1978 GL 1000 "The Tank" Resoration Project

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!

Moderators: Brant, Sagebrush, Forum Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
shieldsm
Billet Alum. Member
Billet Alum. Member
Posts: 256
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:33 am
Location: Chisago City, MN

78' GL1000: The Tank

#16

Post by shieldsm »

Alright, finally was able to pick up the bike from my brother's today. Let's just say it did not start out to well...

Blew my truck tire about 60 miles from home. 2hrs of cussing and swearing I changed the tire and then proceeded to open my truck door and low and behold my keys and cell phone are sitting inside with the doors locked. Cussing and swearing x2. Wait an hour until wife arrives. Take inventory of my sanity and proceed.

I bought the bike from my brother who has not touched it in over 4 years in which at that time he bought from a dealer. This is the first time I was able to actually look at the bike. My first impressions were pretty positive (see pic below).

The good:
-Overall good condition. Electrical connections all look sound. No major rust spots anywhere.
-Aftermarket Corbin seat. Bonus #1
-Dynatek III Ignition. Bonus #2

The bad:
-My bro had battery charging problems. Most likely the regulator or rectifier. He bought one of those combo units off a CBR600 but never got around to installing it. The battery is fried as well.

The ugly:
-It is dirty! Looks like some collect of oil surrounding the exhaust manifold but it also could be the lubricating oil that I sprayed on the spark plugs in order to remove them tomorrow.

First thing will be to clean bike as is. #2 will be timing belts. #3 will be Randakk's starting procedures for a long layup. Wish me luck!
The Tank.jpg
Dynatek.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
gregforesi
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4999
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:42 pm
My Album: http://www.ngwclub.com/gallery/v/wingmans/Greg+Foresi/
Location: Venice, FL

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#17

Post by gregforesi »

If you can - give it a good blow at the quarter car wash before you start into it. "Grunge" directly affects your attitude when disassembling.
2006 GL1800 (Brutus Maximus)
1978 GL1000 (White Trash - 2012 BOTY
(If you want to discuss the Trashmobile, Webers, Rearsets, Clubmans, or other stuff then send me a PM.)
"Getting old ain't for sissies" - Phyllis Diller
"So how much you gonna spend to win that $5 trophy?" - Cyborg
User avatar
robin1731
Membership Admin
Membership Admin
Posts: 21856
Joined: Mon May 29, 2006 8:31 am
Location: Decatur, Indiana

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#18

Post by robin1731 »

gregforesi wrote:If you can - give it a good blow at the quarter car wash before you start into it. "Grunge" directly affects your attitude when disassembling.
I'll double that. I buy quite a few old barn finds, garage relics. lolol First thing I do after picking them up is hit the car wash. Usually as close to the purchase point as possible. That way it is pretty dry by the time I get home too.

And that does look like a very good starting point.
1976 Goldwing Super Sport
1985 Honda Elite
1976 KZ900 Dragbike
1992 ZX7 Dragbike (KZ900 style motor w/NOS)
and a rotation of various purchases
Randakk approved Carb Rebuilder
User avatar
rcmatt007
Treasurer
Treasurer
Posts: 31585
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:48 pm
My Album: http://www.ngwclub.com/gallery/v/wingmans/rcmatt007/
Location: New River Valley, Virginia

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#19

Post by rcmatt007 »

be REALLY REALLY careful at a car wash.... that hose will put water into places you would think it could never get... I toasted a starter relay once that way

let me add.... the 78's are mighty purdy bikes
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
User avatar
bob
Silver Member
Silver Member
Posts: 559
Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 5:28 pm
Location: Cape Cod, Mass,USA

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#20

Post by bob »

That is pretty!
75 GL1000, blue-green, 49K
81 GL1100 basket case
86 Aspencade, runs good, no clutch
82 Standard, rider
84 Standard, finally! Project bike, Thanks again, Dave...

I AM the man from Nantucket.....
User avatar
shieldsm
Billet Alum. Member
Billet Alum. Member
Posts: 256
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:33 am
Location: Chisago City, MN

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#21

Post by shieldsm »

I took the next 2 days off to dedicate to the bike. My man cave is ready as I have spent some time getting everything set up. I am an anal organize freak type of guy. I plan to wash at home just to be safe. I have a power washer but I may just use some gold old elbow grease to wash her by hand. Also bought the Craftsman bike lift tomake things easier. My lower back cannot handle too much. Spent my allowance for the month.
heraldhamster
Honored Life Member
Honored Life Member
Posts: 4652
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:52 pm
Location: up by the Canadian border in WA state

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#22

Post by heraldhamster »

re: the charging problem... you might want to give a good close look at the "3-wire" connector that comes out of the stator in the rear cover and goes up to the rectifier, I believe... it'll be near the battery vent hose (looking at the battery it is on the left hand side). bad place for it as all those fumes tended to give acceleration to corrosion of the internal prongs inside the connector and once they go there's more resistance, and then there's more corrosion... me? I solder 'em to each other & heat shrink them and completely eliminate the connector. any yellow wire goes to any yellow wire. and the only time you need to undo the connection is if you remove the engine.
sorta bulldogged custom 1978 GL1000 - "geekster"
full Vetter dress 1979 GL1000 - "Barge" (currently down)
1986 1200 Aspencade - "Heart of Gold" - daily rider
1990 1500 Aspencade - It's ALIVE! but very, very naked. not in a good way.
1978 for $100 - project in worx
1978 from a previous member here - taking up space
my original '79 bought in '91 - replacing engine (eventually, maybe someday)
added an '05 1800 to the stable, all the rest gotta go

H2G2=42

A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity. ~ Robert A. Heinlein

The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson
User avatar
Slabghost
Titanium Member
Titanium Member
Posts: 391
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2010 9:01 pm
Location: Wintersville, Oh.

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#23

Post by Slabghost »

Nice bike to start with! Congrats!
Genius has it's limits. Stupity does not!
80 GL1100 dresser, 81 Gl1100 w/fairing and rack, 82 KZ750ltd, 78 KZ750 twin,
78 KZ650 basket case, 82 KZ650 in progress, 82? Seca750 not running, 85 Virago 700,
84 Vulcan 700, 75 CB200T, A couple extra motors.
What's MBS?
User avatar
shieldsm
Billet Alum. Member
Billet Alum. Member
Posts: 256
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:33 am
Location: Chisago City, MN

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#24

Post by shieldsm »

Day 1 accomlishements:

-Wash, wash, wash. It looks much better
-Pulled plugs and shot some lube in there.
-Drained and removed radiator to get at the timing belts
-Proceed to change timing belts. Everything looks pretty good inside. Only got about halfway. Will finish tommorow and check/adjust valves.

Also-thanks for the tip on the charging problems. That will be next after the belts and valves.

I noticed a couple things when removing the timing covers. There seems to be a fine layer of rust powder/dirt on the pullys and such. Not too bad but wondering what I should use to clean this area safely. I was thinking of running some WD40 or type and use a cutetip and get at all the spleens. I just want to have everything looking nice and clean but don't want to blast the wrong stuff. Tensors sound pretty good. Also there seems to be a layer of old sludge at the bottom inner edge inside the timing belt area where it meets the bottom of the timing belt cover/gasket. Not sure if I should be concerned or not at this point. I noticed the timing belt cover bolts were pretty loose so not sure if road grim got in.
User avatar
rcmatt007
Treasurer
Treasurer
Posts: 31585
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:48 pm
My Album: http://www.ngwclub.com/gallery/v/wingmans/rcmatt007/
Location: New River Valley, Virginia

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#25

Post by rcmatt007 »

I would just squirt green stoff on and hose it off. I would stay away from wd-40 as I would not want it on the belts, and all it really is, is a dust magnet, and dust gathers moisture, and moisture equals rust
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
User avatar
shieldsm
Billet Alum. Member
Billet Alum. Member
Posts: 256
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:33 am
Location: Chisago City, MN

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#26

Post by shieldsm »

Rodger,
Thanks for the advice! You saying a degreaser agent like Sumpley Green? It rules how helpful you all are.

I plan to really clean everthing once I can at least feel confident the engine us wortwhule at the initial startup. When I reinstall the radiator just to see her run what is the best method to flush. Would maybe boiling distilled water and running that through be okay until I do a mire through cleaning later?
User avatar
rcmatt007
Treasurer
Treasurer
Posts: 31585
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:48 pm
My Album: http://www.ngwclub.com/gallery/v/wingmans/rcmatt007/
Location: New River Valley, Virginia

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#27

Post by rcmatt007 »

yes, simply green or whatever it is called... I buy the bulk gallon at Lowes
(not that any of my bikes leak oil)

what you might try with the radiator if it is off, is a vinegar soak which will break up lime. you can also run it with distilled water and radiator cleaner stuff, then cool each time, but flush and run with distilled water several times to flush it out.

Cascade cycle has a new to you kit which also has a new thermostat, and since you are i all that stuff, not a bad time to change that as well

while you are doing the belts, spin the tnsioners to make sure they are smooth and not about to fail
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
User avatar
shieldsm
Billet Alum. Member
Billet Alum. Member
Posts: 256
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:33 am
Location: Chisago City, MN

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#28

Post by shieldsm »

Day #2:

Removed the Timing Belts and cleaned inside real good. Proceeded to change timing belts and all seem to be going okay but then the pullys started to move out of alingment while I was struggling to get the belts on. I released all the valve tappets so it made things easier, but I started to get nervous/frusterated as the left pully would pull out of of the pully alignment line. After some struggle I got the belts on and all marks (center, left, right, T-1 were GTG. The only thing of concern was the tensiors seemed pretty tight even as I tried to release the belt with the pully. Its not super tight but the belt is forcing on the tensior quite a bit. The new belt was pretty stiff.

I then proceed the adjust the valve clearances. I triple checked everthing as those damn screws like to turn a bit when tightening the locking nut.

So that is where I am at. I hope the belts are on right. Something please tell me I am worrying about nothing...

P.S. Those damn timing belt gaskets kept coming off as I was putting the covers on. Will be buying new ones thats for sure...
User avatar
shieldsm
Billet Alum. Member
Billet Alum. Member
Posts: 256
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:33 am
Location: Chisago City, MN

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#29

Post by shieldsm »

I guess what I am concerned about it I had both pully's showing "up" when putting on the belt but does this make Piston #1 at TDC or Piston #2 at TDC (180 degrees out) I get easily confused. Also when setting the valve clearance for #1, should both pulleys be "up".

Like I said, everything lined up and the motor turns just fine. If it was compelting screwed up I assume I would have a really tough time rotating the motor as it would be forcing a valve down into the piston.
User avatar
rcmatt007
Treasurer
Treasurer
Posts: 31585
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:48 pm
My Album: http://www.ngwclub.com/gallery/v/wingmans/rcmatt007/
Location: New River Valley, Virginia

Re: Newly Purchased 78' DL1000; Where to start?

#30

Post by rcmatt007 »

I wouldn't loosen the tappets to change the belts. Yes, they will move out of position. See that nut heat in the center, put a socket or wrench on it and hold it in position while you put the belts on.

They BOTH should be UP when the bike is at #1 TDC

the best way is to have started with them both UP and then just let the engine be because it is already in the right position
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
Post Reply

Return to “Members Restorations and Projects”