First teardown of a motor, on a CL350 - have some questions

rubin

New Member
This is a '72 twin, and I am trying to remove the nasty clearcoat. I am a paint chemist, so I have access to all sorts of wonderful chemicals that can help remove the old stuff, but I have no idea how to remove the kickstarter seal. Any ideas?
 
rubin said:
This is a '72 twin, and I am trying to remove the nasty clearcoat. I am a paint chemist, so I have access to all sorts of wonderful chemicals that can help remove the old stuff, but I have no idea how to remove the kickstarter seal. Any ideas?

loosen the bolt and use a flat head screw driver to carefully work it off. They do get stuck on there pretty good.
 
That did the trick. It was stuck pretty well, so naturally I happened to tear a small part of it. Looks like I might as well replace the oil seals as well as all the gaskets while I am in there. I was hoping to replace the rings with a new set of stock ones because they look pretty good, as do the cylinders. Is this a good idea?
 
rubin said:
That did the trick. It was stuck pretty well, so naturally I happened to tear a small part of it. Looks like I might as well replace the oil seals as well as all the gaskets while I am in there. I was hoping to replace the rings with a new set of stock ones because they look pretty good, as do the cylinders. Is this a good idea?

I always of the mindset the if you're in there anyway, you might as well replace them. After all, if the motor is still original, all those pieces are nearing 40 years old. They're really not that expensive either.
 
Quick update - four hours fully submerged in MEK did wonders for the clearcoat. Removed what did not fall off with a small brush, and the final details with a scrubbie. Well worth the small effort to remove as I don't have to sand them, but I do NOT recommend using this anywhere without plenty of ventilation. I had a vent right beside me the entire time I was scrubbing, and I also had to change gloves frequently. Standard latex and even nitrile gloves will wear through eventually, I recommend heavy duty gauntlet type to do the job.
 
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