1973 CB350G Canadian Noob Build (Gotta start somewhere!)

You can use tubeless tires on a spoked rim, but you still need a tube -- spokes aren't airtight. There are a few ways people try to get around this, e.g. by trying to seal the backside of the spokes, but it's half assed at best and risky at worst.
 
carnivorous chicken said:
You can use tubeless tires on a spoked rim, but you still need a tube -- spokes aren't airtight. There are a few ways people try to get around this, e.g. by trying to seal the backside of the spokes, but it's half assed at best and risky at worst.

Ahhh.. gotcha! So I still need tubes in my tubeless tyres basically. Cool, cheers guys.
 
So to continue on with part B of my 6th session, I went about thoroughly cleaning the engine covers from all grease and dirt and started with the wet sanding process. My plan is to go through the parts with the wet sand paper up to probably 400 or 600, starting with 220. The reason for this is that after doing some more research found a method of buffing that cuts into aluminum, acting just like sand paper but eliminating a crap load of time and manual labor.

I will go more into depths about buffing in the next post, but for now I am quite happy with the result from sanding after this last session. As you'll see from the video I spent a good amount of time on the rear brake panel and got it looking pretty amazing. I was almost tempted to leave the brushed metal look that the 220 wet/dry sandpaper left but I am way too excited to take it further after seeing it come to life slowly.

I would say I worked about 3 and a bit hours on the rear brake panel but seriously I just about got wood during the process lol.. Seriously, this is probably the most fun I've had in awhile. I feel like I'm bringing a machine back to life, it's an insanely gratifying experience. I under estimated the amount of time this would take and did not get to finish all of the parts in this video, but will save it for another episode. I have my work cut out for me, so it might take me awhile. The larger pieces with the tight spots in particular are going to be the most work.

For now enjoy the next video in the series.. I'll be sanding the shit out of some aluminum!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv2f8O720UA
 

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Hey man!

great post so far! loving the videos and will be following this one closely
we are almost at similar parts in the build and I just spent an hour and half out in the garage wet sanding some engine covers...although they are still on the engine and havent had the courage to pull them off just yet! haha will do that this weekend hopefully.
definitely respect the level of shine you are trying to achieve, hopefully I have the determination to get there as well! otherwise the brushed metal might be where I end up haha

keep up the solid work! and thanks for providing some inspiration to get out there and polish until my fingers hurt haha
 
I really like the "heavy industries" brushed look in your pics. Some builds need a lot of shiny bits, some are happier being more conservative.

If you do plan to use the polishing wheel, you will want to sand up to 800. That's as high as you'd go. Any higher and all of your work will be undone the first time any protective coating comes off. Aluminum oxidizes very very quickly. On a micro level, it's almost instant. Make sure you get any rough parts and pits with the first step of sanding because the 400 is going to wear your arm out of socket trying to smooth any of that out. Go up to 800, use a wheel with compound, wipe it down with spirits, then add a coat of sealant for aluminum right away if you choose to go with a shiny finish.
 
ShaggyPit said:
Hey man!

great post so far! loving the videos and will be following this one closely
we are almost at similar parts in the build and I just spent an hour and half out in the garage wet sanding some engine covers...although they are still on the engine and havent had the courage to pull them off just yet! haha will do that this weekend hopefully.
definitely respect the level of shine you are trying to achieve, hopefully I have the determination to get there as well! otherwise the brushed metal might be where I end up haha

keep up the solid work! and thanks for providing some inspiration to get out there and polish until my fingers hurt haha

Cheers bud! Ya keep up the good work man :)

Redliner said:
I really like the "heavy industries" brushed look in your pics. Some builds need a lot of shiny bits, some are happier being more conservative.

If you do plan to use the polishing wheel, you will want to sand up to 800. That's as high as you'd go. Any higher and all of your work will be undone the first time any protective coating comes off. Aluminum oxidizes very very quickly. On a micro level, it's almost instant. Make sure you get any rough parts and pits with the first step of sanding because the 400 is going to wear your arm out of socket trying to smooth any of that out. Go up to 800, use a wheel with compound, wipe it down with spirits, then add a coat of sealant for aluminum right away if you choose to go with a shiny finish.

Redliner, excellent advice as always! Thank you. Is Autosol a good sealant?
 
I'm back! Sorry it's been awhile but shining these parts has proven to be quite time absorbing, but every bit worth it!! Video and pics to come. For now though I had to work on getting the forks apart in order to measure the springs, replace the seals, replace the bearings in the hubs and get everything shined up with the rest of the aluminum parts. I ran into a slight problem dismantling the forks though, please watch the video to see what I mean and comment if you have any guidance. At the time when I was shooting the video, I was under the impression that the inner assembly for the forks came apart at the bottom when it actually comes apart at the top with the large bolt. For some reason the damper rod will not come loose from the bolt and I can't seem to get it apart. I posted the question in another forum but no one has responded. The post is here: http://www.hondatwins.net/forums/51-frame-suspension-steering/35499-need-help-question-about-1973-cb350-front-forks.html

The wheels came apart with no real issue and I am excited to shine up these hubs!! I took all of the parts up to 800 with the wet/dry sand paper, there are some pics below of the before/after. I will post the finishing results in the next major post after I have buffed out all of the parts next weekend. Not having a garage where I reside has proven to be.. annoying. This whole process would have probably taken much less time if I didn't have to travel by train for an hour and a half every time I wanted to work on the bike. Anyway, I am enjoying this so much that secretly I never want it to end but at the same time am ecstatic to see this bike come back together!

Anyway, here's the latest video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs5nY-N59mc
 

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nice work on that sidecase !!
why is the tire still on the rim ? didn't you find it a trite inconvenient working around it as it flopped all over ?
 
Haha I must've wrestled with that damn tire for about 45 minutes just trying to get it off of the rim!!! It was INSANE! It just wouldn't budge!! So I just left if on the rim for now, used the tire iron to move the tire out of the way to get to the back of the nipples.
 
Not sure how useful the windex is when removing the tyre.

When you crack the top-nut on the fork stanchion, it might be a good idea to just crack the upper triple clamp one turn. Let the lower triple and fender keep it from spinning.

Coming along well. Wish I had time for my 350 but I'm busy working on everybody else's toys... Woe is me.
 
WOW! It's been a little while, but I am BACK with a new post! I have been insanely busy with these aluminum parts. The buffing process took a lot longer than I had originally anticipated but I am EXTREMELY happy with the results as you will see in the pics/video below.

I went on a few snowboarding trips at the end of February so I didn't get a chance to work on the bike much in the last month. I spent two whole days buffing out these parts (8-10hrs each day!) and was still not done! So I had to wait 3 weeks to get back in the garage at the beginning of March to finish everything off. I spent another 11-12hrs finishing everything up this past weekend. This project is very much full steam ahead so don't worry, I have not given up. I have been researching a lot in the off hours, learning about the engine and the work that I intend to complete. I have a few manuals on the way and I am very excited to move on to the next stage of this project.

The entire process of bringing these aluminum parts to a mirror finish has been an incredibly time consuming but fun and rewarding experience for me. It feels really good to see such amazing results after putting so much time & effort into this process. It all started in late December when I cleaned and degreased each part. Then I spent most of January wet sanding each part through 4 stages of sand paper (220, 400, 600, 800) whenever I had free time after work and on weekends. After the sanding process I went through each part with three buffing compounds, black, brown and white. I used a sisal wheel with the black emery compound to cut into the metal and a cotton spiral sewn wheel for each the brown and white compound. I would say I spend approximately 14-20 hrs on some of the individual parts because of the complexity of the shape. I thought of giving up at times (especially during the sanding process). It was pretty difficult and time consuming to sand into the little crevasses that some of these parts have. I obviously didn't give up and kept positive and worked through it. Best thing about this is that I have an amazing story and experience to share with others and I feel like I've studied every single inch of these parts and know them like the back of my hand.

I would recommend trying this process to anyone who has the work ethic for it. You won't regret it. I saved one of the smaller parts until the end and have shot a quick video of me taking it through the entire process from start to finish in real time explaining each step of the process in detail. I will post that in the upcoming days, so keep your eyes peeled for that if you're interested.

Here is the latest pics & video, I hope you don't break your eyeballs when looking at the miraculous results of my shiny parts:

http://youtu.be/ORPrkPs4h98
 

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I don't know why more people don't take the time to do this. Those Japanese castings polish up so nicely. Keep up the good work, BZ!
 
M.B Co said:
Holy. shit.

Good job. How many hours do you have in that?

+1 for time well spent. It's a complete bitch to do, especially when you feel like a hamster on a wheel the whole time, but the end result is awesome! The only problem I've had is the oxidation afterwards. Sure you can clear over it, but the high temp engine clear tends to yellow I've found. Clear powdercoat?
 
Good job, now ditch those rusty old steel rims for a pair of shiny aluminums.
 
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