Just an update as to where I am with this.
I haven't been sitting on my laurels with this, I've been working hard and shopping hard to get this old girl back on the road in the spring.
I bought a 3/4 hp 8 inch bench grinder, changed out the wheels for buffing wheels and got to work on the cam cover, and the fork lowers.
I can't agree more with whomever said that polishing is an addiction. The more I do and get better at it the more I want to do...
So, the fork lowers are starting to look good. Not a mirror chrome, but a nice shine. I did a test fit of the forks/gators into the front triple and was not happy with the look at all.
So, I tore it all apart again and ordered a Joker triple and a second tapered bearing kit for it. Now I have 3 triple clamps. Two stockers, one repainted with a key and tapered bearings and one original with just the key. I guess I'll eventually sell those since the Joker one will pretty much be the one I'll use.
The engine is back in the frame. I used the 'lay the engine on its side and place the frame over it' method.
Btw, any newbies out there like me should really listen to the old timers when they tell you to do this.
Lord knows it was 10x easier to get the engine back in than it did to get out with an engine hoist. My son held the front end while I held the rear and it went on like butter.
No marks in the powdercoat, no issues getting stuck.
Tip: I put a 3x3 inch piece of wood under the clutch cover and a 1 inch piece of wood under the engine fins to level it up so it sat nice and vertical before lowering the frame on.
I assembled the rear end as well. I put a 48 tooth Sunstar sprocket (530 chain conv) on the rear but the Sunstar front seems like it isn't easy to order anywhere so I got a JT288 17t for the front on order.
I need to order a boatload of small parts, I don't want to put anything back on that doesn't look nice.
By the time I'm done I'll have more than enough to build a rat bike!
Coming back together...
Sunstar rear sprocket
Tarozzi Clipons
Tarozzi Rearsets and Magura front brake master