'Diamond in the rough'

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

I have one of those greasy, dog-eared manuals as well.
Funny, when i throw it on the bench it will automatically pop open to the carb section.

[bikeymikey748]

The frame came home last Sunday. Smooth, clean, deep welds all around, great stuff. Seems Roger's 'issues' had more to do with his being a perfectionist ( not a bad thing) than any real problems. It and the mags got hauled off to the rent-a-blast-booth place this morning
Next up: The gas tank. You'll recall my rusted/leaking rear corner issues? Well, as a means of accessing the tank's interior and modding the tank to have a different look ( because just having six cylinders is never enough), I picked up a $10.00 doner GSXR tank on e-Bay. Look at the photo of this sad puppy & try to imagine what a stressed life it had. I lost count of how many coats of paint it had. But...the filler neck was minty and it had an aftermarket billet gas cap. Here it is stripped, marked, and ready to cut;




Removed and trimmed;





Here's the stock neck removed; ( ). Guess there's no turning back now !!;




More Suzuki bits find a new home on the Honda ( I just placed them to see how they look, ignore the ,poorly placed, index marks);



Going about it like this lets me be certain the tank liner cleaners get all the rust out, and the liner has the best coverage possible. I'll 'sweat' the neck on as a final step with solid core ( silver) solder. The low flame temp ( relatively) and its localised nature won't cause any collateral damage to the liner ( I'll try to leave the immediate area liner-free and cover it after the fact).

Repairing the perforations ( LH ) Step one; 'Tin' the affected area and then bevel the holes inward;



Step two; Apply solder;



I'm hopefull that I can follow the tank's contour while sanding AND keep enough solder in the divits to seal the damaged areas. As a last resort, I may have to 'sheet' the area...more work !
The breathers on these billet caps are SHITE!. They allow fuel to collect in the sill. I'll be blocking them and adding an external breather ( on top of the tank, like race bikes), using an old Ducati oil cooler ( braided) hose. Wait for it

Lastly, I had a go at reshaping the Ducati's seat foam to follow the tank's shape more correctly;



I'll be filling in the larger, tank, recesses with bondo , so they follow the lines of the Duc item.

[NobleHops]

So cool.

Go Mikey, go!

N.

[Jeff Bennetts]

Hey Mike, POR-15 sells a product call PORPATCH, I have used it with good results as a top coat over weld repairs for tanks, you can sand it, skim coat it and prime and paint over it.

http://www.por15.com/PORPATCH/productinfo/PPB/

[bikeymikey748]

Hey Mike, POR-15 sells a product call PORPATCH, I have used it with good results as a top coat over weld repairs for tanks, you can sand it, skim coat it and prime and paint over it.

Thanks Jeff. I wasn't aware of this particular product...maybe on my next tank job. For now, I'm hoping the lead & an internal POR-15 application will get me by.
My buddy, Ron needs two tanks coated. He was kind enough to supply me with the material I need to do mine & in return, I'll get his finished up too.
BTW...the tank is done
Being able to watch & see ( through the hole for the Suzuki filler neck), exactly, where the liner ( POR-15) was spreading I have a new appreciation for the process. My, tiny, garage was appreciably warm and yet, it took the better part of 1 1/2 hrs. before I could stop turning the tank over & over ( to get an even distribution of coating) for fear of having it pool at the tank's bottom. You really do have to take your time and work slowly. In the end, I'm very happy with the results.
Here's two shots of the neck & new breather in place. I took the oportunity to lower the, billet, cap in the sill & polish the bad-boy a bit.There's just enough epoxy primer in place to check for proper insatllation/pinholes. I've still to shoot the entire tank with primer;





With the exception of the alternator ( no biggie), the motor is done. Two things: #1 Some of you might be aware of this, but its a revalation to me; Toyota valve adjustment shims fit right in on the 'X'. John K., my team leader at Toyota, dragged the entire kit over to Casa Common to have a go...Turns out, I won't be buying any more shims from the Honda dealer &&&&&&&&& I've a HUGE selection of sizes to choose from !!!
#2 I figured that it would be easier to fit the carbs on with the motor sitting on the bench, you know, nothing blocking my way ( like frame tubes,etc.). Well, I'm here to tell you that I can't IMAGINE what a huge PITA it must be to try this with the motor installed on the bike. TOUGH ? You have NO idea. And if you do, you have my respect & admiration.
Next I'll be getting ready to shoot some paint. Hopefully I can get the frame & mags shot in the next two weeks ( weather permitting). That way, I'lll be able to bolt up a bunch of bits and the 'X' will , at least, be able to be rolled around. I'm getting a final idea of how I plan on shooting the tank. Nothing too fancy, but there's a bit involved to pull it off.

[NobleHops]

Wow, the tank looks friggin' awesome. I can't wait to see this baby.

N.

[daves79x]

Mike:
You are doing stuff, and a rate to boot, that I could never do. However, I must strongly disagree with your assumption that the carbs are easier to install with the engine out of the bike. I've installed and removed CBX carbs well over 100 times with the engine in the bike, and a couple of times with the engine out, and it's much easier in the bike. But whatever works for you! Awsome project you have there.

Dave

[akinz]

Awesome project you have on the go.

Just wondering how you ended up attaching the new filler neck. Did you just set it on top of the existing tank and welded it, or did you cut it to size?

[deadbanana0717]

Wow Dave! that tank looks so pro!

[bikeymikey748]

However, I must strongly disagree with your assumption that the carbs are easier to install with the engine out of the bike.

Wow, Dave , that's great news! When I stormed back into the house, the other day after fighting with the carbs, I told my wife that if she ever heard me mention I was taking the carbs off again, she was either to kill me first, leave the country, or both

Just wondering how you ended up attaching the new filler neck. Did you just set it on top of the existing tank and welded it, or did you cut it to size?

Thanks for the interest, akinz.
The long answer is;
If you look at my recent posts, you'll see the underside of the neck. I cut into the CBX tank only enough to allow the neck to pass through, while being supported by the flange.I 'tinned' the underside of the flange and the upper area of the CBX tank ( where the flange would be sitting, with 40/60 tin/lead) acid-core solder. 'Tinning' invloves making certain you have a covering of solder over the entire area that you'll be joining. Acid-core works well for this application. You heat the area only enough to get the solder to flow, and wipe off the excess ( while its still molten) with a dry rag. You are aiming for a thin coating of lead.Then you place the items together and tack them in place around their circumfrence. To join the pieces, I used solid -core, lead-free silver bearing solder. Its stronger than the acid-core 40/60. Also, in the past , I've found issues with the acid-flux 'leaching' through paintwork, over time. It seems that, among other issues, if any appreciable amounts of the acid-core are applied, that there is a good likelihood that , at least some, flux will become trapped in the work. Depending on just how much is there, sometimes, it works its way out. Not an issue with the solid stuff. Next work your way around the piece ( again with the torch only just hot enough to get the solder to flow). Try to get the solder to flow between the pieces, you want to feed it in, it'll (hopefully) want to 'wick' its way around the items. Seeing as I had, earlier, applied a coating of POR-15 inside the tank, and wanted to keep the temps down, I tamped down on the soldered areas with a damp cloth as I moved the torch around. I built up enough solder at the edges of the pieces to allow me to be able to blend them together afterward. Its a much better solution than body filler. You can 'feather' the edges as thin as you need with no worries about it lifting ( like body filler might do). I sanded the edges to my satisfaction and then blocked the fuel outlet with a plug, bolted the breather closed, as well as jamming a rubber bung in the filler hole. I pierced the bung with a needle fitting ( for filling soccer balls with air), smeared liquid dishwashing soap around all the areas I had just finished ( as well as the bung, as a control measure). Holding the bung in place, I pressurised the tank with compressed air. Bubbles formed around the rubber bung, but nowhere else, indicating I had a good seal. I shot on some, epoxy primer, to see any defects in my blending. Larger pinholes, that the primer couldn't deal with, were handled with spot putty. A word about that; In the past , spot putty has bit me on the ass. It expands at a different rate than paint/bondo etc. When the weater is hot, sometimes it all too apparent where the stuff was applied. I try to keep its application to a minimum, and make certain I have a few coats of the primer over it ( never leave it in place as a final step before you start to shoot color. Always have a coat of, only, primer before color goes on).
Working with a large syringe and a thin ,clear, plastic hose, and going up through the fuel outlet ( while the tank remained upside down) I then applied enough POR-15 to fill the area immediately under the flange. Remember that I cut the hole in the CBX tank only just larger enough that the sill could pass? Well, I tried to get the liner coating to flow between the opening, into the flange/tank area, and seal the areas where I had just finished soldering.
After that its painting and Scotch time.
Still with me? Didn't doze off....better not have, I'm thinking of sending you a 'pop quizz'

[Jeff Bennetts]

What did you use to make the cut out in the tank, a plasma cutter?

[bikeymikey748]

What did you use to make the cut out in the tank, a plasma cutter?

I wish !
Nope, I used my, trusty, die-grinder and a bunch of carbide bits + a sanding attachment.

[bikeymikey748]

Details, details
Got some colors shot ( clearcoat & polishing at edges yet to do). Added some , I thought, cool detail touches.




Rollie's barkin' that there are yet to be any snaps of the frame up yet...maybe after I get some paint on it

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

This is going to be very special.
May be get The Showcase guys from Cycle Canada back when you are finished.

[NobleHops]

Mike, what's the latest?

I'm gearing up to tear into my H2s, I need another dose of inspiration...

N.