Honda-SOHC
Other Stuff => Misc / Open => Topic started by: Oddjob on August 10, 2023, 02:50:56 PM
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Wasn't sure where to put this TBH, thought maybe start a project thread as this won't be the first casing I'll be trying to salvage but it will do here at present.
So here's the idea. I wanted to see if stuff that we think is maybe beyond saving can actually be restored to near to new. Not saying new or better than new, but maybe close to new.
The idea came about when I spotted an old box sitting on the top of one of my cupboards in the garage, I was looking for something else and thought that maybe I'll put it in the box, even though TBH I couldn't remember what was in the box So I got it down and when I opened it there were 2 500/550 oil pans or sumps in the bottom of the box, fully restored, all clean and ready to be ceramic coated. However on top of the them was an old CB550 rotor cover, I have a CB500 so I wouldn't be using one of these, main difference of course is that the 500 has a removable plate covering the field coil fixing screws, the 550 hasn't got this and has them exposed with the Honda logo embossed into the alloy. A little research showed that these covers aren't readily available and if you can find a NOS one it's not far off £200, so fixing one can save you a lot of money.
The cover was damaged, clearly the bike it was on had slid down the road, first on the lower edge and then when it had almost stopped onto it's side, the lower edge and the upper part where the logo is were both damaged, I'll let you decide how badly you think it's damaged, personally I'd class that as light to medium but make up your own mind. The rest of the casing was encrusted with really bad crud, not so much corrosion as baked on road dirt that was really hard. However this coating can hide a multitude of damage and it's not uncommon to find severe corrosion underneath.
Here's what I started with.
(https://i.postimg.cc/qBFCFtNk/IMG-3295.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/4nzd7xvM)
Close up of the lower edge damage. Notice how the Made In Japan engraving has been smeared across, some of the metal removed was actually forced down into the letters and proved a problem later on.
(https://i.postimg.cc/k5WV6wsG/IMG-3296.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/VSLs2q3P)
And the upper surface damage.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yNCxHcKH/IMG-3297.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Mntq0cXP)
I'll do a separate post for each step to keep it tidy.
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Post 2.
First step was to try and see how bad the damage was, how deep and whether the cover had corrosion under the coating.
I timed this step to see how long it took me to get to this point. Approx 3 hours.
Here's the initial cleanup.
(https://i.postimg.cc/xdj44pZN/IMG-3298.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/CRt7Z7Sw)
Close up of the logo which was damaged.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CKvQTHyP/IMG-3299.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/hJdrVmtT)
And the area where the most damage was on the upper surface. It's still there but it's a lot better.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mkW30trp/IMG-3300.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/YG8mF2YQ)
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Post 3.
To this point I'd really been concentrating on the upper surface, it's the part most visible and the part most people see when they look at the casing area.
So now it was time to concentrate on the sides. See if the lower damage could be blended in. Again I timed it and around 3.5 hrs this time.
The edges were worked on with the aim of removing the gouges and trying to create a new edge, didn't turn out too bad at all.
(https://i.postimg.cc/gkdqsXQn/IMG-3301.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/CdPqL1Fg)
Almost gone, just a few really small areas still to work on, some of them will require new engraving tools I've just ordered. These will remove those small kinks in the edging of the recess.#
(https://i.postimg.cc/wBthMhyb/IMG-3302.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/KK2Ks35n)
The inside of the casing was pretty grubby so I thought I'd clean that up in the next step.
(https://i.postimg.cc/25PnZVnj/IMG-3304.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/B8B8WZhR)
(https://i.postimg.cc/cHwwM0cR/IMG-3305.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zbDyqm6v)
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Post 4.
So the damage is almost gone, the sides now need some real attention, no major corrosion but there was some, especially on the upper most side, the one you see when you look down from the seat. The front edge of these casings seem to be the most prone to stone strikes and is usually the area that requires the most attention, this one wasn't really bad but there was some damage that needed sorting out.
So another 3-4 hrs of just smoothing down what had already been worked on, progressive sanding down from 40 grit to remove the gouges to 1000 grit eventually. At this time just the logo plate is down to 1000 grit and feels like a pane of glass, really smooth. Should polish up well. The sides are at around 120 grit at this point.
And here's where we were at this point.
(https://i.postimg.cc/GpF8fzZY/IMG-3306.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/d70VkRQt)
(https://i.postimg.cc/brJZsPdH/IMG-3307.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/JDfr29NG)
Damage gone, just some really small points to fix when the new tools arrive.
(https://i.postimg.cc/xjxkBXFs/IMG-3308.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/9z9F7Q2T)
And the other sides of the casing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yxt8xSMs/IMG-3310.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/9wPhNzXn)
(https://i.postimg.cc/8PfC3tv5/IMG-3311.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/dLvvZR4P)
And finally the inside cleaned up.
(https://i.postimg.cc/fTP9SVc3/IMG-3309.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/hf9jHP3g)
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Post 5.
Didn't do much for around a week as the weather changed and I like to do stuff like this outdoors in the sunlight.
This part took me a while, there's about 10-12 hrs invested in this at the moment, this part took me another 5-6 hrs, mainly because it's this bit that determines how it will turn out, get this part right and it makes the polishing part so much easier. I reckon less than 1 hour to polish this to match chrome. At the end of this step the cover feels like it's made of glass, it's ultra smooth. I tried a small 1mm drill in the Dremel to see if I could clean out the Made In Japan engraving, it sort of worked but I should have bought the right tools for this and it was at this point I decided to buy some proper engraving tools, I'll tidy this up when they arrive, hopefully.
So here's where we are right now. After this point I'll repair all those small kinks etc, redo the logo and then polish it. After that I'll repaint the HONDA part as it was originally. I also think I'll paint in the Made In Japan part as well, I'm also thinking of painting the outer recess ring, if it doesn't look right some paint stripper will solve it and put it back to how it is now.
It's not perfect, there are numerous swirl marks left by the sanding brushes but these will go when it's polished.. There are also a small number of really small dents still, stone strike residue, I'll see if these polish out and if not I'll go over them again with the sanding brushes until I'm happy. The dark colour on the surface is actually polish coming off the edges of the sanding discs, I think they are impregnated with buffing compound and when they get hot it tends to transfer to the metal.
(https://i.postimg.cc/mrwPyjzr/IMG-3321.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/GB43ckj0)
(https://i.postimg.cc/qBYzwzR2/IMG-3323.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/s1YjDf52)
(https://i.postimg.cc/0yGj9nCC/IMG-3325.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/756wVgdC)
(https://i.postimg.cc/9FZZqGpD/IMG-3331.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mtZtv1K4)
(https://i.postimg.cc/4djHYdHv/IMG-3332.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/xJy179Rq)
(https://i.postimg.cc/3x9yg9Dx/IMG-3333.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/w1yTzXVC)
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I'll post again when it's finished.
And no, it's NOT FOR SALE. And NO, I'm not interested in doing yours, before you ask. This is not beyond anyone on here, have a crack at one yourself and see how easy this is, yes it's tedious, yes it's long hours but hopefully the results will make it worth while both financially and in your sense of self worth.
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Pretty impressive restoration there Ken as always - on my 500 it's the separate outer badge that has a fair bit of damage to it - not sure if its recoverable.
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I've bought a pretty damaged one of those Ted, dented and gouged. That will be my next little project and will appear on this thread when it's done, if it comes out ok that is.
I intend to heat the alloy up until it's pliable and see about knocking the dents out from behind.
If it comes out ok I'll polish it to match the outer cover and sell my NOS badge.
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My badge has chunks out of it with general scuffing probably from a riders boot.
The bottom rear mounting peg is a bit out kilter as well.
I did think about just a general polish & paint it all over in silver.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53107259498_17b9af0866_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oUUA29)500 alternator badge (https://flic.kr/p/2oUUA29) by Macabe Thiele (https://www.flickr.com/photos/187487200@N03/), on Flickr
.(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53107259508_40a014d8e6_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oUUA2j)500 rear alt badge (https://flic.kr/p/2oUUA2j) by Macabe Thiele (https://www.flickr.com/photos/187487200@N03/), on Flickr
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Pity you can't find someone to drop some alloy in the gouges Ted. The rest looks easy to fix.
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I could build it up with some JB Weld or Epoxy resin?
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If you were painting it then yes, that should work. Flat the rest down with the discs though or you'll see the marking through the paint, you can shape the JB weld etc with the discs as well.
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Polished the cover today. Came out ok, not 100% happy with it but I suppose it's the best it can be.
I've cleaned out all the polishing soap with thinners and I'll do the paint maybe tomorrow, just waiting for a special tool to do this to arrive. I've cleaned up the engravings as well.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yx8nq3RH/IMG-3336.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zb4TKBpt)
(https://i.postimg.cc/D0p67fQb/IMG-3337.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/XBFd8bzV)
(https://i.postimg.cc/CMcmGJyL/IMG-3338.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/MXj7x7Kh)
(https://i.postimg.cc/t4xkHjsY/IMG-3339.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/TKTgrBq6)
(https://i.postimg.cc/L5WtrCRt/IMG-3341.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/FkjkSxYz)
(https://i.postimg.cc/KvKrn2rJ/IMG-3342.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/PPjwj07w)
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That's a bit more than OK Ken it looks fantastic, it's got me thinking though, my 550 must have a 500 cover on it.
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That's a bit more than OK Ken it looks fantastic, it's got me thinking though, my 550 must have a 500 cover on it.
If yours is a CB550 F1 it came with the 500 Four cover ;)
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That's a bit more than OK Ken it looks fantastic, it's got me thinking though, my 550 must have a 500 cover on it.
If yours is a CB550 F1 it came with the 500 Four cover ;)
I've just been looking at Google images and got very confused for a moment. Yep mine is an F1 which clears that one up, for a moment I was thinking I had a bit of a mongrel. 😆
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Ken, an excellent recovery! Probably why I tend to never throw anything out! Mind you, I never get round to doing a decent job like you have done.
Could you briefly show what variety of tools you used? It maybe of use to other (and to me....)
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So how much for that one and I have a couple here that need working on if you're up for it Ken ;D ;D ;D ;D
Great job, looks fantastic mate.
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How much?
I wasn't going to sell it TBH, I was going to vacuum seal it in a poly bag and store it for the future. However, I may sell it if the paintwork comes out ok, a NOS is £200 if you can find one that is. Getting one polished to that standard is pretty expensive I reckon, best part of £100 maybe. It's actually sat on the sideboard next to me as I type and whenever I look at it I'm surprised at how it looks like the casing has been chromed, I'd say it's very slightly brighter than the fork sliders I gave you Roo and those were pretty good.
What do you reckon it's worth?
I've got some other parts I may be doing up and selling. Which reminds me, have you still got those old fork sliders
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Ken, an excellent recovery! Probably why I tend to never throw anything out! Mind you, I never get round to doing a decent job like you have done.
Could you briefly show what variety of tools you used? It maybe of use to other (and to me....)
LOL, you want me to give my secrets away Matt?
No secrets mate, I've already listed what I normally use on the polishing thread that started about 1 year ago. Get Roo to show you the abrasive discs we both use, I also use some flap wheels but I have some that are 40,60,80,120,180,240 and 360. I find the flap wheels give you a flatter surface than the discs but the discs get into places where the flap wheels can't. Plus the discs go down to 2000, so I use those for the final surface. After that, a bench grinder converted to a polishing machine with pig tail extensions on, a variety of buffing soaps and mops and the most important bit, patience and time, you need lots of both of those.
I do have a couple of other tools I use but I don't divulge what they are but TBH they are only useful for certain jobs and most of the time I don't use them.
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Just bought another cover like this one off Ebay, some small damage but nowhere near where this one was. I'll do that one and sell it on I reckon.
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;D Yes, those mini flap wheels are great! You obviously use similar methods to me, the only difference is you are better at it and spend a lot more time than I would! :o
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Small update on the cover, painted the logo last night at 3am, couldn't sleep so thought I'd do something productive. I painted inside the screw holes as they just collect muck otherwise. I also painted the black areas on the tank badge I'm restoring.
Will do the Made In Japan area tonight, just wanted to see how it looked with just the normal area painted first, I'll also do the outer ring.
(https://i.postimg.cc/WbJnntp7/IMG-3343.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/vcbf8YV1)
I'll also do the white interior of the letters on the tank badge. After that I'll touch up the gold and lacquer it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Hkw9qKyc/IMG-3344.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/cvJ3YFT0)
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Nice resto work there again Ken! 3 am?? I don’t think I would be much good to anybody at that unearthly hour. 🤣😴😴
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Another step forward with the rotor cover and the tank badge. Learning what works and what doesn't.
Painted the Made In Japan engraving and the outer ring, made a few mistakes when cleaning off the excess and that means I need to do another layer of paint on top of that one but the effect is there.
I have decided to sell this one, most likely on Ebay. As these covers are £200 new and they are rarer than unicorn droppings and the fact that it's highly polished, I've set the price at £150. If a member wants it I'll sell it for £130 inc P&P.
I now have another casing to do, exactly the same as this one, which is already earmarked for a member on here for his 550. When I get his in return I'll do another and probably sell that on as well.
Here's how it currently looks, still needs a little tidying up and of course another layer of paint. I've got to say I like the look of this, better than just the logo painted.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1tjF2wnG/IMG-3345.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zbT3RLkv)
The tank badge also got some more paint, the white interior of the letter has now been done. Like the rotor cover another layer is needed, as the paint dries it tends to shrink a little. I think that the other badge will be done slightly differently, I'll do the gold last I think as removing excess paint also removed small areas of gold. Might as well avoid that and do the gold last and then lacquer it as the gold I think won't be as hardy for outside use as I want. I'm thinking of petrol resistant matt lacquer.
Here's how it looks right now. I may put up a picture of the other one which is untouched at the moment just for a comparison when it's finally done.
(https://i.postimg.cc/KvL97vwq/IMG-3346.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/jLxQtKsP)
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Looking good Ken. Which gold paint did you use? I’m thinking it might work on my F2 tank badges.
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It's 24K gold leaf Phil, you paint a bonding agent onto the metal and the leaf sticks to that. The finish is good but not very robust, hence the plan to lacquer it.
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Started another of these covers today. Coming on nicely, front almost done.
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Just for you Ted.
Bought these to experiment and see if they can be reclaimed.
Not finished yet, still need to be polished.
400 rotor cover, bought off Ebay, part number 11632-333-010, price new £90 off DS plus the usual P&P.
Here's what I started with, cover generally in nice condition, no real corrosion, just some light damage, most likely the bike fell off the side stand.
(https://i.postimg.cc/YqPr4zys/400-rotor-over.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/jLz0mPTH)
And after some attention, a little panel beating.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MKHsP7Kx/IMG-3369.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/WhR6tJkf)
This one was pretty damaged, a little too damaged but I suppose that's a good challenge. Worse than yours Ted. 500 rotor cover, 11632-323-003. Same price, £90 at DS etc.
(https://i.postimg.cc/zfxbcgfZ/CB500-rotor-cover.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
This one took a while and the edges still need a little work but coming on. The Honda logo cleaned up reasonably well, just a small area on the N that needs work. These covers look thin but in fact they are stronger than they look.
(https://i.postimg.cc/1RGVqXxQ/IMG-3368.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/hhGGFSPy)
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You've saved me £80 Ken. I was looking at buying a new cover for my 500K1 as it had a fair few marks. But cleaned it up, plus a little paint on the black and although nowhere near your standard it no longer stands out as a blemish.
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The other thing is, IF you have polished the outer cover on the 500/550 then even fitting a new cover would look a little odd, these will be polished BUT it's also possible to just satin polish them so they match the original finish. The 400 cover BTW is FAR brighter than the 500 version.
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Nice work Ken.👍👍👍
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What white paint did you use on those tank badges Ken?
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Just some Humbrol model paint Phil, nothing special. I use Humbrol for most of the jobs like that, they have a nice colour range so you can get what colour looks closest to the original
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I used Humbrol model paint for some gold detailing on a large set of garden scales. They say outside in the rain and shine and snow for 20 years and the paint was still there - faded in places, but it hadn't washed off or disappeared.
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My personal preference is Hycote VW/Audi candy white.
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Just some Humbrol model paint Phil, nothing special. I use Humbrol for most of the jobs like that, they have a nice colour range so you can get what colour looks closest to the original
Thanks Ken - thats what I use
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I use Humbrol on the markings on the switchgear I had ceramic coated, I got about 4 different orange and red colours to see what looked best when it was applied. The beauty of them is that they are fairly cheap and the pots are really small so you can have loads of colours without them taking up much space.
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Forgot to mention, burned out another Dremel during the hot weather we had recently. The hotter the ambient temperature, the more chance there is of this happening. They have a thermal link fitted so if the machine gets too hot it melts and the Dremel stops, never to go again. Unless of course you solder in a new thermal link. Mine however was still under it's 2 year warranty so I returned it. Just got a nice brand new one back today. This I think is the 4th or maybe 5th Dremel I've burnt out now, most failed mechanically, some started to stutter, some the variable speed control failed, some made weird noises and some just stopped. I currently have 7 Dremels, 4 working and 3 in bits for parts. Dremel have a habit of not repairing, just replacing with new. The nice thing about this is you only need to return the machine, not it's accessories, so you get all those replaced as well, great news as that means the flexible extensions also get replaced. I've given a few away as I had so many spare, at £30 or so each that's a nice saving for some people.
Did a little polishing yesterday, showed up areas that I need to redo, got 2 cam end covers done, 4 tappet covers, 1 generator casing partly done, 1 500 sprocket cover partly done and both rotor casing covers partly done. The 400 one came out pretty well, just has 1 area I need to redo, the 500 one not so good, needs quite a bit more work. Waiting on a special silversmith cushion so I can panel beat them a little better.
I'll post some pics when they look better, they need final polishing yet so aren't as good as I want them to be. The 400 cover BTW was so bright I could easily have used it to shave in, and I'm not exaggerating.
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Manufacturers are going to have to up their game to make a Ken proof rotary tool!🤣
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The Dremel 4300 is by far the best out there IMO.
The fact it failed is mainly my fault. The weather was great so I sat out in the sun just sanding away for hours, in hindsight I should have changed machines and with the old 4000 I would have been checking every few minutes by grabbing the machine to see how hot it was getting. With the 4300 I've almost stopped doing that as they are so much better at venting the hot air than the 4000. It's why I have a few machines, I keep one for each purpose, some do flap wheel sanding and some do abrasive disc sanding, saves swapping over the end wheels. So I normally have 2 or even 3 machines plugged in ready to go at any one time. Because I always position the machine near my left arm I can normally feel the exhaust air on my skin, so I can feel when it's getting hot, but with the weather being hot anyway maybe I didn't feel it as well.
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Still busy trying to restore some old stuff that would most likely have been either thrown away or put in a box somewhere until it's finally thrown away many years later.
I have just finished the touching up of the 550 rotor cover, kept putting it off as I was working on another one and wanted to paint them together.
Finally finished both. This is the new one, already spoken for as a gift to another member.
(https://i.postimg.cc/j2S2HnLG/IMG-3427.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/sQb3yXPc)
And both together.
(https://i.postimg.cc/PfSPty7h/IMG-3429.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/14N9BGPY)
I also have some other parts almost done, will post pics of them as soon as they are done, maybe tomorrow.
I had a go at this points cover, typical damage from being dropped. Not exactly in pristine condition, lots of damage.
(https://i.postimg.cc/RVhGF3pJ/IMG-3424.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/XpM91vbn)
And after a little panel beating on a silversmith leather bag filled with kiln dried sand. Just experimenting at this time, seeing if I can master the art. Nowhere near finished and TBH I'm not sure it's savable, there are a number of holes in the metal caused by small stones sticking into it, these have left holes in the surface, not holes that go through but I'm not able to buff these out. I'm going to try and fix them with some silver solder, flat it out afterwards and see how it looks and if it's ok I'll get it rechromed.
And after some work.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9M2JFJsc/IMG-3425.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/HJSQ64pN)
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Nice work Ken, these covers are looking ace!😎😎
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Forgot to post the before pics of the new 550 cover.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HL0ptDFX/IMG-3353.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/cKHysjxL)
Close up, this area was actually dented inwards and took some knocking back out. You can actually see the line of the dent if you look closely.
(https://i.postimg.cc/K8McRgN9/IMG-3352.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/dhJcf3gd)
There's a little of the dent still left, it's the right hand cover in the dual photo.
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More progress.
The 400 Four rotor cover badge is finished.
Started off like this. Some damage, not great but the dent in the upper half took some work to get rid of.
(https://i.postimg.cc/G2YzfTkM/400-rotor-over.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/348g4Rfp)
Then after being worked on, sanded and panel beaten to get rid of the dents, it looked like this.
(https://i.postimg.cc/bNqL6JdT/IMG-3369.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/mh6QkTYz)
I then started to polish it only to find it wasn't as good as I thought it was, so back to sanding and beating again. Then onto it's final polish. Some painting of the emblem area and finally the edge was sprayed in order to avoid brushmarks.
(https://i.postimg.cc/6pm05fcj/IMG-3436.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/CRbDcDWk)
At the same time I was also testing my limits to see if I could recover this 500 rotor badge. This was bought purely to see if it was possible to do. It's actually a lot worse in the flesh than the pic makes it out to be.
(https://i.postimg.cc/QNJJW3SW/CB500-rotor-cover.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Again, some panel beating and a lot of sanding later, again, didn't turn out too well on the first polish but it does highlight where you need to work on so not a total waste of time.
(https://i.postimg.cc/VLsBqVHZ/IMG-3368.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/vDjVM3y5)
And after some more work.
(https://i.postimg.cc/d36RM2D9/IMG-3434.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/bSGSk2xG)
I deviated from it's original look, the ridges on the outer rim were just left plain and initially I planned to see about just sanding off the top of the ridges so it was black/silver/black etc but I've left it like this at the present. All the damage was removed by running a diamond burr down the grooves to recut where the ridges had been smeared over by the damage when the cover went down the road. The black finish has covered where that wasn't a perfect restoration.
And finally both together. Just noticed I missed repairing some missing paint off the 500 Made in Japan area. No biggie.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HxG9bWfb/IMG-3435.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/94p9h2Xf)
I now need to test fit the 500 badge onto a rotor cover to check if it's distorted in shape.
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Great recovery Ken of an expensive part.
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The 400 badge is for sale in the sales section if anyone's interested. The 500 badge may also be for sale, not sure yet.