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And the double-wire clamps work fine, but just like other styles work (and last) much better if you lube the threads a little.

Personally? I'm happy Honda switched to those in 78. I'm trying to be somewhat... "dedicated" to rebuilding this correctly now that it's apart, but the original clamps were never that great. And Napa hoses are new, but slightly bigger around than stock hoses from 1976. This way I can keep things close to period-correct, but still have it functional.

Plan is to finalize paint on the radiator wings this weekend. Installation of the radiator will have to wait for new clamps (again), but I'd like to be able to not have to worry about that one part anymore.

(And yeah, the signature is LONG overdue for an update.)

Thanks for sharing ,,, great pics of some cool bikes !

Gotta go backwards to go forwards, right?



Seeing as how my 2K rattle can job was a dismal failure (paint is STILL not 100% dry, by the way), I figured it'd be best to strip off everything and start from scratch. The goal is to get it stripped, primed, and painted a proper two part black before things get too cold out to do so, but settled as we are in the middle of October, I'd be happy with primer.

(sigh) Ah well.

Have I ever told you how much I love paint?

I'm calling it good enough. It still needs a wipe-down with mineral spirits to make sure I got all the oil/stripper/ugly bits off, but at the very least I figure I can get a primer coat on tomorrow. I'd love to get some paint down as well, but temperatures are getting real close to the lower end of what's recommended.

On the plus side, I get to see some of the Honda engineering most people never do- the brazing on the filler neck and fuel line outlets in particular is gorgeous.

...the brazing on the filler neck and fuel line outlets in particular is gorgeous.

Whoa. Gotta agree with you there.

Tank is all primed up and I've got myself some breathing room, with no more worries of flash rust or the like. I think I'm going to look at paint and hardeners this weekend, and (weather depending) it would be nice to get everything painted and squared away sometime next week.

I finally stopped putzing around and got my radiator wings figured out. The front sides were okay, because the entire face of the wings was painted a new color. However, I had rust spots on the bottoms of the backsides, and due to the pinstriping couldn't just repaint all of those. So it was a multi-day session of trying to get touch-up paint to match stock paint, and while you can still tell there's a color difference if you look, most people won't notice unless it's pointed out. So I'll call that a win.

After remembering how fun getting a radiator for one of these back on was, I managed to get everything locked down and could cross another thing off my list.









The next big goal is getting the gas tank painted. My best bet looks like Sunday- after that it looks like it's going to be too cold. Then I get to decide either carbs or exhaust. We shall see.

I swear, this gas tank is going to drive me bananas. So take a look at this, yeah?



Pretty nice looking, huh? Even did it correctly. Got a reputable paint brand, hardener, air compressor, spray gun, the whole nine yards. Even manage to hit the last 50 degree day for a long time to lay the paint down. Not perfect, but a solid 3-foot paint job.

Only one problem. I have ACRYLIC enamel hardener. I accidentally bought ALKYD enamel paint.

So, my hardener did (at best) nothing, apparently this kind of paint has horrible UV resistance, and I have NO idea how gas is going to react to it at all. Long story short? Despite pretending to know what I'm doing, I'll be painting this tank for the THIRD time.

The only small silver lining is a VERY small window this weekend of 60 degree temps and the possibility I don't need to fully strip the paint this time to get a correct acrylic enamel coat with hardener that works over top of it. I still need to do some research to know for sure, but.... yes. Very frustrating.

Where are you getting your advice and paint from? I use a body shop supply place, so you can get the proper paints that match. I shot the CB350F frame in a single stage with hardener primer and an automotive 2 stage GM gloss black. Finish came out amazing and it took about 4 hrs to harden, as it cures from the inside out.
Find a good shop supplier as they have excellent knowledge on paints and processes. The paint needs to be gas resistant, as it will likely see gas spills at some point. So ask that question too.

The bike looks amazing and hopefully you can get the paint on the tank to work well.

I'm pretty much all self-taught, which is where most of my problems are coming from. Initially this was going to be a refresh on the cheap, but the more I have apart, the more I want to do things correctly. I complain, sure, but I'm also fully aware that since this is all part of the learning process, I'm going to have to re-do several things.

I managed to snag some 2 part Urethane black, which (from what I can tell) is the correct stuff to use for fuel resistance. The biggest issues now are the expoxy primer I laid down (that stuff is GOOD- unless you want to remove it) and the temperatures that are too cold to actually paint anything for a while.

Ah well. At least I've taken enough time for this project that the seasonal title is accurate again!

I hear you, I too am self taught on most skills with these old bikes. We fortunately have a really good body shop supplier locally that someone recommended to me to initially. So helpful and knowledgeable over there with paint products. I have learned lots and tried new things.
If it is cooler the paint actually flows and sets up better than in really hot temperatures. I have been shooting recently in the 60 degree F range with great results.
The urethane paint is the way to go for sure and decent little gun and compressor, which I think you recently purchased. I actually like the smaller $50 paint gun for these projects, as the bigger guns shoot too much paint for these smaller jobs and pieces.
The tank looked good last time, too bad the paint was not the correct mixture. You’ll get there, it’s not a race as you know.

Tank has been stripped again (again) and primed again (again). Unfortunately, winter is well and truly here in the great state of Michigan, so any paint will have to wait for spring or catastrophic climate change (whichever comes first).





Work isn't at a complete standstill, however. I'm at the point where carbs can get re-involved.



Now, I'm not going to get too deep into them if I can help it. They seemed to work rather well for a long time, so I figure anything inside the actual carburetor will just be confirming float height and the like. I do, however, have some cosmetic concerns.



I noticed some bad fuel staining on the underside of the carbs when I first pulled them. I'm not sure the failure of exactly which gasket would have caused this, but I may get a full set of carb-to-plenum seals, along with 4 bowl gaskets just to be sure. The plenum gasket itself should be fine, because I remember replacing that one a bit ago, and that joint looks pretty clean.

And, of course, the intakes and caps are going to be hit with the customary strip-and-polish. Enough to keep me busy for a while.

There are some small O rings or D rings in the carb to plenum section on these carbs from what I recall. That could also be a source of the gas stains.
The primer looks good on the tank at least and just think how good your getting with all that practice.

I spent a rather pleasant evening getting the ignition timing locked down (or at least as close as I could). I actually bought this bike from Robin, and he was nice enough to fit a Dyna ignition to it beforehand. I had to cobble together a timing light, but after a bit of futzing around I'm pretty happy with it. The F1 timing is spot on, and while the F2 may be just a hair off, it also depends on which angle I'm looking at it. Of course, I'll know for sure once I get the carbs on and some type of fuel source to it. But hey- progress is progress.