Parts bike turned resto

[bcware]

The cylinder block gasket on my '78 had pieces practically fused to the mating surface. I bought gasket remover and scrubbed with a brass brush. It took days to remove it all!

The left cylinder is just covered with oil, which is to be expected when your head gasket has a bad leak.

I also picked up a fine steel wire brush for my dremel today (dremel brand). I tested it on pieces of aluminum and it actually polishes to a mirror shine rather than scratching. Perhaps it is safe to use on the valves and pistons heads?

 

[brownv1]

The head gasket didn't have a leak that was where the guy I bought it from put WD40 in through the plugs to get it free. My problem isn't getting the gasket removed I cant get the cylinders to budge and have tried everything but heat. Like I said I'm a newb to the engine stuff, should I just put it back together and hope the rings are good?...or considering the shape of everything else go ahead and replace the rings since im in there and they are cheap. The cylinders actually look awesome so I'm not gonna have to hone. Do rings wear down over time or just fail all at once? It looks like there is some discoloration of the cylinder wall where the piston rings would have been sitting over the years. Is this going to be a sign of failure? I'll try and get a picture of it and post so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[drewpy]

TBH those bores look polished! you are looking for a cross hatch in the bores which catch the oil and hold it there whilst the piston passes over it!

this is what you are looking for

 

[brownv1]

I agree drewpy the bores look awesome so I'm not planning on doing anything to them. My fear is the rings might be bad b/c it sat so long and there are marks on the cylinder walls where it sat that looks like a little rust my worry is does this compromise the rings? I took a picture of what I'm talking about what do you think drewpy?...clean it and put it back together and don't worry about it or replace them since I'm in there?

 

[xschris]

Might as well do it right the first time

 

[drewpy]

personally, I'd hone them. did it for my tracker and kept the rings.

easy now you have the bike apart, a pain if you don't have full compression and have to do it all over again!

use a block of wood and a mallet to drive up the cyl head, also let in some BP blaster/diesel down each stud ( not the oil ones though)

 

[bcware]

The head gasket didn't have a leak.

O Rly? I am looking at a thick ring of oil on the fins surrounding the outside of the head gasket mating surface in the phtos on page 1. It looks like it had a decent leak to me

 

[brownv1]

no leak what you see is grime resting on the fins from a well traveled bike and the gasket stickin to the cylinders, no oil.