Cost of a good rebuild?

david lucas · Post by **david lucas** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 8:33 am

I am getting close to finishing up my 67 restoration and I already have over $4,000 in mine. Of course I paid to get my motor rebuilt and paint done, I see a minimum of $1000 to get the pipes, shields, rims, hand rail and a few small items re chromed. By the time you replace cables, gaskets, seals, correct tail lite, head-lite, seat cover and maybe a couple other items, you are looking at a minimum of $ 2500 for a nice daily rider. Not including your labor or any problems.

baytonemus · Post by **baytonemus** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:07 am

Wow. Well, I got the guy down to $300 and bought it this week. It just looked like too much fun to pass up. However, if I can't get the motor freed up it I might have to part it out anyway. By the way, what are the rules relating to advertising bikes and parts for sale on this forum?

Hahnda · Post by **Hahnda** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:13 am

Did you get a title with it? I'm in Northern WI. I might be interested in the whole bike if it has a title.

baytonemus · Post by **baytonemus** » Sat Apr 14, 2012 9:17 am

Nope.

david lucas · Post by **david lucas** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:31 am

You can get tons of expert help from this site if you decide to go forward. BTW, the motor will free up one way or another with patience and a little work. Good Luck

baytonemus · Post by **baytonemus** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 6:45 am

I've started by spraying Kroil in the cylinders every few hours for the past several days. Nothing yet. That and/or mystery oil has usually done the trick for me.

I've never tried to open a crank case to free a seized motor. I suppose this is another method, though?

rideordie · Post by **rideordie** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 12:12 pm

Congratulations on your find! As stated by a couple other posters, if your paying somebody for the work it can get expensive very quick. I'm currently involved in my first rebuild, and did not have as solid of a foundation as you. I got a roller frame, along with two engines (both stuck), a tank, and some other parts I needed at a swap meet for a fraction of what I normally would pay. Currently, I have everything completely disassembled and am just about ready for paint, and will start reassembling the engine once I get my cylinders bored out. Now, I'm not doing a full restoration because not only am I a college student on a fairly tight budget, but this bike also is not a numbers matching bike so there really is no point. My advice to you is to do the work yourself, save the money, and learn how your machine operates. There is so much information on this forum and so many knowledgeable people involved here that simply stumbling upon this site should boost your confidence in the rebuild. Also, I don't know if anybody else mentioned this but also purchase Bill Silver's Restoration guide that has a ton of info about these beautiful bikes and how to rebuild them. Best of luck!