Author Topic: '76 CB750F chop "20% Cooler"  (Read 17553 times)

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Offline paulh1282

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #25 on: July 30, 2011, 12:15:12 PM »
build looks interesting. Will keep checking on this one...

Offline smurph

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #26 on: August 03, 2011, 10:49:44 AM »
Sounds like about the same pace as some of my projects. Sit and I gather parts forever and then jump on them. You have a lot of work ahead of you. Keep it going, I always try to get at least 1 thing done on my project a day to keep it moving along.

Offline hapakev

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #27 on: January 25, 2012, 08:28:47 AM »
Ever get that frame welded?
Smoking Jack
1978 CB750F(ish)

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Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #28 on: March 12, 2012, 04:45:27 PM »
Finally got some money rounded up, ordered a bit more than $1000 in parts last week and I'm back in full swing.  Started polishing the nasty old oxidized aluminum to a mirror finish over the weekend (I'll post some pics later).  Found out that my front drum hub isn't going to work, so I'm going to run with no front brake until I can bring myself to spend $300 on a custom rim and spoke set.  Hoping to have the frame out to the welder later this week or early next week.

I was going to do a dull flat black rat, but then my buddy got the paint back for his Sportster and I decided I liked shiny, so I bought paint for the fuel and oil tanks.  A crazy bright blue with rainbow metallic sparkles, PPG blue Prizmatique over silver metallic base.  Right now I'm looking for a shop locally that does anodizing with no luck, so I may be forced to send out the valve cover and engine side covers for blue anodizing or just do it myself (keeping large amounts of sulfuric acid around with small children isn't something I really want to do).

Things are finally starting to come along again, I hope to be on the road with the chop by September (fingers crossed).

Also, does anyone have a good way of removing the transmission countershaft bearing from the bearing holder?  I was thinking about baking the part and trying to drop it out that way.
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #29 on: March 13, 2012, 06:37:13 PM »
The parts have started trickling in the past couple days.  And I'm still busy polishing away at the aluminum.

The new headlight/speedo came today:



Got the mirrors and seat pan yesterday:

This going to awesome with the custom tooled leather cover my dad's gonna do for me.


And here's some of the polishing I've done so far:

Before and after.  Worth every second of the sanding/buffing headache.



Nice to finally be making progress on this project again.

And as soon as I'm done with my buddy's bike (below; just need to install electrical and plumbing) I'll get my roller put together and start the mock-up for tabs and mounts and junk.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2012, 06:39:00 PM by nayto550 »
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline theofam

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #30 on: March 13, 2012, 07:14:03 PM »
I've been thinking about a Sporty hard tailed for an upcoming project.  What frame does your buddy have on his scoot?

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #31 on: March 13, 2012, 07:31:31 PM »
The Sporty has a Kraft Tech frame.  It's a nice frame, but it would have been better if it hadn't come with the oil tank and fender mounts on it. Ended up cutting them off and fabbing new ones, because we didn't want to use the Kraft Tech fender or oil bag.
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline theofam

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #32 on: March 13, 2012, 09:38:03 PM »
Thanks for the info. Good advice on the mounts.

Offline Nick_701

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #33 on: March 14, 2012, 07:47:50 PM »
Ill keep my eye on this fellow bobber build, keep it up!

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #34 on: March 17, 2012, 08:54:30 PM »
Got the frame welded together today, and some more polishing done.  Slow going, but it will be worth it in the end.
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline WhyNot2

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #35 on: March 18, 2012, 05:06:25 AM »
scribed......................"b  u  t  ful"....
If it ain't raining, I'm riding.....~~{iii}?~~prost

If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, it's because I cut and pasted from someone else.

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #36 on: March 19, 2012, 07:07:12 PM »
Bought some heavy-duty cleaner today for use on my engine.  It's BH-38 made by Spartan Chemical, and came by the recommendation of a mechanic friend.  He said it shouldn't be a problem cutting through 30+ years of caked on grease and oil at a 1:1 dilution.  I'll give it a shot tonight and post some before and after pics later.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2012, 09:14:55 PM by nayto550 »
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #37 on: March 19, 2012, 09:13:59 PM »
So the industrial cleaner worked pretty good, got most of the crud off and the stuff that was left was nicely softened up for easy scraping. 

oil pan before:


oil pan after:


lower case before:


and after:



So a little more cleaning, then I'll soda-blast it to rough up the paint and knock of the loose paint.  Then paint!  Gloss black cases, aluminum silver cylinders and gloss black head.
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #38 on: March 21, 2012, 05:35:37 PM »
Got my care package from Ken at Cycle-X today!


  • batteryless power system
  • new Dyna coils
  • tach cable hole block-off plug
  • vertical mount oil tank
  • super duper blue anodized engine cover screws
  • airfilters with shiny half-covers
  • ...and new tapered neck bearings

That's the last of the stuff I need to put my engine back together.
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline Retro Rocket

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #39 on: March 21, 2012, 07:45:07 PM »
Looking good mate, i like everything except those cheap nasty pods.....  K&N pods with the inbuilt stacks will save you much grief..... ;)
750 K2 1000cc
750 F1 970cc
750 Bitsa 900cc
If You can't fix it with a hammer, You've got an electrical problem.

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #40 on: March 21, 2012, 08:03:18 PM »
Looking good mate, i like everything except those cheap nasty pods.....  K&N pods with the inbuilt stacks will save you much grief..... ;)

Well, the pods were cheap... really really cheap.  Ken even told me they weren't that good, but I liked the covers  ::).  I'll try them out, and when tuning turns into a complete nightmare, I'll pull them off and go with K&N.  Then I'll just put the shiny ones back on for the local bike shows.
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #41 on: March 31, 2012, 06:40:54 AM »
Finally got the first fork leg buffed out, now it's time to break out the polishing paste *phew*.  This hand polishing gig is for suckers, lol.  Here's a couple side-by-side pics of the two legs, both were in about the same shape when I started.


1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline WhyNot2

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #42 on: March 31, 2012, 06:51:39 AM »
Finally got the first fork leg buffed out, now it's time to break out the polishing paste *phew*.  This hand polishing gig is for suckers, lol.  Here's a couple side-by-side pics of the two legs, both were in about the same shape when I started.





Purdy.........................wanta do mine for me?

If it ain't raining, I'm riding.....~~{iii}?~~prost

If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, it's because I cut and pasted from someone else.

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #43 on: March 31, 2012, 07:35:15 AM »
Purdy.........................wanta do mine for me?

Only if you want to spend an exorbitant amount of money.  And it would be about a 10 month turn around to get them back to you. ;D
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline WhyNot2

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Re: '76 CB750F Bobber Build!
« Reply #44 on: April 01, 2012, 05:30:41 AM »
Purdy.........................wanta do mine for me?

Only if you want to spend an exorbitant amount of money.  And it would be about a 10 month turn around to get them back to you. ;D

 :) I'll pass  8)

Still, they do look good.
If it ain't raining, I'm riding.....~~{iii}?~~prost

If it sounds like I know what I'm talking about, it's because I cut and pasted from someone else.

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F "20% Cooler"
« Reply #45 on: April 14, 2012, 05:15:53 PM »
Progress has been slow.   :P 
  • Still polishing stuff.
  • Still working on my wheels, I may get them painted tomorrow or sometime next week. Now going to powder coat them.
  • Built a small blasting cabinet last weekend.
  • Got my carbs completely tore down and soda blasted today, will probably reassemble them tonight after the kids go to bed.
  • I'll be ready for the frame mock-up once the carbs and wheels are ready to go.
  • Found out by complete accident last week that my original front fender will make an awesome rear fender for this project.
  • Finally named the project.

On another note, I went to the local bike show today and met a powder coating guy, and apparently he can powder my frame to match my crazy blue metallic paint (and here I was AM STILL just going to paint it black).   ;D ;D ;D
« Last Edit: May 04, 2012, 10:46:48 PM by nayto550 »
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F "20% Cooler"
« Reply #46 on: May 04, 2012, 10:44:51 PM »
Slowly but surely...


Started the first mock-up tonight.  Got LOADS of stuff done. ::)  Back wheel in place and measured for spacers, and neck bearing cups installed.  Blueprinted the whole top-end in what little spare time I had over the past week and everything is well within factory spec, so that's a relief.

The CB750F rear axle is about a 1/4" longer than the K axle.  Just enough to be a pain in my ass.  So I'm looking to buy a new (to me) rear axle.

Now that I'm looking at the picture, I really need to clean up my garage.  :P
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline fastbroshi

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Re: '76 CB750F "20% Cooler"
« Reply #47 on: May 05, 2012, 01:45:06 AM »
   Dude, forget cleaning up, you need to get some insulation!!  You're in friggin South Dakota for frick's sake!  I know I don't wanna work in the garage when it's 40F, let alone the temps you guys get 3 seasons out of the year.
Just call me Timmaaaaay!!!

Offline nayto550

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Re: '76 CB750F "20% Cooler"
« Reply #48 on: May 05, 2012, 06:01:04 AM »
40F is a fairly nice day most of the year.  You would be surprised at the temperatures that can be tolerated when properly dressed and acclimated.  Besides, my money is going into the bike right now, not silly things like personal comfort.   ;D
1976 CB550F
1976 CB750F - in resurrection process
1988 HD FLHS

Offline fastbroshi

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Re: '76 CB750F "20% Cooler"
« Reply #49 on: May 05, 2012, 03:31:08 PM »
True, I didn't think about the acclimatization part.  My sister lives right outside the base of Mt. McKinley/Denali National Park in Alaska, and she said people oftentimes go outside in shorts when it's around freezing.  Not for me though.
Just call me Timmaaaaay!!!