Seal retainer looks good. 
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CL350 Vintage racer project
- Thread starter Emlupi
- Start date
Got the spacer and hardware together for the seal retainer. Installed it and lock wired it in.
Used the degree wheel and piston stop to find TDC. This weekend, when I get some time, I will continue working on the top end.
It's somewhat like carb kits today, few are composed of all correct parts and often include things that don't apply like certain specialty o-rings.
Right, and completely misleading by touting the kit as having everything you need to rebuild the engine. Meanwhile, key pieces are missing and there’s extra stuff you don’t need.
Yeah, sadly that's how the aftermarket industry has evolved over the last 20+ years since OEM supplies for our bikes have been exhausted. Sadly it doesn't look like it will be improving anytime soon. I have multiple gasket set with many unused pieces left over from buying probably 4 or 5 sets to get the few extras I needed, and I now have multiples of pieces left over that I'll never use. Anyone need a stock 450 head gasket? I have at least 3 spares, LOL
I’m on the same road, now. Fortunately I was able to find a Vesrah head cover gasket for sale individually and didn’t have to spring for a whole kit to get one.
Engine is pretty much completed. Just waiting on a gasket that was missing from the kit and a few odds and ends. Everything is lined up as it should be.
I set the ignition timing as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Red marks line up at 45 BTDC.
I set the ignition timing as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Red marks line up at 45 BTDC.
Remember the correct orientation of the index marks on the rocker arm shafts when you do the adjustment.
I had the same with my GL kit. Randomly missing the cam holder gasket and spark plug hole gaskets, and the wrong pulse generator gasket. Annoying to say the least.
guzziart
Well-known Member
Yeah, so far my "complete engine gasket set w/seals for 350" is short shift drum detent oring & cam chain tensioner bolt oring. I'm waiting for a response from the vendor. Oh well.
In your case, that's not really unusual. Even back when Honda still made them, the kits didn't usually come with seldom-replaced o-rings like those. I've yet to see a 350 shift detent o-ring leak personally, much like I've never seen any shift drum oil seals leak either though I'm sure it happens to someone, but the o-ring for the cam chain tensioner bolt would be one I'd replace too. Though that one would be easy after the fact so not as big a deal.
Did you consider going copper for the reusable aspect? I know it’s pretty common in the race setting to do so just because of how often the heads tend to get popped off (kind of like the logic for the teflon buttons instead of circlips in the wrist pins).
I didn’t use copper gaskets on this bike. I did use copper gasket spray on the base, head, and cam case bottom gaskets. This is a spec class, basically stock engine. I don’t think it’s really necessary to go to many extremes in this class. If I were building a full-on, overbore, hot engine I would probably consider going the extra mile with things like that.
I roughed out this butt ugly tool from a piece of threaded pipe. It serves a couple of purposes. I can use it to keep things from spinning while tightening bolts, such as the rotor bolt. I can also use it to spin the engine in the forward direction by putting it in gear while using the degree wheel. Turning it with the bolt causes it to come loose and throws off the wheel. It won’t win any beauty contests but it works. I do what I can with the tools I have available. I can only dream of having a well supplied home shop.
Creativity is a big part of owning and working on these bikes, and even more so when you're making any modifications. I love Snap-On and other good tools but I also have a budget so I don't have that many, and I always weigh how often I'll use something after that initial need. I bought my first torque wrench in decades mid-last year because the only person I could borrow one from again is 65 miles away, but if he wasn't so far I wouldn't have spent the money because it will likely only get used a couple more times before I'm gone. In many cases it amounts to whatever works, and saves money that can be spent on the project. Or beer, LOL.
Engine rebuild is completed. Timing, cam chain tension, and valve clearances are all set.
Here’s a picture of the grimy mess that came out of the frame when I started.
Now I will turn my attention to the chassis.
Most of the parts and pieces I need are here. Still have some fabrication to do for the steering damper mount. The front end stuff is done, awaiting final assembly. Still need to find a machinist to mill down my front brake panels. Now that the engine is complete I can make some headway on this. So many small details to work out.
I fabricated a lug for the steering damper. I cut and threaded a piece of round stock for the M8x1.25 bolt on the damper body and ground it to fit in a piece of 3/4 pipe.
I cut it to the length I determined from an earlier mockup and then fitted it to the side of the frame and tacked it in place
Then I welded it in place. Unfortunately my TIG skills are not very sharp these days and I made a bodge of the final 1/4 or so of the weld. I got some porosity and couldn’t get the weld to flow properly. I tried to grind it out and fill it in but the more I tried to fix it the worse it got
. I stopped there before making a bigger mess of it. I will take it to a local pro and ask him to fix it up for me. This is the cleaner side, the rest not so much.
I cut it to the length I determined from an earlier mockup and then fitted it to the side of the frame and tacked it in place
Then I welded it in place. Unfortunately my TIG skills are not very sharp these days and I made a bodge of the final 1/4 or so of the weld. I got some porosity and couldn’t get the weld to flow properly. I tried to grind it out and fill it in but the more I tried to fix it the worse it got
. I stopped there before making a bigger mess of it. I will take it to a local pro and ask him to fix it up for me. This is the cleaner side, the rest not so much.
I started doing a little painting with the POR15 chassis black paint. I don’t really have a place to spray so I tried the stuff from the can using a brush. Results were not that good to be honest. I applied two thin coats following the product instructions. The finish came out pretty lumpy and lots of brush strokes showing. It didn’t level out at all. The temperature outside was basically at the bottom end of the suggested range so maybe that had something to do with it?
Thinking about trying to wet sand this and try spraying it over.
ballbearian
Veteran Member
The stuff in the can would need to be in a spray gun. That's all well beyond me.
Hi folks,
I know, I’ve been away for a time. My wife and I were on vacation. We took a trip down to Texas to feel some warm sunshine. We also made a stop in Austin to the Circuit of the Americas to watch the MotoGP races.
I am also working on some home projects in conjunction with getting the bike ready. I installed the new bronze pivot bushings and the shock lower bushings into the swingarm. I also wet sanded the lumpy paint job down and will respray these parts as soon as the temperatures start to warm up. It’s still miserably cold here. Come on spring.
I know, I’ve been away for a time. My wife and I were on vacation. We took a trip down to Texas to feel some warm sunshine. We also made a stop in Austin to the Circuit of the Americas to watch the MotoGP races.
I am also working on some home projects in conjunction with getting the bike ready. I installed the new bronze pivot bushings and the shock lower bushings into the swingarm. I also wet sanded the lumpy paint job down and will respray these parts as soon as the temperatures start to warm up. It’s still miserably cold here
. Come on spring.
I picked up my brake plates today after having them machined. I was fortunate to find a club member local to me that had the skill and machinery to do the job. This gentleman is a very interesting individual. He is a retired pilot who has a passion for vintage and antique motorcycles and is an extremely fastidious and resourceful craftsman with machine tools. His collection of bikes was impressive, all of them in excellent condition. Some restored, some in incredible original condition.
He is currently restoring a 1915 Thor V-twin. Some of the engine parts are worn and showing signs of fatigue. This man is manufacturing replacement parts with some of his own design upgrades to replace the old worn out ones. Very inspiring. Out of respect I didn’t ask to photograph his collection, sorry.
One final note, he didn’t want any money. I refused to let him do the work without compensation . He agreed to accept payment with the understanding that he would donate the proceeds to charity. Meeting people like this serves to restore my faith in humanity.
I assembled the brake plates and adjusted the levers and rods. Then tightened everything up and safety wired the lever bolts.
Waiting on some bodywork (seat unit and belly pan). I’ll mock these up on the frame and see what kinds of tabs/brackets will be necessary for attachment. Once I get all that situated I can paint the frame and hopefully begin piecing this thing together. Slowly but surely.
Did the fitting of the seat unit to the tank/frame. Just need to work out fasteners but that should be pretty straightforward. Belly pan will have to wait until engine and exhaust are mounted.
Also started working out bracket and mounting locations for the Electrex World ignition parts. Going to have to do a little modification work to the factory coil bracket to accommodate the new coils and CDI units but it should also be a fairly simple job.
Happy Easter everyone.
Spraying some parts with the POR-15 chassis black paint. Much better results than the stuff from the can. Gotta add a couple of tabs for bodywork to the frame and then I will spray that, too. Once that’s done I think it will be time to start assembling the bike.
Welded in mounting tabs for seat unit and for number plates. I used some 5/64” 6013 on DCEN to make sure not to burn through the sheet metal of the frame. It came out a little lumpy but these are non-critical frame tabs , so not a huge deal. A little cleanup and prep to do on the frame and it will be ready for paint. Once the paint has been given a chance to dry and harden I will begin assembly.
I don’t have a paint spraying setup. I’m using the POR15 in the aerosol can. Much better results.
Swingarm and small parts came out pretty good. I plan to do the frame the same way. This is their Chassis Black paint.
The rest of the paint will be the same. I’m going to use spray cans. It’s a race bike so I don’t want to go to any great expense on the paint because there’s always the chance that I may end up in the gravel with it
. Don’t want to have to worry about scratching up expensive paint. This way I can just fix it up myself and head back out.
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Frame looks good. Did you rattle can it as that is a good option to reduce the over spray from a big sprayer gun? How did you rotate it for the underside as I am always looking for options there that make it easier.
Yeah, I used rattle can to do the job. I built up a couple of thin coats and then let it dry for a while , maybe half hour or so until it was dry to the touch. Then I rotated it enough to fill the spots that were sitting on the wood, which was minimal.
It came out pretty good. Certainly not a show piece but that’s not what I’m after here. As I mentioned earlier, if the bike gets scratched up I can fix it myself fairly quick and easily. I don’t have spray gun equipment nor the experience to use it properly.
It came out pretty good. Certainly not a show piece but that’s not what I’m after here. As I mentioned earlier, if the bike gets scratched up I can fix it myself fairly quick and easily. I don’t have spray gun equipment nor the experience to use it properly.
I installed these wire mesh screens over the vent holes in the front brakes. Because guess who will be the one who has a rock bounce directly through the hole and get jammed in the brake shoes? Hint, it’s me.
Making progress with assembly now. Working out little kinks and so on as I go along. I had to do some modifications to the coil mounting bracket to accommodate the CDI units. Still waiting for some odd hardware bits to finish up the details. Don’t pay too much mind to the routing of wires and cables, some stuff is just fit up temporarily.
I was able to find some 10mm paddock stand spools to use in combination with the bottom shock mount bolts.
Got my front tire mounted and went to fill it with air, only to discover that I had pinched the tube and it’s leaking
. I think I am going to wave the white flag on this and take it to the shop to have it done by machine. Just another one of those days that I seem to be having a lot of lately.
I modified this inner fender from a 750K3 to fit my project bike. I used some 1” loop clamps to secure it to the frame. I’m going to use the Motion Pro catch bottle for the breather tubes to run to (per rules). I’m still waiting on some small bits to route the hoses. Should work out nice and neat.
I'll suggest inserting nylon/plastic scrubbers into the catch can. They will cause the vapors to separate so oil collects at the bottom.
Thanks
I posted this in the wrong forum earlier so here it is again.
I fitted the number plate mounts today and did some small odds and ends such as neatening up the ignition wiring and laying out the routing of the breather hoses. Once I can get the wheels on I should be able to make bigger steps towards getting it completed.
It's starting to look real now...
Installed the front wheel today. Everything fit up very nicely. Need to go back and make all the adjustments to the 4LS brakes.
I mounted the catch bottle and routed all the hoses. I put a quick disconnect in the line just before the oil cap/breather. This will make it easy to access the oil fill for maintenance.
I forgot to order new rear brake shoes so I have to wait for them before I can mount the rear wheel. Hopefully soon.
I mounted the catch bottle and routed all the hoses. I put a quick disconnect in the line just before the oil cap/breather. This will make it easy to access the oil fill for maintenance.
I forgot to order new rear brake shoes so I have to wait for them before I can mount the rear wheel. Hopefully soon.
hopefully no tire changes will be needed during a race