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Here we go - 1971 CL350 Restore

fxray said:
They likely got jostled out of place during assembly. You will probably find them stuck in the goo under the windage tray after you split the cases.
Click to expand...
Or I might find one when I'm trying to install the cam..
So Yesterday I'm trying to install the cam and it's not fitting through the sprocket. It's like I can't get enough slack or the chain is one link short.
So I'm scratching my head and decide to rotate the engine around one time to see if the chain is kinked or binding or something. I feel some resistance at one point and I'm like wtf?
So this morning I got my crappy USB snake-camera thingy (it's not a bore scope) and stuck it down the cam tunnel.
After much fiddling I get it to focus on this little piece of...something.. next to the crank sprocket. At first it looked like blue RTV but that was just the lighting.
So I poked a piece hanger wire down there and got it loose and rotated the engine over on the stand and jiggled it until it fell out.
Somehow one of those lost roller pin rubbers got onto the crank sprocket and was interfering with the cam chain.
It probably dropped on there and stuck when I had the engine upside down while I was cleaning it. I flushed the case after I pulled the head and looked down there before I replaced the cam chain and put the cylinders back on but I missed that.
(It's NOT one of the new ones I installed, I made very very sure they were in place when put the jugs back on.)
Anyway, after that was taken care of I didn't have any trouble getting the cam installed at all and everything rotates just fine.
And I guess maybe the other missing roller pin rubber might be still in there too. I may never know. Or I might someday.:oops:
71_CL350_83.jpg71_CL350_84.jpg71_CL350_85.jpg

I still need to check end play. The replacement cam came with a .10 spacer so I assume I'll need at least that.
(The old cam had .40 worth of spacers on it. Two .10's and a .20!)
 
So today I was going to cinch everything down and check the camshaft end play but..
I have a stainless screw kit for the top end and the screws for the cam blocks are 24mm vs the 20mm stock screws.
(It is mentioned when buying the kit that some bolts are not exact length as originals.)
I determined the 24mm screws would probably be fine but I decided to get some correct 20mm screws anyway.

While I was making a list of screws and such for the trip to the Store Of Many Bolts I got distracted and was looking at the cam chain tensioner bolt that was obviously not original. It looks like they just stuffed an 8mm bolt into the 6mm hole. *sigh* "Self tapping" right? :rolleyes:
But hey, I've got another tensioner on one of those lower ends I bought a while back.
Nope, that bolt is not original either, kinda looks the same but not quite.
At least it was the proper thread 6mm.
Then I'm looking at the tensioner housings and notice the older one is slightly smaller internally than the newer one which probably doesn't make any difference but I thought it was interesting.
So I need the special bolt for the tensioner. Bleh. :poop:
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I got some proper length screws and I checked the cam end play and it's .04 - right in the middle of spec.
Then I thought ok, let's get the rockers installed.
Where are the o-rings? What, they don't come in the top-end gasket kit?! :mad:
Well crap! Wish I had known that sooner. I just ordered some stuff from David Silver last week.
However, it looks like the original PN has been superseded by a current Honda/Acura PN so before I order some I'm going to call the local Honda car dealership and see if they have any in stock. I might get lucky.
In the mean time I guess I'll go clean up the tensioner housing.
 
So, a question, for the lower end I am using a genuine Honda Gasket Kit B, PN 06111-286-020.
Does anyone have a list of the PN's included in this kit? I can't find one anywhere I've looked.
I seem to have two "extra" o-rings.
Going over the parts list I think they are for the countershaft and the shift drum screw, neither of these I am messing with as I didn't split the cases.

Later: Process of elimination and some quick measurements determine that the o-rings must be for the aforementioned purpose. So, never mind. :D
 
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So buttoning things up and I get to the neutral switch.. Not Honda's finest bit of engineering.
I cleaned up and examined the switch that was on my engine and of course it's not intact.
Oh hey, those 350 lower ends I bought a while back, a couple of those still had neutral switches, right?
Get out the impact driver and a bit of cleaning later I determined that all these switches, in every old CB350, are bad, aren't they?
The one on the far left is from my engine.
This is after I straightened them a bit and one of the cams is missing the alignment tab.
Anyway, I might be able to work with the one on the far right, it's the most intact, but still not great.
If I can't make that work I might have to get creative because I'm not going to pay ~$100 for a NOS one.
Again, it's a pity no one is repopping these. It's not a complex item.
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Cycleranger, if you want to use the one in your picture on the right, I would build up the contact point with a drop of Silver Solder.
You can use a propane torch, even a small one since the item is small.
I have done this on my CB350 and it is working well.
Silver Solder is much harder than soft solder so will last a lot longer.
If you don't have any get a small kit, including SS flux, from a radio/electronics specialist shop.
The grit and dust that gets in the area will eventually wear it away again but regular inspections and re-silver soldering will keep it working..

This is what I use:

Stay Brite Silver Solder Kit | Jaycar Electronics New Zealand

5 times stronger that regular solder and 100% lead free. Will join all metals excluding aluminium. Use with a soldering iron, torch. 96% tin, 4% silve...
www.jaycar.co.nz www.jaycar.co.nz
but there should be an equivalent in the US.

Cheers
 
With respect to the cam with missing tab, if the contact on it is better than the others you could try using a star washer on the screw that holds it, the multiple edges should keep it from slipping once the screw is tight.
 
ancientdad said:
With respect to the cam with missing tab, if the contact on it is better than the others you could try using a star washer on the screw that holds it, the multiple edges should keep it from slipping once the screw is tight.
Click to expand...
Even if you made a new pin it could probably use that washer as well. That might be why they break off fairly often.
 
GaryJames said:
Cycleranger, if you want to use the one in your picture on the right, I would build up the contact point with a drop of Silver Solder.
You can use a propane torch, even a small one since the item is small.
I have done this on my CB350 and it is working well.
Silver Solder is much harder than soft solder so will last a lot longer.
If you don't have any get a small kit, including SS flux, from a radio/electronics specialist shop.
The grit and dust that gets in the area will eventually wear it away again but regular inspections and re-silver soldering will keep it working..

This is what I use:

Stay Brite Silver Solder Kit | Jaycar Electronics New Zealand

5 times stronger that regular solder and 100% lead free. Will join all metals excluding aluminium. Use with a soldering iron, torch. 96% tin, 4% silve...
www.jaycar.co.nz www.jaycar.co.nz
but there should be an equivalent in the US.

Cheers
Click to expand...
Yes and for lap joint soldering some new tips from sheet brass scrap.
 
Yeah I'm exploring the options. I'm not concerned about the cam, I have three good ones.
(And unlike the contact assembly new cams seem to be more abundant.)
I'll try to repair the best one. If that doesn't work out I might see about fabricating a replacement switch.
The CB500/550 uses the same fragile switch, and some of the same solutions apply.
 
So the stator cover that was on my engine is creased pretty bad and cracked on the inside. (But not leaking!)
Here's the other two I had to choose from.
71_CL350_95.jpg
Mine is in the middle. I chose the one on the left since it had the lightest gouge of the two.
(And thank goodness for JIS impact bits, those screws were really buggered up and tight!)

After I stripped the silver paint it didn't look too bad. I wet sanded it for a while with 600 grit and it looks better.
(The scratch won't stand out as much when it's clean.)
I'll hit with 800 grit and maybe 1000 before I buff it.
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Cycleranger said:
Shinier! I've done much better polishing work but I figured if I were going to take the time to polish one of these to a mirror finish I'd start with one that didn't have a big scratch on it.
I meant to use flat black on the logo but I grabbed the wrong paint. Oh well.
View attachment 26833
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Real nice lookin 50 year old bikes are supposed to have a couple scratches. Gloss suits me fine.
 
Today I stuck the engine back in the frame.
My back tells me a CB350 engine weighs about 100lbs.
I was going to install the swing arm but I decided I didn't feel like getting all greasy and there was cornbread dressing to eat.
Maybe tomorrow.
However, I realized I'm not going to be able to get the front end installed until I find a painter.
I've been putting that off. I guess I'd better get busy on that.
If I had a '72 I wouldn't need to paint the fork ears. Oh well.
71_CL350_100.jpg
 
Cycleranger said:
Today I stuck the engine back in the frame.
My back tells me a CB350 engine weighs about 100lbs.
I was going to install the swing arm but I decided I didn't feel like getting all greasy and there was cornbread dressing to eat.
Maybe tomorrow.
However, I realized I'm not going to be able to get the front end installed until I find a painter.
I've been putting that off. I guess I'd better get busy on that.
If I had a '72 I wouldn't need to paint the fork ears. Oh well.
View attachment 27185
Click to expand...
I left my exhaust studs out to put it in and the starter, stator and clutch to save weight.
I just put the brake arm in the swingarm before mounting to frame because they are a pain.
I think only '73 had the chrome ears. Mine don't need paint but straightening, which is worse, IMO.
Can't wait to try the Honda perfume made from stinky fork oil too.
 
ballbearian said:
I left my exhaust studs out to put it in and the starter, stator and clutch to save weight.
I just put the brake arm in the swingarm before mounting to frame because they are a pain.
I think only '73 had the chrome ears. Mine don't need paint but straightening, which is worse, IMO.
Can't wait to try the Honda perfume made from stinky fork oil too.
Click to expand...
The engine went back in the frame really easily, easier than it came out!
Almost everything else is ready to go back on.
Yeah, I was working on everything else when I should have gotten parts to the painter.
I had to replace both bent fork ears with a couple of NOS pieces.
Chrome replacements might have been cheaper but I like the extra color.
I need to find a new brake pedal, I keep forgetting.
It looks like mine was bent and heated with a torch to straighten it.
 
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Cycleranger said:
The engine went back in the frame really easily, easier than it came out!
Almost everything else is ready to go back on.
Yeah, I was working on everything else when I should have gotten parts to the painter.
I had to replace both bent fork ears with a couple of NOS pieces.
Chrome replacements might have been cheaper but I like the extra color.
I need to find a new brake lever, I keep forgetting.
It looks like mine was bent and heated with a torch to straighten it.
Click to expand...
Easy for me too, the same way, frame only over the engine.
Did you scrape paint for the engine grounding at the bolt holes?
I squeeze levers with small wood blocks in my vise to straighten them, but new replacements are cheap though.
I like the painted ears too but mines a '73 so I'll try to straighten the original chrome ones.

I just went looking for chrome ears and yes, the lefts get bent more often it seems. Mine was and I just worked it to just useable condition.
 
Oh yeah I made sure the engine has solid ground contact.
Yes, straight or even slightly bent fork ears are getting pricey and hard to find.
They've started making repops for the CB750 but nothing for anything else that I've found.
I found what appears to be an unbent brake pedal on ebay for a reasonable price this morning. We'll see when it gets here.
Bleh, getting ready to install the swingarm it suddenly occurs to me that there's a bunch of bolts I haven't cleaned up yet.
Guess I'm not as far along as I thought. So it goes.
 
So I got out the two tanks I have. The yellow one came on the bike. The blue one I got with a bunch of parts I bought.
The blue one has the remnants of some kind of liner. It's a pain to remove old liner and I'd rather not use the tank unless I have to. Pity about the dent, the paint is almost worth saving. Almost.
The yellow one is dented more but looks pretty good inside, it will be much easier to clean and line.
I guess I'll bring them both to the painter and see what they think.
71_CL350_101.jpg
 
Cycleranger said:
So I got out the two tanks I have. The yellow one came on the bike. The blue one I got with a bunch of parts I bought.
The blue one has the remnants of some kind of liner. It's a pain to remove old liner and I'd rather not use the tank unless I have to. Pity about the dent, the paint is almost worth saving. Almost.
The yellow one is dented more but looks pretty good inside, it will be much easier to clean and line.
I guess I'll bring them both to the painter and see what they think.
View attachment 27290
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I saw a vid once where a guy stuffed an innertube inside then inflated it and the dent did pop out.
 
ballbearian said:
I saw a vid once where a guy stuffed an innertube inside then inflated it and the dent did pop out.
Click to expand...
I think the dents in either tank could be mostly pushed out from the inside through the filler neck by a competent body person. I thought about trying it but I decided to leave it to the professionals.
 
Finding a painter that doesn't want more money than the bike is worth is proving challenging.
Meanwhile I got it up today and installed the swing arm and shocks.
One issue surfaced with the Emgo shocks. The top mount isn't as wide as the original leaving a pretty big gap.
I'll just shim it with a couple of washers. No big deal.
71_CL350_102.jpg71_CL350_103.jpg
 
Cycleranger said:
Finding a painter that doesn't want more money than the bike is worth is proving challenging.
Meanwhile I got it up today and installed the swing arm and shocks.
One issue surfaced with the Emgo shocks. The top mount isn't as wide as the original leaving a pretty big gap.
I'll just shim it with a couple of washers. No big deal.
View attachment 27385View attachment 27386
Click to expand...
I had the same issue with the Emgo shocks. Not tailor made to match the original spacing for sure, especially the lower end!
 
Cycleranger said:
Yeah, that's true. I used the same shocks on my CJ360T and I don't remember having that problem.
Click to expand...
I'll have to look at the top of the Emgo shocks on my 450, don't recall there being a lot of extra space but maybe. It's been almost 6 years since the last reassembly.
 
ancientdad said:
I'll have to look at the top of the Emgo shocks on my 450, don't recall there being a lot of extra space but maybe. It's been almost 6 years since the last reassembly.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I rebuilt my CJ around 2012 so it's been a while. I didn't uncover my CJ yesterday. I'll look at it today.
 
Late to your thread and in reading the last page your making great progress on the assembly. Those deep scratches in the polished aluminum covers are a pain. If you sand till their gone, then you have a low area afterwards. The cover looks great and once the bike is finished those small imperfections disappear to the casual observer.
 
Cycleranger said:
Thanks Flyin900!

Well if I had a nickel for everything I don't remember... :rolleyes:
The Emgo shocks on my CJ are exactly the same and I did have to use spacers.
Now I just have to remember where spacers came from..
Click to expand...
Hardware store flat washers 7/16" are about 1" outer diameter and very close but you need to drill out to 5/8" to slip over the shock stud. 1 inside and 1 out to keep the shock eye centered and straight.
 
ballbearian said:
Hardware store flat washers 7/16" are about 1" outer diameter and very close but you need to drill out to 5/8" to slip over the shock stud. 1 inside and 1 out to keep the shock eye centered and straight.
Click to expand...
I took one of the washers off the CJ and it's just that, a washer.
I must have found one to fit somewhere. I went by Home Depot today and didn't find a matching washer but the one local to me is pretty poorly stocked.
I'll go by the one in town or Lowes later.
 
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If your stuck Honda normally still sells the OEM washers for most applications. I stock them and just ordered some in the past 6 months for the larger bike models.
 
Flyin900 said:
If your stuck Honda normally still sells the OEM washers for most applications. I stock them and just ordered some in the past 6 months for the larger bike models.
Click to expand...
The chrome Honda washer is only for the outer and has a 10mm hole for the threaded portion, these are spacers for the stud needing a 14-15mm (5/8"), but that is good to know.
 
I took a trip to the Store of Many Bolts, which was apparently where I went ten years ago, because they had exactly the 17mm washers I needed - in stainless no less.
I call it the Store of Many Bolts because they have everything screw, nut, or bolt related, but it's a bit of a drive.
So now that that's resolved I'll move on.
71_CL350_104.jpg
 
I looked at my Emgos today and I think I changed the rubber inserts to the ones from the stock shocks, so they're wider and take up the space.
 
So today I basically spent the afternoon on just the rear fender. The PO must have coated it with some kind of undercoating. It's not road tar, the front fender and the rest of the underside of the bike didn't have any.
I suppose it did protect the underside of the fender but rust isn't usually a big problem in Texas.
It was a pita to remove.
After much chipping and scrubbing it was clean.
I coated the underside with Boeshield T-9 then I used some chrome polish on the shiny side followed by some wax.
Then I spent about 20 minutes looking for the screws for the battery box.
I finally found them right where I left them. :rolleyes:
At that point it was time to to quit for the day.
71_CL350_105.jpg71_CL350_106.jpg
 
So putting the tail light back on the fender today I noticed two of the wires were chafed where they pass through the fender. A little shrink tubing fixed that.
That would have made a nice short to find after I installed the new wiring harness...

Then I was going to mount the fender but... I don't have the big rubber bushings. That must have been one the parts that was NLA when I made my big order to the Honda dealer for All Things Rubber and I forgot about it.
It looks like repops are available for a price, as usual.
(I like to replace ALL the rubber on these old bikes if I can.)

But then there's also the issue with the rear blinker mounts. One has been damaged and brazed and the other is from a CB450/750. Apparently, amazingly, there are repops for those as well.

And lastly there's the foot peg bar. I thought about getting it welded but I decided to just get another from ebay.
I'm running out of things to do without installing the front end, which is delayed due to my search for a painter. This bike might just end up primer grey or rattle canned.
71_CL350_109.jpg71_CL350_110.jpg71_CL350_107.jpg
 
Why don't you try your hand at painting yourself, if your having a hard time finding one? If you go the body shop supplier paint route and have them mix up some rattle cans of quality primer/paint it isn't that hard. Then choosing the Spray Max 2K clearcoat in a premixed can to finish it off you will be surprised. All these products spray very well and the Spray Max clearcoat is gas a resistant urethane product.
 
That bald wire does look to have some corrosion in it. I'd compare it's resistance to another piece. If it's in a spot that will be hidden, I'd consider grafting in a new chunk there.
All these tid-bit do take some time, whether fixing or ordering.
Yeah, I'd weld that broken eye on the footpeg bar, just because I got a cheap HF welder. :)
 
ballbearian said:
That bald wire does look to have some corrosion in it. I'd compare it's resistance to another piece. If it's in a spot that will be hidden, I'd consider grafting in a new chunk there.
All these tid-bit do take some time, whether fixing or ordering.
Yeah, I'd weld that broken eye on the footpeg bar, just because I got a cheap HF welder. :)
Click to expand...
Meh, not gonna spend that much time on it. Until it causes a problem later...
I thought about welding that bar, I know a guy, but after I take the trip and pay the welder the cost for an ebay replacement was about the same.
I've considered getting a welder but I just don't have enough things that need welding. But I know if you have a welder you find things to weld.

Anyway, as far as paint.
Flyin900, I have considered something like that but I'm just not feeling it.
I actually have a buddy who knows how to mix automotive paint and apply it but it's a pita to arrange all that and set everything up and I'd have to do the prep on the parts.
If I'm going to do it all I'd just prefer to have it "professionally" done.
 
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Cycleranger said:
Meh, it was just the blinker. Not gonna spend that much time on it.
I thought about welding that bar, I know a guy, but after I take the trip and pay the welder the cost for an ebay replacement was about the same.
I've considered getting a welder but I just don't have enough things that need welding. But I know if you have a welder you find things to weld.

Anyway, as far as paint.
Flyin900, I have considered something like that but I'm just not feeling it.
I actually have a buddy who knows how to mix automotive paint and apply it but it's a pita to arrange all that and set everything up and I'd have to do the prep on the parts.
If I'm going to do it all I'd just prefer to have it "professionally" done.
Click to expand...
Even with a welder, sometimes ebay just makes it easy. Same with paint.
As Dirty Harry would say, "A man's got to know his limits", even if it's more a preference than a limit.
 
So back to the rear fender and signal mounts.
I bit it and bought a couple of repop grommets for the frame from ebay (PN 80102-292-670) and a couple of repop signal mounts from 4-into-1 since one of mine was trashed and the other was from a CB450.

But I still needed the signal mount grommets which are rare and/or pricey. (PN 33608-286-000)
I took a trip to the hardware store and came away with a couple of 1/2 ID grommets and crudely trimmed one side so they resembled the original part.
71_CL350_111.jpg71_CL350_112.jpg
71_CL350_113.jpg
For the other unavailable rubber piece that goes on the backside I got lucky and found an ebay sale a few months back for several at a very reasonable price.
71_CL350_114.jpg
And there's the whole thing together. I used a stainless flat washer for extra bling.
71_CL350_115.jpg
I know, exciting right?
It's actually pretty ridiculous how much effort Honda put into trying to isolate the rear fender and lights from vibration, all to keep the bulbs from blowing.
 
Actually quite good info for me as my K5 ain't gonna have K5 rear turns so this is the way it'll be for me.
It'll be a while yet. I'm still forking around with the forks. :D
 
In spite of not having the fork ears painted I can't really go forward without getting it up on its feet.
I'll come back to the front end after I get everything painted.
I guess I should install the center stand. Duh..
71_CL350_116.jpg
 
Worked on the gauges today. New rubber all around.
As usual the old rubber "gaskets" were completely shriveled and hard, likewise the grommets.
And it looks like I need a new throttle tube.
Getting the control wires out of the bars is going to be fun. The vinyl covering the wires is completely petrified, far worse than any of my other bikes. Same for the gauge lights.
I'm going to look for some new sheathing for the wires.
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