The Wounded Z

Making better progress now that holidays are over & life in general has gotten out of the way.

Space is always tight in the shop, but especially now while we're doing some interior painting the past few weeks. Loose closet doors in various stages of undress/refinish are running amok in the shop, vying for precious space with the bikes in general and the service bay in particular. A friend gave us the platform with the casters years ago, and it's come in handy to move the static chassis around the shop. Being able to spin it in place is a godsend, much easier than a rolling chassis with it's relatively wide turning radius.


One of the first things The Lovely Z1BEBE said the day this bike arrived on the freight truck fresh outta' the barn (see post 1 in this thread) was, "I'll help you restore it". That's Girl Code for "Can it be mine to ride for a season? Pretty please??" Good to her word, she's been in the shop most days assisting with cleaning, assembly, helping slmjim find things that was in his pocket all along, and general moral support. Here we find her applying TLC at the small wire wheel:


The Wounded Z might be sold before she can ride it very much if at all, but at least she has her '75 Z1-B(aby) to help assuage her sorrows.

Forum member <hardgun> makes & sells custom motor stands. We can finally use the old gvt. surplus steel office table for it's intended purpose as a dedicated motor table, instead of yet another horizontal surface to catch things. At least while a motor is in progress. Last motor we did, the '72 Z1 Euro-lookalike basket case, was done on an old Black & Decker Workmate portable workbench that occupied half the service bay. The stand will also work just fine on the rolling platform that currently has the chassis on it.


More to come as progress allows.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Sounds like you are getting a handle on it Jim.
Friday I sold all my bikes and a truck load of parts to one guy and officially dropped out of the bike world (for now). I must confess I kept the leathers and helmets though.
I'll try to check in every now and then to see what you are up to.

We started on the tankset paint yesterday. The Lovely Z1BEBE doing most of the work , while slmjim works on bottom end reassembly.

Detergent wash to remove ~47 year old barn grunge, followed by white rubbing compound, followed by blue jewelers rouge suspended in Murphy's Oil Soap, followed by another detergent washing.

The tailpiece and one sidecover done in 10 hrs. except for final polishing with liquid polish/UV protectant. We figure we'll have ~36 hrs. or so devoted to Mama Kaw's OEM paint recovery alone.

We'd like to invite whoever applied the dealer sticker directly to the top of the tailpiece ~47 yrs. ago to take a lonnnggg run on a short pier. 90 minutes with a hair dryer and sharpened plastic scraper got it off, but not without leaving a few scuffs behind. The leftover adhesive required another 30 min. to fully remove using as gentle a solvent (you don't wanna know...) as would have any effect. The area covered by the sticker was not faded, compared to the surrounding areas as would be expected, and is fairly noticeable The under-sticker area could be a good reference for color & flake of a late-production '73, as would the bottoms of the sidecovers & underneath the tank.

A few spot areas treated with the final liquid polish/UV protectant indicate the gloss will return very nicely. The color of faded areas will never recover, as the pigments have been permanently altered. The shallow gouge in the tailpiece left by the luggage rack is un-recoverable without being patched & completely refinished. All in all, we're very pleased with the tankset paint, and are still quite surprised the Jaffa paint survived as well as it did. The fading & minor scuffing elsewhere on all the tankset pieces will contribute the the unrestored-original/survivor theme. From 10 ft., the bike will look pretty good!

We'll post some before/after pics of the tankset paint next update.

Good Ridin'
slm,jim & Z1BEBE

Progress has picked up now that our interior painting project is done, a story in itself.

Seems that if The Lovely Z1BEBE is left idle too long, she comes up with project ideas unrelated to motorcycles.

Like interior painting.

Z1BEBE - "It'll only take three or four days... right?"
For a few seconds slmjim thinks to himself, he sez "Self - Hmmm... Entry foyer & main hallway plus half bath equals:
Ceilings, white of course,
Walls, one color,
Woodwork, trim & five solid door surfaces, 'nuther color,
Three louvered doors = frames same color as trim, louvers same color as walls,
Half bath walls , yet 'nuther color,
Half bath trim, same color as rest of project,
Spackle nail holes, cracks,
Mask many linear feet of linoleum flooring to paint quarter round,
Clean 50+ year old oil paint from door hardware (14 hinges!), HVAC registers & grilles and lighting hardware where builder's painters were sloppy,
Surface prep to old semi-gloss woodwork paint so new paint will adhere,
Wash walls,
Etc, etc, etc. ..."

slmjim - "More like a month or so."
Z1BEBE - "No... really?!?"
slmjim - " (sigh) Yeah, really. sooner we get started, sooner we get done."

Couple weeks into the project - "Whereinnahell did the cat get paint on her side???"
Few days later - "Dog hair stuck in the paint... Arrrgg!!!)

Six weeks later - Done!

And we're still speaking to each other :kiss: :kiss: .

Good to her word as always, The Lovely Z1BEBE is gettin' down & dirty-ish in the shop with
The Wounded Z
(bet ya' didn't see that coming!)

The Lovely (glad I didn't get a manicure yesterday) Z1BEBE at the wire wheel.


"Torque Monster" Z1BEBE
"Back... BACK!!! MYYY bolts!!!" slmjim knows better than to get between her and a fastener needing torqued.


Here, sneaking up on final case bolt torque, third pass around.


Then she sez, "I need a job". :dry:

:ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:

Having learned that, if left without job she comes up with stuff like interior painting, slmjim sez, "It's time to work on paint".

Seeing that certain look in her eye, he hastens to add" "The bike, babe..., the bike!" (Close one :whistle: )

After Z1BEBE devotes around 24 hrs of concentrated hand effort spread over a week or so using white polishing compound, followed by a mix of pulverized blue jewelers rouge (Bleu Rouge) suspended in Murphy's Oil Soap, then a final buff with finishing polish/UV protectant, and the old factory paint really comes back with a vengeance. It was such a stroke of good fortune that the bike was in a barn for 30+ years! The only sun fading of note is on the right sidecover that apparently face a window.

There's no dents. The artifacts are reflections.




A couple of scratches that are difficult to see here & a surface rust spot to be dealt with someday.


Tailpiece complete with luggage rack gouge. (Grrr... long run/short peir) Un-faded area where sticker was is to the right about 60cm. Doc tray is near perfect.


Unfaded area where sticker was is outlined just above stripe. Outline is embedded in the paint somehow.


The gloss came back nicely on the left sidecover. Not as new but, it started out oxidized dull. Slight fade upper right.


Nothing can be done about the much more pronounced fading. Adds to the patina, maybe... ? Started out more dull.



Bottom end is assembled now.

Next up:
Mount wheels.
Move bottom end into chassis.
Find Wounded Z job(s) for Z1BEBE.

Figure out if this old-style petcock can be saved. It's stuck tight.


("Ummm..., Babe? Wanna learn how to run one of the ultrasonic tanks...?")


Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Bike is off the rolling platform & back on it's own OEM wheels now. Starting to look like a motorcycle again.




This is perhaps a better pic of the unfaded area where the sticker was. The gouge from the luggage rack is hidden by the shadow of the grab rail. The two broken horizontal white lines are weird reflection artifacts off the grab rail from the overhead lights, not scratches in the paint.



"Before you make it go, make sure it'll stop."
- Crusty Ol' Mechanic from Days of Yore -

Words to live by. Literally.

We've known since day 1 that the front brakes would be challenging, 'cause we looked. The MC was put aside to tackle easier, more manageable issues.

Like a stuck motor.

Don't know what the nasty creeping crud is that once was DOT 3 brake fluid. We've seen it many times but, never this much in one place. It's usually green-ish, but this has finely aged to calming. tan & brown earth tones :dry: . There was a shot glass full of the stuff in the MC. Piston is seized tight. It's unlikely the bore can be salvaged, but we'll make that call when we gently coax the piston out using a combination of friendly persuasion, heat & a 20 ton press.




Caliper piston was likewise stuck tight. We've been periodically dousing the piston with Magical Mystery Fluid for months. Had to clamp the piston in a vise, a heat gun on the caliper, twisting, gnashing of teeth & 145 PSI air to finally get the piston to move. The caliper bore was filled with similar creeping crud as the MC, but cleaned up nicely with vapor blast & a fine Dremel wire wheel. The seal groove is in surprisingly good condition. Piston looks like it's been beat with an ugly-stick.


More to come...

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Hope this fined everyone safe & well. We're doing fine camped out at home. Hard to believe it's been this long since the last update.

A few weeks were consumed painting our master bath, limiting time spent on The Wounded Z. Had to put sprockets & chain on slmjim's CB750 Nighthawk too, as well as installing a bypass relay on it for coil power when we discovered voltage drop at the coils was just under 2v. Made a very noticeable improvement in observed spark energy and running on partial choke. While we were at it, we duplicated the coil relay harness & did the same mod to Z1BEBE's CB750 Nighthawk.

Moving on to The Wounded Z:

A closer look at the pad carrier. Pic speaks for itself. This was after a visit to the vapor blast cabinet.


The carb slides weren't stuck but, movement was, shall we say, crunchy-feeling. Bodies were in such weathered condition that we had to consider what patina to leave.








Internally the carbs were surprisingly clean, with only one pilot jet clogged. The whole rack had obviously never been molested, so the basics were still sound. Linkage parts were all reused after cleaning.

Disassembly & time spent in the parts wash tank, then in the ultrasonic tank indicated the patina would be uneven enough from carb body to carb body to be noticeable, and not at all in keeping with the cosmetics of the motor & other aluminum in general. It was especially evident on the top caps and polished sides of the #1 and #4 float bowls. So, right or wrong, we decided to blast everything. The results are acceptable, but too bright to be correct. Don't know if we'll ever vapor blast carbs again though, because even after rinsing in detergent water along with strong water flow & compressed air, the remaining glass bead is a cross between a pain in the a$$ and a SOB to remove completely. It seems as if bead is held onto surfaces by electrostatic attraction or surface tension somehow. A solution of an industrial detergent in the ultrasonic tank finally remove 99.9% of the bead. These puppies are clean!

Because the carbs had never been apart, we were hoping float level would be in the ballpark. We'd seen somewhere (here?) how someone had rigged a clear container to check & adjust float level. For years, we've always used a clear tube, removing & installing the float bowl every time an adjustment was needed. The clear container method eliminates that effort & really speeds things along, but can be messy. After leveling our portable workbench outside, this is how it works:


This one's a tad low:


Gonna have to figure out a fuel-proof way to mark 3mm / 1/8th inch from the top lip of the glass cup. A double check of one carb with the bowl installed & clear tube confirmed the cup method is very accurate.

This is the final product of much cleaning. As with the rest of the bike, we're re-using as much original hardware as possible. Lots of time has been spent blasting & wire-wheeling small bits & fasteners to remove rust & corrosion. And, no small bit of war pai... er, fingernail polish was removed in the process (Z1BEBE sez, "I just did my nails yesterday!")

All the fasteners on this rack are original.








A detail look at probably the worst carb cap. As with much of the rest of the polished aluminum on the whole bike, pitting from corrosion is too deep to be practical to remove.


Next up is install the head. More updates as they're available.

Stay safe & be well everyone.

Good Ridin'
slmjm & Z1BEBE

Nice work on those carbs! The cup method looks like a good idea, may try it today as I need to bring the fuel level up a mm or two.

Hi Jim. Those bowls got past inspection for quite a run! I have seen several like this. I posted this up on the Historical Z1 FB page about 6 months ago. They scared me! I did not even want to try and clean them up, then try and polish! No way! Less hands on the better.
This must have been a sand cast? or some type of mold? But several of the sets of bowls made it through production.
Carbs look great! Mine are still sitting 1/2 apart. I will get to them. People want crazy money for them! I'm going to try for big money? Hey Capitalism! Supply and demand.
Take care.

That is a very ambitious project but it looks amazing so far. I like the way the tank and side covers came out. Think you'll be ready for Mid-Ohio?

Regarding the fuel-float-cup method:

a) Holy cow, I need to to try that - thanks!
2) outside, in case of spills, and
d) you can use the Dremel (or a plain hardened scribe tool) to make a level indicator on the jar.

Looks like if a person had four identical cups, all four could be measured at once........

Nerdy wrote: That is a very ambitious project but it looks amazing so far. I like the way the tank and side covers came out. Think you'll be ready for Mid-Ohio?

Regarding the fuel-float-cup method:

a) Holy cow, I need to to try that - thanks!
2) outside, in case of spills, and
d) you can use the Dremel (or a plain hardened scribe tool) to make a level indicator on the jar.

We can't claim the cup method ourselves. Saw it pictured long ago on a forum somewhere, don't remember where, maybe here on KZR?

Spills & slops & general messiness are all probably inevitable, as the cup must be at least partially emptied between level tests, and 3mm / 1/8 inch doesn't give much room for error. If the float level is too high on the initial test or the float needle doesn't seat, the cup, um... runneth over.

We're still looking for a liquid that is safe to use indoors for float setup during winter months but, haven't found anything that precisely matches the float level of gasoline. We've tried:

distilled and tap water
isopropyl alcohol
antifreeze, both pure and 1/2 & 1/2 mix
diesel fuel & kerosene

None have exactly matched gasoline for float level. Now that we've tested the cup method, it'll be much easier to try other liquids using a spare/loose carb body. We might have to compromise by making the calculation of the float level's difference between a safe liquid and gasoline and setting floats using a safe liquid based the calculated difference.

We wanted to make the 3mm level line under the lip around the entire circumference for viewing convenience. Your comment re: hardened scribe inspired the idea to place the cup upside down on a flat surface and use a common glass cutter firmly secured with the wheel 3mm above the surface to scribe a line 3mm below the cup's lip by rotating the cup against the wheel of the stationary cutter. Thanks for inspiration!

We'll be installing the head this week. We anticipate first start toward the end of this month as long as life doesn't get in the way. Front brake system is together & only has to be filled & bled. A shakedown test ride in the neighborhood early / mid next month is looking likely.

It was always our intent to have the bike ready for Mid Ohio this year. So much is unsettled now though. Will it be cancelled? Postponed? In years past, the routine buyers who come in from Japan & Australia were there snapping up certain bikes for cash on the spot, as well as American buyers. Will those guys be there? If Mid-Ohio happens at all, overall attendance is a big unknown.

We're both in the age bracket that supposedly places us at higher risk from the virus, although neither of us have any underlying health conditions. Still..., while distancing is generally easier in the outdoor setting of the swap meet, we're questioning the particular risks of the outhouse, portable restroom and shower facilities. But that's a discussion for another time & thread. AMA / Mid-Ohio might make the decision for us.

Stay safe everyone


Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Several companies offer calibration fluids that mimic gasoline, but are far less dangerous to work with. Sadly, they tend to be quite expensive.