1978 Kz1000 Father/Son Project

Hello everybody, this is my first post on the forum so a big hello to everybody here.
My father picked up a 1978 Kz1000 in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia back in August and we have been slowly tearing it apart in hopes of restoring it and getting it ready for next summer.After checking the serial numbers we found out the engine was out of a 78 kz1000 LTD.And now for some pictures

- on the 300km ride home


- After we got her home and out of the truck



- Making the bike lighter so we can get it down the basement stairs



-After we got the engine and chasis downstairs



- Engine waiting to be torn down



- Engine getting taken apart

and if your wondering about the block of wood, the cam chain guide disintegrated and left little chunks of plastic in the bottom end, so we were trying to drain the last little bit of oil




- And everything how it sits at the moment


More pictures to come!

That last pic looks like mine when I got it.Two years,mucho cussin and an equal amount of $, and it lives.Lol.Good luck and welcome.bj

Welcome Father & Son.
Looks like you've got yourselves well underway in restoring that kz.
I'm also working on a Father/Son project with my son, but that's been stalled some with our last move.
Looking forward to the progess.

Welcome to KZR
A father son project will create special memories for life. Have fun and ask any questions, there are some knowledgeable folks around here to help with the project

Don't forget to put a couple pics in the family album...G

awesome welcome....great start...nice bike too...wonder what kind of header that is??

welcome

Welcome Pei! Father and son projects forge a bond and good memories that last forever. I look forward to the day my son gets old enough to help out in the garage. I have fond memories of my time working with dad. He taught me a lot, and it felt good to gain his respect. Keep the pics coming, we like to see all phases of the project. I bet you two have spent some time wrenching together already. Those Jeeps will keep you busy some times. :laugh:

Nice, clean, well organized shop! Your dad's got his act together

This project should have excellent results...

That pipe looks like an old Gemeni system. I haven't seen one of those in a long, long time.



Larry C

testarossa wrote:

Welcome Pei! Father and son projects forge a bond and good memories that last forever. I look forward to the day my son gets old enough to help out in the garage. I have fond memories of my time working with dad. He taught me a lot, and it felt good to gain his respect. Keep the pics coming, we like to see all phases of the project. I bet you two have spent some time wrenching together already. Those Jeeps will keep you busy some times. :laugh:

Thanks, and there is definatly some hours into the Jeep haha, my Dad bought it for me when i was 14 and we spend the last 2 years restoring it to where it is now.
And nice bike! were hoping ours might look something like that when its finished.

larrycavan wrote:

Nice, clean, well organized shop! Your dad's got his act together

This project should have excellent results...

That pipe looks like an old Gemeni system. I haven't seen one of those in a long, long time.



Larry C

Thanks, we wern't sure what kind of exhaust it was, there are no markings anywhere on it

That looks like an old Martek electronic ignition system in the engine. I had one of those a long time ago.

Pistons look pretty good from the picture. If things measure up well, ring them and ball hone the block. Use the hot soap wash method too clean it afterward.

Some tips"

When you tear the engine down, make yourself some cardboard bolt patterns for all the fasteners. It will make your life much easier later on

Do it the right way. Split the cases, replace the cam chain and all the idlers & rubber blocks. Liska idlers are less expensive than OEM idlers.


Order a full gasket kit. However, it won't come with certain things. You'll need transmission cover seals, kickstart cover seal and ignition cover seals. Z1 Enterprises has them.

Also all of the valve seals I've seen with gasket kits are poor quality. Upgrade those.

There are some OEM O-Rings that you'll need as well. Here's a list of the ones I use.

92075-123 dampers [2]
12053-019 guide
92055-048 Orings[2]
92075-289 Dampers [4]
92043-1266 Dowel [2]
92075-232 Damper [4]
92049-1506 seal
92050-047 seal
92049-004 seal
12055-002 roller
12048-001 Cam Chain Tensioner Idler Roller
92050-048 seal
670b2018 Oring



Other than that, if you follow the service manual & pay attention, it's a straight forward rebuild process.

Enjoy time with you dad

larrycavan wrote:

That looks like an old Martek electronic ignition system in the engine. I had one of those a long time ago.

Some tips"

When you tear the engine down, make yourself some cardboard bolt patterns for all the fasteners. It will make your life much easier later on

Do it the right way. Split the cases, replace the cam chain and all the idlers & rubber blocks. Liska idlers are less expensive than OEM idlers.


Order a full gasket kit. However, it won't come with certain things. You'll need transmission cover seals, kickstart cover seal and ignition cover seals. Z1 Enterprises has them.

Also all of the valve seals I've seen with gasket kits are poor quality. Upgrade those.

Other than that, if you follow the service manual & pay attention, it's a straight forward rebuild process.

Enjoy time with you dad

Thanks for the advice and the knowledge on the ignition.There appears to be very few miles on the bike( compression tests are around 130) not a very long riding season up here in Canada. We are actually already using the cardboard bolt patterns and they have saved alot of headaches already.And a quick question, we noticed on Z1 that there are Cam chain tensioners with metal sprockets instead of rubber rollers, would these be worth the extra $15? www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=2172
Thanks
Mark
*Edit and thanks for those part #s they'll make finding the right parts much easier