Therapy Project

If it's broken or just needs tweaked

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Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Sat Aug 08, 2015 6:54 pm

So it's been a while but I haven't given up on this beast. Started a new business that has been keeping me pretty busy.

I have been changing my mind on what to do with this bike nearly every day for the last few months. I'm still not clear on what I will end up with but I have decided to get it running stock to get it registered and get a title on it.

With that said, I have been pricing some of the major items that I would like to do like chrome for the down tubes and exhaust and paint. Seems like I will have way too much money in this before it's over but I expected that going in.

I will have the frame powder coated eventually but wanted to get everything put back together to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Over the last month or so, I bought an old fender at a swap meet and fit it to the bike. The plastic one that comes on the 84 just wasn't working for me. I like to new one and it fits pretty well.

I have also been polishing some parts along the way and the parts are really starting to look good again. I had new tires mounted and put in new brakes in the rear since the old one's were just powder.

Still have a long way to go but I'm really enjoying it again.

Here are some before and after photos of the polishing and the product I am using.
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Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Sun Aug 09, 2015 8:49 am

Here is what I am using for polishing.
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Folsoml
Posts: 1634
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 9:02 pm
Location: North Florida

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Folsoml » Sun Aug 09, 2015 9:05 am

I've started using Eastwood Greaseless compounds. It really aggressive for smoothing out surfaces and removing oxidation before starting. These I was just going for "clean looking." If you want to go for "mirror finish" you can then follow up with your other compounds.

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My Current Bikes: 2005 HD FLHTCUI Electra Glide Ultra Classic, 2007 Yamaha Vino,

Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:28 am

WOW they look great. Did you have to sand them first or just straight Eastwoods?

Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Thu Jan 19, 2017 10:50 am

So I finally found some time and got the frame and skins painted. I had the fork sliders re-chromed to get rid of the pitting and rebuilt the front end with new springs and will start assembly this weekend. Seeing as how this has been a 3-year project to date, I suspect it will take a while to wrap it up.

After seeing the talk, frame and fender all pretty and painted I am obviously excited to get going on this again. Still have many parts to clean, polish and paint which is going to be a long process. Kind of over the sanding and polishing at this point which is why I painted a few things I kinda wish I would have polished. Just want to get on this for summer. I'll keep things going when I have time and post updates and issues along the way.

For the front forks, I used the Progressive Springs and had to cut down the spacers to 1.75". Wasn't too difficult so we will see how it rides eventually.

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Folsoml
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Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 9:02 pm
Location: North Florida

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Folsoml » Fri Jan 20, 2017 10:38 am

Dave Plunkett wrote:WOW they look great. Did you have to sand them first or just straight Eastwoods?


I can't believe I missed your question! Eastwood Greaseless compounds turn your buffer wheels into flexible grinders. No sanding was done on these.
Have a problem with your CB650? Have a technical question? Click here!


My Current Bikes: 2005 HD FLHTCUI Electra Glide Ultra Classic, 2007 Yamaha Vino,

Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Sun Jan 22, 2017 4:08 pm

Great info on the eastwoods. Just purchased a few for some of the remaining items. Looking forward to not sanding anymore.

I've spent some time this weekend finalizing the front forks with fluid. installed 100CC then let it site for a few hours to check for leaks at the bottom with success. Filled them up and installed them along with the swing arm. I'll take it to the dealer when it stops raining to have the swing arm torqued to specs since I don't have the proper tools for that. Progress photos below.

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The bearings for the wheels seemed to be fine but I figured since I had them apart, I may as well replace them. Cheap to do and I'm sure it will help so I ordered new one's. They should be here this week and I'm hoping it rolling next weekend. Won't forget to install the air box before the rear wheel. Learned that one the hard way.

If there is anything else from a sequencing perspective, I'm all ears!

Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Sun Jan 22, 2017 4:15 pm

Thought I would mention that to seat the fork seals, I used a 1.5" piece of conduit and lined the inside with blue tape to not scratch the fresh chrome. Worked pretty well once I figured out which direction the seals went on. If they are in backwards, it sticks to the seals to the conduit but installed correctly, worked great.

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tario
Posts: 166
Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2015 2:26 pm

Re: Therapy Project

Postby tario » Fri Jan 27, 2017 11:47 am

That looks awesome! The only issue i know of as far as what order to reassemble; put the airbox in before the carbs, otherwise it can be extremely difficult/impossible.

Considering the money/time you are putting into this, a cheap tractor supply/princess auto torque wrench might be worth picking up. The discs and sprockets are things you should really torque down. I picked up a 0-80ft/lb model because I was tightening things down to 20-40ft/lbs (mid range for this model). A carb synchronizer will really help you tune it down the road. They are about $80-$300 on amazon. You should be able to find one with threaded tubes, hoses, and 4 gauges near $80. The more expensive ones just have more chrome, better boxes for storage etc.
1979 cb650
1980 cb650

Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Mon Jan 30, 2017 9:52 am

Thanks Tario,

I have a torque wrench but I don't have the tool for the swing arm. I made one that kind of works and I got it tight enough to move on. I'll check out the carb synchronizer as that will be needed for sure.

I made a little more progress this weekend but had a hell of a time with removing the rear bearings. Spent about 3 hours on them Saturday with no luck. I ended up using BP blaster letting it sit overnight. Only took a few wacks to get them loose on Sunday. below is a picture of where things are now.

I have some major clean up to do on the engine before I attempt to put it back in so probably won't have much to share for a few weeks.

Very happy with my $10 front fender (pre paint of course).

Also, getting some good results from the eastwoods greasless compounds but boy do they make a mess. Going to strip the paint off the bars and polish them up as I think I have too much black going on. Thanks for the tip Folsoml!

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Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Mon Feb 20, 2017 4:41 pm

So I finished painting the engine and it came out great (IMHO). Still need to polish a few things before it goes back in but still making progress.

Here is a photo
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Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Mon Feb 20, 2017 9:07 pm

Forgot to mention that I found a great way to clean the corrosion out of the fins on the motor. I purchased a dozen of the wire brush kits that fit in the drill. I went through about 14 in total but saved a tone of time. I used the steel first then the brass and it really stripped all the corrosion and left bare metal for painting. Below is a picture of the brushes I used. The longer one I cut the end off to reach the deeper pockets.

Not a fan of HF but that was the only place I could find these outside the swap meet.

Hope to have the motor back in by mid march. More to follow.


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Folsoml
Posts: 1634
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 9:02 pm
Location: North Florida

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Folsoml » Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:16 am

Harbor Freight is great for stuff like that. I just don't buy electric tools or torque wrenches from them. :D
Have a problem with your CB650? Have a technical question? Click here!


My Current Bikes: 2005 HD FLHTCUI Electra Glide Ultra Classic, 2007 Yamaha Vino,

Dave Plunkett
Posts: 27
Joined: Sun Apr 21, 2013 11:39 am
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Therapy Project

Postby Dave Plunkett » Thu Dec 27, 2018 10:03 pm

After a long unforeseen delay, I got back at it today. I know this is taking forever but its a Therapy Project after all. It took all day but I got the head cover polished up pretty nice. Not perfect but that thing has so many crevices I wanted to throw it away more times than I can count.

It was a good day and much needed. I have the next few days slotted to get the motor in and only have (2) covers to clean and polish and install the new gaskets. Shouldn’t be too bad. I’ll post some photos in the day to two.

Looking forward to going through the newer threads.

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Dave

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GeorgeSweety
Posts: 462
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 11:47 am
Location: UK.

Re: Therapy Project

Postby GeorgeSweety » Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:59 am

Hello David, glad you are sticking with it :D I bought a large ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning engine parts, it stripped 99% of the crud, old paint, carbon build up and old gasket remains from my Nighthawk cylinder head and barrels (jugs?) before repainting. Quite possibly it is my favourite tool as it doesn't take much effort to use it :lol:


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