77 GL Project - Maintenence & Clean Up

[luludog]

Recently bought this 1977 GL1000 with 12,437 miles. I was stored for 30 years, and had some recent repairs by the PO to get it running. The plan is to take it partially apart and inspect, clean, paint and get it on the road by the end of the month. Wish me luck!

Here's a photo after unloading off the trailer


After a few hours of wrenching parts off. Gas Tank had a slight leak (fuel left in the tank rusted the bottom). Antifreeze left in the system pretty much did in seals & the water pump.


Front cover off to replace water pump


Left side of muffler was rusted off - will need to weld in a new piece.


Pressure tested, cleaned and paint radiator & related bits


Rebuilt the front calipers (leaking)


That's it for now. I'll try to be prompt with updates. Any suggestions or recommendations?

Thanks,
Ray

[ritalz]

Overall, I say she looks to be in pretty good shape.

[Roady]

I have to agree with Al. Looks to me like she's been stored somewhere clean and dry.

Check the frame over meticulously. Tap it with something metal and listen for weak spots. Then just touch it up where you find any surface rust.

[keddano]

Nice looking bike,clean. Sweet find

[luludog]

Thanks guys. When I looked at the bike, the primary chain was making a little bit of noise when idling. I suspect & hope it will clear up once its run a while and the carburetors are sync'd.

[HandsomeSteve]

Wow, already a great looking ride. Look forward to your progress.

[gregforesi]

Make sure the brakes don't hang up. You should at least flush the systems with new fluid. The fluid return lines are refered to as "Spooge" holes around here and they are small buggers...easy to get blocked.
That looks like a really nice find. Congrats.

[polkadot]

A great looking 77! Since you have the engine out or almost out, you may want to replace the nuetral safety switch. Did you check to see if it was operational before tearing it down?

[luludog]

I rebuilt the front calipers. They were leaking past the seals. The front master cylinder looked good, so I just bled the front brakes. I'll bleed the rears once I get the tank back in (currently getting powder coated).

I wasn't planning on pulling the engine, but the neutral switch appears to be hanging up (dim light in gears, normal brightness in neutral). I thought it might be from sitting so long and would clear up once driven for a while. Is this s common problem?

The bike isn't a show bike, just wanted a daily driver to enjoy.

Thanks for the comments and advice.

-Ray

[rogue1000]

Sweet bike! Congrats!!! In the interest of doing it right, and since you have most of the stuff off anyway, I would pull the engine and replace the switch...that said, I didn't do it when I had my engine out because I was impatient and had no money during that timeframe...oh well, I have 8k since that time in June 2011, and still have no neutral light...

[ramjet]

Timing Belts. Final drive flush and fill. Drive shaft splines front and rear. Swing arm bearing grease.

[Placerville]

Very nice low mileage find and a great project. Congrats!

My advice..., pull the engine. If you don't, you'll wish you did. Take off the cover for the oil screen and clean it. (A rare opportunity.) Replace the thermo. fan switch, the temp gauge switch, neutral switch and rebuild the carbs. (If you have the money, consider Pistol Pete: http://www.oldwings.com/.) Due to your comment about the exhausts, I'd have them (and the headers) sandblasted to check for further damage. Have your headers ceramic coated (Sunnbobb, here at NGW, does them) and paint your exhausts with RustOleum BBQ paint (6 coats). Here's a very fairly priced Honda dealer with an 'On-Line Parts' system: http://www.westernhonda.com/fiche_selec ... &fveh=3427. My advice is to begin making a list of all the parts you'll need then go to their site and see what's available. Always buy genuine Honda when you can. Try to order all your parts at once to save on shipping. I encourage you to keep your GL as factory stock as you can. Good luck.

[Pokegama]

Really nice find. Looks very clean for sitting so long.
+1 on Western Honda. Good prices and they ship parts out quickly.

[luludog]

Great stuff! I appreciate the advice and links.

The timing belts have been replaced, valves adjusted, the final drive (differential) fluid was flush out and new GL5 lube put in. I greased the rear splines but didn't get the front (will do that also). Can I assume the reference to Swing Arm bearing grease is the grease fitting on the drive shaft tube? If so; how much / how many pumps is suggested?

I seriously thought of pulling the engine. I'm going to hold off only because I know myself well enough to know this one month "project" will go out 2-4 months. Next winter might be a good time to do it, then I can take it down completely and powder coat the frame. Do more work on the engine and take my time to go through things.

Other than the broken section where the muffler joins the header on the left side; the exhaust looks to be in good shape. I like the idea of ceramic coating; I've used on other vehicles (drop in temps is noticeable).

Evapo-Rust has worked well for removing rust from parts.

Took some time today and went around and touched up the many scratches and rust spots on the frame. The area just behind the triple tree was the worst (surface rust only). Also took the suggestion to check the frame integrity buy tapping with a hammer. Everything sounded and felt solid.

Looking for a good source for a new or very good condition pilot light cover. The one on the bike has a couple of spots where the plastic is damaged. Let me know if you have one or know where to go. As far as buying OEM parts; Western Honda is great, but I use the local dealer's web store (same catalog/prices and no shipping charges - just tax)

Here's some more photos

Shot of the gauge cluster with the center pilot light cover I'd like to replace


Radiator - Before


Intake runners bead blasted & painted


Water Pump replaced, Front cover & oil filter housing painted

[Roady]

Appears that you are taking enough time to pay attention to those critical details.

I say get it road-worthy (safe) for now so you can enjoy the season.