82' 750 Resurrection

Top end torn down today!

Measured all the valve clearances, I have 4 that are out of spec and need replacing.

Cam shafts looked really good with no signs of wear.

I can tell the gasket went bad it some places with rust/corrosion build up. Pistons look good and I will measure the rings for specs.

Seems there is a ton of cleaning to do for the gasket surfaces and bolts/studs. Are there plastic inserts/sleeves for the studs? Seems there is plastic around some of them which is now super brittle and breaking.

 

Looks great. The shims are the 29mm type and there is a shim pool around here someplace. Those piston tops can be cleaned with a small brash brush and some B112 Chemtool. It will take that carbon off those in no time. No hard brushes, you don't want to hurt the top of those pistons.

Thanks for pics and keep doing good work.

 

Making slow but steady progress.

Removed all the pistons and they have gone through multiple cleaning stages.

Cylinder and cylinder head were soda blasted for carbon removal. No, the actual cylinders were not blasted. Outsides cleaned in prep for paint.

All o-rings, gaskets and locating pins/dowels were removed and added to my list for Chacal.

Took some time to take the studs out. Some help with heat and air gun made all the difference. Studs will be cleaned up on brass wheel, I believe there are replacement sheathing in one of the top end kits? I think this relates to the plastic on the studs. I'll let someone answer that.

Currently working/struggling on getting the gaskets removed and surfaces cleaned. I let gasket remover sit overnight in hopes that it works.

Looking at the cylinder head surface, its smooth but looks dirty still. My OCD wonders if this is normal or if it can be cleaned any further? No abrasives on the head surfaces, this I know.

 

Looking good, keep up the great work.

 

bolt sheathing comes in one of the chacal kits not all the bolts get it

 

that head looks good to me

 

Just read through to this point - really enjoying the posts. Keep it up for us lurkers!

 

Tools finally came in for me to work on the valves. All of them are now removed and will need to be cleaned before lapping. I will also remove the remaining carbon build up around the valve seats.

In the meantime I was able to remove all remaining gasket material and primed the final drive for paint.

Need to get the engine outside for a good de-grease scrub before priming and painting (rain rain go away).

Is there a write up on replacing the valve seals? It's mentioned in the manual but no direction.

Hopefully this week I can possibly finish up the valve head completely and begin painting it.

 

Lap Valves - Yes
Hone Cylinders - Yes
Prime parts - Yes
Paint Swing Arm - Yes

Next steps are applying final paint color then working on areas that will be polished aluminum.

 

Someone is taking there time and really enjoying this build. Great pics and thanks for sharing. Looks like you have a nice clean warm work area, that really helps too. Keep the updates coming.

 

Finally have some time to upload some pics.

Engine is now fully painted black. Valve head, cylinder jugs, starter motor and the engine case itself. Those areas masked off are covers that I will either polish or eventually paint depending on how I decide the final design.

I've made the decision to take the frame and some other parts to be sand blasted. There is just too much rust for me to remove myself and I would like for the entire surface to be cleaned properly before paint.

In the meantime I will be gathering my final lists of parts to order from Chacal. One thing I cannot seem to find is the torque specs on for the main head studs and the smaller studs on the valve head. Anyone have that handy?

Also is is recommended to use gasket sealant when applying new main gaskets? Or just apply the gasket itself?

 

Frame and triple tree parts are back from sandblasting! They look great. A little cleanup on my end and they will be set for paint. I've also cleaned up both the center stand and side stand for painting.

I still cannot locate torque specs for the cylinder head-to-crankcase LONG STUDS or cylinder jugs-to-upper crankcase MOUNTING STUDS (According to Chacal's inventory).

Now I have a Haynes manual but there is no indication for the actual studs, just the nuts. Help is appreciated!

 

Seems to me that when you torque the nut on a stud, the same torque is applied to the stud-to-blind hole end. Maybe that is why there is no separate spec. My thinking may be terribly wrong though.

 

That is my original thought too, but want to make sure

 

Don't take my word for it, use your Google-Fu or wait for someone else to chime in.
Found this video using studs when replacing a head:

 

Interesting and good video!

My google-fu so far showed 10mm studs are from 15-22 ft-lbs MAX torque. So there may be some truth in the video above for just setting them past hand tight, then torque the nuts to manual specs

 

Hello everyone! Been a while since I posted last, hope you all are staying safe!

Bike progress got pushed back a little but I have been getting back to work on it.

Some more parts have arrived including my main gasket set.

My last post included some parts that went off for sand blasting, I have since painted the frame, triple tree and the stands.

I also re-installed all the valves and dove into the clutch side to take a look. Seems I will need new friction plates.

I will flip the engine over and take off the oil pan cover to inspect this week. Clean out any gunk if I find any.

Seems now I just need to order my piston ring set, circlips, crush washers, alignment dowels, friction plate kit etc. to get the engine put back together!

 

Just peruse this thread.......from start to finish........nice job Brandon......

 

Huge order with Chacal has been placed, parts arriving Monday!

I was able to get the oil pan off, clean out the gunk and all gasket surfaces.

Finally ready to start putting this all back together

 

Test fitting my gaskets and not really sure if these are actually correct...which I'd be pretty mad about. Thoughts?

Also which studs get the plastic sheathing? Is it the front 5 studs? Going from Cyl 1 to end of 3?

 

Took some serious time today and built the engine up!

All new hardware from Chacal for the top end, thanks! Piston rings, dowels, studs, sheathing etc.

Top end is all torqued down and ready to install the camshafts. Once installed I will double check the valve clearances (new shims).

Still need to strip the valve cover and paint...

 

Ok got the camshafts installed and began checking the valve clearances.....

So I measured when I first tore down the engine and wrote down all the info. Purchased new shims that were needed based on those measurements.

Now I have like 2 that are within spec...prime example intake/exhaust for cyl 1 did not get new shims. Measuring now exhaust is the same as before and on the intake side there is no clearance....

Not sure if I installed the camshafts improperly or if I completely measured wrong to begin with...

I am tempted to pull the cams and re-install then measure again. Or should I assume I did it wrong the first time and now need all new shims?

 

did you mix up intake and exhaust cams?

I see you lapped the valves that would change shim clearances too

 

Cams are in their correct spots (went and double checked). I would feel real dumb if I did that

Yes valves have been lapped, didn't account for that to change clearances.

Guess best option would be to verify all valve clearances now and need to swap/order all new shims. Most of them have no clearance so this should be fun.

I saw somewhere that Hogfiddles does shim swaps?

 

They got an I and E stamped on them

 

yes Hogfiddles runs the shim pool.

 

What is the bolt sheathing for and what is it made of?

 

From what I've read it helps with vibration noise. You can either put it on there or not, decided to add it back since it was there originally.

I am guessing its high temp thick shrink wrap, though I saw some just use regular shrink wrap on all studs (minus the outer studs on 1 and 4)

 

I am working on my engine so I will put some of this on too.

 

Been slacking on the photo uploads and progress updates.

Received some shims in from Hogfiddles and swapped them in. Turns out I still need another for Cyl 1 Intake side as it only had 0.04mm clearance with a 2.60mm shim. According to the chart, a 2.50mm shim should fix this.

Still trying to source that last shim, but not stopping me from moving forward with assembly.

Cleaned up and painted the valve cover, alternator cover, rear brake drum, side covers etc. All have been installed (minus valve cover) with polishing all bolts.

Engine back in the frame! Remembered to place that airbox in first.

Torqued all the mounting bolts appropriately. I am missing 2 bolts for the front upper engine mount (triangle mount), will need to order from Chacal.

Triple-tree installed with clean bearings and new grease. No play up/down and turning easily.

I added the original forks back with the front wheel just to get it on it's center stand. I have a new/used pair that I still need to rebuild.

Last item yesterday was installing the handlebar hardware and the bar just to see how it all looks.


My plan is to get the swing arm, old suspension (will be buying new shocks) and rear wheel on today. Move into installing the new clutch and closing up that side.

 

Been moving right along with getting the bike built up. Swing arm is now in, temp front end built ect.

Found some more parts I needed and placed an order with Chacal.

Now today I got the carb rack in and was working with the airbox boots (what a pain). I think the boots I have are not for a Seca...they seem to be too long and do not allow for the box to sit forward enough for the screw holes.

Can't seem to find any on Ebay while I know Chacal has aftermarket ones. Thoughts?

 

the air boots have an orentation that little tab on top fits into 2 tabs on air box

750 maxim and seca use the same boots

 

Are those tabs locating just inside the box? There are none on the outside for the rubber tab to fit into

 

1. The little rubber nub on top of the boot should be oriented at the top of the airbox hole. If the two indexing bumps have broken if, it doesn’t matter.... just center the nub at 12:00.

2. Have you pushed the airbox all the way forward and tightened the mounting bolts?

3. Do NOT grease them. The airbox boots need a DRY fit onto the carbs..... otherwise they will slide off when you tighten the clamps

 

No grease used, only heat to make them soft.


At this point the box is all the way forward and the nubs are just inside. I cannot seem to get them to go flush, I may need to just purchase all new ones as these are pretty stiff...

Also got your shim and clearance is good! Posting pics in a bit

 

Gotta get that lip to the outside. The airbox surface sits in the groove between the lips

 

I will give it another shot!

 

My final shim came in from Hogfiddles and now all valves are in spec!

Closed up the top end with a new valve cover gasket and fresh bolt seals.

Moved onto installing the exhaust today, new hardware kit worked like a charm from Chacal.

Hope to get this thing fired up this week once wire harness is back in

 

Parts in from Chacal and eBay!

Threw on some of those along with new oil filter o-ring, filter and bolt. New engine oil and final drive oil in!

Reading through another post I realized I over torqued the swing arm; inch pounds vs. ft pounds. So pulled entire swing arm off and checked everything over, all good. Re-installed and torqued to proper specs this time.

Now in the pic below when I pulled parts off originally I placed this 3" spacer and washer(?) together with the rear axle. Now I assume the spacer goes into the hub of the final drive unit for the axle, no idea about the washer though. I do not see it in any parts diagrams...not sure if PO added it or if it actually belongs somewhere.

Jumped the starter to listen to the engine turning over, sounds nice and smooth.

Working on those airbox boots and getting the wire harness in tomorrow!

 

Well went ahead and got the wire harness in and hooked everything up to get her to run!

She's alive! A bit rough with the airbox not hooked up but it runs!

Reached out to Chacal to solve the boot issue and turns out I have boots for a 650 (they are longer and are angled). So ordered a correct 750 set

Need to clean up my work area and begin work on the forks, brakes and headlight.

Later today I will do a warm compression test to see what my numbers are. Bike started without any start fluid and minimum choke. Had to adjust idle and fuel mix a little to get all cylinders to run.

Youtube Link -

 

Ok so got it warmed up and performed compression test...

Cyl 1 - 105
Cyl 2 - 105
Cyl 3 - 120
Cyl 4 - 105

Not too siked about these numbers since they are lower than when I first got the bike...not sure if the new rings need time to seat in properly for a good seal (gaps where all checked before install)

Maybe I fudged up the ring orientation? Gaps facing particular ways, the manual does not explain that one so had to do some research.

Checked and I have no oil leaks at any of the gasket surfaces.

I am certain that my timing is right but can always tear the cover off and triple check...

On another note I noticed that Cyl 3 and 4 where not firing all the time and were receiving too much air. Covered carbs with hand and they jumped to life. Hoping once my airbox boots get in that it will solve that issue. Obviously need to to a proper carb sync as well.

 

Mail call from Len (Chacal) from Monday! New airbox boots are in and my my what a difference! So now I have a set of 650 boots to get rid of.

Pulled the carbs off to do another bench sync and got her fired up. Struggling to obtain idle and 3,4 are not firing all the time. Turning the mixture screw back a bit seemed to help but I feel they are still getting too much air.

Decided it was time to take them back to the Church of Clean and actually replace my throttle shaft seals..I know I know...

Overall they were in decent shape. 1 seal on carb 2 and 4 were beat up/cracked. Replacement parts coming in hot from Len!

Working on cleaning up the front wiring and getting the rear brake shoes installed today.

Have parts for my front calipers/brakes coming in next week.

 

Chacal does it again! New throttle shaft seals and screws for the butterfly valves (Upgraded to the stainless button head ones).

Threw the new seals in and checked over the carbs. Performed a proper bench sync with instructions from Gamuru.

Reset all mixture screws to 2.5 turns out and back into the bike they went.

Half choke got her running, only on 1 & 2 until I opened #2 sync screw up a little more. Spiked up to just below 4K RPM but was steady. Backed down the idle screw and got her to idle just at 1K. Confirmed that all 4 are now firing and after revving up she returns to idle quickly.

Sounds so good now!

Rear brake shoes installed, snapped the cinch bolt to hold the actuating lever arm (new list begins). Front calipers have been stripped and painted, new brakes and lines are in but waiting on caliper rebuild kit.

Next steps are moving towards the forks and eventually the tank situation

 

Alright, so I gave the fork set I got from a member a good cleaning and looked them over. Not leaking and seals look pretty new. Spring bounces back nicely and so forth. For now I am going to keep them as is and give them a rebuild possibly during the winter.

Still waiting on parts to come in for my calipers so front brakes are still on hold.

Onto the tank...

I knew this would be an undertaking but totally doable. RUST lots of rust, on the outside and inside. Dings and dents which all can be repaired with bondo.

Stripped the paint and got to work with removing the built up rust with a wire wheel. Moved to 150 grit sand paper once that was done and shes actually cleaning up. Had to order some supplies to make this job easier so that should be here in a few days.

Inside of the tank will be flushed with evapo-rust then coated with the POR-15 tank sealant. Before that step I need to plug the pinholes I found on various locations. Should be able to do this with a solder weld.

I am going to change the color to a different Yamaha paint code; Yamaha Kingston Grey

 

Tank progress is going well!

I was able to solder weld all of the visible pin holes and sand back the solder. More showed up once Evapo-rust was added and went to work. All were located and sealed!

Evapo-Rust is amazing stuff, cleaned out the entire tank after letting it sit for over a day. Rinsed out the tank and dried quickly with a heat gun.

Poured the POR-15 tank sealant in and worked it around. Now need to let the tank sit for 3 days before attempting to add fuel, which we are not there just yet.

My caliper rebuild kit finally arrived so I assembled those and looking to get them installed tomorrow. Also gave the inside of the rotors a fresh paint job.

I have a new list for the legend Chacal for tank parts and other items. Plan for remainder of the week is to get the front brake situation finalized.

 

lead body work is becoming a lost art

 

Been doing electrical soldering forever, first time trying it for body repair work. A bit different but it came out nice. I'll add some pics of the welds

 

Well RIP my left front caliper...I had suspicions that it was damaged and probably would not work/be safe on the bike.



Wasn't 100% clear until I mounted it and noticed how wobbly it was...right side caliper was NOT this way.

YouTube Link to feast your eyes on:

Anyway, decided to take some pictures of the progress for changing out the brake pads and hardware.

Replace the rubber grommets for the slide pin, add shim plate back to slide pin block, U shape spring goes in first, add shim to one pad which will go against the piston, add other pad and insert pin, attach slide block with slide pin and secure with new cotter pin, secure pad pin with new cotter pin.

I used brake quiet lubrication for the shim areas and the spring.

Luckily I found a LH caliper on Ebay and snagged it, have not seen one available for a while.

Decided I am not going to keep the function of the Anti-dive and added the blocking bolts to my Chacal order. Also looks like I spoke too soon about my forks not leaking, and well now they are leaking...so add that to the list

Attached the RH caliper and new brake line. Performed a reverse-bleed with syringe and tested the brake. Works as it should! Now this will all need to be re-done once the LH caliper arrives but it's nice to finally have a front brake.

 

More parts from Chacal have arrived and I took a deep dive into my forks today (pun intended).

Cleaned every part and found I have one wrong oil seal spacer washer that sits under the oil seal for one of the forks. Salvaged the correct one from the original fork set. Both of the washers that are apart of the anti-dive system on the damper rod for each fork were mangled beyond saving. So need to order 2 of each before re-assembling. There is a washer that sits on top of the oil seal before the oil seal clip, those I will also be replacing since they are pitted.

I will be doing a full new write up on renewing the forks for the 81-83 Seca Series. This includes what you get in the rebuild kit from Chacal. There are a ton more parts in there that could be useful if they have pictures to go along with.

My plan is to get the forks wrapped up this week so I can focus on the major piece; Gas Tank

 

FYI, there’s already a number of write-ups on the forks......but you’re welcome to do It anyway.....