Topic: The Runcible Racer - maduncle's CB450 project

[maduncle]

nice and clean. can you post a photo of the choke valve once you get it back together? thanks.

The what now?

Which bit is that?

I did get the right carb fully assembled tonight - so I now know that I need a left carb body for the broken part I need to replace.

One of those valve pins/rods/axles, the one with a fitting on the end that takes a small adjusting screw and a spring that allows the valve to be open slightly when adjusted.

God - wish I knew the names of parts - instead of having to describe them!

Update:

The picture tells the story.



I need parts 1 and 2, the left throttle lever and stop screw, and I need the two retaining screws in the throttle lever that hold the butterfly valve in place.

Looks like I may need to buy a left carb to get the parts - unless I can find someone with these parts to sell.

[cbfnut]

I know you can get any type of screw at http://www.fastenal.com/web/home.ex;jsessionid=jLgRPZvL9lvRqFT7QjP9vzCrftM8WHGGNvwGW17gQTlR8pvT5JFM!1937076981!1816284312
I know you're in AU but if you know what you need I can pick it up and post it to you.

[maduncle]

I know you can get any type of screw at http://www.fastenal.com/web/home.ex;jsessionid=jLgRPZvL9lvRqFT7QjP9vzCrftM8WHGGNvwGW17gQTlR8pvT5JFM!1937076981!1816284312
I know you're in AU but if you know what you need I can pick it up and post it to you.

Thanks mate - I may take you up on that soon, just waiting to hear on a couple of other options.

If they all fall through, then I may get you to buy a left carb body off eBay for me, strip out the parts I need and post them out to me.

[cbfnut]

no worries, glad to help out because I know I will have a ton of questions for you once I start tearing into the motor.  I am just waiting on my cam chain breaker and gasket set before I rip it apart.

[maduncle]

no worries, glad to help out because I know I will have a ton of questions for you once I start tearing into the motor.  I am just waiting on my cam chain breaker and gasket set before I rip it apart.

Cam chain breaker?

You are going to want a new cam chain - just cut the old one, rip it out and throw it away.

[cbfnut]

I am looking to get into the case.  I need to replace the gear shift selector rod with a new one I picked up and also want to replace the rings and go through the entire engine to do a complete rebuild.  I have never done it before so I just want to learn how to do it.

BTW, I have been checking the shipping charges to Au... the prices are completely nuts.  The cheapest I found was $70 through the US postal Service and UPS wants $130.  There has got to be a way to ship it cheaper than that.  Can you think of something?

[maduncle]

Well, it has been a while since I posted on this project.!

Good couple of days for the Runcible Racer.

The Laverda Jota adjustable clubman's arrived yesterday in the mail so they are in storage ready to be fitted at a later date.

And today I collected the frame, swing arm and engine parts from The Blast Factory.

The engine parts were blasted and vibra polished:









They came out very well, and I am pleased with the natural look.

As for the frame - it looks great too, but no photos as I dropped it off at a local engineers to repair a few small things and to fit a rear tail loop.
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[cbfnut]

wow, looks great.

[Roach Carver]

Markt

[grcamna2]

Well, it has been a while since I posted on this project.!

Good couple of days for the Runcible Racer.

The Laverda Jota adjustable clubman's arrived yesterday in the mail so they are in storage ready to be fitted at a later date.

And today I collected the frame, swing arm and engine parts from The Blast Factory.

The engine parts were blasted and vibra polished:









They came out very well, and I am pleased with the natural look.

As for the frame - it looks great too, but no photos as I dropped it off at a local engineers to repair a few small things and to fit a rear tail loop.
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High maduncle,
       When you said you had those Eng. parts,etc. "blasted"...what kind of blasting? Soda? I have a set of Cylinders that I would love to have come out like yours...:now what's that "Vibra Polished" Procedure about ?? I Love the Results  ! Better than Paint for Sure.

[maduncle]

Hi grcamna2, the process used to clean the engine parts involved blasting first (not sure which exact medium was used) and then the polishing is achieved by placing the parts into a large vibrating tub on springs full of tiny ceramic beads in a polishing liquid.

The company here in Melbourne who did this work are called The Blast Factory, you can learn more here:

http://blastfactoryabrasiveblasting.com.au/

[maduncle]

And here is the blasted frame back to bare metal (for a week or so).



I need to get some minor repair work done on it and a rear hoop welded in for the cafe seat, then it is off to the powder coaters.

[maduncle]

Busy weekend working on the CB450.

I dropped the frame off at a mates place to have some minor weld repair work done and to have the rear tail hoop welded in before it gets power coated.

Then I got to work on the swing arm to get it ready for powder coat too.

I knocked one swing arm bush out nice and easy in five minutes flat, then spent about half an hour on the other one, as I had to hacksaw cut it twice to get it to release.



As you can see - all out. So the swing arm is now ready for powder coating, just one question though...



Would I be leaving those rubber mounts for the shocks in the swing arm when it is powder coated? I probably will as can't see them coming out easy and I figure the shocks will cover them anyway.

So - on to the front hub finishing. I managed to get this all done this weekend, sanded the hub with 600, then 800, then 1000 wet sandpaper, then used a coarse polish, medium polish and fine polish to finish it. Did the same with the other side, assembled the brakes, assembled the hub and finally gave the hub inside edge a coat of etch primer and three coats of gloss black.





I have seen the edges done in black before and I like the look. Plus I ain't getting in there to polish the edges once the hub is all laced up, so black makes sense.

Next up - the rear hub. Although I seem to have ended up with the wrong all balls set of bearings for it. The set I received in my order are part number 41-6268 and they are way too small for the rear hub. Anyone know the right all balls part number for CB450 K0 rear hub bearings?

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[Terry in Australia]

When I removed them, the bearings looked to be the same OD as CB750 items Cliff, but measure the ID of the hub and I'll tell you for sure. You'll need to remove the rear shock mounts from your swingarm, as the "cushion" ring is made from rubber and will melt, or burn, in the powdercoaters oven. (160-210 Deg C) Use a couple of sockets and a "G" clamp to push them out, and buy some new ones. Cheers, Terry.

[maduncle]

When I removed them, the bearings looked to be the same OD as CB750 items Cliff, but measure the ID of the hub and I'll tell you for sure. You'll need to remove the rear shock mounts from your swingarm, as the "cushion" ring is made from rubber and will melt, or burn, in the powdercoaters oven. (160-210 Deg C) Use a couple of sockets and a "G" clamp to push them out, and buy some new ones. Cheers, Terry.

Thanks Terry - I like the socket and G clamp idea. 

Thing is - they are not listed as separate parts by Honda in the parts list, so I may need to look after the ones I push out!

(Later that day...)

Okay - so I used two sockets and the bench vice and pushed the rubber shock mounts out of the swing arm.

Question is - should I have tried to remove the thin walled outer shaft as well, or just the inner shaft and the rubber?

Because what came out was only the rubber and the inner shaft on each side, the rubber was a bit rough around the edges but intact and should still be a press fit when it is time to return the mounts to the swing arm.

Have I stuffed this - or is is usable?

[Terry in Australia]

Have I stuffed this?

Yes mate, you have. I've never seen one successfully removed and reinstalled, they're designed to be a "Throwaway" item. There are many similarities between early CB750's and 450's, (the prototype CB750 used lots of 450 parts including wheels, fenders, etc) and I'm guessing that the shock bush assembly from a 750 will probably fit. You'll need to use your trusty hacksaw again to remove the remains of the outer ring of the bush from your swingarm. (don't saw thru your swingarm......)    

[maduncle]

All done Terry,

The outer rings are out of the swing arm and there are new bushes on their way to me from cmsnl.

And guess what - they are the same bushes as early CB750.

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, FIGJAM..........

[maduncle]

Actually this was a first - my lovely wife was watching me work on the swing arm and wanted to have a go, so I removed one bush and then I handed her the new sharp hacksaw and my mint Honda swing arm and said "here love - have at it".

How's that for trust?

(PS - she did a better job than me).

[maduncle]

Long time between drinks on this thread.

Okay - front and rear hubs are fully rebuild and ready to be laced into some rims.

The rims I have from the bike are both DID rims, one is valanced and the other is a stock profile.

Both have a fair bit of surface rust on them.

Whilst I could use them, I would like to use a more stock profile rim, and drop the valanced rim off the front.

So - can CB750 rims be used? The diameters seem to match but the rear rim is wider - will that cause me problems?

[Terry in Australia]

 the rear rim is wider - will that cause me problems?

You'll have to check for clearance in your swingarm Cliff, not forgetting your brake stay arm on one side and chain on the other, but as long as you don't go mad with a really wide tyre, you should be OK. Cheers, Terry.

[maduncle]

A big cardboard package of goodness arrived in the post today...



... all in excellent condition and all ready to fit up to the CB450. I will start polishing on the weekend.

I am loathe to dismantle the forks as they are so clean and dry, maybe I can just polish them intact and then drain and replace the fork oil?

[Terry in Australia]

I know you don't want to Cliff, but they should come apart so you can change the oil, or else the oil will bypass your dried out seals and they'll leak oil and look like Schidt. Cheers, Terry.

[maduncle]

I know you don't want to Cliff, but they should come apart so you can change the oil, or else the oil will bypass your dried out seals and they'll leak oil and look like Schidt. Cheers, Terry.

(sigh) okay than, Terry.

I kinda knew you were going to say that!

Of course, when my wife saw the parts unwrapped, looked at the forks and said

"oh look, more of those things you keep buying"

- I kinda knew she was going to say that too.

So I will carefully pull them apart, clean them up, get new seals and make them like new again.

[Terry in Australia]

That's the ticket Cliff, "worth doing, worth doing right". Your wife is starting to sound like mine, she doesn't understand why it's so important to surround yourself with classic motorcycle parts, the poor thing!