Another B4 Build

[bsodders]

So after deciding not to sell the B4, I completely lost my marbles and decided to tear it down and build it up to decent standards.  For the life of me I couldn't figure out what those grab bar looking things under the tail were for so I cut them off. 

[bsodders]

I lost those knee pads and filled em in- another eyesore gone-

[bsodders]

And added a few welds to hopefully strengthen things up a bit- I guess- but really just to weld something.  However after a lengthy battle with the center stand brackets I figured I may as well sure up the other mount a bit. 

[bsodders]

A little bondo-

[bsodders]

And some primer goes a long way.  This might be one of the slowest builds ever but I'll be plugging away until the master plan comes together.

[vwkaferman]

Looking good, keep the updates comin, we're not ignoring you!

James

[bsodders]

And a couple base coats of good old fashion rust-oleum super bright flat white.  I think I might leave the tank the original lipstick red, spray everything else in bright white followed by a few clear coats and then do the rims in an interesting blue of some sort.  I'm halfway thinking the anodized looking blue they had on the 3rd gen trans am rims.   

[bsodders]

OK, 3 coats of clear are on and while I'm waiting for them to fully cure I figured that since I'm in the habit of changing my mind- I'd go ahead and get the tank ready for paint too.  Alas, it will not remain lipstick red after all-  Some 400 grit wet sanding took the clear right off the stickers and they were ready for scraping.

[bsodders]

The sticker area is down to the factory primer, which is a tad too far and somewhat necessary, but I can build up that area with a coat of primer before paint.  After the other sticker is off I'll wet sand the whole tank ranging from 400 to 1200 grit then apply 2 base coats and 3 or so clear coats.  But what damned color....

[bsodders]

And some rims:  I stopped by  a friends shop to see if he had any old paint laying around.  Turns out he had an old can of ppg that was for 1915 model t rims that were blue, and I was welcome to it.  Sooo, a little thinning and tinting later I came up with what you see in the photo below.  The rears have a few runs but the front is spot on.  I have no idea what the color is though-

[bsodders]

        I think for now that's about all the major stuff I can do.  Next I'll need to put the motor back in the frame and start adding bits and pieces to it.  I cut the perches off my tripple tree and need to have it milled- so that will hold up the front end construction and I still need to paint the swingarm and that willhold up the rear.  Tires would probably help and I have an idea for the exhaust that is currently restricted to persons with a 'Q' clearance or better.  Tig welding required.  Also I would like to run pods and a less restricted exhaust, jetting will of course be an issue, advice is welcome.

[bsodders]

        After a few days of drying my shortcomings as a painter became apparent.  The darker colors of the old base coat and the cheap dark primer I used, started to bleed through.  It's a mistake a pro would likely not make but I am but a novice.  So I countered that by wet sanding and repainting with the same color I did the rims with.  And as for now it looks pretty damned good.  Especially cradling the engine again.

[bsodders]

        Seeing the motor in motivated me a bit more so I went ahead and bolted on a few more things.  Day by day and bit by bit it's coming together.  Hopefully by spring it'll be up and running and ready for dyno tuning.  It's kind of rewarding I must admit,  my general frustration with the B4 was having so many tiny things go wrong that were attributed to lack of maintenance by the PO.  Basically I was fed up with it one day and decided to sell it, then went really off my rocker and figured if I tore it all down and inspected everything as it went on the frame, I'd be home free and able to keep a bike that I really enjoy in the first place.  All of this was highlighted by the condition of the swing arm bearings, while not bad, the grease had obviously never replaced and there were signs of moisture contamination.  Did this affect the handling, probably not but now I know for certain it will not as they have been cleaned and repacked.  Just one example of many problems adding up one large pile of unrideable crap.  The intake orings were another big one; dirty carbs, cdi, plugs, wires, coils, etc..... 

[bsodders]

Since everyone likes quickies..... Here's my undertail, all it does at the end of the day is hold the cdi, signals, plate and plate light.  Most of which are being relocated, all it took was a jig saw, a standard grinding wheel and a piece of sand paper.

[bsodders]

So a bit more has happened since last week.  I went to drill out the ignition swith from the tree and whilst doing so I could not help but notice that the machine was also a mill.  With the switch out I replaced the drill bit with a mill bit and an hour later the remains of the bar perches were gone.  Thusly my front end went back together a bit more along with a few other odds and ends.  Also I found a sit with what I believe are factory big bore pistons for the B4, www.clawsonmotorports.com, I'm waiting for an email confirmation from them so don't quote me just yet.  Also here's another site with oodles of information you might like, starting with hommade high test.......http://www.rbracing-rsr.com
either way, here's a photo.