1974 KZ400 Cafe Racer Build

NIce work. why are your alloy tacks so sooty? what are you welding with?

DoctoRot wrote: NIce work. why are your alloy tacks so sooty? what are you welding with?

Thanks.

Miller 240 MIG with .035 aluminum wire and 100% argon, which was running low at the time, and we think that was the cause of the soot. It was Sunday and no one was open to refill the gas, so we just did enough tacks to hold it together firmly. We're most likely going to bite the bullet and buy a TIG this week.

Great progress so far!

cool lookin lil build.
love all the fab work.
keep us posted,

leon

Thanks guys. Just a few more little things to do on the frame (finish welding the upper shock mounts, weld in the relocated brake light switch tab, weld in the battery tray, smooth all of the rough factory welds, sand all the tab grinding spots, etc) and the frame will be ready for sandblasting and powder coating.

The new pop up gas cap should be here by the end of the week, so I hope to have that done and the repair panel welded in the tank this weekend as well. Then comes TIGging the remainder of the seat/tail, bodywork on it and finishing the bodywork on the tank and they'll be ready for paint.

Then the project will slow down, basically to a stand-still, til around mid-winter when I'll pick it back up again, rebuild the motor and have the bike ready for spring.

KZCafeChickNJ wrote: Then the project will slow down, basically to a stand-still, til around mid-winter when I'll pick it back up again, rebuild the motor and have the bike ready for spring.

Really liking this build. I don't think I can wait until Spring...

ThatGPzGuy wrote:

KZCafeChickNJ wrote: Then the project will slow down, basically to a stand-still, til around mid-winter when I'll pick it back up again, rebuild the motor and have the bike ready for spring.

Really liking this build. I don't think I can wait until Spring...

Thanks! I don't know if I can either...

nice to see someone do a proper job its coming along nicely ,im sure she will look great when you finish her ,keep the pics coming

Kwaker2000 wrote: nice to see someone do a proper job its coming along nicely ,im sure she will look great when you finish her ,keep the pics coming

Thank you! That's very nice of you to say. Stay tuned.

Just a very small update.

1. Old gas cap area cut out
2. Patch panel rough cut and rough bent
3. Battery tray cut, bent and fitted
4. Holes drilled to spot weld a support piece under the new gas cap panel
5. Hole drilled for new pop up gas cap
6. Steel bung welded from the underside and soldered to repair panel
7. Panel massaged and fitted
8. Side view. I like this so much better than the clunky stock cap that stuck up so high. I just have to weld the panel to the tank and do some light body work to complete it.

How did you clean out the fumes from the fuel tank before welding?

davido wrote: How did you clean out the fumes from the fuel tank before welding?

Empty the tank and let it vent for a couple days.