Don't get me wrong, if you planned to own the bike for the duration you'd want to do the engine the right way and replacing at least that guide would be part of it but because high performance porting sometimes shaves the guides off flush with the inside of the port then it shows it CAN run without that portion - but it's done cleanly, which that cracked guide is not.
More like overzealous guy who owns machinist's tools and equipment. At this point I would not call him a machinist.
Yes, the shims are hard to find now and pricey from most sellers. And yes, feeler gauges are more than correct enough for simple end play, and I wouldn't be overly concerned about it either which is partly why the tolerance spec is pretty generous, not too big a deal.
Yes and I did consider that so I did not tighten the caps as tight as I normally would so should make some difference but it did bother me last night that the side clearance is as much as it is. I had found an eBay vendor in Canada who had five of the shims "14294-283-000 SPACER CAMSHAFT O.1M" available at a much more reasonable price but the shipping was high for just one or two so I bought all five and I figure I can use one on each side of both the intake and exhaust cams and should get the play down to around 3 to 5 thousandths; 11 or 12 thousandths just seemed to be too much side to side play to me and as I am going to have the valve seats dressed and possibly new valves I want the the head to be done right. This should leave me a couple of shims for sale (at cost) or swap down the line if anyone else is looking for them.
It isn't as critical as it seems, as long as you're in the spec range it's fine. And tighten the cam bearing cover screws as tight as they should be, the last thing you need is them coming loose. No fasteners on these bikes were ever intended to be just snug or somewhat tight, they all need to be tightened firmly and within torque spec for those it needs to be applied to (but all case and cover screws just tight).
Good to know it is not that critical but just my personal sense of "done right" was bugging me decided to order the shims to bring the end play closer to the minimum spec without being too tight. Once I start putting parts back together permanently they will certainly be torqued to spec or tightened appropriately. I did take your advice and got a T handle with a set of JIS bits and I have all new Honda case screws and most of the bolts for the engine. Next steps are to get the head job done and new oversized pistons and have the cylinders bored.
And be sure to tell the machinist whether the pistons are cast or forged, because the cylinder clearance necessary is different between them.
Some have used these pistons from Cruzin Image, though I have heard some say their rings don't last as long (though unsubstantiated). They only have .25mm, .50mm and 1.0mm
www.cruzinimage.net
I was planning on ordering from David Silver Spares but they are not showing .75 or 1mm kits available. The odd thing is they show the .5mm kit 3 times in the list of available parts. I have emailed them to see if the .75 kits are available.Some have used these pistons from Cruzin Image, though I have heard some say their rings don't last as long (though unsubstantiated). They only have .25mm, .50mm and 1.0mm
67-74 HONDA CB450K 1.0mm OVERSIZE PISTONS SET
-DESCRIPTION-◆10-CB450KPS-2◆ *67-74 Honda CB450K 1.0mm Oversize Pistons Set Aftermarket PistonX2,RingsX2,PinX2,ClipsX2set are included Piston Size: 7
I never recommend buying from those guys in Houston unless they're either the cheapest (rarely) or they're the only one who has something. In this case their Pulsar pistons are only $30 less than Wiseco, and I would buy a known quality piston from Wiseco for the $30 difference. Scrambler Cycle only has .25 and .50.
Dime City has some 3rd OS kits that were fairly inexpensive, IIRC. They were part of my 3.0 gasket hunt.
They do have some inexpensive piston kits , set of 2 pistons, rings, wrist pins and clips for only $63.95 which is a super price but I would really like to hear some feedback if anyone has used them.
I didn't think to look there, they're not typically where I would buy engine parts but to this point I can't recall anyone here saying they've used them.
The reason they don't have piston kits is because they're selling OEM Honda parts, which all came separately from Honda as they didn't sell kits either. It's more of an aftermarket thing when it comes to hard parts like pistons and rings, since it's all aftermarket they gather all the parts you'd typically use. One exception back when these bikes were sold and worked on daily was gasket sets, Honda sold top and bottom end sets as well as individual gaskets. Notice that even aftermarket doesn't sell valve sets with stem seals and new springs either.
First, the obvious to me right away is this engine should be taken completely apart. It looks inside like the oil wasn't changed for 10,000 to 15,000 miles, nasty dark sludgy look and darker than most I've seen.
DSS does have piston kits for the standard, .25 and .5 with prices from $45.00 to $56.00 per piston which I am sure are aftermarket. I think they only show up in a list view if you search for parts by the bike model not part number. The list also shows a mix of genuine and aftermarket parts with genuine parts being higher of course. Also not all parts show up in the list view as the genuine .75 piston shows up for $79.00 and if you search by part number it shows the genuine piston and an aftermarket piston for $49.00. The aftermarket piston is the one the customer service rep quoted and called a replica whatever that means. Hope to hear something tomorrow otherwise I can build my own kits.
Great I am glad they look OK. They are supposed to be the $49.00 pistons. The rings, pins and clips are original Honda. I noticed that it says Kit on the box as well. The rep I was emailing with is in England and got the images from the warehouse guys in the USA so I may end up with an extra set of rings.
Going to order after I get back from an appointment later this morning.
What is the name of the person you're emailing with? Is it Charles Cheshire?Great I am glad they look OK. They are supposed to be the $49.00 pistons. The rings, pins and clips are original Honda. I noticed that it says Kit on the box as well. The rep I was emailing with is in England and got the images from the warehouse guys in the USA so I may end up with an extra set of rings.
No it is Sophie Parris who has been very helpful. About to place the order but taking a look for anything I want to go ahead and add to the order to get the most out of the shipping.
You definitely need a good alternator rotor and starter clutch, and I'd be switching the upper case at least based on that damage. You'll want to check the circlip groove in the shift shaft closely to see if it's reasonably square-edged, and get a new circlip (and install it with the flat-edged side facing outward toward the shifter). There is also a large flat washer needed that covers the seal before the circlip goes on.
I already knew I was going to need a replacement shift spindle as it was broken off where the shift arm attaches to the spindle. I am a bit disappointed about the case as I wanted to keep the bike original as much as possible but provided the donor engine has a good case and hopefully alternator rotor and starter clutch it will be a CB/CL 450K and I will be happy.
It's usually the knock pin hole that gets broke out. I think that case is ok, just catch a few more drops of oil, like it's supposed to.I already knew I was going to need a replacement shift spindle as it was broken off where the shift arm attaches to the spindle. I am a bit disappointed about the case as I wanted to keep the bike original as much as possible but provided the donor engine has a good case and hopefully alternator rotor and starter clutch it will be a CB/CL 450K and I will be happy.
You can get away with a tab or two broken off, but once the screws in the housing on the back of the rotor have come loose once and wobbled out the screw holes a bit, the combination of lost tabs and compromised screw holes can allow it to come loose more easily in the future. I would take the clutch assembly fully apart and check all the components, post pics of them all including the outer housing which can get cracks in it. You can't see the cracks without full disassembly because the housing is covered with a sheet metal outer.
Thank you for the feedback and advice. I have already disassembled the clutch basket and removed the oil pump on the first engine so will take some photos to share of the components. It is very helpful having a number of eyes looking for any possible issues. Will probably be next week sometime as I have a number of other chores to do before we head to Hendersonville tomorrow.
Just to be clear, it's the countershaft (transmission shaft that has the front sprocket attached) where the oiler goes, not the crankshaft.
It’s true that my time is more limited now but depending on how fast someone needs to get one I can still perhaps re-do a pizza cutter. With that said, I really can’t do them any cheaper than these repops currently available through the eBay link.The detent roller (aka pizza cutter) is readily available and not overly expensive. My SC buddy Chris (@12ozPBR) refurbishes them for members, but he's back at work and won't likely have time to do it for you now.
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Thank you for the info on getting the case apart and the link for the pizza cutter. The sealant that was used on the cases is not silicone but not sure what it is. It may be Coppercoat or something like that from the color.
The gold-looking sealer easily seen on the left side is factory Honda, it's the thick black stuff you can see on the right side of the engine I'm wondering about.
I checked this area and there does not appear to be any damage on the backside but will only be 100% sure when I get it apart. What is odd is the bottom area under the end bearing that looks like it has been roughly ground back a bit or something has rubbed up on it.
I should have been more clear, this is the area of concern. Yours doesn't really look damaged, but pictures don't always show everything.
