1964 CA77 Restoration

Seadog · Post by **Seadog** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:23 pm

Little happening today. All that was accomplished was to zinc plate the spark plug wire brackets. The bike is still stored at the neighbor's and the driveway is too icy to move it back. Besides, more snow expected on Tuesday, so the snow blower is still needed and taking up the space. The mufflers arrived today. Not as bad as I expected. I'm still on the hunt for OEM or good repros, although it seems less and less likely that I'll find them in good condition. Lots of junk out there.

darboots · Post by **darboots** » Wed Mar 15, 2017 8:20 am

Been following along as well, Seadog. It's a great build with some neat ideas and solutions. You've been making great progress.

Have you considered Overlander mufflers? I contacted Barry after my dis-heartening exhaust fitting episode to see if he's still able to supply stainless steel repro's. Got a reply saying mufflers are AUD$770 per pair, and down pipes are AUD$445 per pair. Delivery is 3-4 months. I've decided to stay with the Thai mufflers and down pipes for now! I'm not building a concours bike.

Seadog · Post by **Seadog** » Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:42 am

Thank you, darboots.

I have considered Overlanders, but I would really prefer OEM. I have a new set of Honda down pipes and the Thai mufflers I've just received will do for now. I actually moved the bike back into the shop this morning and test fit the right side and it all looks ok. I'll probably need some spacer washers behind the mounting tab, but I won't know for sure until I fit the left side. That won't happen until I button up the clutch cover, which won't happen until I can paint it.

I've mounted the freshly plated spark plug wire brackets and plan on fitting new passenger peg rubbers today.

darboots wrote:Been following along as well, Seadog. It's a great build with some neat ideas and solutions. You've been making great progress.

Have you considered Overlander mufflers? I contacted Barry after my dis-heartening exhaust fitting episode to see if he's still able to supply stainless steel repro's. Got a reply saying mufflers are AUD$770 per pair, and down pipes are AUD$445 per pair. Delivery is 3-4 months. I've decided to stay with the Thai mufflers and down pipes for now! I'm not building a concours bike.

darboots · Post by **darboots** » Wed Mar 15, 2017 9:54 am

That looks really good. I quite like the polished covers, but cannot get mine to a mirror finish with the kit (and deep gouges) I have. Interested to note you have the early type clutch cable entry (same as mine), but you have a peep hole for the clutch mechanism which I don't have. So many variations and continual changes during production I guess.

I must get on with painting body coloured parts myself... to aid this, I've just picked up some panel beating hammers and dolly's to knock a few minor marks out. My first ever attempt at using these, and I have no idea how I will get a dolly into the chaincases!

Seadog · Post by **Seadog** » Wed Mar 15, 2017 12:51 pm

Thanks, I think they're ok. I just temporarily mounted the left side without any real difficulty. I'll need to tweak the fit on both sides as they are not even horizontally or vertically. Some spacer washers should work. I'll also need a rubber bumper for the kickstand, which hits the bottom of the left muffler.

The jury is still out about the polished covers. I'll see if they grow on me. If I decide to tone them down a bit, I can lightly buff them with a Scotchbrite pad. The valve adjustment caps are not yet polished.

You're right about the variation. My early '64 seems to have quite a mix of earlier and later parts. I wasn't aware that the stator cover had variants with and without the clutch adjustment opening, however. New to me.

Good luck with your dent repair. Take photos; I'd like to see how you manage it.

darboots wrote:That looks really good. I quite like the polished covers, but cannot get mine to a mirror finish with the kit (and deep gouges) I have. Interested to note you have the early type clutch cable entry (same as mine), but you have a peep hole for the clutch mechanism which I don't have. So many variations and continual changes during production I guess.

I must get on with painting body coloured parts myself... to aid this, I've just picked up some panel beating hammers and dolly's to knock a few minor marks out. My first ever attempt at using these, and I have no idea how I will get a dolly into the chaincases!

Seadog · Post by **Seadog** » Fri Mar 17, 2017 3:29 pm

Not much accomplished over the last couple of days. I did manage to set the valves and the static timing. Good to see that that part of the electrical system is working. I'd like to check the spark too, but I won't crank the engine without oil in it; that'll happen when the clutch cover is finally installed.

I decided to do something about the missing rubber material along the top edge of the "distribution box" - the right side cover over the coil, rectifier and solenoid. I had removed the dried and broken remnants of that material before painting the cover. I had read somewhere on the forum that some had used a modified windshield wiper blade to form a new gasket/seal. Since I had an old blade, I decided to give it a try. I had to wing it, since I found no other information about how the modification was done. I started to whittle the blade down with an X-Acto knife, but the rubber was just too soft. I ended up using a small pair of surgical scissors to cut off the extra bits. The end product was a T shape. I had to widen the slot in the cover a little bit, using a popsicle stick as a lever. With a little difficulty, I was then able to push the leg of the T into the cover's slot. It helped to stretch the material a bit, then push it back into shape. The final product is just a friction fit, but I don't think it's going anywhere. Pics below.

LOUD MOUSE · Post by **LOUD MOUSE** » Fri Mar 17, 2017 6:08 pm

I'll admit I don't know all there is to know abut the DREAM bikes and parts.
I do have a question though as I have seen several.
Where in the parts book is shown a rubber strip that HONDA installed on those covers? ........lm

Seadog wrote:Not much accomplished over the last couple of days. I did manage to set the valves and the static timing. Good to see that that part of the electrical system is working. I'd like to check the spark too, but I won't crank the engine without oil in it; that'll happen when the clutch cover is finally installed.

I decided to do something about the missing rubber material along the top edge of the "distribution box" - the right side cover over the coil, rectifier and solenoid. I had removed the dried and broken remnants of that material before painting the cover. I had read somewhere on the forum that some had used a modified windshield wiper blade to form a new gasket/seal. Since I had an old blade, I decided to give it a try. I had to wing it, since I found no other information about how the modification was done. I started to whittle the blade down with an X-Acto knife, but the rubber was just too soft. I ended up using a small pair of surgical scissors to cut off the extra bits. The end product was a T shape. I had to widen the slot in the cover a little bit, using a popsicle stick as a lever. With a little difficulty, I was then able to push the leg of the T into the cover's slot. It helped to stretch the material a bit, then push it back into shape. The final product is just a friction fit, but I don't think it's going anywhere. Pics below.