Topic: 1973 CB350F "Freakshow Build" completed! Stay tuned for updates...

[RM81]

Tim,
I'm glad you're asking all the same questions I'm sure I'll have when I start my rebuild.  Lots of good info here coming from the others and I'll be reading back through it all when I'm ready to start.

[scunny]

those rings should be free to turn Tim.
doesn't sound good about those scratches tho, I think you're up for new pistons(and wrist clips)

[kghost]

Yeah Tim....the rings get tighter when shoved in the cylinder Bore.

[mattcb350f]

Matt (or anyone) remember those oiler manifolds on the head that we were talking about?  Since they just sit down in those holes, (and could come off and be lost or damaged if someone at the machine shop was careless...  should I just pull those out and bag 'em here at home first?  (my gut says yes)

Yup. pull them out and bag um!.....dowels too!

Most machine shops are trustworthy but they wont need them so dont send them.

 Matt.

[Tim in Ohio]

Matt,
What are the dowels?  (not kidding).   

[Spikeybike]

They did.  I have a new top end gasket set on the way though...  good idea, yes?

i wasn't implying that you should reuse them , just that there removal will be easier because they are in one piece

dowels are the little metal slugs that aline the cases , spray them with PB blaster or WD-40 and let it soak for awhile , pull them out with a pair of pliers with a rag wrapped around them (wrapped around the pliers not the dowels )    you don't want to score the dowels up, if you do you'll have to get the burr off with sandpaper,file,dremel or the like

EDIT: after looking at your pics, i see that you have the hollow dowels not the slug type , little sleeve that valve cover mount screws go through  ,on the top corners of the head, ... and it looks like your missing one

[rachet]

It's threads like this that make this forum Kick-ass!  Great build Tim!  It's encouraging to see you dive head first into this project.  Thank you! and thank you for asking all the questions, It's stuff I need to know as well.

Keep up the great work!

Rachet~

[Tim in Ohio]

Rachet,
Thanks for the positive feedback.  Like I said at the beginning, I'm fed up with being a wanna-be.  So, I figured diving in head first was the only way to learn this stuff.  I agree about this forum kicking ass.  The guys that have generously shared their time, knowledge and encouragement throughout this thread are my heros!  Seriously, I never would have had the courage to disassemble this engine without them.  Aw shucks, enough of this mushy stuff 
I am loving every minute of this project and I will feel really proud when I get her running the way she should.  I hope all of you guys will get a kick out of it too.  Thanks for checking in Rachet.   
Tim

[Spikeybike]

group hug!!  hey, who grabbed my ass

[martino1972]

group hug!!  hey, who grabbed my ass

wasen't me...

make sure you take the pistons along to the shop,scratch numbers in the top of em so you know out of what cylinder they came....

[mattcb350f]

make sure you take the pistons along to the shop,scratch numbers in the top of em so you know out of what cylinder they came....

That's a good point martino, very important not to mix up which piston goes in which cylinder. In fact, I would have four seperate large ziploc bags and for each piston and keep the wrist pins, clips, rings, and pistons together for each piston.

Oh, and about those piston clips.... you're gonna have to remove at least one of those little clips to take the wrist pin out of the piston so that it will come off of the connecting rod. They're tricky little buggers to get off and sometimes leave the piston at high velocity.......so where safety glasses 

Also, you'll want to place a rag under the piston and around the connecting rod to prevent the piston clip or any other parts from falling into the engine.

Added a pic here for ya:.......#10 are dowels and #11 are piston clips, #8 are wrist pins



 Matt.

[Tim in Ohio]

Thanks Matt.  That should give me everything I need to know. 
Kghost- I received the intake boot.  It is exactly what I needed.  Thanks!

[Spikeybike]

Also, you'll want to place a rag under the piston and around the connecting rod to prevent the piston clip or any other parts from falling into the engine.

VERY important , don't skip this part, if you drop a clip in the motor , it's bad news.  you'll have to open the bottom end and still might not find it .       ( i speak this from experience, it's no fun  )

[MCRider]

Also, you'll want to place a rag under the piston and around the connecting rod to prevent the piston clip or any other parts from falling into the engine.

VERY important , don't skip this part, if you drop a clip in the motor , it's bad news.  you'll have to open the bottom end and still might not find it .       ( i speak this from experience, it's no fun  )

Besides stuffing the rag, etc. I stick a fat phillips screwdriver or punch in the pin hole so when the clip pops out it can't go anywhere.

[kghost]

Thanks Matt.  That should give me everything I need to know. 
Kghost- I received the intake boot.  It is exactly what I needed.  Thanks!

Kewl....

Your making hella good progress Tim.

Keep up the good work

[Tim in Ohio]

Hey fellahs.  Check it out.  Pistons came of with out even offering to put up a struggle!
(The rags blocking the holes were a lifesaver though.  Great tip.)



Ready to take to the machine shop for measurements and diagnosis I reckon:


Now about those pistons.  I did what Martino (or was it Spikey) said and I scratched the 1 - 4 into the carbon on top of the pistons.  I did what Matt said and created 4 separate bags, One for each piston, it's wrist pin, and clip.   Two things about that:
1)  Will the machine shop need the wrist pins and clips as part of what they will be doing?  I'm thinking No.  So, should those bags stay safely at home with me where I can be sure they won't get mixed up or lost?  Or do I indeed need to hand over the four bags, piston, pin & clip 1 -4 to the shop?
2) As I said, I scratched the piston numbers into the carbon on top of the pistons.  Is there any danger of the friendly machine shop cleaning that carbon off for me and thereby causing me to lose track of which goes to chich cylinder?

[scunny]

machine shop wont need the pins and clips. mark your pistons underneath as well and mention it to them

[mattcb350f]

Good work Tim   You're going to give kghost a run for fastest restoration  

They shouldn't need the pins or clips but will need the rings so keep the pins and clip in the 'stay home' parts bags.

the machine shop will clean the carbon off those pistons for sure. What you can ask them to do is mark the pistons for you, or at least three of them with either punch marks (two dots for #2, three dots for #3 and so on) or some machinists actually have number punches for marking pistons.

This is standard procedure.... my pistons have the numbers permenently marked on the domes now from my rebuild.

 Matt.

[Tim in Ohio]

Guys,
I found a motorcyle machine shop not too far away, who will measure the valve tolerances, and the cylinders, pistons, etc.  for around $35.  I thought that sounded pretty reasonable.  I will be taking them in to him tomorrow.

Now, About thos buggered threads on spark plug hole number 1...   Maybe now would be the time to try threading a spark plug in from the other side and see if it works.  That way, if i totally screw the pooch, I can have the machine shop guy fix it while he has it?

Now...  This has been a real brain twister for me...  When I screw in the plug from the other side...  do i turn it clockwise, as I would from the normal side, or do I have to turn it counter-clockwise, because I am coming up from the other end???  Prolly a real dumb question, but...  you know... 

[Tim in Ohio]

I did a little sketch, and I THINK the answer is, thread it in clock-wise...  just as I would from the other side.  Right?

[kghost]

I did a little sketch, and I THINK the answer is, thread it in clock-wise...  just as I would from the other side.  Right?

Yup.

[Tim in Ohio]

OK guys, no need to twiddle our thumbs while we await the results from the machine shop.  Let's press on.   Take a look at this sorry excuse for a muffler.  Right now is NOT the time for me to be paying hundreds of dollars for a nice exhaust system,  what are we gonna do?

Closer:


Scunny, Martino...  I notice you guys have some of that wrap stuff on your exhaust.  Would that be the ticket in my situation?

[scunny]

since you don't want to spend money on it, wrap it then move on. it will look like #$%*e but you can always revisit it when funds allow

[kghost]

I dunno...if its not a 4-4 system....mufflers are pretty cheap.

[Artfrombama]

Fire it up and tune it in with the present system, then buy a nice used or aftermarket.
Easy enough to change at a later date.