Topic: MrFry's CB750 Cafe Project Thread

[MrFry]

started shaping the seat today - fairly straight forward.
first i used a plain-ol' saw to trim it down to a general shape, then started cutting corners and edges to refine the shape a bit more, then took some coarse sandpaper to smooth it out.
seems a lot like ice sculpting... not that i have ever done that.

after first cut:


then when diving in a little deeper i found that the thing was like a pie!!! the center didn't set and was left with a goopy mess... unfortunately i found that out with my hand 


the general shape so far:


not sure if i'm going to make it taller or not - or really keep this shape at all for that matter.

i filled in the holes with some more foam, and added some to the sides where i took too much off - will play with it again tomorrow.

[Loas 78 CB750K]

I think this stuff might be a little easer to work with. Again I THINK it will be, as I have not used it myself. But I believe this is the stuff I saw a guy use an electric knife to carve. It was on one of the Motorcycle Madness episodes. Also if one layer isn't think enough you can alway glue two layers together to make it thicker.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1-UPHOLSTERY-FOAM-SEAT-PAD-ARTS-CRAFTS-PADDING-2-THICK_W0QQitemZ260101923185QQcmdZViewItem

[MrFry]

continued sculpting the seat base... actually ended up cutting about 1.5" off the front to have room for the butt. even in its current state, with padding and cover, it should be cutting it close.
i think i will opt for a denser but thinner foam. It may hurt my ass a bit more, but it can't be any worse than my Monster - and i've gone on many many long trips on that.

after sculpting, i covered it with the aluminum tape to get a better look, and see where the 'trouble' spots will be.



then i put some Body filler on the top to fix some of the low areas. They were mostly in the top of the mold, due to the last application of foam.


after some sanding, i ended up with this.


I've never done anything like this before - so it's pretty interesting coming up with different ways to do this.
i'm sure when it comes time to fiberglass, things will get a lot more interesting.

...after staring at it for a while, i may have to add another inch or so to the top... with padding and covering, i have a feeling the 'hump' is going to look a bit short.
i also need to figure out how to form the bottom-rear. again, more foam would fix this.

[MrFry]

went to town on the seat yesterday. turns out the foam got a huge air-pocket in it when it was setting up.
so there are some pretty big dents under the tape. No matter though - bondo should fill them in pretty well.


then went about stripping the tank.

the paint stripper only took it down to the primer for some reason, so i had to sand the rest off.

turns out this tank has already been repaired before.
this was full of bondo:
 

i'm hoping i can design a polished section that doesn't hit any of the dents in the tank - otherwise the whole thing gets painted.

[MrFry]

started putting body-filler on the tank - if anything just to see if my design idea will work.
...so far - no! 




i need to feather the edges a bit more, and add some more filler in spots.
looks like it's going to be 100% paint now..

[MrFry]

more bondo work today
my eyes are burning from all the dust




both the tank and the seat are ready for primer and paint

i'm thinking i'll paint the seat, wax it reeeeaaalll good, and then start laying the fiberglass.

i can't seem to find a mold release around here....
unless i'm not looking in the right places at home depot / osh
any suggestions?

[MrFry]

Was going to paint the tank today - but it looks like it's raining - so that ruins my painting area (backyard).
decided to attack the seat today

first i covered the area with trashbags (platic) thinking that if i wasn't able to release the fiberglass i could at least cut the bag and leave it on the inside.

then tried to make a template out of some newspaper - but ended up just cutting a piece of the glass cloth and figuring out where slits needed to be made.
then cut out a few more pieces of cloth to have ready for lay-up.

i started at the front of the seat and it was slow going. Never having worked with fiberglass before i wasn't sure what to expect. It started sticking and clumping together while i was trying to apply the resin. After the resin started soaking through, it got a bit easier to work with.

then repeated on the rear - then the front again - then the rear again - and one last one on the front (i ran out of cloth and resin).
used the rubber scraper to push out any air bubbles and help the resin soak through.
got to a point i was happy with - came inside watched a movie and a MotoGP race (note: if you decide to do this, the movie and race are not necessary - but highly recomended).

went back out to the garage and pulled the fiberglass off. It's still pretty flexible and a little tacky. The trashbag pulled right out and the tape (the squares you see in the picture to hold the bags together) was a bit trickier - but also came out.


trimmed the fiberglass a bit and i must say - i think it turned out pretty well. But it does need at least 2-3 more layers before it is done.


the biggest problem i had was pulling my original foam-mold off the bike. I was trying to keep it in once piece in case i still need it.
the tape was also a bit of a pain. If i were to do it again, i would wrap the frame in plastic then apply the tape.

its current state:

still needs a bit of trimming and a few more layers applied - but i shall call it a day.

[MrFry]

more fiberglass...



added 2 more sheets to the rear and 3 to the front
plus i decided to use leftover scraps to reinforce the seat area

[MrFry]

man - going through some of the pages of this is a bit depressing
oh well
more trimming and some bondo tonight.

[ohiocaferacer]

next question:
how do i go about repairing a broken bleeder?


i bought the BF17 kit from NAPA, and when i brought it home, realize there is no way it's going to work. The base nut(?) is waaaay to big, it would leave me about 1/32" of wall. Did i just buy the wrong one?

You need to use the smaller BF117 bleed screw kit.....see this thread...page 2:
http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=13965.15

I've used this kit and it works great!!! And only took about 20-30 mins. Make sure you dismantle the caliper(pull out the piston) and drill completely thru the bleed hole.

Also.....to connect your stainless brake lines to your calipers.....you need to use this adapter:

Purchase at:
http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=&store=Main&catId=416&productId=p194421&leafCatId=41604&mmyId=

Purchase Russell universal brake lines, then use different banjo ends to adapt to your configuration. The #3 end on the universal line will screw onto the above adapter. I've used this setup on my bikes with great success. Last used on the CB500/4........when I switched to stainless lines. Your setup with just using a cut down banjo bolt and the 2 crush washers will not give you a good seal and will allow air into the caliper.

Hope this helps,
Greg
www.OHIOCAFERACERS.com

[MrFry]

^^thanks for the info!
i'm ordering the BF117 today - i could have sworn that old thread said the BF17 was the one to get.

my lines are already made and it seems to get a decent seal at the banjo - but we shall see once i get a working master cylinder.

is there an online honda parts catalog somewhere?
i need a piece for a 1998 VFR800 Master Cylinder.


Nevermind - i found a part number, just need to find a place to order it. P#: 45525-MAJ-G41
my local dealer is HORRRRIIIBBBLLLEEE - so i would rather find an online source and get it right the first time.

[ohiocaferacer]

^^thanks for the info!
i'm ordering the BF117 today - i could have sworn that old thread said the BF17 was the one to get.

my lines are already made and it seems to get a decent seal at the banjo - but we shall see once i get a working master cylinder.


is there an online honda parts catalog somewhere?
i need a piece for a 1998 VFR800 Master Cylinder.

No problem......just wanted to let you know about the cut down banjo bolt....could never get it to work right.

[MrFry]

god i hate our dealer
it's going to take 7 days to get my part here from ohio...
i can get parts from New York shipped ground here in 5 days.

but it is ordered.

took a picture this morning so i could stare at it all day at work - i suppose i'll share

it's coming together

short term - need to finish bondo-ing the seat. take it to get upholstered (one thing i know i can't do well). then Primer/Paint the tank and seat.
need to get that part from the dealer for the master cylinder (1998 VFR800). Drill out the bleeder screw and install the correct Napa repair kit - although i may be able to score a master cylinder from a friend.

[MrFry]

quick question...
Could any of you measure the distance between the rear of the frame on a 750 for me?

i need to order up my lights but i want that dimension first so i can get the right size.

[scunny]

hope you enjoyed all that dust, I've just finished my seat and it wasn't a "fun time"
still worth it for satisfaction gained    (I think)

[MrFry]

hope you enjoyed all that dust, I've just finished my seat and it wasn't a "fun time"
still worth it for satisfaction gained    (I think)

heheh having never done bodywork outside of community college auto-body (and trust me - it taught me the very basics) it was a new experience.
you can tell the garage floor is filthy and once this thing is done with i am pulling everything out and cleaning up - i'm sure the roomates will appreciate it.

my product isn't perfect - but i definetely learned a lot from it. Having never worked with fiberglass before i think it turned out ok.
if i were to do another one i think i will make a mold, then lay the fiberglass inside, but this worked ok for now.

[MrFry]

worked a TON on the bike yesterday - and i have today off to work on it more!

i realized i need to paint where i'm using the body filler to tell what spots need more, what spots need sanding, etc etc.
i thought all i had was a can of flat black lying around - so i used that.

the order goes: fill, sand, paint, sand, fill, sand, paint, sand.....




still some more spots to work on. In some i have actually started to sand through the first layer of fiberglass - so i need to work on that.

turns out i actually have a can of white primer (what i wanted from the get go) - so i decided to try it on the tank.
while sanding some spots i started to sand the raised portion of the tank by accident and i came up with this idea


the tank will be black, but i think i will leave these stripes brushed - so the clear coat will stick.

too bad it's supposed to rain this weekend - i'd like to get this thing painted

[Loas 78 CB750K]

It just gets better.... It's great how while working on a project you can get ideas to make it better, cooler, more unique.

[MrFry]

that's part of what makes it fun.

although i'm having a hell of a time finishing up the seat
i keep finding spots that need improvement - so i work on those and ruin another.

[MrFry]

got the new master cylinder installed yesterday.
now i just need a working brake caliper (re: on with a working bleeder screw)

[MrFry]

hey guys and gals,
i know, it's been a while - but fear not! i have been working!

Life tossed a monkey wrench at my head recently and i've been struggling with that as well as finding time to work on the bike.
the tank and seat are painted and i am just waiting for the clear coat to dry.
sorry - no pictures as of yet, i am transferring servers and hope to have that all taken care of tomorrow.


...which also happens to be the same day my tailight and blinkers arrive. Then tomorrow night i am heading downtown to meet up with the "mods -n- rockers" group that's traveling up the coast!

also, i have a working front brake caliper (or at least one with a working bleeder screw).
the wheel does not want to spin as freely as it did before (in fact it takes quite a bit of force). I was thinking the pads just need to seat in, but i am wondering if the piston could be seizing. Any Ideas?

[MrFry]

also, when i go full throttle with a bit of load (3rd gear) the bike stutters.
i'm thinking a lean condition due to the new air filters and cored exhaust - but i wanted to see if any of you had any ideas?


...does anyone even read this thread anymore?

[kslrr]

It does sound like your front brake piston is siezing and that you are running lean in the throttle mid range.  Try moving the neadle clip down one notch.

[MrFry]

It does sound like your front brake piston is siezing and that you are running lean in the throttle mid range.  Try moving the neadle clip down one notch.

thank you for the reply.

how hard is it to adjust the needle clip?
do i have to remove the carbs, or can i simply unscrew the cap while they are on the bike?

[kslrr]

On my 350F I can remove the carb slides while the carbs are on the bike. Depends on your clearence between the carb tops and the frame.