1966 cl160 scrambler

[cbrianroll]

Hey all…daughter dropped this off last night…minus a few parts that she said I’d still in a shed lol. It’s a bit crusty but I’ve seen worse…hope the internals are good, she wants it but doesn’t want a money pit..
Probably not the fastest project but having a thread may help motivate me…as always, advice, places for parts, tips, etc appreciated.

 

[Rider52]

Oh my, a real Cl160. Pretty rare these days. I'd build it in a heartbeat.

 

[cbrianroll]

lol…I’ll add pics soon…odds are I’ll be asking lots of questions…

 

[Luugo86]

That is a pretty rare bike and the exhaust looks to be in decent shape

 

[cbrianroll]

My service is terrible so I can post pics yet….country life lol.
I haven’t really dug in yet, snowed last night. Haven’t made room in the garage yet…3 projects going at once with cars ….good times!

 

[cbrianroll]

 

[cbrianroll]

Haven’t gotten very far…it’s in the garage now..soaking bolts..and pistons….its not turning over by hand…
Its a bit crusty but that’s the grays harbor life lol….

 

[ridesolo]

Wow, holy crusty, Batman! Lots of potential, though.

 

[Rider52]

Looks like a typical Georgia back yard find. The pine needles have a lot of acid in them. I'd still fix it. Sandblasting, paint/powder goes a long way.

 

[Luugo86]

A lot of that crust looks pretty superficial though. And the biggy is that the exhaust system does not look rotted through at all, it seems to be in very solid condition which. It's a super rare and super expensive exhaust to replace so it's pretty sweet you have a good one to work with!

 

[cbrianroll]

It won’t be a mint restore for sure, but kill rust and powdercoat will help. Found a couple sites that look like they sell parts so that’s a win…

 

[adventurco]

Looks about as crusty as the CL77 I picked up last summer, I'm in.

 

[teazer]

That's a little crusty but no worse than some we dragged home. I probably have sets of re-plated spokes, brake shoes, and some motor parts if/when you need them.

 

[cbrianroll]

Crusty can be fun lol…I’m still soaking the cylinder hoping the pistons will free up…didn’t want to wrestle it on the ground lol

 

[cbrianroll]

Much appreciated!! We’ll see how the engine pulls apart and how the daughter wants to proceed…

That's a little crusty but no worse than some we dragged home. I probably have sets of re-plated spokes, brake shoes, and some motor parts if/when you need them.

 

[cbrianroll]

Update but not…..still soaking pistons, kickstarter is not moving, although I’m not trying really hard as I don’t want to break stuff…transmission moves from neutral into gears so I’m assuming and hoping all the crankcase is not rusted or keeping the starter from moving. contemplating on pulling engine so I can expose the pistons to assess better. Good or bad idea? If I read correctly both pistons are on the same rotation, one firing and one not so I’m not sure if they are in an up or down cycle..dies that matter? Thinking maybe I can tap on them and pull the jug at the same time? The pistons are currently just below the spark plug hole…
First time dealing with stuck/rusted piston/pistons….don't want to rush but hate zero progress…
Thanks for reading…

 

[Rider52]

Use some of the widely available witches brew mixtures. Pour your mixture in the spark plug holes. Replace the plugs. Let the bike sit for a while. Remove the spark plugs. Put the bike in 2nd or 3rd gear and rock it gently back and forth. Slow and steady over a few days may loosen the pistons. It is a lot easier to tear down and engine if the pistons are free. It has worked for me but I also have one CB750 that wouldn't break free using that method. Don't try to turn over the engine with the kicker. You will very likely break the kick start shaft and add to your woes. Lesson learned the hard way. One of my friends use a commercial rust remover like Evap-Rust as his "brew". I used the acetone/ATF mixture on the last stuck engine. It had been stuck for over two years.

 

[cbrianroll]

Good plan…didn’t think of rocking in Gear
I’ve been using kroil…no acetone to make the brew..maybe I’ll get some tomorrow. I do have some evaporust…
Appreciate the advice!!!

 

[cbrianroll]

Wow….June already….at least I got the pistons out and the head off….ugh….actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I’ll take pics tomorrow since I forgot….
Who would you all recommend for sending the head to to get the bores cleaned up and matched pistons? I don’t know any shops around here….

 

[adventurco]

Wow….June already….at least I got the pistons out and the head off….ugh….actually wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. I’ll take pics tomorrow since I forgot….
Who would you all recommend for sending the head to to get the bores cleaned up and matched pistons? I don’t know any shops around here….

When you find the OS pistons send those and the jugs to Mototech USA in Mansfield OH. Call the number, because the address on Google is wrong.

For the head, dump some isopropyl alcohol into the chambers (with the valves still installed) and see if it leaks down into the ports. If it does, lap the valves in until there's no more leaky and you should be good to go. After you pull off the springs, wiggle the valves and make sure there isn't excessive play in the guides.