KZ650 Sleeper Build (KZ1000 engine transplant)

I also use zipties and for breaking the bead i use a small jack.

I am getting back on this project soon.

I am looking into the rear tire issue and the finish on the head/barrel/exhaust head pipes that is holding me up on putting the engine together.

I am making arrangements to get my cylinder head, barrel, and head pipes media blasted at a friends place. I am going to try using some crushed walnut shells/glass bead. Not having any luck with chemical strippers, they are all too weak these days. The head and barrel paint is the most stubborn I have ever run across.

My friends media blast setup is a portable outdoor unit mainly used for vehicle frames etc. (not ideal)

I got a quote from a local guy my motor guru suggested, he does chemical strip and vapor/glass bead blasting. The quote he gave me on the barrel/head was $240-$475 depending on paint adherence.

I decided for that price I could buy my own new bench top blast cabinet and bring it to my buddies shop as I don't have a compressor setup big enough to power it for extended lengths of time.

The new cabinet is on route and will need to be assembled/modded. I am going to pimp out the portable cabinet with a bunch of mods I saw on YouTube.
 

My advice is don’t bother with the crushed walnut shells , I have tried it and it’s not aggressive enough to do what you want. It would be fine for final finish blast.

Moose1800 wrote:

My advice is don’t bother with the crushed walnut shells , I have tried it and it’s not aggressive enough to do what you want. It would be fine for final finish blast.
 

Yes, I was already advised to use the glass bead for paint removal then the walnut shells to dull the finish down.

I tried Klean Strip premium on a kz1000 valve cover that had been powder coated. Actually it worked very well. Under the powder coat was some badly pitted chrome. It is now powder coated again and looks good.

Vinsky wrote:

I tried Klean Strip premium on a kz1000 valve cover that had been powder coated. Actually it worked very well. Under the powder coat was some badly pitted chrome. It is now powder coated again and looks good.
 

Thanks for the suggestion but I can't get that brand up here in Canada.

The blast cabinet showed up today and it needs to be assembled just like a BBQ

No issue with the assembly as I have mods in mind right off the hop. I have a small 3 gallon shop vac that will be perfect to hook up to this unit so I bought a cyclone dust collector tower. I also want to assemble a better media siphon as it comes with a "tube inside a tube" type. The gun also needs some mods to make it better.
 

Injected wrote:

Vinsky wrote:

I tried Klean Strip premium on a kz1000 valve cover that had been powder coated. Actually it worked very well. Under the powder coat was some badly pitted chrome. It is now powder coated again and looks good.

 

Thanks for the suggestion but I can't get that brand up here in Canada.

The blast cabinet showed up today and it needs to be assembled just like a BBQ

No issue with the assembly as I have mods in mind right off the hop. I have a small 3 gallon shop vac that will be perfect to hook up to this unit so I bought a cyclone dust collector tower. I also want to assemble a better media siphon as it comes with a "tube inside a tube" type. The gun also needs some mods to make it better.

 

 "make it better" is a disease Lol

When you assemble the cabinet use silicone sealant for metal. Full length beads and a circle around every bolt hole to keep the dust inside the cabinet. I also added extra lights inside so I can actually see.

Yep, the lighting and vacuum are top mods as the stock stuff they include with the cabinet are garbage. There are a lot of parts I have squirreled away I can use on this rather than buying duplicates, it just takes time to dig them out! All kinds of regulators, NPT fittings, ball valves, hoses, etc. Junk acquired over 35 years in the same house that I never got rid of. It will be a little side project over the weekend.
 

I am going to a friends shop tomorrow night to try out my new blast cabinet.

I bought some 60-80 grit glass bead to use, I decided not to use walnut shells and just knock down any sheen with #00 steel wool.

The cabinet is just big enough to fit the head pipes of my welded exhaust. 

I am going to blast the cylinder head, barrel, cam cover, and head pipes. I need to spend some time tomorrow masking off those parts.

Will post some pics once I get back.

So the blasting night did not go as planned, it was more experimental than anything with not much work being accomplished. Here is the setup :



Got going only to find that the media was clumping in the transfer tubing, tried to throttle the incoming air and switching up supply air PSI to no avail. Was getting a tiny bit of the test piece (cam cover) cleaned but not as good as expected. Decided to run out to the hardware store and get a ball valve to restrict the media flow which helped somewhat.



Then decide to try the same 60/80 glass bead in my friend portable tank unit, as we discovered his nozzle tips were much smaller. The smallest tip mine came with was a .18" ID and his was .09" ID. Ran my media with his tip at the same 90 PSI and it started to cut better.



That was only 2-3 minutes of blasting total loss outside under his back shop porch in some brutal heat and humidity! It still needs work but at least we confirmed that the media is OK, but my nozzle tips are WAY too big. That basically ended the evenings fun because now I need to fabricate some steel nozzle tip inserts to fit on the end of my gun inside those pink ceramic ends.



Learned a few things about the blast cabinet during this session, had a few beers and decided I would come back when I get my equipment sorted. Hopefully it will be cooler out temperature wise when I return, thunderstorms every day the last couple of days with localized flooding! Not ideal blasting weather.

The cabinet worked great, no dust with the vacuum on. Once I get the tip size dialed in it will be much better and hopefully get these parts finished once and for all!

 

I like your ingenuity. I added a vibratory motor to the outside of the cabinet near the bottom. It stopped the clogging and gives a constant flow of media now.