I hear ya!!!

:D:D:D:D:D

so....today I was able to remove the -1 on the rear brake. the rear master cylinder arrived. I went ahead and got new/used hose and reservoir too. all together, bled out. working like a champ.

I finished buttoning up the engine side cover and added oil back in. no leaks or drips since last night. all good in that department too.

new headers are being picked up in FL by a friend who's bringing them back to NC.

I'm getting more excited to get it running. that'll be a big step!

I'm going to try to get new throttle cables before that though.

I pulled the radiator and oil cooler off the front, then removed the headers. that was so I could remove the coolant log on the front of the motor to replace o-ring seals. just precautionary maintenance. also did the same with the rear coolant log which is hidden behind the carbs.

How bad was this job? I have to do the same for my 2005 plus the t stat gasket. Color of the text is my vote for color of the bike.

Are you planing on bringing the bike to RWTW? I would like to check it out.

Roy

you basically have to clear all the plastics and air/heat pieces under that. once you get it all off, it wasn't too bad. three bolts hold the oil cooler to the bracket. two bolts on each side hold the bracket to the frame. remove the exhaust cans to make it easier to move around the headers. there are a couple bolts on each side of the headers behind the rider footpegs. that was probably the toughest part because of the rust. pulling off the coolant log was easy. getting the rear log off requires pulling the carbs. that's a bit of a test. There are some good instructions for that on the COG website. not sure if you're a member or not. I can help with those if you can't access them.

As for RWTW, not sure if we'll be there or not. I'm planning to be at the spring event in Maggie Valley, but doubt this will be ready by then. will probably have the sidecar there.

making progress. I went and picked up some 4-into-1 headers which a friend in Texas had. he took them to FL to a COG event and a friend here in NC that was going picked them up for me and brought them back.

got them installed on the bike and buttoned up the radiator and oil cooler. put some rattle can orange on the tank just to see what it looked like. still lots to do, but here's the results so far.

I am waiting for new throttle cables to arrive. I'll get them installed and then try to get her running for the first time.

Thanks for the quick reply. You are making great progress with the cafe project. Really starting look like a cafe racer. I have a clapped out 2000 Connie in a storage shed and you are giving me lots of ideas. The last thing I need is another project.

I am a member of COG. We spoke briefly as Dave Despain was pulling into TWOs on a KLR sidecar.

pull that baby out of the shed and let's get started! :)

PM me if you need any other info. I've never done the coolant log rings on my other C10s. I only did these because things were already apart and worth the little bit extra to replace them. I just hope they don't start leaking AFTER my maintenance! :D

anyone good with paint? my paint job on the front fender turned out quite a bit better than the tank. I think the reason is the final coat on the fender was heavier and the paint settled to a smoother finish.

so question is...do I finish sand and buff the tank, or sand down and re-do it?

it's a learning process and I'm absolutely untrained. perhaps untrainable. :D

so, trying a little tinkering. P800 scratch pad to try to even up the paint. then p1500 wet sanding. seems to get it to the point that I'll be able to buff and polish. Still open to any thoughts/ideas.

Once you get it smoothed out wipe it down with a tack cloth and spray it with a clear coat.

If it is a single stage paint, then multiple wet sanding stages and a buff as long as the paint isn't too thin. Otherwise, let it cure, sand it back some, and spray it again.

If a 2 stage paint, going with a couple extra coats of clear and a lot of work with wet sanding before the final buff will give a nearly perfect mirror finish regardless of how much orange peel may be on the base coat.

it's a rattle can gloss, so pretty sure that would be considered single stage.

wet sand with the 1500? 2000? I think I have plenty of paint to stand up to the sanding.

I would have to see the finish to really judge where to start, but if the finish is uneven enough I have gone as coarse as 800 grit to knock down the peaks quickly, then 1000, 1500, 2000. I have wet sanded all the way to 3000 grit before, which makes the buffing stage go rather quickly lol.

well, first...keep in mind this is not going to be displayed as a great finish to begin with. it's really me tinkering more than anything. I didn't fix/repair any dents and imperfections, just scratch up the surface and start painting. In time I will have it done professionally (local shop that did my sidecar rig). I buffed the front fender last night and got it to a pretty good shine....all things considered. it's got some imperfections and not a mirror finish by any means. but it'll do for my purposes.

the tank was another issue. I decided to scratch up the surface again and put more paint down. it flowed together a bit better, but going to have to do some real sanding to get it to look better. will do as you suggested. Maybe go back to 60 grit to start. LOL Honestly, I'll probably start at 400 and work my way up. it's that rough.

new throttle cables came in this week, so last night I got them installed. nice to have the throttle snap back now. http://zggtr.org/Smileys/default/cheesy.gif

I got fluids added back in. problems with the ring seals on the rear coolant log. had to remove and install a few times to get it sealed up properly. I realized that I had a split in the ring. fortunately I had another on hand. that was a bit of a pain in the butt cause I put the carbs on before filling, so had to remove them. reinstalled after I was sure there were no leaks.

attached is a current pic. not much looks different except that I have the front fender painted. the tank is still a work in progress. I have further sanding and buffing to complete that. I still have to clean the inside and seal it before it goes into service.

this weekend I'm going to swap over the tank and battery from the 05 and work on getting the motor running. wish me luck! http://zggtr.org/Smileys/default/shocked.gif

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