SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB350/400
Yet another clock resto' thread
exvalvesetdabbler:
To overhaul the mechanism there was a few jobs to do, I should add at this point that these gages were working ok, they had been run on my lathe using a spare tacho cable and having a listen to the main bush. Calibration was checked by comparing the lathe speed (input shaft speed) to expected readings. For Honda speedo's 2240 rpm =60 mph , for Honda tacho's its a 7:1 ratio so knowing the input shaft speed and doing the maths the calibration can be checked. It will be checked again before final assembly.
Clean up all old grease
re lube the main bush
clean up oil between the trip counter dials
re grease the cogs and worms
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If needed the clock faces can be removed and the well published two spoons trick worked well here. First cut up some 0.5 cm squares of electrical tape and put two squares on each of the painted screws holding on the face. The needle should easily pop off but take care to have the edge of the spoons right up against the shaft so that you're not bending it. Have the frame gripped in a vice and push down equally with both spoons. Watch where the needle ends up or just lay down a 3 inch square of cling film over to catch it. When removing the screws that hold the face on, use a good quality #1 phillips screwdriver and press down hard. The screws are glued from the back but should come out easily.
Remove old grease from the cogs and worm drives circled in yellow. I did this with a small brush soaked in white spirit to pick up the grease and wiping it off onto some paper towel. Turn the input shaft to gain access to all parts of the main worm drive. Wipe up any migrated oil or grease from the frame using a similar method. I find those cotton wool pads that folk use for make up removal are handy for cleaning up.
To re-lubricate the bush , I created a puddle of oil in the area marked in yellow and left it upright for a day, just spinning the shaft a few times as I happen to be passing by. Just pour out excess oil and mop up any excess with paper towel.
Fresh grease can be applied to the gears and worms, just a bit on a small flat blade scredriver wiped onto each gear should suffice. I used Apezion 101 but a white grease should do as well.
The two screws marked in blue and the plate can be removed for better access. Just make sure you put a dob of purple Loctite on them during re-assembly.
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Clean up oil between the trip counter dials in the next post.
Finding someone local to re-plate the bases is taking up too much time. Most seem to have a 4 week back log or don't want to go anywhere near vehicle restoration parts or have quite high minimum charges. Was quoted £50 + postage + VAT by one firm to do 4 bases, not sure if that's reasonable or the going rate now. Have done some myself in the past but hardly seems worth the hassle for a hand full of parts. The platers near me that I used to use for yellow zinc on carb parts ( Bag of bits, knock on the back door , cash in hand...) closed many years ago.
Regards
Dave.
exvalvesetdabbler:
Damper oil on the bridge and sitting on the bell.
I needed to see if I could gain access to the damper pot to top this one up before I went to the trouble of cleaning off the spillage and ordering some silicone oil. It seemed reasonable to remove the top bush which also protrudes into the damper pot as the fixed element. For reassembly I made a note of the height of the bush from the face so it could go back in the same position. No idea how critical that is though. Unscrewing the 5mm brass locking nut allowed the bush to be unscrewed from the top bridge. Be careful, the needle post is flapping around within the confine of the M4 thread now.
I needed a tool to set the position of the bush and hold it there while the nut was tightened during reassembly so I got a bit distracted making one.
Damper fixed bush
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View down into the damper pot. Should be able to get some oil down there somehow!
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tool needed for reassembly.
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This is my 'practice piece' from a clock that someone drilled a hole in the side of the case and then mangled the number dials with a pointed object so no great loss if it didn't work out. I do however have a spare tacho with very little damping and damper oil all over the back of the face that will need attention.
Just waiting for the oil to arrive.
Regards
Dave.
McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
That's a good write up Dave, an impressive bit of work.
I once replaced a quartz battery in a wrist watch managing to have the hands fall off I was that cack handed.😁
exvalvesetdabbler:
--- Quote from: McCabe-Thiele (Ted) on April 22, 2025, 08:05:44 AM ---That's a good write up Dave, an impressive bit of work.
I once replaced a quartz battery in a wrist watch managing to have the hands fall off I was that cack handed.😁
--- End quote ---
So far I have spent an hour looking for a gage needle that went flying off across the garage behind a set of shelves and today with help from the wife spent ~40 minutes looking for a 3mm brass shim that escaped and made a run for freedom across the floor. Did some paint spraying a couple of weeks ago and left the piece dangling off the washing line too long, got too warm and the solvent flashed off before the paint flowed and then had a load of orange peel to sand back. If it's too easy everyone would be doing it. :)
exvalvesetdabbler:
Painting the 'top bit' black.
Made a start on painting a while back, made some orange peel, and started again.
Searching for some way to hold things without wiring. Turns out that the bottom of a 1 liter fizzy water bottle is just right. Drill a hole in the bottom and screw in a stick and use that to hang it up and to rest on while the paint goes off.
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I started off with black epoxy primer topped off with Simoniz Tough black satin. The original plan was to rough them up and go straight in with the Tough Black since it claims not to need a primer. That plan was scuppered when zinc plate was found underneath the OEM finish. Zinc and Alkyd resin paints don't play nice together , hence the epoxy primer as a barrier coat.
Regards
Dave
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