TOPIC:

I have vowed to make some signifacant progress this year on my Z1 rebuild, but today I have another setback.
I found out that the KZ1000 cylindre won't fit my Z1 cases w/o some machine work on the cases them selves.
What tools (besides a slow-ass Dremel) are used to clean up the cases so that the 1000 cylinder will fit? I have a new but small, die grinder. What stone(s) should I use? Of course this means I'll have to split the cases again for the ump-teenth time. Grrrr.
I'm really getting tired of these setbacks,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
but I must forge on.
Thanks everyone.
Jim

I think you are using the right stuff, all I used to fit my 750 cylinders to my 650 case was a little grinding wheel on a drill, it doesnt have to be perfect, just close. just take a little material off test fit, repeat, til it fits.
Scott

stones wont work on aluminum,you need to use carbides.you might want to remove the studs when you do it to give you some working room. goodluck,happy wrenching!

Silicon carbide is an abrasive used for grinding gray iron, chilled iron, brass, soft bronze and aluminum, as well as stone, rubber and other non-ferrous materials.

www.mmsonline.com/articles/120003.html

A silicon carbide grinding wheel will work, as will a HSS or Carbide bit in a Dremel or die grinder (air or electric). It won't take long to do it with a Dremel with the right cutter (unlike elongating the cam spocket holes with one)

Hey inline4 - Opening up the cases isn't a big deal, it just takes time, patience and the correct tools. I just opened up my 650 cases this week to fit the 750 jugs for my 810 kit.

I visited a local fastening supply/tool store (Rastall Nut & Bolt, a hometown success that ships their own unique tools and fasteners worldwide) and they advised me to use an aluminum cutting bit on an electric drill. It can be used with an air powered die-grinder but you better have one heckuva big air tank 'cause it will take a few hours.

I carefully put the cases into my bench vise so I could manouver around the bore holes. To get into the deepest part of the cases I simply flipped the cases over and this gave me access to all of the areas that needed trimming.

I started at the top of the cases and worked my way downward, stopping every few minutes to trial fit the jugs and mark (with a Sharpie) where the cylinder liners were contacting the case walls.

Remember to wear safety glasses and maybe even a dust mask as the aluminum dust can't be good for the lungs.

Cheers-Colin Firth

'77 Kz 650 Custom - (Miss July on 2006 Kzr Calendar,) Newest rebuild includes Wiseco 810 kit, Kz750 cams, Kz750 intake valves, 750 GPz springs, Ported head, WG Mikuni 28's, Velocity Stacks, Dyna Ignition and coils, MAC pipe, 14 tooth sprocket, going back to original '77 Moon Dust Silver. Goal is to have a stock-looking bike that will tighten up any loose dental fillings off the light.

Jim, Your biggest challenge in this job is to scrape all the gasket mating surfaces. Buy a full gasket kit as you will need it when you split the cases. Once the cases are split (no special tools needed), take off the top case and use a die grinder with a round 1" med. grit stone. I use a SMALL air die grinder from Harbor Freight and can get enough material off in about 5-10 minutes to allow the cylinder to slide right on. You want to grind with the top case off in order to not clog up the bottom of the engine with crud. You can wash the top case half right off with carb cleaner or something and then blow it out and you are ready to go. I also recommend you buy an 8mm 1.25 pitch tap and a 6mm 1.00 pitch tap to chase out all the top and bottom thread for the case bolts. In addition, use RED Loctite on inside bolts and BLUE Loctite on outside bolts. Also use liquid gasket UNDER the bolt heads. Use a torque wrench and torque to spec and do the crank keep bolts in the correct pattern/order. Replace the o-rings from under the oil pump if there is ANY doubt about condition.

Just grind some... Note that the holes are NOT circles. There is one side of the case holes that has some notches. That is the side you will need to grind on for clearance. Test fit cylinder, grind and test fit until it drops onto the locating dowels... again, shouldn't take more than 10 minutes so the amount ground isn't that great.

A world of thanks for everyones' replies. It appears that this isn't such a difficult job after all.
Yesterday when I found out that I have to machine the cases, I kinda freaked out and immediately went to ebay looking for a set. Much to my surprise I found a set of cases right here in town. I emailed the seller asking him if he would end the auction early so that I could buy and pick up the cases myself. He emailed me back saying that he has several sets so it wouldn't be necessary to end the auction early. He gave me his name and phone number so that we could discuss what I need.
I'm going to call and tell him I don't need the cases anymore, and ask him just what else he might have for these old KZs.
I gotta tell you, it's quite a relief knowing that I won't have to re-clean; re-blast and repaint another set of cases. I've worked my butt off getting the ones I have looking good.
WG......
Yesterday I copied your engine rebuilding pointers and tips from an earlier post (once I saw that they could be converted to a pdf format) and printed them out. Too bad you had to pretty much re-type everything again!
I have a complete tap and die set; even used it yeaterday. I removed the 8mm exhaust studs from and older head to use in my newer head. I ran a die over them to clean them up a bit, but somehow I think I might have cleaned them up too much. I used a metric thread gauge, then used the appropriate die (8mm x 1.25) to run over them. I was surprised to see the amount of metal shavings that came off the studs. I re-checked the pitch once I finished and they appeared to be fine. Anyway, I've decided to just buy a set along with some other goodies from Jeff.
Thanks again everyone. You guys always seem to make what appears to be a major problem quite do-able.
Jim