KZombie

A little more progress today!

Setup KZombie on a worksurface for some final sanding, cleaning and masking:


Here's the paint supply I'm using:


Can't say enough about this Spray Max system. The material inside is automotive grade but it's the can that makes the difference. This nozzle is great. You can adjust the spray pattern via that rotary knob on top and then the adjust the pattern angle at the point where the paint comes out, just like a real paint gun in the booth. So much easier though:


The finished result. Took a little under an hour:


A close-up of the frame after primer coat:


The primer went on easy as it should. No drama. The can/system is predictable and repeatable. I found I used all the controls provided because of all the angles needed to spray a tubular frame. The tank and skins will be a breeze by comparison.

While the primer was drying, I decided to do more busy work on the engine. Got another cover buffed-out and temporarily installed. I realize now, that I need to replace like 75% of the hardware/fasteners. I know I can get them at the local home hardware store in their metric trays but I keep forgetting to make the list.:


That was it for today. I really wanted to get the frame painted and clear coated today but there wasn't enough free time and the weatherman is predicting humid and rain for most of this week here so I guess it will be next weekend before I can get that sweet black paint on the frame and then finally get the engine installed. I just don't want to install the rebuilt cylinder head or finish the engine until it's in there to save with the struggle of lifting/moving it by myself.

Looks nice. Don't rush it.
Steve

Hey Steve

I'm trying to take my time. It's just the other KZ sitting around the garage keeps reminding me it needs some love too. Ironic because it will probably take a whole lot less time to get up 'n running.

Yeah, but if you were riding one, you wouldn't have time for the other. :whistle:
Steve

loving it so far Zombie. For bolts use these guys they are far cheaper than the hardware store and they are polished. Not to mention the are sorted and labeled.

alloyboltz.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2440

Ah! That's exactly what I needed! Thank you!
It has been the problem with KZombie - fasteners - because some were missing to begin with and some look like there were definitely changed out at some point in it's short life on the road. So I am never sure - is this the correct length for this cover?

Steve. I actually do have the KZ550a that recently fired-up my passion to wrench on these beautiful old bikes again. I do try to ride it too but I admit that often I look at it and think "maybe I should go out for a little scoot around town?" but then I look at the engine in pieces or the frame in pieces of KZombie and decide "tomorrow I'll ride. today I gotta get this one thing done.." :whistle:

Hey Wrench,

Once again really great results and progress, looks like that frame was a bear but with some perseverance and punishing the body instead of the wallet you got a really quality result. I have been thinking hard about using the Spraymax stuff myself, hearing your take on it as well as explanation of the customization ability of the spray pattern it really convinced me to use this when the time comes to use that. I will have to do some research but curious if they have a high temp chemical resistant clear that I could spray on the wheels and the engine case to make cleaning it going forward after spraying and painting and restoring a breeze. :whistle:

Brett

This is turning out really nice and love the color choice........ punch up engine covers at Partzilla and most of the screw lengths and sizes will be listed in their schematics.

Cheese and Rice. I see builds like this and lots of others here on KZR and I think I should just sell all my tools and take up stamp collecting. :S

Bowman wrote: Cheese and Rice. I see builds like this and lots of others here on KZR and I think I should just sell all my tools and take up stamp collecting. :S

Give yourself some more credit, doing good work whenever I see you post Bowman Though Wrench is doing one heck of a job for sure!

Brett

I've been watching your build Bowman, don't cut yourself short.
Steve

Thank you gentlemen. You are all too kind. I've seen all your bikes and your efforts on this forum and feel only inspiration to try.
I guess that's what I like so much about KZR. The camaraderie of guys who know what I'm going through and with the experiences I don't yet have! Which is the perfect segue for this evening:

Tonight, I got home late and didn't really have much time to work on the bike. I got a start on the final case cover - the clutch cover. KZombie's covers were in fairly rough shape overall, I suspect due to all the exposure. So buffing them up even to just acceptable has been arduous and time consuming. A little bit every day though... Both my wife and son think I'm OCD at this point.

So as I was listening to tunes and sanding, I kept looking at the engine next to me:


The clutch in all it's glory.
This clutch hasn't been operated in decades though and I've read on the forum here that often guys find their clutch is stuck or sticking after long periods of inactivity... So, I'm thinking I should take it apart and ? That's one of my questions. What exactly should I do? Just dismantle it, clean it and put it back together? I mean I have both the FSM and Clymer manuals at the ready and I'm sure those pages will tell me what to look for in terms of friction disc thickness, pressure plate spring size and I know it shows to look at the basket edges but what things do they not tell us about?
What are the things only guys like us, with 30+ year old versions of those factory fresh examples in the manual pages finding?
Tips or tricks to cleaning?
How to separate stuck discs? I dunno yet. I haven't even tried to loosen the first bolt on it.

The second question was then spawned as I began thinking about the clutch dismantle.
Recently, I ordered a bunch of seals and bearings for the rebuild and I picked-up an engine seal set. So I hunted it down on my shelf of parts to be used and when I opened the package I found a single baggie labelled "KZ650" and ... nothing else. Nothing to denote which seal is which or where any go. Doh! :pinch:
Once again, I assume the FSM will tell me how to replace any given seal but I have 9 of them now. Should I use them all? I'm guessing so but then maybe some are not possible to replace given I didn't do a full engine tear down? And the big question is which seal goes where?
Here's my seals:


My guess at this point is I'll need a hook to rip out those old seals that I can access. I'm assuming they all can be pulled from the engine externally (that is; they are not pressed-in from the inside of the case). But, I've been known to ASSuME and been bitten. Like for example, I assume there is a seal on the inside of the flywheel and while I have not looked yet, I assume there is some "Special Tool" needed to remove it, like to lock-up the engine while the bolt is removed. I'm hoping someone here has an at-home tool like that eloquent solution to locking-up the engine sprocket with a piece of chain and two bolts but I have not put that new sprocket on yet so I could clean and besides the engine is on the bench now, not it the frame... Hmmm? Maybe that's a TIP right there? WAIT to replace all the seals until after the engine is mounted back in the frame? :whistle:

This week, I gotta get this last casing for the clutch buffed-up and then clean-up a few frame elements I forgot and get them primed. Clean and mask-off the wheels and all going this smoothly, I'm aiming to finally shoot that Black pearl metallic paint. :S