CB400/4 ENGINE STRIP, ASSESSMENT AND REBUILD BY JULIE - NOW COMPLETE

[taysidedragon]

Well done Julie. Great work. This thread has and will be a great resource for us 400/4 'novices'. 

[Bryanj]

Having met the pair of you I had no doubt it would get done right and pretty but you have done it quick as well. Well done and enjoy it. Yes with all the bits to hand i can do a 500 in 1/2 a day or less, but not with all the polishing and painting---do a 500/550 next they are very very similar and not much heavier

[Rozabikes Tim]

Julie, I always knew nurses were under valued and under paid, now I'm in no doubt!

What an absolulutely brilliant job you have done and with such detailed posts accompanying,  making such a complex job so clear for others and giving us the confidence to take on our challenges.

One last point, this is obviously a well watched post and commented on by many different members. Is it the longest in this forum's history at 27 pages and counting?

[SteveD CB500K0]

Not quite on the replies but miles to go on "read"

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[Moorey]

Well done you. Give yourself a big pat on the back. Both for the job and the thread. 

[Rozabikes Tim]

Not quite on the replies but miles to go on "read"

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Knew you would be there with the stats Steve!

[Seabeowner]

I’ll add to the stats. Normally don’t comment on 400s, but this is an exception as this has been such a detailed and also brilliantly photographed rebuild. Great work. It will be really a new experience riding now as you have had your hands over all its internals!  Soo much better than the poorly described and grainy b&w  pics in many manuals.  Really interesting to see how radically different the 350/400 is from 500 range.
Now do you still have that 550?

[Nurse Julie]

Well done Julie. Great work. This thread has and will be a great resource for us 400/4 'novices'. 

Thank you. I would still consider myself a novice but one that knows just a bit more than when I started 

[Nurse Julie]

Having met the pair of you I had no doubt it would get done right and pretty but you have done it quick as well. Well done and enjoy it. Yes with all the bits to hand i can do a 500 in 1/2 a day or less, but not with all the polishing and painting---do a 500/550 next they are very very similar and not much heavier

Thanks Bryan. I most certainly will enjoy it.

[Nurse Julie]

Julie, I always knew nurses were under valued and under paid, now I'm in no doubt!

What an absolulutely brilliant job you have done and with such detailed posts accompanying,  making such a complex job so clear for others and giving us the confidence to take on our challenges.

Thanks Tim. All you need to do now is follow my pictures and your engine will be done before you know it 

[Nurse Julie]

Well done you. Give yourself a big pat on the back. Both for the job and the thread. 

Thank you. I really enjoyed doing the thread, it made the build more interesting sharing it with others.

[Nurse Julie]

I’ll add to the stats. Normally don’t comment on 400s, but this is an exception as this has been such a detailed and also brilliantly photographed rebuild. Great work. It will be really a new experience riding now as you have had your hands over all its internals!  Soo much better than the poorly described and grainy b&w  pics in many manuals.  Really interesting to see how radically different the 350/400 is from 500 range.
Now do you still have that 550?

Thanks Phil. I never actually set out to produce a fully documented, photographed process map of the strip /build. As I said at the beginning of the thread it was my plan to only provide updates and pictures thinking that someone somewhere in the future may just be doing the same thing, get stuck and maybe something I had written or taken a picture of would help them out. Maybe I should ©copyright it  . I think I also said that I would not be offended if no one commented on my posts as most of you are so experienced at this sort of thing, I assumed it would be at a too basic level to be of interest.

Now I have had my hands over the internals it has given me a huge insight as to how these engines function and a much greater understanding of how each component works. Prior to this it was a simple case of start engine, pull clutch lever in, use gear lever to change gear, throttle to accelerate and brake to stop. Now I can visualise what each part is doing inside and how all the parts, although independent, have to work together to get from A to B.

Yes, I do still have the CB550, that is my Brat style Mongrel (Now named Millie  ) that Graham has built for me. Unfortunately, he has already done a complete overhaul on the engine for me, so I'm too late on that one. I do fancy buying a CB500 for myself to ride and keep, so that may need an engine overhaul and I would have a go at that. Other than that, I have my CB750 K2, which is going to have a bit of a restoration and engine overhaul maybe later this year but, the engines on them are so agricultural and heavy, I don't know if I could do it. (I won't tell you how many of them I see in a month to be able to make that statement!!!)

I will just have to wait and see if another old Honda CB engine pops up that I fancy a go at, I will let you know.

[hondarc166]

Nice work Julie looking good. nice to have someone like trig on hand to ask.

[MrDavo]

Now I have had my hands over the internals it has given me a huge insight as to how these engines function and a much greater understanding of how each component works.

I have a theory that if you understand how it works, you can fix most things yourself.

Soo much better than the poorly described and grainy b&w  pics in many manuals.

And the grainy photos taken by certain professional engine builders.

[mike the bike]

For your next project, how about a BMW K75?