Cam! Would you put this in your engine ?

[Trigger]

I have seen some jokers on ebay but, this is described as it will clean up >>> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cb750-R1-Cam-/302169769273?hash=item465ab8c539:g:8-MAAOSw6DtYVnpy

[royhall]

Cant see anything wrong with it myself. Would fit well into one of Frank's canal bottom projects.

[RGP750]

clean up in to what though??

[Darkness]

That would "clean up" the cam bearings and rocker faces nicely.

Give the oil pump screen a nice festive glitter effect too.....

[philward]

this is the way SOHC 750 prices are going - stupid prices! Have you seen the prices of engines that 'may or not' turn over!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/honda-cb750-engine-K6-k8-sohc-will-fit-earlier-cb750E-3016152-/132043697557?fits=UKM_Make%3AHonda&hash=item1ebe6aed95:g:OEwAAOSw8w1YB8nL

[kevski]

If someone is willing to pay £80 for 0.25 pence worth of scrap metal then more fool them that cam is toast, as for the engine the same logic applies.

[matthewmosse]

Pretty well had their chips and I wouldn't pay half the price for either example, but then I bought my bikes when they were cheap and expect prices to stay the same, but given my wage has nearly doubled along with most prices, well I geuss I shall have to adjust or I shall be like my dad refusing to buy bits of rare machinery for the farm because he saw the same kit sell for tuppence some 20 years ago. That said once rust has trashed a component like cam bearing it is basically scrap given its made to a tolerance of microns, and the rust will have tradhed that and laft a bad surface to boot.

[royhall]

this is the way SOHC 750 prices are going - stupid prices! Have you seen the prices of engines that 'may or not' turn over!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/honda-cb750-engine-K6-k8-sohc-will-fit-earlier-cb750E-3016152-/132043697557?fits=UKM_Make%3AHonda&hash=item1ebe6aed95:g:OEwAAOSw8w1YB8nL

Tell you what Phil, you could break that engine for its parts and still make a profit. If the crank and rods are good thats a third of your money back straight away. I know what your saying though, its not long ago that the rest of the bike would be with the engine at that price.

[matthewmosse]

Thing is as it stands that engine might be absolute scrap, or a profit waiting to be made, and the buyer takes the risk, the profit is theoretical and quite a risk. Lets face it I could nail my scrap pile together and sell it on the basis outlined in that description without actually telling a lie, yet every part could be worn out, hell I have even had such engines and had em running, but no way they were worth that. Its a huge risk that the engine is intetnally worn out and a not that modest price. Ask that money and in my books it should be running, and fairly nicely and selecting gears. Sohc bikes are not yet that rare. Still, it only takes one desperate buyer to make it worth that much.

[Trigger]

this is the way SOHC 750 prices are going - stupid prices! Have you seen the prices of engines that 'may or not' turn over!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/honda-cb750-engine-K6-k8-sohc-will-fit-earlier-cb750E-3016152-/132043697557?fits=UKM_Make%3AHonda&hash=item1ebe6aed95:g:OEwAAOSw8w1YB8nL

Engines are making top money because the parts are now getting very limited. Only 10 years ago I was picking up 750's for £50.
A lot of engines have been sitting about for years with water in the bores. You may think, well just bore it out to 0.25 but, the rust is still there, bore it out to 1mm over size and the rust is still there. Pop the liner out and the rust is all the way through.
To make new liners can cost £150 and there are four of those. Always cheaper to find a good set of bores or a good engine but, you never know what is required until you strip it down.

[philward]

I have bought 3 engines over the last few years - one was described as 'running sweet' prior to removal - I have rebuilt that completely and as Trig said, the barrels had water damage. But to be fair the crank was good. I have paid about £300, £325 and £100 (the latter was seized) for the engines. All 3 needed complete rebuilds. My view is that I would always want to replace the cam chain train and primary chain, I am looking to get a good crank and cam/carriers out of any engine I buy. Pistons/rings are available relatively cheaply from cruzimage so if I have to replace that's OK. So, I think £300 is what I'm prepared to pay for an engine no matter how its described. I have a mass of spares left that are either scrap (common parts that wear) or good (the parts that don't tend to wear - gearbox's/etc). Trying to get engines without fin damage is a problem and I have several heads/barrels externally damaged. I can't do repairs myself of that kind and so it would be expensive.
After the CR is finished, I don't think that I will be building another SOHC as trying to build standard/replica projects is getting a bit expensive - if I build another SOHC, it will be a mix/match cafe racer where I don't have to buy exact parts to get a stock look.

[Nurse Julie]

I don't think that I will be building another SOHC as trying to build standard/replica projects is getting a bit expensive - if I build another SOHC, it will be a mix/match cafe racer where I don't have to buy exact parts to get a stock look.

That's the way were are going with my CB550 project (and a CB750 that Trig is building for himself) He has rebuilt both engines and the original frames have had hoops welded on. Other than that basically everything else that is going on the bikes are either bits laying around in the workshop or non standard, non Honda cheap bolt on bits and pieces from Fleabay. They are just going to be fun bikes so no point in trying to make them standard as the cost of original parts outweighs the benefits.

[UK Pete]

if the cam would clean up so easily why the F did the seller not clean it then lol
pete

[matthewmosse]

I think the fun of sohc projects can easily be lost if the money involved gets too serious, but bung in a few pattern parts, use those dented mudguards that can be got near right but not perfect and you can really enjoy riding the bikes. Never mind a bit of fin dammage etc, parts can be had relatively cheap, and the bike can be used in bad weather without having to worry too much about it. Biggest no no in cost terms is genuine exhausts. A passably smart bike can be just as fun to ride.
Yeah, if the cam would clean up easily, for £80 I would think the seller could havd done that before listing.... I know I'd not use it unless the rest of the engine were rough and I wanted to thrash a few miles out of it expecting to replace it soon.

[Tomb]

A passably smart bike can be just as fun to ride.

I think they're MORE fun to ride as you ain't fretting about getting them dirty/wet/damaged or covered in salt.

Rusty cam? that one looks past reclaiming but I have polished rusty cams and used them successfully in old vintage bikes when good ones were unavailable. As long as the base circle is there a bit of pitting is good for holding oil. How long will it be? or how scarce will parts get before we start to look at parts like that cam as a possible?