Restoration tips I learned the hard way
bretb...@hotmail.com
error during the restoration. They are not in any sort of order.
1. Take photos during disassembly. I didn't and it was frustrating
trying to figure out which hardware went where.
2. Clean clean clean and clean again.
3. Keep parts in different boxes or bags according to where they
belong. I grouped parts according to the parts schematics DVD I
bought.
4. The original owner's manual along with the parts schematics make
good companions along with the disassembly photos (if I had taken
some). The other manuals I bought were not as helpful.
5. Set a completion date and be realistic about it. Shops that
restore bikes for a living can take a month or more and they work on
them during business hours. Working on your bike on nights and
weekends doesn't give you much real working time. Start with a 3 to
4 month completion date.
6. During disassembly, write down the part numbers for each part
that is no longer serviceable. Double check your list. Make sure
that you have listed everything you need as far as Yamaha parts are
concerned. Now start ordering parts. Any Yamaha shop can get what
you need if it is still available. I used three different shops and
still had to go to eBay and salvage yards. Getting the parts you
need is probably the most frustrating since there are lots of
discontinued parts. (See list at bottom of page)
7. Have the small steel parts and hardware cleaned, beadblasted and
plated. Try not to miss any parts because they charge by the batch and
it sucks to pay twice because you missed a lower tank bracket or a
brake assembly cam. Guess how I know.
8. Sandblast the frame and have it powdercoated. Do not be tempted
to have the engine powdercoated. The powdercoat will not allow
enough heat to transfer to the atmosphere.
9. Do not beadblast the engine cases. The aluminum cases are
treated with a chromium based primer that is best left there. If
you need to repaint the cases, use Jasco Premium Paint & Epoxy
Remover. It is in a gold can and can be found at nearly any
hardware store. This will strip "most" of the paint since the
factory paint is very durable. Lightly sand and scotchbrite the
cases and clean them with HOT HOT soapy water followed up by Hot
Water, then some warm distilled water to avoid mineral deposits on
the surface. Use PJ1 Fast Black, Satin Black 500 degree F Engine
and Case paint. Apply it just to the point that it wants to run but
not thick enough that it does. You will have to practice on some
scrap or something but make sure you practice first. I used an
entire can of paint until I got the technique right. You can soak
the can in a tub of hot tap water first and that will help the paint
flow on the surface when you spray it.
Note: If you already beadblasted the cases, don't panic. Order
some Safegard 6100 from Sanchem (see bottom of page) and prep the
aluminum properly and then use PJ1 Sandable Primer, then use the PJ1
Fast Black.
When you have two or three coats on the cases, let the parts cook in
the sun. Then, cook them in the oven at about 200-250 degrees for
an hour or two. If this is not possible, improvise with heat lamps
and/or hair dryers etc. you have to cook the paint until it doesn't
smell like paint anymore. If you don't, every time you slip with a
wrench, you are going to chip the paint.
10. Beadblast the cylinder and head. Clean with hot soapy water and
rinse with hot water followed by warm distilled water. Straight
Fast Black on the cylinder and head. NO PRIMER! The primer is not
as heat resistant as the Fast Black.
11. Magnesium parts: Contact Sanchem and get some 6100. You will
not need the activator. Instead, use white vinegar to neutralize
the magnesium after beadblasting and washing with hot soapy water
and rinsing with water followed by a distilled water rinse.
Magnesium is strange stuff. It is almost "alive" and will turn into
dust if not properly coated and treated. The only mag parts on your
bike will probably be the front and rear brake assembly, and the
clutch cover. Magnesium parts typically have the word magnesium on
them, but not always. A quick test is to scotch bright an
inconspicuous spot and apply a drop of white vinegar. If it
bubbles and foams and hisses, it is magnesium. Aluminum will have
no reaction to the vinegar. Treat the parts with the Safegard,
follow up with PJ1 sandable primer, then PJ1 Fast Black, then cook
the parts until they don't smell like paint. If this sounds like
too much work, have the magnesium parts powdercoated satin black.
12. Misc Aluminum parts and the fork legs are probably coated with
clear lacquer. Use the paint stripper to remove any traces of the
lacquer. Scotchbrite the parts to a nice satin finish. Use flap
wheels and sandpaper to remove deep scratches and nicks and blen
them over a few inches. Resist the temptation to use sanding discs
since they create crescent shaped scratches that are difficult to
remove. Clean the parts over and over again until you can wipe the
parts with a white cloth and it doesn't turn gray or barely turns
gray. Use VHT polyurethane Wheel Paint SP-184 ClearCoat on the bare
aluminum parts. Apply 3 to 5 coats. Let these parts cure for a
full two weeks in a warm, well ventilated area.
13. Anodized parts (Wheels and Swingarm). Do not try to sand off
the anodize. The resulting dust is hell on your lungs and it takes
about 6 months to get it all off. Why remove the anodize? Because
new wheels and swingarms are expensive and the gold anodize is
probably scratched all to hell and the swingarm has probably seen
better days. The best way to restore the wheels is to buy new
wheels and spokes and have them laced to freshly powdercoated hubs
$$$$$$$$$. The swingarm could be taken to an anodize shop and
resored as well for big $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Here is a cheap alternative,
but be very careful. Wear gloves, goggles and a mask. You are
going to need some drain cleaner that contains Sodium Hydroxide and
Potassium Hydroxide. Brush it on and the anodize will literally
melt. Paint stripper WILL NOT remove the anodize. Rinse off the
bubbly anodize and reapply some drain cleaner. The areas that turn
black are free from anodize. Repeat the process until everything
turns black. Rinse and rinse and rinse. Scotchbrite takes the
black of very quickly. Now that you have bare aluminum, you can
sand and buff the wheels and swingarm to the desired finish (I
prefer a brushed satin look). When Everything is squeaky clean,
coat with the VHt polyurethane. The swingarm is easy to coat. The
wheels, well, they still have spokes in them and if you don't want
to disassemble and relace an old wheel, just be sure to keep the
aluminum wet with WD-40 or silicone spray or teflon spray or
something similar.
14. Hubs. Unless you are going to have new wheels laced to freshly
powdercoated hubs, you are sort of stuck with the hubs the way they
are. WD-40 will make even the worst hubs look pretty darn nice for
a while. This is what I am doing until I save the $$ for new rims
and spokes.
15. Spokes. Polishing spokes sucks. There is no quick and easy
method. Get an old t-shirt. Make some 1/2 inch wide strips by
tearing around the waist of the shirt. You will actually end up
with some t-shirt loops. Cut these into about 18" long strips.
Make a bunch of them. One t-shirt should be enough. Now use your
favorite metal polish (I used Never Dull) and wrap the strip around
a spoke, cross the strip once, yank up and down. Fun, no, but it
was the only way I could get the old spokes to look any good.
16. Plastic. Buy as much new stuff as you can. The plastic renew
in the list above looks like it might be a good product but I did
not try it since nearly all the plastic is new and I scored a
beautiful tank on eBay.
17. Rubber and black plastic parts can be restored to almost new
condition with a myriad of products available from any auto parts
store.
18. Buy a box of q-tips. They come in handy.
19. Have lots of clean rags. Throw them out when the are dirty
because the collect dust and scratch everything they touch.
20. Set some small goals/objectives based on how many hours or
minutes you have to work on the bike. Don't start assembling the
bottom end if you only have 30 minutes to spare. Do something
small. Remember, the big jobs and the little jobs all have to get
done. Don' worry about getting the BIG stuff done first. Save the
big stuff when you have a big chunk of time.
21. Have fun with the restoration. Don't let it get you down when
you can't find a part or something doesn't fit just right. Take a
break. Ask the group for help. Step away from things for a few
hours or a few days. Come back to it refreshed and ready to go.
I am sure there is plenty more that I forgot but these are some of
the biggies.
Here is a list of businesses that I used during the restoration:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/yz490/ (no explanation needed)
www.yamahaaccy.com/parts.aspx
www.bikebandit.com
www.missionmotorsports.com
eBay
Superbikes Inc. (eBay Store)
YourTrashMyTreasure (eBay Store)
Sudco (Mikuni Carbs)
Parts Unlimited (cables & levers)
www.YZdecals.com
Motion Pro (tools, cables)
Speed&Sport (new old stock yamaha parts and decals) 570-784-6831
Race Tech (suspension tools, parts, fluid)
Eric Gorr (technical advice, head mods, engine work)
Al Holley (technical advice, head mods, engine work)
Lytle Racing Group (Vesrah gaskets)
http://www.pcracingusa.com/plasticrenew.php (plastic restoration
treatment)
Sanchem http://www.sanchem.com/safegard_cc_types.html
(adhesion/corrosion chemicals for treating aluminum and magnesium)
I am sure there are more.............
Bret
denn...@gmail.com
Dennis Kennedy
'98 XR400
roost4u
--
Rick
2000KX250
1993KX250
1992XR100
<bretb...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1131640012.2...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
sturd
[details deleted]
Yow. You going to ride it after all that?
I didn't know about the Sanchem stuff. Sounds like
an excellent idea.
Go fast. Take chances.
Mike S.
Bentley Wolfe
> Here are just a few of the things I discovered through trial and
> error during the restoration. They are not in any sort of order.
>
> 1. Take photos during disassembly. I didn't and it was frustrating
> trying to figure out which hardware went where.
I always used to forget this one. And I have XR100 parts all over the
place as a result... But now I've learned my lesson. I just finished
putting a transmission in my front wheel drive minivan and photos helped
alot (now, if you ever have the opportunity to spend nights and weekends
putting a transmission in a front wheel drive minivan... DON'T. Just
pay somebody to do it. Trust me on this...)
> 5. Set a completion date and be realistic about it. Shops that
> restore bikes for a living can take a month or more and they work on
> them during business hours. Working on your bike on nights and
> weekends doesn't give you much real working time. Start with a 3 to
> 4 month completion date.
What's realistic? 70 Triumph T100c disassembled in 1992. Um, still
disassembled... So my 20 year completion plan seems to be working
out... And my 10 year RD-350 completion is on track too I think. ;0
>Any Yamaha shop can get what
> you need if it is still available. I used three different shops and
> still had to go to eBay and salvage yards.
If they can't there's a place called Speed & Sport in Danville, PA that
has a big stock of vintage yamaha...
Man, the rest of that post is some fantastic information that I wish I'd
read a long time ago..... thanks!
-- Regards,
Bentley Wolfe
Senior Escalation Engineer, Flash
Macromedia
Vice President and Webmaster:
http://www.widualsportriders.org/
http://www.madisonmotorcycleclub.org/
http://www.wisconsintrials.org/