[buster]

I picked up this CB450 K0 a couple years ago for just a couple hundred bucks from some guys that wanted to chop it. Offered them a couple thousand LESS than they asked and took it home. Granted the motor was seized and there was no title, I had leverage to negotiate

The plan has been to clean it up cosmetically (just remove rust and polish, no paint) but do a thorough mechanical restoration.

Here's the day it came home:

 

[buster]

One of the first things I did was purchase a key, to see if any of the wiring was good out of curiosity.
I suppose I wanted to check as many things as possible before tearing it down, to know if I f'd up upon reassembly.

Keys can be purchased all day long on eBay by searching for the number stamped on the ignition.
I blurred mine so that you do not steal my bike

I took a good battery off another bike, plugged it in, and put in the key - keeping myself far away from the starter button since the engine was seized.
All lights were good, but the dimmer switch did nothing, brights only up front.

There's only 4 bulbs on the bike anyway, including the gauge. But glad to get that out of my system.

 

[buster]

Next was to look into that seized motor...

With the carbs off, the intake was super gummed up and rusty. Fantastic.
I started a spray the intake with PB blaster, hoping that would break up the rust around the valve and work its way down into the cylinder.

This will be quite a project...

 

[buster]

I pulled the motor, cut the cam chain with a dremel, and used a rubber mallet to help separate the head from the cylinder.
Note: I was already intending to rebuild the motor, so I didn't shy away from using a dremel. I would not recommend cutting the chain this way if you aren't completely rebuilding, the chain shrapnel could contaminate your oil and cause damage.

Crusty valves and some pitting in the chambers and on the sealing surface :/

And then - the pistons, rust-seized to the cylinders:

 

[buster]

It took 2 weeks to get the cylinders off

Each day, I used copious amounts of PB blaster, with a little bit of heat from a torch, and some vibration and pounding with a piece of wood and a mallet.
I did not try the kerosene method here. but I've heard that kerosene and diesel fuel also helps break through the rust - would love to hear some opinions about that.

In this case, there was so much rust on top the pistons, I was slowly trying to chip it away and remove it from the cylinder.

That feeling when it freed up enough to remove the jugs... :grin:

The cylinders were badly scored and damaged from the rust.
And interestingly, the pistons had obviously been replaced at some point.

If noticed in the first set of pics, the ODO reads 73,470mi. Which, I hope is a true reading because that means someone really enjoyed this thing!

Also could be true judging by wear on the cam lobes!?

edit: picture of oversized piston:

 

[buster]

At this point in the project, I had actually lost my garage space - I was renting it through another tenant, who never intended to leave. Right...
They moved, and the landlord wanted to rent it out for more money, not to me. So the bike went into storage at a buddy's garage for several months while I sorted out a new space.

After owning the bike for about 2 years, I had trailered it for 200mi, walked it 4 miles between garage spaces, and ridden it 0 miles.
The joys of motorcycle restoration.

However, the tank made for nice home decor while in-between spaces

 

[gmonsen]

If you're looking for a perfect set of side covers, I just had a set restored and painted Honda Black by Marbles Motors. Ads in parts for sale, but here's a picture.

Gordon

 

[pknopp]

Nice to have saved this one. The popularity of this model makes it so you can put some money into it and still not be in it for well over what you could buy a nice one for.

 

[buster]

Nice to have saved this one. The popularity of this model makes it so you can put some money into it and still not be in it for well over what you could buy a nice one for.

Absolutely. And will hopefully have something very rideable and reliable (I hope).

 

[mighty daniel]

Still in the city? I also live in SF and have a Bomber, some spares, and I know of a few other local owners. Would be great to have a Bomber formation, especially since the 49 mile ride disbanded.

 

[buster]

Still in the city? I also live in SF and have a Bomber, some spares, and I know of a few other local owners. Would be great to have a Bomber formation, especially since the 49 mile ride disbanded.

Hey mighty daniel, I am in the city - would definitely love to connect as this comes together!

 

[buster]

With the engine out and needing a complete rebuild, I decided to strip the frame to do some thorough cleaning and replace all bushings and bearings.

While I'm keeping it cosmetically original, the frame had a few rust areas that I wanted to kill, as seen here:

I had the frame and it's parts blasted and powder coated at a Champion Powder Coasting here in San Francisco.
It was a couple hundred bucks to do the frame, swingarm, steering stem, side stand, center stand, engine brackets, ignition bracket, and tool box.
They recommended 60% gloss as a factory match. It came out less glossy than I expected but I think it will actually mesh well the patina on the other parts.

With this apart I replaced the steering bearings with the All Balls kit. It fits pretty well and I believe I used the thin washer that comes in the kit.
Also replaced the shock mount bushings on the swing arm. Bit of a pain at first, but I then used a friends hydraulic press and it only took a minute.

That shock mount bushing is used across tons of Honda's. The first sets I found were something like $25 but found these on ebay for I think $3 by using the part number.

 

[buster]

I also decided to strip down the bottom end of the engine, and send out all the aluminum parts to get vapor blasted. I had used Vaporblasting.biz on a CB350 before and was happy with the result. Jeff is great, knowledgeable and very fairly priced.

A few weeks later my parts came back looking like new. I love seeing the details in the casting that are usually covered in gunk...

Clean but I have one broken fin on the head. If anyone has any experience with getting one repaired, please let me know! I feel like it won't be cheap...:???:

 

[buster]

While waiting for the vapor blasted parts I had done more work around the frame:

- Installed the tapered steering bearings and races
- Installed bronze swing arm bushings and swing arm to frame (something doesn't feel right here. will need some revisiting...)
- Disassembled forks, cleaned internals, replaced fork seals, polished the exterior parts; reassembled to frame
- Installed side stand and center stand (cleaned and polished their hardware too)

 

[buster]

The most gratifying part so far: refurbishing the headlight bucket!


It's one of the most unique parts on the bike aside from the tank, and that cracked glass has been a black eye since the i got the bike.
Everything was taken disassembled, cleaned, polished, and reassembled with new glass.
I was able to straighten the trim ring some by carefully tapping with a mallet and various tools used like a punch.

Also cleaned and polished the handlebar mounts, the fork bridge, their corresponding hardware, and replaced all the cables with original style gray cables from Charlies Place.

 

[ctrider]

Looking really sweet. Good work

 

[buster]

Valves for CB450

Is anyone familiar with these valves? The shop appears to be in Portland, and might be a cheaper alternative to NOS valves.

Honda CB450 CB500T Intake and Exhaust Valve Set | eBay

I know Kibble White also makes replacement valves, but those are for the valve spring conversion.
The ones above appear to function with the stock torsion bar setup.

 

[buster]

Ordered the valves, will see how they fit...

 

[buster]

Also ordered:

- Stainless spokes (front and rear) from Bucannan
- Heidenau K34 3.25x18 (front), K34 3.5x18 (rear)

Meanwhile I'm polishing out the hubs, fitting new wheel bearings and brake shoes. Have a local guy to lace it up for me when the parts are ready. Will have a roller soon!

 

[mighty daniel]

For future wheel builds, there is a local guy that makes ss spokes for much less than Buchannan's. And he is a great wheelsmith and legendary character. A shout out to Chris @ Wheelworks in Hayward!