CB750F First Project

[msimm43]

I stopped by a muffler shop the other day, and had an adapter made up so I could put the new exhaust on. I needed to that the pipe from a 2.5 OD to 1.75 OD.

I spent some time polishing the adapter. It cleaned up well, but I didn't put enough effort into the sanding, so it is a little dull.

Now that the exhaust is in place I can figure out where the rear sets will mount, then the welding will get done.

Before

After

Adapter in place

Overall view

 

[msimm43]

Finally got the rear set mounts welded on. The angle of the set up is a little flat, but there was a clearance issue with the brake lever.

Shift side

Brake side

So I am getting closer to breakdown and paint prep.

On a side note, I picked up a new project. It is a 71 super beetle. The paint is awful, but otherwise in good shape. It may slow the bike project down a bit, but fun is fun.

 

[CresentSon]

Nice job on the rearsets. As long as it is comfy the angle is arbitrary in my opinion.

Congrats on the new bug too. Did it come with the assistant or is that aftermarket? ;D

 

[msimm43]

The assistant is after market. If you look at the first page of this thread, you can see the bike came with the same model.

 

[msimm43]

Little bit of progress.

I got the rust off of my tank using and electrolysis set up. It worked really well, and I manage to avoid electrocuting myself and blowing up the house (the process creates pure hydrogen). Pics below.

Arm and hammer washing soda (roughly one tablespoon per gallon)

The dry setup.

The wet set up. I used a car battery jumper for the juice.

2 hours in.

The anode after it I took it out.

The tank.

Before I can get a coat of primer on, i need to fill in the badge mounts. This was my first time using bondo, and it turns out I have a bit to learn. I went one swipe too many on one of the sides. It had started to harden, and it pulled a really rough edge on the fill. The other side was not too bad though.

The bad side.

The not so bad side.

Next up sanding and repeat.

 

[JS550]

Coming along nice.

 

[JRK5892]

man this is looking great! on the pipe if you where to wrap just like a 1.5ft part (the adapter) in heat wrap it would look good because you have the rear sets on there, it would look like you are protecting from rubber scuff from your foot, and best of all would cover the raw metal and welds... the other option is you grind the welds down, and buff out the whole thing... you can make that sucker shine like chrome with some work. looks good man! keep it up! a CB750F was one of my first real builds as well, still my fav bike!

 

[tweakin]

looks good man. If you cut out the tabs on the tank for holding the emblem first it willmake filling the space much easier.

 

[msimm43]

I didn't even think to cut out the badge mounts. Live and learn I guess.

I have been thinking about wrapping the pipes, but I had not thought about wrapping just the adapter section. There will be a lot of white on this bike when it gets painted, and that little bit of wrapping would look pretty nice.

 

[msimm43]

Okay, so it turns out working with Bondo kind of sucks ;D Also there is no doubt that I should have cut out the badge mounts before starting. Hopefully someone will learn from my mistake.

So to get away from my Bondoing, I got out the paint pen and did this. It seems to look the part for a 70s bike.

 

[Big R]

Msimm - those tires look great along with the rest of your project. You sure this is your first?

Congrats on the bug and the assistant, I'm still waiting for the stork to deliver mine!

 

[msimm43]

Glad to hear you like the tires.

It is my first project, but after 2 years, I am not sure I am still allowed to call it a "first" project. Endless seems to be more appropriate ;D

 

[msimm43]

I have been trying to figure out how to cover my seat for a while now. I wanted to use staples, but my fiberglass pan is to hard.

I was looking through the "tanks & seats" threads and can across SteveF's seat build again. He used spray adhesive with vinyl and it looked good. So I gave it a try.

Foam from an office chair covered in batting.

The vinyl went in the dryer for 5 minutes to soften up. Then everything gets a good coating of spray adhesive.

After lots of stretching, pulling, and sticking.

The profile of the seat pad is a little higher then I would like, but the comfort will be more forgiving then neoprene.

The two white marks on the seat are adhesive. I am hoping they will come off.

I am not sure how well the adhesive will hold up. If anybody has any alternative ideas, then I am all ear. I am going to attache the pan to the seat with velcro.

 

[tweakin]

Looks good man. When I do my seats I use a hot glue gun ($15 at a craft store) I stretch the leather, glue it down then hold it in place with clamps and a piece of wood for a bit to dry.

 

[cafemeyer]

Wow, seat looks great. No wrinkles. To "Goo be Gone" might take care of that adhesive.

 

[msimm43]

I went to re-glue the cover on my seat with hot glue the other night, and I noticed my tank staring to rust again. So I cleaned up the rust, and sprayed on the first coat of primer. I used white dupli-color sandable primer. I followed the "Rattle Can Bing" thread instructions, and I think it went pretty well. The thing I was not ready for was layer of paint dust that coated my garage on the first night that I shot primer. Live and learn. The second night I built myself a little make shift booth.

Night one, no booth

Night two, a booth... sort of.
open

ready to spray

Tank lid

The tank

Next up, wet sanding. Not sure when the color will go on, but at least my tank will not rust up.

 

[msimm43]

So it has been a long time since my last update. But I have gotten my act together and gotten back in the garage.

I got everything stripped and cleaned and finally started to paint. Only have pictures of the frame. More painting to come.

I used Rustoleum appliance paint (almond). It will be offset with Rustoleum Harbor Blue. I have not used any yet, but soon enough.

The Before

Cleaned up

Converted the laundry room into a paint booth

Six more days to let it hang

 

[CresentSon]

Hey there, long time no see! Lovin' the frame color.

 

[msimm43]

I just spent a LONG time writing a post, and I got logged out and lost it. Call it punishment for being away for so long.

So here is a run down of what I have been up to:

Engine in the frame

Starting to put things back together (right side)

More junk stuffed in (left side)

I started putting the wiring harness back in and quickly realized that it is not long enough to hide the big nest of connectors in the head light.

I am going to try moving all of the electrical components under my seat. The seat itself sits on these rails, and I am hoping that I can fit everything between the pan and the bottom of the seat. I think I should be able to get the 6 inches or so that I need that way.

What it looks like under the seat

If that does not work, then I will have to cut into the harness and add some extra length. I would rather not do that.

On other fronts, I have never like the stock side covers for this bike (I always like the Ks rounder covers better), so I ordered oval number plate. It seemed like a simple solution, and I like the way they look. I am think 76 for the number (the year of the bike, and when I was born). Other options are 42, 22, and 2. I am opening the floor to your opinions.

I also splashed out for new braided steel brake lines. The old ones had visible bulges in the rubber, so they had to be replaced. I know that braided steel are overkill for this bike, but they are sized specific for ace bars, and they were not that much more expensive.

Next up is spraying the blue on the tank and seat, and black on the brakes. More to come.

Crescent, glad you like the color. The bike looks great, really like the fairing.

 

[msimm43]

Re: CB750F Still The First Project

Quick update.


I broke down the brakes tonight. I found out that there was zero brake fluid in the rear lines, and not much more in the front brakes. I hope to repaint the black bits this weekend.

Also, I got the new lines in this week as well.