Kawasaki Z650B Restoration Project - Part 3

[@frankboff8185]

Good project, moving along nicely, thanks for sharing.

[@bertbog5088]

I would go old school on the stuck casing screws - either a proper impact driver or my preferred method of tapping it round with a flathead screwdriver in the edge if you come in initially at an angle and pick one of the four points of the crosshead and gently tap it should initially peel off some of the screw head until your kind of edge on and the tapping force along with the push in the direction of travel normally gets the buggers out. cant wait to see if built and running

[@Merch131ho]

I haven't tried again since I made the video, next I'll try applying heat, let it cool and repeat a few times, that often works. But if not I'll keep your method in mind.

[@karlvanboxel561]

A vapour blast of the complete engine would have been nice I’ve seen it done with success But sealing up is a big task

[@Merch131ho]

Yes that would always be a worry, if any media got into the engine.. its toast. Fortunately this engine was in pretty good condition underneath all the oil , grease and dirt.

[@nightster6378]

I've enjoyed your videos for some time, my preference is restoring to standard or leaving a bike with patina i.e. rust, crappy paint, pitted rims ripped seat etc, etc but cIm good to go with these builds. A great product I find to clean with is CIF mixed with Fairy Liquid, the cheap brands are a waste of time. I also use CiF to clean a bike especially if there's loads of chrome, on with a car brush and rinse off, it's the best cleaner I have come across. Over the years I've got to hate powder coat though mainly because where I live its mainly industrial therefore you get what you get i.e. gloss - you get satin, satin - you get satin etc, therefore I do it myself, these finishes look brilliant but the company is too far away. It seems it's a revelation among bikers in the "recent" discovery of JIS screwdrivers though I have had these for years, a secret is these screwdrivers came with almost all Japanese bikes of the 60s and 70s in the tool kit. In this case, if you use a decent set of pipe grips (Knipex) on the side of the screw head they will almost definitely come loose, it has never let me down even on corroded screws and carb screws. I put an XS1100 Yamaha engine into a frame this way in 1981, it's the way to do it, though if I recall a certain stinking garage guy rubbished this method. You do a great job as do your compatriots. Sorry for the long comment. Cheers

[@Merch131ho]

It seems the older I get the heavier these engines get. .at 95kg, they are a bit too heavy to be man handling on your own. Moving the frame over the engine is lot easier, got to look after my back.. Yes, I soon learnt that Phillips screwdrivers don't work well with Japanese cross heads.. though took awhile longer before I heard about JIS. Triple S have customers all over the country, they do provide a mail service.. posting parts back, though I fuess the cost of posting a frame would be quite expensive. And I have a few Knipex pliers etc, they are excellent, if expensive.