any of the action as the top sees.
this will save on weight since picking the filled mold up sucks!
Next I am ditching the plastic side covers and going to fab up some new fiberglass side covers that will be thicker and I will be able to fill in those areas where they curve and shape them to be straight for an easier sand mold.

I'm going to go ahead and mold the other side and see if it comes out the same as the first casting cause I will definitely be polishing em up and rocking them on the bike as battle scars!

let you know when Im ready for the 2nd round.
I feel these are close. just like when I started working on those finned side covers in the picture. you can see the progress of the trial and error with those. I can see the completed side covers already.

[Godffery]

 Very interesting to see the process & technique develop as you go along.
I'm looking froward to see how each setup progresses.  Thanks for sharing your journey of trial & error with us!

[wolf550]

Thanks Godffrey.

I can see why aluminum side covers would be a great addition to a bike

and luckily you won't have to wait too long.
this morning I was ready to go with alteration on the side covers I have already made with fiberglass
I built up the areas and sanded down to as flat as needed.
I still saw some breaks near the bottom of the cover. going to see if i can build up and make more flat.
luckily the inside (bottom) of the mold stays solid and it is just that bottom area.

I filled the crucible up with a little more than half aluminum thinking this would be enough but it looks like these side covers are going to take the whole 1.5lbs aluminum
on this casting the tabs were all filled and the area at the bottom were the breakage is got filled.

for round 3 I'm going to add single chimneys for the tabs and two chimneys for each side for any gas and aluminum to make it all the way around the bottom.

Im glad I didn't have to do much with the fiberglass and now I have to just try these extra steps to see if I can get a complete casting.

[Godffery]

Are you using those funky tabed side covers just for R&D?  (Please say yes)   
Personally, it seems like an offal lot of effort to make those in aluminum, so might as well use the better stock designed covers with proper tabs for the final product.
 Ether way, it's your rodeo. I'm Just over here think'n out loud.