How not to remove a cylinder head

[RupertB]

See the pics - not me, but what the bead blasting has revealed. The moral of the story is to undo ALL bolts and nuts before using a crowbar to remove the head. Good news is that Pete Lovell in Smethwick should be able to do the necessary welding (he hasn't seen the job yet but I trust him!) and then it can all be vapour blasted to look nice and shiny. Anyway, look at the pics and weep!

[Spitfire]

Nasty.

Cheers

Den

[Seamus]

Looks like the mice got at it 

Is that the same Pete Lovell that does work for Norvil?

Post pics of the repair for interest.

Cheers

Seamus

[Andy1976]

That looks nasty 

Post pics of the repair for interest.

If you can let us know how the repair goes that'll be brill.

I need some work doing on my head and barrels too.

Andy

[florence]

What's wrong with that?  Looks perfectly functionable to me; a few missing fins add character.

You are right about parting cases;  a lever should never be used.

[UK Pete]

I wonder what the difference in cost would be to finding a second hand one, rather than a repair?
Pete

[RupertB]

Replying in vague order - yes it is the Pete Lovell who does Norvil work. I had a Commando for 26 years and would trust anyone Les Emery uses for quality work.
Will keep everyone posted on cost etc for sure.
A new set of barrels is a possibility - depends on cost of fin repair and if the old pistons are useable, as an expensive fin job and a rebore would make new barrels more economic potentially. Could also consider grinding some of the fns back, but a black finish on the barrels is also more likely as it hides a multitude of imperfections.
My wife wears black a lot.....

[Bryanj]

I do hope you were mentaly ducking at that last comment!! Used cylinders should beeasy enough depending on exact model

[kaceyk2]

My wife only wears black. If i was "allowed" a "second wife" to add to the first , it would be Rachel Riley off countdown.Not only could she wear any colour or nothing at all, but could help with the mathamatics of cost on rebuilds. I want to go on countdown just so I can say "I want two from your top, and the rest from your bottom , please Rachel" on the numbers round. I get distracted. I also have a good joke I made up about Jordan and Marmite. feel free to ask.

[Yoshi823]

I would expect fins to be broken either side of a gasket jointing face, but not half way up the fins. It's more like the bike has been abused in the way that it's been stored rather than an inept 'home mechanic'.

Talking of broken fins, a friend of mine bought himself a Honda CBX1000ZA from Coburn & Hughes up in Luton many many moons ago. For some reason the base gasket went when the bike was not that old & so my firend booked it in to have it repaired. But when he got it back from C&H we both noticed at the same time that one of the fins had been broken off & stuck back on. Luckily it was when we went up there to pick the bike up & we had not actually left the premises. They tried to suggest that it was broken before it was taken to them for the base gasket to be done...but we had photographic evidence of the base gasket poking out of the engine, right where the later broken fin occurred.

No wonder C&H went down the pan...

[RupertB]

Love the way these threads stray just a few degrees off subject occasionally. Proves that anoraks are not compulsory but a sense of humour is! Anyway my project is boxed up and parked at the moment due to insufficient funds - it will move on again before long I hope, but not until there is enough to get it to a next decent level. So I will post again when it next moves a bit - just that the next stage will be quite pricey as a lot of threads have to be drawn together. Such is life, but it isn't going to sit under a tarp for the next 15 years like it did before I bought it!

[kaceyk2]

RupertB.. I got a spare set of barrells with no broken fins...std size... you didn't say what model 750 it was.
But (apart from f2 ) barrels are pretty much barrells...in terms of use..?
Oh, mine are off a K8...  I will sell them cheaper than it costs to get yours fixed if you want them.
Pm me and I will send you pics.

[F2 Paul 876]

I have the same problem, the engine slipped as i was taken it out and clipped a wall that was next to the bike and took out 2 Finn's. I mate at work is going to weld them back on for me when i get it striped down.
He has done a cbx fins and with repainting you could hardly tell where the repair was with out very close inspection.
He is a ace welder.
Paul