Kent restores an '81

[ajs350]

Kent
You are right on track with how I do it.

Attach the engine with the lower hanger bolt.

Attach the throttle cables to the throttle and feed through the frame as per the manual.

Attach the ends of the cables to the carbs while they are loose behind the engine.

Then push the carbs on to the rubber manifolds.

Push the air box onto the carbs and snug up all of the carb manifold screws.

Tilt the engine back up making sure you position the airbox opening so it slots in smoothly.

Install the upper engine hanger bolt and then the 4 engine hangers themselves.

If you have a manual this is all well described in section 5.

As for the valve cover bolt washers I could not get the old ones off either without cutting them so bought new ones for $16.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/8-HONDA- ... 53e9716e89

I'll look forward to seeing your pictures and hearing how it runs. Good luck.
Ross

[NobleHops]

hello all

so i am getting ready to install my freshly painted motor into my 81 prolink. think the motor install itself should go pretty smooth the way i have it worked out. i have a couple questions re carbs and airboxes etc. looking for any input or suggestions and these are not in any nesc. order. i have the carbs ready to go onto the engine AFTER i have it installed on the lower hanger bolt. i thought i may install the throttle and choke cables to the carb linkage OFF the bike and pass them up through the frame while installing the carbs? then attach them to the throttle housing after carbs are mounted.

Yes, definitely.

also, does anyone have any suggestions on the airbox to carb connection? thinking of installing air box to carbs while motor is tilted forward so when tiliting engine back you only have the 1 large opening to the aircleaner housing to contend with.

Again, yes.

also, i would like to replace some of my valve cover bolt rubbers, i have a number of rusted bolts but the rubbers are good and i have some nice chrome bolts with bad rubbers. i was hoping to swap rubber bolt seals around but they look as they may get destroyed while trying to remove or install them? anybody have any practical tips here? any input or advice would be much appreciated. once i get the motor back in place i will post some pics so you can see whet the heck i'm up to.

thanks a lot!
kent

You can get the rubbers off those bolts. Lube them up and use a small socket the size of that shoulder as the anvil and then put a deep well socket above it and rap down on the metal piece with the upper socket to force it over that shoulder. I think Dave McMunn gets credit for this:





To install the rubbers use the same socket of the appropriate size (10mm?) to act as a driver. Lube then with something like silicon dielectric grease and rap them on the workbench using the socket as a driver. POP! Done.

Fantastic milestone Kent. I used cam straps to 'hang' my engine from the frame as I jockeyed it into position. Worked great.



PHOTOS MAN!!?? WHERE ARE THE PHOTOS!

N.

[kbart1]

hello all

i have finally had some time to sit down and i THINK i can post a picture or two now so here goes. i will try to post 4 pictures. one is of my instrument cluster i rebuilt, two are of the motor now in the frame (note all the nice new powdercoat on the frame and related peices) and the other is of a piece i broke and am hoping someone on the iste MAY have 1 they want to sell or could direct me on where to find one??? it is the little bracket that mounts through the rear starter bolt and then the top rear engine bolt goes through it. long story short i ripped mine in half. any thoughts on where a guy would get one of those?







thanks a lot!
kent

[kbart1]

hello again

i forgot 1 issue. i have put an '82 motor into my '81 bike. the plug that goes from the pulse generator to where you would connect it to the matching connector on the right side of the airbox is different??? i have attached two pics. the first is of the little 6 wire plug from MY motor, the second is of the different style plug on the new '82 motor? any advice on making this work?




any advice would be greatly appreciated!
kent

[NobleHops]

hello again

i forgot 1 issue. i have put an '82 motor into my '81 bike. the plug that goes from the pulse generator to where you would connect it to the matching connector on the right side of the airbox is different??? i have attached two pics. the first is of the little 6 wire plug from MY motor, the second is of the different style plug on the new '82 motor? any advice on making this work?

any advice would be greatly appreciated!
kent

Kent, That spacer thingie might be a 1-800-LOUIS item.

Great job on the photos!

It's no great shakes to swap those wires into a matching connector if you can get it from somebody's spare harness, although you'll probably have to get new spades or sockets to go into the new connector to match the one you keep. Or go the other route and just get a matching set of new 6-pin Hitachi connectors from Electrical Connections or Eastern Beaver, and the proper spade and socket connectors that snap into those connectors. Get the proper crimper too. Didn't I send you my stash for a previous part of your project (and you sent them back?).

This is not hard, just a little fiddly the first time you do it. A totally good skill to have in your pocket.

N.

[kbart1]

thanks nils

if by stash you mean your clutch hub tools and bearing drivers etc. yes you did loan them to me and i did send them back to you. so if i am reading you right i could change the connector on the new motor to the same type that is mounted on the air-box of my '81?? do you think it's possible to remove the original (and correct) connector from my old '81 pulse generator on my old motor and fit it to the new motor? any idea on where i could find out how those connectors come apart? i don't want to destroy it in the process.

thanks a lot!
kent

[FalldownPhil]

It sure would be easy to just swap the entire pulse generator, plug and all
Phil

[NobleHops]

Kent, I wonder if Phil has a pulse generator in his spares that he would exchange for yours?



N.

P.S. Yes those connectors can be taken apart and pretty easily. I'll post some pics tonight, but try a fee searches, as I imagine it's been posted before.

N.

[EMS]

You can buy a tool that has the proper prongs to disassemble the pins out of the connectors.

[NobleHops]

OK, doing this was more fun then getting ready for work:

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=7390

Input and refinements are most welcome.

N.

[kbart1]

thanks all for the input. at least i can see some light at the end of the tunnel. i do indeed have the original pulse generator with the correct connector on my '81 motor so i COULD make the pulse generator swap, i am pretty sure the generators themselves are the same for '81 / '82 models. just leary to mess around with the thing to effect my timing however in the manual this looks pretty easy to set the timing anyways. may try changing connector first so i can keep my "spare" motor in one piece. i will search out the starter bracket i busted from our freind down in florida!

thanks
kent

[kbart1]

well, Sunday was a big day. got the bike fired up for the first time and from what i can tell so far it is running pretty good . couple things though. as it turned out i did end up switching out pulse generators because of the connector issue and i am glad i did. engine sparks up right away when the starter is pressed without any hesitation. unfortunately i can't take it for a ride yet however it sounds good in the garage. i still need to put on the exhaust gaskets which i have ordered from tims so there is an exhaust leak at the header pipes causing i bit of noise so it is kind of hard to hear how the actual motor sounds, valve train etc. is there anything other than the obvious i should be looking for at idle in the garage? i have no fuel leaks at carbs. i have no oil leaks on engine. oil cooler feels like its getting warm although i haven't run it that long. i have put on an aftermarket oil pressure gauge running off the right side oil gallery plug and it is reading 57-60lbs at idle and if i blip the throttle a bit it goes up. i have run it through all 5 gears on the centerstand and they all seem to engage and disengage properly. when i cleaned the carbs i set all the pilot screws at 2 1/4 turns out as i read in the forum somewhere that 2 1/4 was suggested? is there any concern starting the engine with headers in place however gaskets not in yet? all in all very happy at this point. any tips on what i should be checking for or signs i should be watching for would be much appreciated. my next item will most likely be putting on a new exhaust system, i really want to run a 6 into 6 set-up so i will keep my eyes open in the next few weeks to try and find one. i was considering steve's denco set-up however had other priority's money-wise at that time. if anybody knows of any around i'm lookin!

thanks a lot!
kent

[kbart1]

can someone confirm my suspicions?

i am going through my wiring and i THINK i have an early model right side switch pod on my bike. there is no way it will reach to where it needs to plug into the main harness on a pro-link. the wire measures 21" from where it EXITS the switch pod to the TIP of the red 9 pin hitachi connector. i THINK the pro-link unit should have a longer wire. can anybody confirm this for me? if so it turns out i probably have enough early model parts on this thing to start a rebuild of a '79

thanks
kent

[FalldownPhil]

Kent,
If I am wrong, it will not be my first mistake, but, I believe that the red plug end identifies your switch as an '81-'82. I believe that the '79-'80 switches have a larger, white plug. I am also rather certain that both early and late models switches came in at least two different lengths. European vs American or sport vs standard in North America. This is just what I think I know, I could be wrong.
Best,
Phil

[kbart1]

thanks Phil

there is a guy selling one on e-bay right now. i will post a question to him and have him measure before i bid. i really can't see how the one i have will plug into the harness when installed properly. the bike i bought was pieced together in a weird way, hence me calling it "Frankenstein"

cheers
Kent