Topic: Terry's NEW big Kawasaki build, the "Lockdown 1428" special.

[grcamna2]

Good job of it Terry,doing it right.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks G, I am keen to get it right first time, as I don't want to have to pull it apart again, so I'm trying hard to "measure twice, cut once, just for a change.......

[Terry in Australia]

Is there anything more fun, than sitting outside in winter, rugged up in thermals and a beanie, scrubbing an icy cold piece of motorcycle architecture, before painting it? Well fcuk that, instead, yesterday I dumped another sump pan that I bought for my Z1-B project that had been painted, poorly, into my ultrasonic cleaner, and after  an hour @ 50 deg C, it came out like new! Sweet!

Of course I forgot to take a pic, but it planted a seed in my tiny mind. I'd decided to use the slightly milder ported GPZ1100 head that was on my black bike rather than the heavily ported one, because on closer inspection it (the heavily ported one) needs a new valve seat installed, and probably needs surface grinding, whereas I know that the head on the black bike is good, so I'll sacrifice one or 2 BHP's for peace of mind. The problem of course, was that the GPZ head is black, so to prep it for paint, I dumped it in the ultrasonic cleaner for around 2 hours @ 50 deg C, and while it didn't strip the black factory paint off, it cleaned it within an inch of it's life, seriously, it was super clean. I still got my garden hose and flushed it out to make sure any caustic from the laundry detergent I used was washed out, as I didn't want it causing any flash corrosion, then I blew out every orifice (not mine, you sicko) with compressed air, splooged a little WD40 around the valve springs so they didn't rust, then stuck it into the oven @ 100 deg C for an hour.

Today, I gave everything a quick wipe with acetone, then a nice thin coat of etch primer, back into the oven, then a nice thin coat of high temp silver paint, and back in the oven again. The instructions called for heating it to 300 deg F for an hour, allowing it to cool, then heating it to 500 deg F for an hour. Fcuk that, I know for a fact that at those temps valve guides can fall out, valve guide seals can melt, valve springs can change temper (I don't know for a fact if anything I just said is true, but I'd rather err on the side of chicken sh1t.....) so I heated it to 200 deg F for 2 hours, and VHT can get fcuked. I realised that it's actually exhaust header paint, so I'll be a bit more exuberant with the heat when I paint the exhaust. Anyhoo, the head looks nice.

1428 case assembly 23 Jun 2020 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

And it's good that it looks nice, because just as I was finishing up, the doorbell rang, and a nice man dropped off some motorcycle engineering porn from Mikuni Oz, special inlet manifolds to allow the fitment of Mikuni RS40mm carbs, which you guys may remember I bought some nice used ones a few months ago. As you know, GPZ1100's were fuel injected, but the injection was sh1t, so mine had 32mm Suzuki GSXR750 carbs fitted when it was an 1100, but the 40's (with accelerator pumps) will work better with the increased engine capacity, and the monsterish Webb cams I'm using.

1428 case assembly 23 Jun 2020 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

So that inspired me to pull my finger out of my butt and get the bottom end of the engine back together. I'd bought a nice new tube of Permatex blue RTV sealant, and was mega pissed when I discovered that although sealed, the top half inch of the sealant had "gone off" in the tube (fcuk you, Permatex, fcuk you.....) so I cut the bottom flange off the tube and dipped my finger into the lovely blue good, and spread it super thinly around the case mating surfaces, once I'd wiped it down with acetone again. (love that acetone, especially when I take a big whiff.......... but I digress) It really is a lovely colour, I'm glad I didn't go for grey or black, the blue is a lovely contrast to the silver, don't you think?

1428 case assembly 23 Jun 2020 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I've had the cases apart around 10 times over the last couple of days, mainly because I'm a Kawasaki engine building noob, and I really want to get this build right, because I don't want to have to pull the engine out again because I fcuked something up. I actually read my factory workshop manual again last night, and was both surprised and impressed that so far, I'd done everything right. Their torque specs for the original crankshaft bolts were a bit woosey (16-19 foot pounds) so I decided that the big arsed APE studs I'm using could handle 25 foot pounds. I didn't bust any, so I was right. I'm very smart. I even torqued all the little 6mm bolts to 8 foot pounds, and was happy that I didn't strip any.

1428 case assembly 23 Jun 2020 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

So the good news is the bottom end is together. I'll install that transmission cover tomorrow when I break out the new gasket set, just to make sure the selector shaft doesn't fall out when I tip it over (unlikely, but I have been known to be a clumsy pr1ck from time to time) but I'll wait until the pistons, cylinders and head is on before I install the outer covers. I suppose I better install the alternator rotor, starter clutch etc so I can use it to rotate the crank (and to make sure it fits, it's off a later model crank) if I need to dial in the cams. Anyway, more tomorrow.

[grcamna2]

The work looks good Terry  I personally hate RTV silicone though.

[754]

Terry you sealant tube wrecker.....
 When it goes off try this..... long woodscrew , run it into the uncured portion . Move it back and forth a bit, now it should work.
 Wipe off the Woodscrew or  run it into scrap wood or toss it..... or put it back in the tube to seal it.
 Your tip for the day

[RAFster122s]

If the store I bought it at was close and I had my receipt I would have returned it. Surprised you used the rtv instead of something like hondabond or yamabond or threebond. Getting the cases apart again is gonna be tough to do.

[PeWe]

I'll use Loctite 518 for next case assembly.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Guys, the Kawasaki Gods on various sites all recommended RTV, in a very thin coat like I gave it, and unlike Honda's, to seperate the cases big Zed engines have cast in threaded lugs front and back that you wind a bolt into, that pushes the case halves apart.

They also have much bigger oilways than Honda's, so once again, silicon (which is also present in Hondabond, Yamabond and Threebond, if you read the labels) isn't an issue.

 I did the woodscrew trick Frank, but little gòbs of hardened sealant came out with the soft stuff contaminating it, hence chopping off the back. No biggie, I wrapped it in cling film then stored it in a ziplock bag, so it should stay good for awhile.

I've only used Loctite case sealant once Per (on my F2) and it was sh1t. Once the engine got up to temp, the hot oil washed it out, and I had to split the cases again and use Threebond.

[PeWe]

Was it the Loctite 518?

[Terry in Australia]

Was it the Loctite 518?

Sorry Per, I don't remember, I only remember throwing the bottle over my back fence whilst swearing, while my F dribbled oil all over my garage floor. It was recommended as engine jointing sealant though, absolute rubbish.

[PeWe]

Good to know about bad case sealer. Real pita to redo.. Pull engine again and all work with that.
It would be fine with a penetrating sealer to repair with if a leak occur. Even cope with oily surface.

[Terry in Australia]

Yeah mate, it certainly put me off loctite products when I saw oil dripping from the ignition, I had the cover off at that stage, and I initially thought the seal was no good, but no, it was seeping from the joint itself. I tipped the engine upside down and separated the cases, cleaned them again, and used threebond, and it was fine.

Anyway, what pissed me off today is I worked my arse off removing the alternator rotor and starter clutch off a NOS Kawasaki KZ1000 crank that I bought, just for the alternator rotor/starter clutch. I finally got it off after almost destroying a couple of 17mm sockets and busting a 1/2"-3/8" adapter clean in half. As soon as I got it off my heart sank, I could see that the new crankshaft's end shaft was a larger diameter than mine, which I think is a welded and balanced Z1 crank. Fcuk.

For some reason that I don't really understand, the alternator rotor/starter clutch assembly for a Z1/KZ1000 is super expensive, a good used one goes for way over 300 bucks US, and that was why I was happy when I'd bought the whole crank for $200. (plus 200 shipping to Oz, ouch.....) I almost burst into tears. Big manly tears, you understand, not little girlie tears, you know, the kind of tears a man sheds when his faithful old dog, horse, motorcycle, prostitute, buddy or pickup truck dies, those sort of tears.

I pulled out my smart phone, clicked on the Ebay icon, did a search, and yes, 350 bucks for just a used rotor, $999 for a NOS rotor and stator, 100 bucks just for the starter clutch gear, etc. Then suddenly I saw the complete assembly going for 25 bucks with 10 minutes left, and no bids! Woohoo! I threw in a bid of $26.50, then went to bidnapper and put in a sneaky bid of $359.99, because it was gonna be mine. I was outbid a minute or two later, but I let it go, and 10 minutes later, it was mine, for the princely sum of 33 bux, Double Woohoo! I paid right away, and contacted the seller to make sure he included all the bits I needed like the bolt, the bearing, the thrust washer etc, he hadn't, but was a nice guy and found them and put them in the box.

So, feeling pretty good about things again, I went out to my sheltered workshop and installed the big arse APE cylinder studs, then went to install the nice shiny inner sprocket shaft cover, only to find it didn't fit! Aaaaagh! The engine I'm building is based on 1979 KZ1000 which looks identical to the 1977 engine I'm using for spares, but there are some minor differences. I've included a pic of the two different covers, sadly the only one I have that will fit my bike in the manky one on the left, can you tell the difference? It's not much, but would have pissed oil all over the floor if I hadn't noticed the difference..... Oh well, I'll scrub it clean, do some creative JB welding, and call it good until I can find a better one. What a day..........

1428 engine build 24 Jun 2020 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr   

1428 engine build 24 Jun 2020 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[PeWe]

I used a cheap electrical wheel  impact wrench for alternator removal.
Worked really fine when it could hammer the nut until release. It was secured with blue Loctite.

Then use the special alternator removal bolt, a spin and off it flew

https://www.biltema.se/verktyg/elverktyg/mutterdragare/hjulmutterdragare-2000022920

[Terry in Australia]

I used a cheap electrical wheel  impact wrench for alternator removal.
Worked really fine when it could hammer the nut until release. It was secured with blue Loctite.

Then use the special alternator removal bolt, a spin and off it flew

https://www.biltema.se/verktyg/elverktyg/mutterdragare/hjulmutterdragare-2000022920

Thanks Per, I've got a big expensive DeWalt half inch drive rattle gun and it wouldn't take the bolt out until I heated it with my gas torch, it had never been off, still had the white paint from the factory, 41 years ago. I made a special removal bolt, but had to use more heat and penetrating oil to get the sucker off, not that it matters, it doesn't fit anyway. I might take a look at a CB750 rotor tomorrow, who knows? It might go straight on! (but it probably won't.........)

[Terry in Australia]

It was a better day today. Yesterday I took the rusty old 4 into 1 that was on the drag bike over to the sandblasters, and asked them to blast it back to within an inch of it's life. It had been painted a few times, the last time the PO had painted the headers a horrible orange "read lead undercoat?) and there was a goodly layer of surface rust everywhere, in between splotches of black house paint. The PO wasn't a "man of means" so probably used whatever he had to make it look a tad better over the 30 years he owned it.

Tony, the owner of the sandblast/powdercoat business is a nice guy, owns a Z1000 and a Triumph Rocket III, and I've been taking stuff to him for years. I asked if I could have it back by the weekend, and was happy to get a call this morning to say it was ready to collect. They did a great job.

1428 exhaust 25 Jun 2020 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Of course it's winter here, and rain was threatening, so I quickly gave it a squirt of high temp exhaust paint.

1428 exhaust 25 Jun 2020 1 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

1428 exhaust 25 Jun 2020 5 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

This pipe is a much better fit on the GPZ1100 head than the Delkevic was, but the Delkevic was for a Z1, so I'm sure it'll look and work a lot better on my Z1-B. This pipe sounded really good the day I fired it up just before I turned it back into a road bike, but I may chop a few inches off it, or put a better muffler on it. We'll see.

1428 exhaust 25 Jun 2020 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Ok, so I was on a roll. I threw the filthy inner sprocket cover into the ultrasonic cleaner and it came out nice and clean. Obviously a previous owner of my engine cases (that it came with) lost a chain, which smashed the casting. I had a spare inner cover that had a broken screw hole, so I took my band saw to it, and cut off the missing casting.

1428 exhaust 25 Jun 2020 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I then took my angle grinder with a flappy disc attached, and ground the mangled pieces off the damaged one, and after farting about for an hour with those stupid alloy soldering rods I gave up and broke out the JB weld. It won't be as strong I know, but this is more about aesthetics anyway, the RK 630 chain I'm using will never break while my arse points to the ground, so I've got the cover inside with me now, and I'm slowly building up layers of JB Weld to fill the gaps.

1428 exhaust 25 Jun 2020 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I compared it to a good early model cover, and the height of the casting was spot on, so I'm happy, and I've saved a few bucks, which I immediately blew on a Z1 cylinder block, just so it looks original from the outside, even though it'll have some big 1100cc Moriwaki pistons lurking within. I was pissed off that when I enquired where the fcuk my new air compressor that I bought on EBay 2.5 weeks ago hadn't arrived the seller immediately refunded my money because they said there was a fault with the machine and didn't want to send me a faulty compressor. Pity they didn't tell me until today, but I immediately bought another identical one from another seller in Sydney, so I hope it turns up soon. Apart from that, all is good, more tomorrow.
 

[dave500]

ha ha great job Terry,gonna be a ripper on the road.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Dave, I gave that cover a few more layers of JB weld, replaced all the seals and installed it last night, didn't have the correct gasket of course, so used some more of that blue goo, and was happy. Tomorrow, the top end goes back on. Sweet..........

1428 engine build 26 Jun 2020 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[Terry in Australia]

They say a soldier marches on his stomach, so before I marched out to my workshop, I made myself a delicious brekky of eggs, bacon and beans. Now OCD is a terrible thing, while I could have put the 1428's top end together today, instead I sweated over a filthy old lathe trying to make the starter clutch from a late model KZ1000 work on my Z1 900 welded and balanced crank. 

1428 starter farter 28 Jun 2020 3 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I have the correct items (2, 1 for each bike) on their way from the US, but the mail system has been so slow, I decided to bodge together my own. Obciously I won't have a working alternator, but as long as I can crank the engine with the button, that'll save my poor old leg somewhat. The problem is that the later crank end has a 25mm OD, whereas the 900  has a 22mm crank end. I first built a spacer from steel, that slid over the 900 shaft's end, and was a neat fit inside the 1000's starter gear bearing.

1428 starter farter 28 Jun 2020 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I then removed the starter clutch assembly from the alternator rotor and mated it to an old oil cooler adapter that I decided to "recycle" as I wasn't using it.

1428 starter farter 28 Jun 2020 5 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

I then pressed the steel spacer into the alloy backing for the starter clutch. It was a real "inteference fit" took 5 tons of pressure to make it fit, so I doubt if it'll come loose too soon.

1428 starter farter 28 Jun 2020 6 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

So I assembled it all to see how/if it's gonna work.

1428 starter farter 28 Jun 2020 2 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Surprisingly, it did! I just need to turn a cone with a 5 deg internal taper, and press that into the alloy "flywheel" and install a bolt, and it should be good to test fire the engine once I install the engine's top end, later this week. it's going a little slower than I'd hoped, but I'm enjoying it, and learning a lot about big Kawasaki engines. More tomorrow!

[PeWe]

Good progress Terry!
Grilled tomato and grilled sauage(s) would be good friends to that breakfast!
Some chilli too..... Mmmmm

[ekpent]

  Hmmm- beans in the morning. That's one way to clear out the shop and just have a little me time ! 

[PeWe]

American beans with extra power!! Good anti riot stuff!

Terry's compressor has not arrived yet so he need own pressure. Just plug in the hose

[grcamna2]

Terry,
How does the machined cone with the 5 degree taper work,interference press fit into the other custom bushing you installed ? That cone is going to be a very precise part.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks guys, I love the "Blazing Saddles" reference, one of my favourite movies of all time. G, the taper isn't as important as you'd think, but it's easy enough to machine, and yes, I'll machine a "hat" on it and press it into the alloy "flywheel". It's really only a temporary measure, but I do like occasionally doing some precision engineering.

[grcamna2]

Why the non-functioning aluminum rotor,I thought this is going to be a street bike ?

[Terry in Australia]

Why the non-functioning aluminum rotor,I thought this is going to be a street bike ?

Thanks mate, yep, it'll be a fully functional street bike, but if you reread my earlier posts you'll see that I don't have the correct Z1 alternator rotor or starter clutch assembly yet, so I made this thing just so I can start it on the button while I wait for the correct items to arrive.

I've been waiting for weeks, and no sign of them arriving any time soon, so this will at least save my leg and arthritic knee until I can install the correct part. Plus I enjoy making cool stuff that actually works. I bought an old Evinrude 4 cylinder magneto a few weeks ago, and am thinking it might be cool to build a trick belt driven magneto at a later date. I've got a couple of ARD's here, but they're not all that interesting to me as making my own.