"Tangerine Dream" / Glemseck - KZ750

Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Not far from looking like a Chevy panel wagon from the 50's... Would make a nice rider support/hauler truck.
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Tune-A-Fish said:
Not far from looking like a Chevy panel wagon from the 50's... Would make a nice rider support/hauler truck.

The plan is to make this a daily driver - Volvo V6 [ 2.8ltr ], 4 speed + o/drive, power disc front brakes and coil over RAMSHOX all round, electric power steering. Modern heater and creature comforts hidden in centre console / under dash binnacle, electric front window lifts,BMW M series front seats [ leather ].

Here in the UK the age of the vehicle makes it MOT [ annual roadworthy test ] and road tax exempt. Also qualifies for Classic insurance - even with the engine swap ! It'll have a tow bar and Safari style roof eack to make it as practical as possible.

Apart from the sills [ available from the Vanguard club ], there are NO major concerns for rust. It's astonishing. I have the full history from the day [ and time! ] it rolled off the production line until it was laid up in a barn in 1962 where it remained [ dry ] until I found it.

It's super rare here in the UK - only 3 roadworthy examples known !
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

beachcomber said:
It's super rare here in the UK - only 3 roadworthy examples known !

I love it, the story makes for half the value and you made a rare match... 53 years waiting to be massaged back to life with modern mechanics :eek: If only we old sods could be so lucky eh!! I would settle for just new gaskets and a 12V electrical system. [edit] OK maybe some OHLINS knees would be nice...haah!

Keep us posted, I know these are super tedious and time is like a gail force wind going by behind you as you work... Look forward to see how things go along.
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Joe

we use the relevant size units on our Jag C Type reps - never let us down.

Got to do the final prep of the seat base, mudguard and side panels. Shooting them in Zinc primer [ grey fukit - I ordered Yellow ] ] and hope nothing reacts !

Here's how to cheat on a new set of stanchions if only the top [ non-working areas ] are fucked.

My lower stanchions were in good nick, but the top under the gaiters and between the yokes had really suffered from all the years parked under a leaky lean to. £150 for my pair rechromed ?????? Not in my lifetime.

Time for some lateral thinking - New gaiters no brainer ...... then the light bulb moment - why not slip some length of polished allo tube over the bad bits. Works for me.



 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Smooth move... Pun intended hah!


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Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

My pal just got back from the US [ working on his property ] and had an extra suitcase full of "Harbor Freight" tools and some other goodies.

Amongst them he had two sprayguns for me, one with a 1.8 nozzle for Metalflake. No excuses on the painting front now!

He also brought me some '39 Teardrops for my Vanguard, but that's another story.
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

So, well pleased with my electrics undertray, all the squitter now installed ....................... except the battery !!!! ::) :-[

In my defence, originally the undertray came further back and the battery was due to be sited there.

Then I shortened the design ...... and promptly forgot about the battery !

Fortunately there's enough room over the fuel pump and coil to site a mini Gel battery - planned it that way - honest. ;D

 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Not having a lot of luck with powder or passivating ey beach!

Looking good none the less, the side covers you mocked up look awesome!

I may have missed it, but what tyres have you got mounted?
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Green199 said:
Not having a lot of luck with powder or passivating ey beach!

Looking good none the less, the side covers you mocked up look awesome!

I may have missed it, but what tyres have you got mounted?

Thanx for that Green ............. I'm well pleased with the way the side panels came out - originally I'd planned traditional Flat Track number plates, but they didn't look right. I have had to make blind mounts as the side panels will have to be fitted after the seat is bolted down. Probably a smallish race # plate on the front with my old football playing # - "55". Also probably. a pair of mini LED daytime running lights for self preservation !

Tyres are nothing special - originally I planned for knobblies - for "the look", but due to very diminished funds, I'm using the tyres that came with the bike. Bizzarely they are virtually new - like a lot of other stuff on the bike. They are Shinko 10SR ...... 110 x 90 x 18 and 100 x 90 x 19. They'll have to do for now as the next priority purchases will be the chain and battery.

After that, it's the high level exhaust and Weber intake to be made up, upholstery for the seat [ perforated Black Connolly hide ] and a rebuild for the Weber and I'm virtually done. Then it's straight into the Vindicator TR1 Cafe Racer !!!
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

beachcomber said:
Thanx for that Green ............. I'm well pleased with the way the side panels came out - originally I'd planned traditional Flat Track number plates, but they didn't look right. I have had to make blind mounts as the side panels will have to be fitted after the seat is bolted down. Probably a smallish race # plate on the front with my old football playing # - "55". Also probably. a pair of mini LED daytime running lights for self preservation !

Tyres are nothing special - originally I planned for knobblies - for "the look", but due to very diminished funds, I'm using the tyres that came with the bike. Bizzarely they are virtually new - like a lot of other stuff on the bike. They are Shinko 10SR ...... 110 x 90 x 18 and 100 x 90 x 19. They'll have to do for now as the next priority purchases will be the chain and battery.

After that, it's the high level exhaust and Weber intake to be made up, upholstery for the seat [ perforated Black Connolly hide ] and a rebuild for the Weber and I'm virtually done. Then it's straight into the Vindicator TR1 Cafe Racer !!!

Ahh fair doos. I have heard a lot of good things about shinko's, but never tried them myself. I think they may actually look quite nice on there once they are done, but a mean set of knobblies will be hard to beat haha.
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Remember I said the front wheel wasn't the OEM version ? Various peeps have guessed Suzuki GS ........ whatever.

I've got over all the mounting issues, and everything fits / works -however when I came to fit the replacement front caliper [ mine was fucked ] - another difference became obvious. At some point in the past a PO has not only changed the wheel, but also modified the caliper mount !

It's a bit agricultural, but seems solid enough and was working at some point before I got the bike.

So when the new [ to me ] 6K mile old caliper arrived - OK check it out [ perfect ] and change the mount over ..................... like one of those 3D puzzles [ 2D puzzles defeat me ! ].

It just didn't make sense, until I checked over the original pix when I got the bike - realising that my bike had the caliper mounted in front of the spindle [ axle ] ::)



This seems so LONG ago now - Ok it .......................... was THREE years ago this December. :-[



6K mile old caliper ..

 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

TIME TO DUST THE OLD SPRAY GUNS OFF AND MAKE A SERIOUS START [ caps lock off now ] on the prep and paint.

First job - make a "spray booth" - done



Then shoot some Zinc Etch primer, and hope it doesn't react like the rattle can did [?]



And here's the rearranged electrics undertray - Blue Peter mock up of the 12ah Gel battery - coil now under the main tray, but covered by the side panels. Just waiting for the 4 way fuse box to arrive and fit .. ........ then the small matter of the wiring !

 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

After all that careful prep - the Cellulose primer / surfacer reacted with the first rattle can coat I laid down !! Can you fuckin well believe that !

The Zinc etch primer [ celly based ] DIDN'T react, so I thought all was well. I've nearly collected all the toys I threw out of the pram - so I'll be back on it next week .. bollox. Fortunately only Zinc etch primer sprayed on the side panels and the primer / surfacer hasn't reacted with them - gas tank still waiting final patternmaking.

Also I desperately need the shim cups that go on the end of the swingarm and hols the grease sealing O rings. Plenty of O rings, but can't get the cups anywhere .. help.

The NOS fork top nuts I ordered from the US turned out to be too big enough - FUCK KNOWS what these bastard forks are I have - NOT KZ750 and not XS650 ...........

But for those three retrograde steps the chassis would have been rolling by now - back in the garage on the ramp and the Vindicator into the Man Cave for meaningful work to re-start after a 6 months lay off.

Oh yes, the electrics tray needs a complete re-jigging as the Gel battery is larger than the dimensions they gave me over the phone !
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Put a caliper to the threads on the steering stem... I have enough top nuts to sink a small fishing boat... thread size and pitch is most the same for Japanese bikes, somewhere at 20-22mm i'm betting... may take the better of 10 days, but we could try.
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Tune-A-Fish said:
Put a caliper to the threads on the steering stem... I have enough top nuts to sink a small fishing boat... thread size and pitch is most the same for Japanese bikes, somewhere at 20-22mm i'm betting... may take the better of 10 days, but we could try.

Thanx TAF - these are the nuts in the top of the fork stanchions [ tubes ? ]. I'll have a measure up - whatever the forks are - they must be a stock size !

Note the almost total lack of threads on the ones I removed !!!!!

 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

TAF .................. haven't forgotten your kind offer of assistance - but we've been pre-occupied for the past several weeks as Father-in- Law has taken a bit of a turn for the worse in his fight with the big C.

The top nuts I got in from the US are marginally bigger thread, I will measure them this week.

Thanx again.
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Got it! I have some KZ tops, but all other Japan forks and some Italian stuff if you have a 3lb sledge you could pound em in if gets that close ::)
 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Thanx for the mechanical tip TAF ! 8)

The old fork nuts are so shagged I can't get a decent reading as to what the thread should be !

I'm taking the legs, old and new fork nuts to my tame machine shop to see if they can sort it out. It's really holding things up now as I had hoped to have the chassis on the floor and rolling by now. That said - I'm still waiting for the elusive swingarm end cup / shims !

Anyroadup - in the downtime, I FINALLY got the paint to seal on the seat and front mudguard. I freaked out last week and said "FUCKIT" - and painted them both in the same Black textured paint I'm using on the engine - a bit like the H-D finsish, only about a 1/4 of the price !

The side panels have had the final primer surface coat - all rubbed out and ready for the Yellow topcoat next week - hopefully that will please my eyeballs.

While I was in the Man Cave [ extended now ! ] I decided to fit the new accessory switch [ Chinese - excellent quality and £6.95 - WDF ]as I will only need minimal controls [ daylight MOT - no lights ]. As I'm trying to declutter the bars area - I thought I'd bury the cables through the bars. Then I couldn't find anything suitable to "fish" the cable through - until I spotted some old fashioned curtain cable - wworked a treat - just have to get the curtains back up before Mrs.B. notices !



 
Re: "Tangerine Dream" - KZ750

Hoofuckinray ............... whilst trawling through the remnants of 3 boxes marked "KZ750 parts" I came accross 2 crud encased items that turned out to be the elusive swingarm end caps !!! ;D.

My machine shop guy was away last week, so the frok top nuts will go down for remedy this weekend.

My new gel battery turned up [ £21 including delivery ! ], so I decided to strip the under seat electrics tray out and do the job properly. I hate having to make retrograde steps - but this will only get done once ...................

I have all the electronic components now - so I'll lay everything out properly this time. While I was at it I relocated the seat mounts into a more accessible position and put a layer of high density foam on the base of the electrics tray to help insulate the units from shock. Although I DID remember to bolt through a couple of earth points !

Both the front mudguard and seat have now had a final coat of Black texture paint - I'm happy with the results.

I've given the engine /box a couple of soakings with Gunk over the past month - so a final spray and power hose off should get it ready for final cleaning / painting. My welder pal is then going to weld up my Weber 40DCOE manifold, leaving only the high level exhaust to be made as an outsource jobbie.

The plan is to get a coat of the "Zinc Yellow" top coat on the side panels before the weather turns too cold / damp.
 
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