July 2016 - Some progress has been made on the fork sliders - I found that they had been painted sliver at one point, and then just the outside side stripped and polished (a little). Thus all the old paint had to be stripped and the sliders cleaned. Polishing began with steel wool and Marvel's Mystery Oil; then some fine grit sandpaper; then white aluminum compound on a buffing wheel; then some Blue Magic polish followed by a microfiber cloth for buffing. Whew. I've stopped short of a mirror polish, and am very happy with how they have come out. Both photos below are the same, except for one using a flash; post-steel wool but pre-polish on the left and polished on the right.
This is an example of the kind of grime I was dealing
with. Hours and hours of scrubbing and detailing have been required on essentially every part of this motorcycle (including nuts and bolts!). I have also tried more than a half dozen cleaners and degreasers along the way. As well as scrubbing brushes and cloths and scouring pads; geez, my hands hurt. In the end, several parts (including the two below) got a
coat of 'cast aluminum' paint as the staining was so difficult to
eradicate, and more extreme measures could affect the dimpled surfaces.
Misc painted parts - the oil breather was painted over several times; a quick strip down to metal and a few coats of "chrome" paint returned it to presentable condition (chrome in quotes as spray paint cannot even come close to replicating the look; but the 'silver-esque' appearance is fine in this instance). I also got some new radiator hoses to connect each oil line as needed.
Parts going back on the engine; just need the frame now! When I went to pick it up this week, some parts were painted over that needed to stay clean, so it has to be redone.
Some other frame and related parts returned from the powdercoater. Yes, I know you can't see them through the plastic. I also finally picked up the parts being chromed; wow, they came out great - photos later.
Almost finished the tank badges. I had to strip them bare to start with. Painting was very tedious work, and despite patience and care with a small brush and a magnifying visor, I often could not paint inside the lines! What would Miss Hamilton from pre-school say? Fortunately, the undercoat of metallic gold spray paint is more robust than the black and white Rustoleum brand paint I'm using for the letters and background. Once dry, any over-brush can be carefully scratched off with a fingernail. This makes me wonder whether I should clearcoat them now too....?
This is about where I plan to affix the badges on the tank. The stock position is immediately below the break in the tank and a little further back. Given the knee indents added and the expansive 'real estate' available on the tank, I like the higher and more centered position.
July, 2016.
I had been very interested in trying the M-Unit device to simplify wiring. At the same time, using as many of the stock components as possible was a side goal of this project. I believe it will be somewhat difficult to split this sort of thing halfway - you either start from scratch or make use of what you have and ensure everything is serviceable.
With some further thought, I am going to stay with a standard harness and keep the points distributor and stock coils as well (in keeping with my overall project goal of reusing as many stock pieces as I can). But all the relays can be updated, and the stock rectifier and regulator need to go. I've got a new reg/rec ESR450 ready to install, which is a direct connect to the stator and battery (a minor downside is losing the 'Gen' light on the dash). New plug wires and caps (NGK) have been procured as well.
Other considerations include how much of the stock harness is salvageable, and of the parts to be replaced whether to make on my own or purchase pre-made. Gregory Bender makes some great harnesses and other associated parts. I decided to replace most of the harness and therefore ordered the main from Gregory and a few ancillary pieces. I will work with my stock headlight sub-harness and fusebox; otherwise most of it will be new.
So Gregory delivered a great product, much of which is shown above. I've laid out the entire harness from end to end, and labeled each connection to its proper location. All is very straightforward, except the on/off and starter circuit; my project bike came w/o an ignition. Plus the aftermarket reg/rec change (small white box in the middle) affects a few stock diagram connections.
The box in the lower left contains my crusty old stock main harness. I will now wait until the frame is back on the engine to further address connections and placement.
