I am currently two weeks into this build/restoration. I got this '79 Special on May 1st (today is the 15th) and this is where I am at so far. The previous owner, who was in his middle sixties, was going to make it into a rat rod chopper, but fortunately lost interest and it sat for 12 years in the back corner of his garage. It came with a box of parts with receipts showing just under $1000 for the various bits. Basically too much to list but there was everything from a new engine gasket set to new tires (bought last year,) stainless brake lines and a new front master cylinder. I paid a grand for it with a clean title. It even had a newly recovered seat. It did run on ether, so I was pretty sure the motor was okay.
What it looked like when I got it right after washing twelve years of dust and grime off.
Original mileage. It has great compression and looking in the cylinders with a bore scope shows typical wear for a 12K mile motor.
There was some surface rust in the gas tank which I removed with muriatic acid. I painted the body Dark Blue Metallic over a silver base with a new set of silver emblems vs the beat up gold that was on it. The paint that came on it was fugly, a color I call tomato soup and was generally a terrible rattle can job. It had been painted without removing the tank from the bike and it showed it. I rebuilt the carbs with the kits included in the box-o-parts and installed a set of trumpet mufflers that I had originally purchased for my '68 Bonneville. A bit of elbow grease has the cases looking less corroded.
I bought a center stand, front fender and battery and thought I was ready to go, but then I discovered the fuse box assembly was missing. WTF? Why would someone take out the fuse box? I tested all the wires and even hooked up some temp fuses to check the circuits and there is nothing wrong with the wiring. The only things that don't work with the power hooked up are the headlight and turn signals. I do have brake and tail lights.
I tracked the problem down to the dual relay unit that mounts to the right side of the battery box.
Power goes in and nothing comes out. when I bypass the box the headlight comes on. when I bypass the other side the turn signals will light up. I found an OEM unit on Ebay that supposedly works, so I'll know if my diagnoses is correct next week when it gets here. A new OEM style fuse box should also be here next week. Other than the missing fuse box the wiring is unmolested.
I still need to change the oil (new filters were included with the extra parts) before I start it and, of course, I need to tune and sync the carbs. All-in-all I think I did okay on this one. All-in I should have about $1700 in it including title transfer, license and registration. I happended to have a 1979 Tennessee license plate so I did a YOM plate.
It is never going to be a show bike. I got it specifically to bomb around the local area and while it will gradually get nicer as time goes by, I fully intend to use it as it was intended to be used.
What it looked like when I got it right after washing twelve years of dust and grime off.
Original mileage. It has great compression and looking in the cylinders with a bore scope shows typical wear for a 12K mile motor.
There was some surface rust in the gas tank which I removed with muriatic acid. I painted the body Dark Blue Metallic over a silver base with a new set of silver emblems vs the beat up gold that was on it. The paint that came on it was fugly, a color I call tomato soup and was generally a terrible rattle can job. It had been painted without removing the tank from the bike and it showed it. I rebuilt the carbs with the kits included in the box-o-parts and installed a set of trumpet mufflers that I had originally purchased for my '68 Bonneville. A bit of elbow grease has the cases looking less corroded.
I bought a center stand, front fender and battery and thought I was ready to go, but then I discovered the fuse box assembly was missing. WTF? Why would someone take out the fuse box? I tested all the wires and even hooked up some temp fuses to check the circuits and there is nothing wrong with the wiring. The only things that don't work with the power hooked up are the headlight and turn signals. I do have brake and tail lights.
I tracked the problem down to the dual relay unit that mounts to the right side of the battery box.
Power goes in and nothing comes out. when I bypass the box the headlight comes on. when I bypass the other side the turn signals will light up. I found an OEM unit on Ebay that supposedly works, so I'll know if my diagnoses is correct next week when it gets here. A new OEM style fuse box should also be here next week. Other than the missing fuse box the wiring is unmolested.
I still need to change the oil (new filters were included with the extra parts) before I start it and, of course, I need to tune and sync the carbs. All-in-all I think I did okay on this one. All-in I should have about $1700 in it including title transfer, license and registration. I happended to have a 1979 Tennessee license plate so I did a YOM plate.
It is never going to be a show bike. I got it specifically to bomb around the local area and while it will gradually get nicer as time goes by, I fully intend to use it as it was intended to be used.
