Restoration of a Z1000A2

[Philippe]

Hi men

it's been a few months since my last topic...blame it on the long, dark, cold and wet winter.
Finally the sun came out and last monday (april 3rd) I had my first ride of the year on my Z1000R.
I decided it became time to start the restoration of the Z1000A2 I bought in the month of may of 2022.
Just to freshen up your mind a few pictures of the bike...or what's supposed to become a bike

the pile of rust...

this is the original speedometer !

As you can see she only ran for about 9700 Km...a bit before that she was transformed into a "racer" but as far as I know, only on the outside.
Then she stood under a shelter for a bit more than 30 years, collecting dust and rust.
The engine was taken out and that stood in a garage .

the engine...

The engine was painted black and never got back into the frame after the "artwork".
It's not seized, I can turn it around with the kick starter and it moves smooth.
We'll see what time did with the barrels and with the pistons.

So today I removed the last rubbers from the frame, the original steering head ball bearing shell and the footpeg bolts and started to clean up the frame.
I started removing the old paint and rust from the rear side, that's where most of the work has to be done, a lot of small parts, a lot of welding seams and a lot of RUST ! But, nothing we can't handle.
Perhaps more news and new pictures tomorrow.
GrtZ
Philippe

[Z1streetfighter71]

Wow mate you took a on a job there, warm up the media blaster and make sure you have plenty of tea and aluminum oxide. Iv all ready got a start on my version of this bike but yours is way further gone than mine.

[chrisNI]

You’ll have it on the road in two weeks Philippe

[r3sc]

Already looking forward to the next updates Philippe!

[Peteypops23]

you are one brave man Philippe!!
bit of scotchbrite and some wd40...jobs a good un
Pete

oh, and if you're looking to sell the rearsets give me a shout please....

[moizeau]

You’ll have it on the road in two weeks Philippe

That my be pushing it, a month I reckon.
Bon courage

[Philippe]

Hi guys

I'm back with some more news...
I would like to start by thanking all of you who gave comments and encouragements.
The restoration will definitively take a bit more than a month...perhaps two months or three, it'll depend on the weather conditions.
To Pete: I have to say that I allready gave the rearsets away to a friend of mine, so Pete, I'm sorry it's too late.
Today I took some pictures of the work I did yesterday and during the past months.
To start with:
* the carbs: they're taken apart, ultrasonically cleaned, polished and they received new Keyster parts.
Once the parts that needed new plating are finished, I'll assemble them.

the cleaned carbs

* the brake parts: those were also taken apart, cleaned and the old paint was stripped off using formic acid.
They're waiting to be repainted and then they'll receive new rubbers and all the other stuff that's needed to perform properly.

the brakes

This is the result of 4 hours of grinding on the frame .
As usual I use the red nylon brushes, the circular sander and this time I needed an angle grinder with a steel brush in order to remove the rust

the partially cleaned frame

The rear end looks rather clean but there's still a lot of work to be done to remove all the paint and the rust from those "hard to reach places".
Since it was raining today and due to the fact that I do the cleaning outside, I didn't continue the work on the frame, I'm waiting for the rain to stop. Perhaps CCR can give me the answer because they had a song in which the words " who'll stop the rain" were sung way back in the sixties...I wonder if someone answered their question.

Today I had a good time searching all the little parts together. You'll be astonished to see how many different rubber parts are used on a bike.
I'll show you a picture of them the next time.
See you soon guys.
GrtZ
Philippe

[Bill P]

Enjoying your post as usual Philippe The Big Dog is missing from the photo's though

[Philippe]

Hello men

a little update.
I promised to show you a picture of the rubber parts of the Z1000.
Here they are, not all of them but most of them:

the rubber parts

They're outside but they're safe!
Have a look Bill:

the guardian...

"Cave canem" (beware of the dog) as the Romans used to say.

A little bit of progress on the frame, a bit more old paint and rust removed, it took me two more hours to clean up the rear part of the frame and there are stil a few"very hard to reach places" to be done.
Perhaps tomorrow if the weather permits.

the rear part of the frame

That's all for today folks.
GrtZ
Philippe

[Bill P]

What a Beauty

[Philippe]

Gentlemen

after six and a half hour of grinding today this is the result:

an almost completely cleaned frame, only the inside of the headstock must be cleaned and afterwards I'll have to do something against the rust which has pitted the frame and remains in the metal. I think I'm going to use sandblasting but I'm not sure about it. Time will tell.

These are my "weapons of choice" to deal with the old paint and rust.

my weapons of choice

As you can see I use a lot of little metal brushes to reach those hard and very hard to reach places on a frame.
The drill is a few years old and I've replaced several times the carbon brushes of the electrical motor.
As long as she works, I keep her.

The circular sander is also a few years old and didn't let me down so far.

The angular grinder is used to remove the first coat of rust and paint.

Protection of the lungs and eyes is also important. That's why I use an old paint mask and goggles for protection.

So, perhaps next week I can finish the frame and paint it. Again, it will all depend upon the weather conditions.
Happy Easter
GrtZ
Philippe

[Z1streetfighter71]

Fair play mate, i wouldn't have that patience/time, off to the baster/powder coating with it, work 6 hrs overtime on my side and job done. you have the patience of a saint!

[Philippe]

Hi men

this morning I spent another 2 hours on grinding and sandblasting the inside of the headstock, where all the frame tubes are joined, in order to get it clean.
In the end it worked out well and this afternoon the frame was degreased and hung on a few ropes.
It took me about 1,5 hour to paint it and I must say that I'm pleased with the results.
I couldn't hide the rustpitting in the frame tubes but it's far better than I expected.
See for yourself.

the painted frame

There's still a long way to go before the bike is finished but it's a start.
Tomorrow I'll start cleaning other frame parts and as soon as those are ready the painting will continue.
There's also the engine that needs disassembly and cleaning but that's for another time.
As soon as I have more news you'll be the first to hear it!
GrtZ
Philippe

[Mathh]

Very nice!

[Philippe]

Hello men

yesterday afternoon I took the engine into the workshop... what a heavy lump of metal when it's complete.
just a few pictures to show you what it looks, it's like it's been used as a U-boat, oxidation all over the place.

Thorben inspecting the engine

The disassembly started and the cylinder head and the barrels were taken off.

As you can see a lot of burned oil and dirt.

The barrels show small traces of rust and I hope I can remove them by honing the barrels.

After a few hours this was the result:

The camchain sprockets show no sign of wear but i'm going to replace them anyway, they're 45 years old.
the other rubber parts looked also very decent but here it's the same: they have 45 years of age and will be replaced by new parts.

the old distribution parts

This morning the dismantling continued.
On the inside of the points cover there was a pleasant surprise:

The last time the points were inspected was 1986 !!!

More to come this afternoon!
GrtZ
Philippe