Yam_Tech314's official build thread

If I wanna REALLY make them look good and sand them down to remove the pitting completely, does that risk performance/removing too much material?
If you start sanding out pits... possibly... yes. Let the compound remove the pits in the faces and don't worry about the rest. You can't see 'em anyway once the engines together. :rolleyes:
 
As my project sits, I have a full roller with a fresh painted frame, good wheels with brand new bearings, swingarm with brass bushings etc... Like I said. Full roller.

Bottom end of motor was torn down, inspected (to a point) and rebuilt with new cotter pins, and fresh seals.

Now that I have my new cylinder head and rocker cover, I'm ready for the next chapter... The top end build!

Is this thing really gonna be done soon? Nah. They're never "done" but will the motor soon be together? I have high hopes.

I got a bonus from work this year of $350. With an average of $150 left over fromy normal paychecks that leaves me with roughly $500 to toy around with.

Assuming I can use the same pistons with new rings, that part is almost done as well. Aside from a honing of the cylinders.

I want to get new valve springs to rule them out as a problematic part. I need new rocker arm pins (bearings) I need tools to attach my cam chain, and I'll probably invest in a c clamp spring compressor so I don't need to rely on others...

Is it a legitimate goal to shoot for having a complete motor (in fantastic condition) within my $500 range? I wanna shoot for it if so. Did I miss anything?

Shit... Come to think of it, my fear of spending too much on this thing is why I've taken so long I'm the first place...
 
Doing some hardware painting since I have control over that...

Do we frown upon "metallic" paints for hardware resto? I think it actually looks kinda decent. Not sure if I like the bolts being the same color though. Maybe black bolt heads on the bar clamps will look better?

Opinions help me make choices lol I'm too undecided.
 

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As previously mentioned, I've been working on buttoning up the front end of the motorcycle so that it looks good. I'm scatterbrained and that makes it hard to find the right hardware for reinstalling things... I'm having an exceptionally hard time finding new hardware for things such as speedo mounting plate bolts. (my gauge cluster is from a different year, I think 1980.) The whole front end is actually from a different year, forks and all. I want to find a place I can get all new hardware. The metallic paint method is failing me, as it just gets marred up when reinstalling the hardware. Any help on finding hardware in bulk would be appreciated.
 
Around here, we have "Runnings" stores. They have a hardware section with a surprising amount of metric hardware (including stainless). If you have a store near you, check them out! Also, check the interweb for "metric hardware near me".
 
Good to know! I haven't had the best of luck with hardware around me. I'll give it another go. Could you guys give me any tips on figuring out the thread pitch of internal threads? I'm guessing my method is the same as everyone else's. I just find a bolt that fits and gauge it with a tpi gauge...
 
Could you guys give me any tips on figuring out the thread pitch of internal threads? I'm guessing my method is the same as everyone else's. I just find a bolt that fits and gauge it with a tpi gauge...

That's the method I use.
 
Could you guys give me any tips on figuring out the thread pitch of internal threads? I'm guessing my method is the same as everyone else's. I just find a bolt that fits and gauge it with a tpi gauge...
It seems to me, most good hardware stores have a board at the end of the aisle where the nuts and bolts are sold individually. If you have a nut or bolt you’re trying to size, take one in the store with you and try it out. On that board, you can try your nut or bolt and know for sure the size and thread pitch. If you have no such hardware store nearby, my condolences.
 
I know the one hardware store around here has the studs that are labeled on the board you're talking about. I've used it many times. I just never seem to be able to find a bolt that looks anything like what I need. They're either too long, too short, or don't have anything other than hex heads. The hunt will push on until I find what I need. (Or learn how to better navigate a hardware store.)

I'm gonna start by writing down a list of bolts I wanna change, finding one with a thread pitch to match laying around, and then cross reference a parts fische to figure out what they had in there from factory. I feel I'm going down a meticulous rabbit hole. Lol
 
I know the one hardware store around here has the studs that are labeled on the board you're talking about. I've used it many times. I just never seem to be able to find a bolt that looks anything like what I need. They're either too long, too short, or don't have anything other than hex heads. The hunt will push on until I find what I need. (Or learn how to better navigate a hardware store.)

I'm gonna start by writing down a list of bolts I wanna change, finding one with a thread pitch to match laying around, and then cross reference a parts fische to figure out what they had in there from factory. I feel I'm going down a meticulous rabbit hole. Lol

Are you aware that Yamaha put the bolt size in the part number?
 
The beauty of stainless bolts is that if you can't find the exact length you need, you can buy longer and cut it down without having to worry about the cut end rusting. Also, most come with numbers and letters extruding from the heads. You can file and sand them down, then buff, and get really nice chrome looking heads .....

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Here's the speedo-tach on my '78. The mounting bolts were replaced with polished stainless ones and the center pod screws with stainless Allens .....

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There are a few bolts that are rather oddball lengths and you won't easily find replacements for. One that comes to mind is the clutch perch pinch bolt. It's an odd 22mm long so you'll end up cutting down a 25 or 30.
 
Something else I've been meaning to mention to you is your handlebar clamps don't look original, at least the top halves anyway. Originals were rounded where they fit over the bars and the mounting bolts for them were countersunk more (so the heads are flush) .....

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Then, little plastic "plug" caps were fitted into the Allen bolts .....

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Not that it makes much difference, what you have will work just fine. I just wanted you to be aware that it's not original.
 
I noticed the plug caps on a parts fische earlier! I guess the top clamp parts were different over the years? I know the bottom half of the bar mounts are aluminum. Top are steel. Painted both but thought that was a bit odd ..
 
Would anyone know of a way to get JUST the faceplate for this switch? It's the switch I rebuilt YEARS back. (Sad that I can say that lol)

I decided to pull my head out of my ass and realize the bike has tons of things that still need addressed. Things that require elbow grease... Not money. Getting components LOOKING good now. Not just working good.

A few more pics of recent rid bits of my rare garage time. I'll get better with this. Need to keep my nose to the grind on this bike.
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Could anyone helpe figure out what kind of hardware was originally holding on the ignition switch? I have a later year front end assembly, so there's just two screws (or bolts most likely) that hold it onto the top triple tree clamp. I lost them over the years because I moved around a lot. Thanks in advance!!!
 
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