CB550 Project Scruffy Racer

[Sderbyshire]

Jimbo, that does look great.
i’ve pretty much decided to go silver / aluminium for the paint and stainless bolts.
i’ts a scheme that worked well on my first ever honda build, a cb400f about a decade ago!
i might add some black details this time.....

 

[Sderbyshire]

Maybe silver for everything except the head and barrels
black for the head and barrels with polished fins .....
hmmm

 

[Maritime]

Maybe silver for everything except the head and barrels
black for the head and barrels with polished fins .....
hmmm

That works.

 

[Jimbonaut]

Maybe silver for everything except the head and barrels
black for the head and barrels with polished fins .....
hmmm

Me I'd go one way or the other. I like your silver engine up there. How's this for a curveball - all silver engine, with some polished details, with black fins? Not sure I've ever seen that. You'd have to sand the fins, then paint black, then mask the black, then paint the block silver.

 

[Maritime]

Not with an engine in pieces. Jugs and head fins can be sanded masked and painted leaving everything else to be silver or polished

 

[pidjones]

Which ever scheme or method you use, the amount of time and energy spent are always reflected in the outcome. No easy ways.

 

[Jimbonaut]

Which ever scheme or method you use, the amount of time and energy spent are always reflected in the outcome. No easy ways.

And that's the double truth, Ruth

 

[Sderbyshire]

Yes it’s 99% prep and 10% painting

 

[teazer]

All silver looks great. And as a bonus, it's easier to do.

 

[Sderbyshire]

Barrels are back from the engineer, bored and honed nicely!

i’ve cleaned and degreased the head and barrels ready for paint too

used a wire wheel, lots of dremel brushes and then brake cleaner for the prep, then masked mating surfaces with scotch tape.

planning to paint over the weekend

 

[Jimbonaut]

Alright - prep's always the ballache and painting's the fun part

 

[Sderbyshire]

Dreary day here so set up paint booth in the garage with heating and dehumidfer going... please with the results !

i plan to cure the paint on the small parts in the oven, any suggestions for the crankcases?
steve

 

[Jimbonaut]

Looking good. What kind of paint did you use? I'd get my ass kicked from here to next Wednesday if I used Mrs K's oven and the little sandwich toaster I have in the garage fits a brake caliper at most. I painted my engine with VHT paint, and cured it by running the engine. Of course you have to baby the thing until then (protect it from petrol spills, carb cleaner etc) but the engine heat did a pretty decent job of curing the paint.

 

[Sderbyshire]

Finished painting today and baked the engine parts in the oven.

Apart from the steel liners coming loose in the Aluminium barrels in the oven...... all went well!

realised i needed to put the centrestand back on before the engine goes in, to make the frame stand straight and stable, so painted that in preparation

engine bottom end going back in tomorow

 

[Maritime]

nice

 

[Sderbyshire]

Started reassembly this morning, going well!

first i reinstalled the centrestand, that spring is a ba$tard to tension !
refitting the cases was really easy, i just used half an eva foam tile to protect the frame and lifted it in, installed the rear lower bolt then the upper fronts, cut the tile up to remove and fitted the rest of the bolts.

built ip the new +3mm pistons, and they installed nicely.

lunch break now then barrels on......

 

[pidjones]

The way to ease stand spring installation is upon removal adjust the stand until the sping is at maximum extension, then jamb the space between coils with pennies (or washers). Use a slip jojnt plier the press them in good and tight. Then you can swing the stand to the least extension and the spring will almost fall off. Reinstallation is the reverse, might require pliers and side cutters to remove the final coins.

 

[Maritime]

+1 on the pennies/washers works great. You can even put them in on a bench if you've taken thw spring off already.

 

[kiki.o]

Excellent work so far. I am watching this one closely, since i'll be doing the same next month.

Keep up this way

 

[Jimbonaut]

Looking good - hope the cylinder install goes nice and smoothly