Dutch FT project

[FT500R]

Thanks for the tips.
I'm still a bit in doubt if I should use galvanized or stainless bolts since the stainless can react with the aluminium engine and seize.

I did continue on the bike yesterday.
First I did a quick check if the carb would fit on the engine with the short Harley inlet.
Conclusion... inconclusive. With just the inlet manifold it doesn't fit. With the original spacer between the cilinder head and the manifold it almost fits. Problem is the bracket that supports the throttle cables. This will have to be altered in order for it to fit. (also taking into regard that the throttle cables themselves have adjusters on them making the fit even tighter)

You can see the fitment issues in the pictures, also clearly visible is that the time standing still under the cover took its toll on the carb.






Seeing the carb in the state that is was made me decide to try to clean it a bit.

Some bolts did not completely agree with my effort though



Some light encouragement with a impact driver solved that issue

The eventual exploded view of the carb

And after some thorough cleaning



I'm probably going to spray paint the rusted brackets and replace all the bolts.
When I was disassembling the throttle and choke stems (what would be a more appropriate English word?) I found some completely disintegrated seals. I couldn't really identify what they were made of. Looked almost like some kind of rope-like material.
Any of you know what kind of material this has been since they definitely need replacing?

[J6G1Z]

That cleaned up well. I think I might have left the butterfly attached & cleaned around it. See if you can stake those two screws in place from the backside. If not, clean the threads real well & use some stout Lok-Tite thread locker. Wouldn't want those screws to back out while the engine is running. Pretty much guaranteed that they won't end up in the air-cleaner side.

Here is the only FT500 carb rebuild kit that I know of: https://www.randakks.com/ft500-ascot-randakk-master-carb-overhaul-kit.html
They also offer a book on how to rebuild & modify the FT500 carb. Here is their site link: https://www.randakks.com

The FT500 carb is a nice piece. It has an accelerator pump that feeds a squirt of fuel into the carb every time you twist the throttle. I use that feature to prime my bike prior to starting.

Another option would be a 36mm Mikuni. Some have used the 34mm & modified bikes have used the 38mm. If you go that route, you will need a 90 degree throttle cable mount on top of the carb to clear the frame.

About stainless steel fasteners & aluminum...  Whenever I work on a bike, I use an anti-seize paste on all the fasteners upon reassembly. I cover the threads, the shank & the backside of the screw or bolt head.
https://www.permatex.com/products/lubricants/specialty-lubricants-anti-seize/permatex-anti-seize-lubricant-2/
http://www.antiseize.com

I wish that all the bike manufacturers used anti-seize during initial assembly.

Here is another bit of information that you might find helpful: http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=128.msg460#msg460

Good luck
J.

[FT500R]

Took some time to work on the engine last night

To get the engine ready for paint I wanted to remove both side covers and the valve cover.
This did go pretty smooth up to the point that I got to the valve cover, a couple of the bolts needed a bit of convincing and a bit of thread came loose. The worst one actually snapped of halfway in the threads .

I'm going to freshen up the threads with a screw tap and try to remove the broken peace.
Time for some pictures:
Left side

Left side engine cover

Right side

Camshaft looks pretty ok, the lobes are not worn down or anything although they have a bit of marking on them.

Thread that came out of 2 of the bolt holes

Bolt that snapped

[triguyracer]

Try using a left handed  drill bit , many times this will remove a broken bolt without damaging the threads in the head, doesnt work all the time but will work many times, also using some heat from a hand held torch will help swell the alloy from around steel bolt and help free up the bolt so it will come out 

[FT500R]

Had some time during Easter holidays to work on my engine

I tried to clean the engine as much as possible. Looking back I should have left the side and rocker covers on and powerwashed the engine. Now I had to slave using degreaser, wirewool, old toothbrushes, Q-tips and my Dremel to try and get all the grit and grease off.

How the engine looked after some thorough cleaning (yes I worked on it on my living room table)

After cleaning I had to mask everything. I figured out a fast and effective way to mask small parts using cling foil! Works very well

After giving the engine a first coat of primer

All the silverware after its first coat of paint

All painted pieces.

A quick mock up of the engine

The other side

And a before and after compilation just for the fun of it

I've used motip wheel spray for the engine (VHT is better but that is not sold to consumers here in the Netherlands) I'm not disappointed by the results so far although I think that, especially for the amount of work I put into it, with a bit more prep and a better working environment the result could have been even better.
I deliberately did not mask all the bolts as some of them were quite rusty and I didn't want to replace them because that would mean I had to disassemble the whole engine.

[J6G1Z]

That looks real nice!

When it comes time to start the engine, you might consider gently heat cycling the paint. Start the engine & then shut it off as soon as you feel warmth. Let cool completely & then repeat several times while allowing the engine to become warmer each time.

It will probably stink like paint fumes for a while until all the solvent is cooked out of the paint.

J.

[FT500R]

Will definitely do that.
The paint I used is not an official heat resistant paint so it will smell quite a bit I think. I've seen it used on many (air-cooled) engines though so it can handle the heat.
I've added a picture of a mock-up of the other side of the engine in the previous post.
I'm now ordering stainless steel bolts but I ran into a small problem. Honda uses 6mm bolts for almost everything but somehow they decided to use 7mm bolts for 2 of the 13 bolts in the valve cover. 7mm bolts are very hard to find so that's a small issue. (Can't have 2 ordinary bolts while I replaced all others with nice stainless steel ones...)

[FT500R]

The mailman came to my door again



Some small original Honda parts (tacho cable delete and oil filter) and a whole shitload of stainless steel bolts.

I've spent yesterday evening prepping all covers for reinstalling. Had to remove a lot of old gasket, sand the surface area, determine which bolts go where (have an Excel file with pictures if someone is interested) clean up the threads of some of the mounting holes etcetera.

A rather tedious job but it atleast means I'm getting closer to assembly which is always nice.

I've also replaced all bolts in the carb and found a way to mount the throttle cable bracket without it hitting the cilinder head.

I'm going to sand the cooling ribs on the cilinder and head tonight so hope to be able to post some pictures of that soon.

[FT500R]

The result of sanding the cooling ribs and mocking up the engine again:

The other side

I also ovaled the mounting holes on the harley inlet manifold to use is on the FT

This puts the carb nice and close to the cilinder (and now the carb sits straight so it's easy to mount a big open air filter)

You do have to alter the throttle mounting bracket a bit though (you need to grind away a bit at the bottom so it can tilt a bit further)

I still have to tidy up the bracket itself ofcourse

Next step is get some liquid gasket and then close the engine for real.

[FT500R]

Unfortunately I ran into the exact problem that a lot of FT's have.
Stripped cilinder head cover boltholes

When pulling them to the prescribed tension 3 of them snapped through.

This are the culprits:


I probably have to get a Helicoil thread repair set and rework most of the threads.

To relieve some agression I got my grinder out and started working on the frame.
Removed some small brackets that I didn't need anymore and cut the back of the frame

cut up frame


The bike looked as follows with the cbr900rr forks and xs650 front wheel, standard rear shocks and rear wheel.

Next I mounted the longer shocks and the BMW wire wheel that I still had.


How the seeting position will roughly be.


A day with some ups and downs. Glad with the look of the bike with the wire wheels and the shocks. Not so glad with the stripped bolts ofcourse

[FT500R]

Was able to work on the bike yesterday

When removing the head bolts to take the cilinder head off, 2 of the bolts got rounded. Had to actually chisel them to oblivion in order to get the head off.
The first one was relatively easy, the second one however..

Eventually it gave in and with only small damages in my fresh paint the head could be removed.

There was a lot of sud on the valves

They cleaned up pretty nice though

The piston looked pretty good, not a lot of sud here.

After cleaning I also checked the cilinder and you can still see some honing marks (not a lot though)

To get to one of the holes in the cilinder head I had to drill the hole a bit bigger in order to reach the threaded part with the cutting tool. This meant drilling very close to the camshaft seats..

The Helicoils went it quite smooth so i'm not dissatisfied with the results


I've ordered some new flange nuts for the cilinder head (plus some other parts I needed) and when I get these I can start to rebuild the engine (again)

[FT500R]

It's been a while since I posted something here but I've made a bit of progress
Started out by working on the tank.
That got pretty dirty after spending 2 years under a cover outside

Fitst cleaned it a bit


The holes on the side are only used as mounting holes for the side panels, since I won't use side panels these can go.
First marker out where to cut.

And eventually without the holes

For now I won't paint the tank. This will be done in a later stage.

I went to Japan for holidays (got a bit of inspiration while there too) and when I came back I had some parts waiting for me

I also received my new cockpit. A cheap one from china but it looks ok and I could take the risk for the money


Among these parts were some new exhaust studs, the former owner used low quality bolts from a DIY store so I was pretty lucky I did not have to put helicoils in these boltholes.


Now I was able to install the cilinder head using my nice brand new headnuts. You can't order the copper rings anymore so I had to heat treat them myself in order to reuse them


After this I could fit the camshaft, camchain sprocket and camchain. Quite a shitty job and I was a bit anxious that it might be off by one tooth but it seems to have gone right.
The real test was refitting the headcover cause this would test my new helicoiled boltholes. Fortunately this was a succes!

Cleaned, greased and tested the solonoid assembly and closed the rest of the engine. Time to work on the rest of the bike


I decided that I was completely done with working on the bike in front of my house so I disassembled what was left and put the bike on my balcony.
Here I fitted the aluminium handle bars that I had bought some time ago and also fitted the (very large) headlight


I still have to lower the headlight a bit more judging by the pictures.
I'm also not very satisfied by the mounting brackets but since I'm using fireblade forks which are very thick there are not a lot of options here.
I've also test fitted the battery and it seems like I can get away with a small battery compartment just below the seat.
Good news since I want to keep the frame part as empty and clean as possible.

I also measured the spacers for the rear wheel but I ran into some issues here. Although I measured from the wheel rim to the rear swing arm on both sides and the distance is equal. It still looks like the wheel is offcentre, it might be that the swing arm is not symmetrical. Does anyone have a tip how to properly space your wheels?

[J6G1Z]

Does anyone have a tip how to properly space your wheels? 

You might have to wait until the engine is mounted so you can check sprocket alignment.

J.

[FT500R]

Sprocket alignment is only one of the issues.
I want to make sure the wheel at least is centered in the frame, I'll worry about the sprocket later.

I was thinking of hanging something like a plumb-line from the middle of the frame and try to determine the center of the wheel of of that.

Got to working on the electrics today btw:
To be diagram

And I have to fabricate that using the below bowl of spaghetti

[FT500R]

time for some updates:
testfitted the engine and made a cardboard template for the battery box


roughly test fitted my new cockpit


Alligned the rear wheel

Also installed the front brakes to determine where the brake calipers are going to be and what kind of brackets i need to fabricate. After bleeding the brakes for hours I finally got them up to pressure.
Unfortunately the brake fluid leaked on my tripple tree i didn't properly close the reservoir.
My bad and I will just have to redo this when I get the frame painted or coated



got some stuff in the mail too:
Wiring loom parts:

New jets although the pilot is the wrong one

frame rear loop and steel for the battery box

[greenjeans]

Really starting to look good! 

[FT500R]

Thanks!
I really like the look too and really enjoy doing everything on it myself.
Today I was able to rent a welding machine (last time I did some welding was almost 10 years ago and I never properly learnt it)
First I prepared everything for welding.
I made the battery box and determined where all the electronics can go.

First welding job was the hoop as the subframe extension.
I deliberately did not post a picture before I cleaned up the welds

Next step was to attach the batterybox. I started out by spotwelding it

After welding the parts between the spotwelds I cleaned up the rear. I'm pretty stoked about the result although it is far from perfect.

I also welded some brackets in the batterybox so I can attach the electronics in there.

This is how it looks from the side, you can also see the bracket for the contact switch just in front of the batterybox.

Although I am pretty happy with the result (as I did it all by myself) it does pose a bit of a problem.
My welding (and grinding) skills are not sufficient to get rid of all the imperfections. I was planning to have the frame powdercoated but now I have to use some bondo to get it tidy and this means no powdercoat. It does mean that I might be able to do another thing myself... spray paint the frame .

[J6G1Z]

Here is something that might be helpful: http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=23719.0

Keep up the good work.
J.

[murdo]

Looking good.

[Lefty]

Wow, looking good! I haven't been on this site for a good while.
Nice job, looking forward to the finished product👌😎

[FT500R]

It has been a while but I've been able to do some work on the bike

I wasn't really satisfied with the way my welds looked so I decided to try a special Bondo that is heat resistant.

I've bondo-ed the parts between the underside and the frameloop and between the batterybox and the framerails



I altered the original footrest holders to accept modern footrests


I managed to source the rear brake and mounting plate of a BMW funduro (I already had the complete rear wheel). I was able to install all this without to much alteration.


I also made a bracket for my cockpit but I don't have a good picture of it.

The oversized headlight I have was painted (rat)black by a previous owner. I used some steel wool to clean it up and I have to admit it looks pretty good. I'm actually contemplating to keep it bare metal (put some clearcoat on it though)



I had my frame and some loose parts coated.
Unfortunately something that I already anticipated actually happened. The underside curled up due to the heat and seperated from the frameloop.
I'm probably going to put some black kit or something in between to make sure no moisture can get in between.

The normal camera on my phone died so I had to take all these pictures with my crappy selfie camera so the pictures do not do the coated parts justice. In real life it looks better!





The parts that I bondo-ed (looks rough in the picture is actually very smooth and looks better than expected)


The rear part that unfortunately seperated a bit.


Time to start the rebuild!

[J6G1Z]

Way to keep at it.

By any chance have you mocked up the final ride height & kick-stand length? I had to shorten my kick-stand so the bike wouldn't tip over to the opposite side.

J.

[FT500R]

I did a mock-up before and due to the shorter front forks but longer rear shocks it works out. (as you can see later in this post)
Because it is build-up time!

Although I live on the 3rd floor I've started to assemble the bike (in my livingroom). This helps me to determine what I still need to do/order.

steering stem with new dust seals (already had the tapered bearings):

Complete tripple tree assembled including my new dashboard

Rear swing arm mounted.

Engine in.

Mock-up without wheels

And this is how she sits in the living room now.



It looks far more complete than it actually is.
I still need to do the complete wiring loom and make all the spacers for the front brakes and rear wheel.
Most of the stuff that I assembled now probably has to come of the bike a couple of times but I'm very pleased with the (intermediate) result

[J6G1Z]

That is a nice looking "Shop" you have there!


J.

[FT500R]

Hahaha yep.
Have to make due with the room that I have.

Bike looks a lot better with handlebars mounted.


Funny how much difference that makes.