CB750F2 .... silk purse from a sows ear.

[SumpMagnet]

The unseasonably warm weather has allowed me to get some primer on the tank, and to finish off my extension piece.

I have made a 'hook' mount where the little tool tray bolts on .... and made a similar loop glassed in under the extension piece. An elastic loop ( Ok....its a strip of inner tube.... ) is looped on and clamps the piece down and forward. There will be another mount at the back....but that elastic hook is to hold the front edge down, and do so in a way that shouldn't risk damage to the tank.

The tank has got a coat of primer too.

Next job is to make up a rear number plate mount, which will go between the rear frame rails. Indicators will also be added at the back, bolted through the mounting holes at the end of the frame rails. I also need to work out a method of baking paint on engine cases.....they don't fit in the oven. Maybe I get myself a gas barbeque for the summer......

[philward]

 I also need to work out a method of baking paint on engine cases.....they don't fit in the oven. Maybe I get myself a gas barbeque for the summer......

I used a similar method to this youtube video only I used 1/4 ply - it worked well. Other members used similar I think. Will be re-assembling mine to paint the cases on an engine I will be building this year (from spares I have accumulated over the years).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21AsnM71YM0

[SumpMagnet]

excellent!

Boxes I got plenty of ( left over from moving house in the summer) foil I got..and a heat gun.

I am a little surprised a cardboard box can take the necessary heat...but...well..YouTube guy didn;t set fire to it...so I am convinced

[philward]

I used 1/4 ply that I gaffer taped together (which was soggy after the oven was used) - although with more patience, I could have screwed it together. I tin foiled a plywood base so I could place the box on or off crankcase easily. Make sure you make the bax tall enough for the crankcase and something to stand it on (I used a cut off a left over railway sleeper) so that the hot air can circulate around the crankcase.
I had a spare sheet of 1/4 ply but 3/8 ply would be easier to screw together. Once its all cut, you can assemble and de-assenble for ease of storage (as for most of us, its infrequently used).

There is a picture on a thread somewhere but for the life of me, I can't find it!

[SumpMagnet]

Not been able to do much recently as I was dealing with a few health issues that were affecting my ability to do any work out in the garage, but I need to get things moving again.

To spur me on, I did what any sensible guy would do, and spent some money.

Bought a set of Zed Parts stainless engine mounting bolts. Very nice they look too. They also will supply a shorter mounting bolt for the 12mm one that goes through the footrests for those fitting rearsets. As I am one of those folk....a shorter bot avoids having 30mm sticking out the end. Supplied with fresh nuts all round, they do look rather nice.



Now I got to go make those footrest hangar plates.

Also managed to modify a cheap steel rear mudguard off E-Bay to weld on some mountings to fit the frame rails, plus fitted a rear light, indicators and number plate mount. Matching small front indicators are also fitted. Wanted indicators for practicality, but didn;t want ones that stuck out like a sore thumb.

[SumpMagnet]

Damn ... has it REALLY been this long? Got side-tracked by a Triumph, work, life, stuff ... but having got the old Triumph to a certain point, I felt it was time to give this project some time.

The parts search turned up a nice set of exhaust collets and finned collars. Both things I was missing. Then an exhaust. One of the MAJOR things I was held up on. Picked up an old unbranded 4-1 straight pipe system that isn't rusted out, and even has chrome that is almost presentable. It's probably going to get painted as I suspect further issues trying to shift hte baffles, and the header pipes are glued into the collector with exhaust paste. No idea if they will come out, or if I should even try.

The pipe sits tight up to the bottom of the engine, looks like the centre stand can stay, and sits nicely. If I have to gut the baffle and make a new one, then I will.

Then I actually got around to cutting out the footrest brackets. Blunder was made with the spacers I had the old-man make on his lathe. Fractionally too wide. Might have to cut them down....or..take them down when we go to visit in January, and turn about 5mm off each one.

Going to mock up the parts and take some pictures. Just to keep me motivated!

[Laverda Dave]

You are back on it, that's always the difficult bit👍. I think I'd leave the exhaust as it is as long as it looks decent and can be painted. Separating it may create problems and probably won't achieve anything anyway apart from potential grief!

[SumpMagnet]

Here;s what we got done... The rearsets are off an old CBR600, and were a bargain. The brackets to mount them are carved from 10mm thck ally plate. Possibly a bit overkill, butI needed to make up the space of the old footrest hangars, and it gave more meat to cut the threads into to bolt on the footrests.
The exhaust looks like it clears the centre stand, and sits in nice and neat. I was struggling to find a pipe that I liked, and this was just £75 on E-Bay. Some surface spotting ( most of it isn't rust...just muck and rubbish. Some rust, and a few rusty patches around the tops of the headers. Most of it will clean up, but I still plan to give it a coat of black gloss exhaust paint.



Got some spacers turned up to take up the slack and some stainless engine mounting bolts, with the rear one shorter to fit with the hangar plates.



Still lots to do, but it is taking the shape I had in my mind , which is good. Paint .... going to go for red, with the black stripe and white pinstriping. Want to go for something similar to the dark red I had on my 900 Hornet, and will have the side panels black.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

That's starting to look really cool, I like the rear lamp fitting, it looks like it's built for speed when standing still.

[SumpMagnet]

Thanks
The rear light is a motocross unit, on a cut and modified plain steel mudguard., I welded a couple of mountings to it to hook the mudguard up to the mounts on the end of the seat rails, which double up as indicator mounts. Then the light just bolts on top. Seat is a CR750 pattern fibreglass unit. I made my own hinge and catch setup to it fits to the stock key operated latch and hinges open. I didn;t want to make holes in that lovely curvy hump to put lights in...so I went for something that blended in and still had a period feel.

I wanted to get the feel of a CR750 kind of era bike, but I don't have the budget or skills to build an actual rep. 

[SumpMagnet]

Ahh ... life, work, a loft conversion and the wifes car spewing it's coolant all over the Sainsburys car park...there just isn't the time left to do the things I want to do!

But we can do small things. So I decided to modify the frame to remove the top rails. This decision was partlky aided by the failure of my left knee. Which decided it's squishy middle bits would be better off outside rather than between the bones where nature intended. This meant I am more likely to watch every episode of Bridgerton back to back than I am to lift the motor/frame like I want to. And I can't stand Bridgerton....

So, I made a thread to ask about my options.

I knew about the expensive versions, with parts from the US, followed by customs, VAT and fees....all of which would reult in a pricey job that I just didn't have the budget for right now.

I was given some majopr help by a few of the guys on here, with two options coing my way. The first one was to use some tubes sized to slide over. Was going to go this route, and oprdered some metal. Which came sized wrongly. I bought 1.5mm wall thickness with 28.mm OD. I had measured my frame rails with paint at 25.5mm. ... so that should give me clearance. When it arrived.....it was half a mill too narrow on the ID. Drat. Either I got to ream it out a bit, or it won't fit.

That's when Archmill stepped in and messaged me to say he had one of his kits available that I could have. I have some other projects I can use the steel tube I bought, so I said YES and despite Royal Mails best efforts, I got the parts...a detailed set of instructions...and we are ready to start fitment.

Initial impressions of the kit is good. It's nicely machined, tidy, and looks pretty robust. The instructions are clear and simple, and the bits I wasn;t sure of have been more than answered by Archmill ...who despite my pestering.,..hasn't told me to go away 
He's been really helpful all through, as have the others who suggested affordable and proven ways to get this task done. Photos to follow when I get this fitted! Should be this weekend

Oh...yeah...once I bolt the cars cooling system back together that is! Got the parts for that.

[Laverda Dave]

That all sounds like amazing progress, even including the car!
Take some photos of the frame conversion as you go as I'm sure it will be useful to others.
Hope the knee recovers, I guess it's what might be called as being 'painful'!
As for the loft conversion, much too hot to work in a loft at the moment, do some spanner work instead you know it makes sense😉.