The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

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Adam900
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The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#1

Post by Adam900 »

I picked up my latest project this weekend, a 1976 GL1000 in Sulfur Yellow. Bought it out of a barn in the countryside.

I was going to title this build thread Old Yeller until I realized that is what ALL other yellow '76s are called. Hence, the Americo J. Policarpo, named in honour of the bike's previous owner. I got his name off the most recent registration (1987, which jives with the registration sticker on the plate), and I know very little about him, other than that impressive name, and the fact that songs were once sung about him.

This is the bike, freshly arrived home. Still dressed in the Windjammer.
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And once I removed the fairing. Very happy that headlight is still under there.
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Nasty surprise under the hood. The glove box insert was missing, and in it's place a mouse had built this lovely home. The area around the filler neck was clearly the bathroom.
Mouse house
Mouse house
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I drained and replaced the oil. Only about 2 quarts came out, and it was very thin and runny despite being pretty cold. Some pretty thick sludge present in the filter though.

The bike is sporting these strange aftermarket air shocks. There is a line connecting both shocks to a gauge and valve attached to the handlebars, where I assume one would add and monitor air pressure. However, there don't seem to be any check valves present, so a leak anywhere in the system and you're suddenly without suspension. Seems less than safe. The gauge says "Reeder Gaspring" but I couldn't find anything about them online, so I suspect they didn't last. In any case, the hoses have long since gone brittle and broken in places, and the shocks themselves are horribly rusted, and without any air in them the bike was very difficult to move around. I have shocks from the '78 parts bike that I can throw on for now.
Reeder Gaspring
Reeder Gaspring
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I suspect that these weird, failed shocks were at least partly why the bike was parked in 1987 and not ridden since.
1976 GL1000 - Sulfur Yellow - Project Bike
1985 GL1200 - Two-up camping bike
1976 GL1000 - Future project (maybe a rat cafe...)
1978 GL1000 - Parts bike
Lots of other non-GL Hondas
Adam900
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#2

Post by Adam900 »

The ignition switch was also broken and wouldn't pass power, but when I bypassed it I got some life from the taillight! Always nice to see some signs of life.
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Currently the bike is lying on its side while I try to free up the pistons with the old ATF and acetone mix. If that doesn't work, I have a line on another 76 in pieces that I plan to pick up this weekend. Apparently that engine turns over, at least.
1976 GL1000 - Sulfur Yellow - Project Bike
1985 GL1200 - Two-up camping bike
1976 GL1000 - Future project (maybe a rat cafe...)
1978 GL1000 - Parts bike
Lots of other non-GL Hondas
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Track T 2411
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#3

Post by Track T 2411 »

Looks like a pretty solid bike to start with (hopefully the engine isn't solid, too!). Nice, cozy nest, lol! I bought an '81 that had the air box packed full, as well as the fairing. It reeked! My most recent bike had acorns and walnuts shooting fifteen feet out of the exhaust when I first fired it up, lol!
"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

"He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail" - Abraham Maslow

"If you can't take the time to do it right the first time, how are you ever going to find the time to do it over?" -Unknown

Current Rides:
'Grumpy' - '81 Standard, now fully dressed.
'Layla' - '81 Standard w/dealer installed fairing and Hondaline bags.
'Scarlett' '76 'Survivor' nekkid as a j-bird!

Under Construction:
The 'Jalopy' '78-'79 Mash-up
'Quikie' '81 gl1100I back on the lift, project with the step-son!

In The Shed:
'81 gl1100I barn find aka "Josie, the farmer's daughter." (almost comatose build)
'77 gl1000, roller parts bike.
'82 gl1100I, 'Old Crusty' titled roller parts bike (free!)
'82 gl1100I, My first 'Wing, and an expensive lesson!
New2U Bike? Read Me.
Adam900
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#4

Post by Adam900 »

Yes, there’s a smell to it that I previously would have identified vaguely as “old barn or shed”, but I will now go the rest of my life unable to ever forget the smell of concentrated mouse shit. :drunk
image.jpg
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1976 GL1000 - Sulfur Yellow - Project Bike
1985 GL1200 - Two-up camping bike
1976 GL1000 - Future project (maybe a rat cafe...)
1978 GL1000 - Parts bike
Lots of other non-GL Hondas
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Chainman
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#5

Post by Chainman »

Cool, a thread with a theme song.

Thanks for sharing; enjoy your project.
It is a great name.
1975 GL1000
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5speed
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#6

Post by 5speed »

are you sure you have enough experience to do this?
I'm not seeing many power fist tools laying around or even worse..no tim's cups.. :mrgreen:
1982 1100 standard. (sold)
1986 Yamaha FJ1200
2000 Yamaha Roadstar
1976 GoldWing. running but not on the road
1978 Goldwing. future cafe project.
2019 Can-Am ryker (boss's new ride)

2002 Shadow American Classic(sold)
1983 Shadow 500. (sold)
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dontwantapickle
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#7

Post by dontwantapickle »

Adam900 wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 6:09 pm Yes, there’s a smell to it that I previously would have identified vaguely as “old barn or shed”, but I will now go the rest of my life unable to ever forget the smell of concentrated mouse shit. :drunk
You Sir..... are going to fit in quite well around here.
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#8

Post by rcmatt007 »

a live possum has a real stench as well
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#9

Post by Paola Zago »

how is the resurrection of Polycarp going?
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twooldwings
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#10

Post by twooldwings »

5speed wrote: Fri Nov 27, 2020 8:12 pm are you sure you have enough experience to do this?
I'm not seeing many power fist tools laying around or even worse..no tim's cups.. :mrgreen:
perfect ...lol !

yes, time for an update. those of us without a wing project are hurtin'.
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#11

Post by rcmatt007 »

the shocks most likely were S&W which really were not all that good, bot better than OEM (I have a set I can sell you).... the gauge was to help you know how well they were set... anyway they rode like sitting on a brick!!!! not that the OEM shocks were good as they sucked as well
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
Adam900
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#12

Post by Adam900 »

Not too much to update, I’m afraid. My efforts to free the engine with magic oils and potions has not been very successful yet.
I picked up another ‘76 in the meanwhile. Rougher shape cosmetically (the original red had been covered with a metal flake brown) and higher mileage, but with an engine that turns over freely. I’m sure between the two I have enough to put one very original bike back together, and maybe even enough left over to help put the ‘78 together as a stripped down version.
I also picked up a motorcycle lift (deeply discounted floor model from Princess Auto). That should increase the Power Fist quotient enough to satisfy some.
A question: is the major difference between the early and late GL1000s basically in the carbs and cams (aside from the kick starter delete)? And if so, can a ‘78 engine block be fitted with the carbs and head from an early bike without too much trouble?
1976 GL1000 - Sulfur Yellow - Project Bike
1985 GL1200 - Two-up camping bike
1976 GL1000 - Future project (maybe a rat cafe...)
1978 GL1000 - Parts bike
Lots of other non-GL Hondas
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desertrefugee
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#13

Post by desertrefugee »

Adam900 wrote: Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:40 pm ...
A question: is the major difference between the early and late GL1000s basically in the carbs and cams (aside from the kick starter delete)? And if so, can a ‘78 engine block be fitted with the carbs and head from an early bike without too much trouble?
You've pretty much detailed the major differences (aside from cosmetics). Swapping back and forth can be done with abandon. No issues at all with the 1000s. I've got a set of early cams that I'd intended to install, but never got around to it. They're supposed to be paired with the early carbs, as well. Either way you should not have issues mixing and matching.
- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to ride in the rain.
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Track T 2411
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#14

Post by Track T 2411 »

desertrefugee wrote: Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:49 pm
Adam900 wrote: Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:40 pm ...
A question: is the major difference between the early and late GL1000s basically in the carbs and cams (aside from the kick starter delete)? And if so, can a ‘78 engine block be fitted with the carbs and head from an early bike without too much trouble?
You've pretty much detailed the major differences (aside from cosmetics). Swapping back and forth can be done with abandon. No issues at all with the 1000s. I've got a set of early cams that I'd intended to install, but never got around to it. They're supposed to be paired with the early carbs, as well. Either way you should not have issues mixing and matching.
Isn't the ignition timing is different between the early and late years? I seem to recall posts about having to mark the flywheel, etc...
"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

"He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail" - Abraham Maslow

"If you can't take the time to do it right the first time, how are you ever going to find the time to do it over?" -Unknown

Current Rides:
'Grumpy' - '81 Standard, now fully dressed.
'Layla' - '81 Standard w/dealer installed fairing and Hondaline bags.
'Scarlett' '76 'Survivor' nekkid as a j-bird!

Under Construction:
The 'Jalopy' '78-'79 Mash-up
'Quikie' '81 gl1100I back on the lift, project with the step-son!

In The Shed:
'81 gl1100I barn find aka "Josie, the farmer's daughter." (almost comatose build)
'77 gl1000, roller parts bike.
'82 gl1100I, 'Old Crusty' titled roller parts bike (free!)
'82 gl1100I, My first 'Wing, and an expensive lesson!
New2U Bike? Read Me.
User avatar
desertrefugee
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Re: The Resurrection of the Americo J. Policarpo; a '76 GL1000

#15

Post by desertrefugee »

Hmm. You know, I think you might be right! But, isn't one or the other crank marked for both? I don't recall - but again, a savvy shadetree mechanic can get around that and mark his own flywheel. It has been done lots of times.
- Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It's about learning to ride in the rain.
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