A forum for stories, pics and updates of your resto's. Be it a barn find, Grampas hand me down or a bike being brought back to it's former glory.If you are restoring it, show us your stuff!
Yes, I already began searching for another engine... I am sure the Mrs. will think I am certifiable if I bring home another so soon.
Cookie wrote:I'd be tempted to turn it on it's side and pour acid in to clean it up, followed by ATF for a few days soaking.
Oh really? Hmmm... What acid do you suggest... muratic? I just happen to have 1/2 a bottle of that.
Maybe I'll start looking for oversized pistons availability and look into having it bored. I think I read on another post about them from Frenchy but I maybe they were for a 1000 not a 1100... and I didn't see them listed on cresentmoon.
More research is in order before I make anykind of decision I guess, and so far I am out nothing and at the very least have a bunch of spare parts.
Never have been the optomist, or a pesimist... I consider myself a realist
Cookie wrote:
Swapping an engine would be quicker than repairing it.
A lot quicker. At the point you are now it would be about a hour of work to swap the engines. Looks like all that is left is the driveshaft and the mount bolts, stator wires etc. Nothing to it.
"Agreement is not a requirement for Respect" CDR Michael Smith USN (Ret) 2017
"The book is wrong, this whole Conclusion is Fallacious" River Tam
"Yea I do dance awkwardly, and I am having more fun than you" Taylor Swift
2008 GL1800 IIIA "TH3DOG"
1984 GL1200 Standard
1975/6/7/8/9 Arthur Fulmer Dressed Road bike
1975 Naked Noisy and Nasty in town bike
Psst. oh and by the way CHANGE YOUR BELTS!!!!
I'd put a oiled scotch brite pad to it and see what it looks like. With the cyl near bottom dead center, you might even get a ball hone in there !!
In fact, scotch brite them all and see if she turns over.
What was the bike parked?
Mark Bauer
1980 GL1100 Std w/Vetter Package
First Stage - Make her look good and run good - COMPLETE
Second stage - Customize - Scheduled for winter 2009/10, moved out to 2010/11 'cause I finally found my '83 donor bike
mdbauer1962 wrote:I'd put a oiled scotch brite pad to it and see what it looks like. With the cyl near bottom dead center, you might even get a ball hone in there !!
In fact, scotch brite them all and see if she turns over.
That’s the plan... sort of. I scrounged the garage “chemical shelfâ€Â
The reason I'd try some acid is to let it do the dirty work and to try to get it up to the rings.
WF is right it's not the right way to do it but as soon as you get the bore clean you should have some idea what you are facing.
Enjoy life,
Cookie
A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad.
Owner of 4.4 76s and one lone 75 Wings (does a spare engine make .2?)
Roady wrote:Just a small thing here ... I think you're talking about #2 cylinder.
If you sit on the bike, #1 is front right, #2 front left, #3 rear right, #4 rear left.
---Front---
2 -------- 1
4 -------- 3
Oops! you are correct left front cyl (sitting on the seat). Looking straight down you can see it is set further back that the front cyl on the right side. I was going by what was on the plug wires "ENG 1"... Huh they must have gotten swapped sometime in the last 28 years
Thanks!
Clean-up is slow. I bought a fresh brass "tooth" brush to aid in crud removal.
My bike was surprisingly unmolested by either of the two PO's.
But one thing that was mixed up was the plug wires. They had been shifted around and one had been shortened about an inch. Made it tough figuring it out so I really had to understand the cylinder numbers. Well, that and valve adjustments did it.
The cylinder cleaned up quite a bit but still has some remnants to remove and then I'll hit it with the hone... wanted to wait and see if it would free up. I used the rust remover with the brass brush followed by brake clean last night then hosed it down yet again with penetrant afterwards and then again this morning before leaving the house, then I sprayed it just now and gave the wheel a bump... Voila! The tire spun! 8) almost startled me after not going past about 2" of play for so long! worked it back and forth spraying it down on all 4 cylinders. I didn't force it to make a complete revolution just back and forth where it is free for now.
Tonight we are off to the Elks lodge for weekly booze-n-chow but tomorrow I should be able to spend some time on her then measure the bore and see what happens.
hey !!! Its amazing, but I seen some pretty far gone engines brought back from the brink. If the cyl walls are not too pitted, It may run again !!!! Keep us posted - I am a sucker for "you'll never get it to run". I love to see junk turn to gold !!!!
Mark Bauer
1980 GL1100 Std w/Vetter Package
First Stage - Make her look good and run good - COMPLETE
Second stage - Customize - Scheduled for winter 2009/10, moved out to 2010/11 'cause I finally found my '83 donor bike
Well... here is the rough draft... no punn intended... what do you think?
I lightly hit it with the hone, not wanting to remove major material yet but rather to just "clean" it up to geat an idea of how bad it really is. I need to bring a 3" mic from work and see where I am at now. I think the shadowing in the pics makes it look worse than it really is but you can hopefully get an idea. And you can feel the pits with your thumbnail. The only oversized pistons I can find are 3 pistons and 2 ring sets at .025" over and I have been calling around for another engine if needed.
In truth that's exactly what I thought you'd have. I'd risk a $50 head gasket on that and run it for a bit and see if it broke in. At the worst it costs you $50 and you get some pracctice.
Enjoy life,
Cookie
A guy with two sidecars can't be all bad.
Owner of 4.4 76s and one lone 75 Wings (does a spare engine make .2?)
you are correct left front cyl (sitting on the seat). Looking straight down you can see it is set further back that the front cyl on the right side. I was going by what was on the plug wires "ENG 1"... Huh they must have gotten swapped sometime in the last 28 years 
