Re: New member with "Z1 project"
Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2019 8:46 pm
CraigT wrote:Made a bit of progress on the Z1 so thought I would just post an update.......and seek a bit more advice from you experts on this forum..........thanks in advance.
I was about to send the paintwork off for a respray when I had second thoughts on the tank so just for good measure I had it blasted. OMG what a mess ...hundreds of pin holes in the top and the curved bit underneath which fits over the frame tube. Amazingly the bottom was virtually hole free and it might have patched with a good coat of epoxy liner and some filler but did I really want to risk a (at some future date) £20k bike under a leaky fuel tank. hmmmmmm.....NO. dk came to the rescue with a nice one (albeit a Z1a) so now just need to get the badge mounts modded.
i managed to find some rims with 73 date stamps and they are off to the chromers and sometime in the distant future ( 8 weeks! ) will be rebuilt with a 6 bolt front hub and the existing, correct, rear. Two lower fork stantions came from the US of A and have been restored and new seals fitted. Also from the USA I found some 28mm carbs (mega expensive but Hey ho !!) which will eventually be fitted but in the meantime i wanted to try the Z900 carbs which came with it. They looked very clean and all slides worked well but clearly had problems as petrol just poured out of the back. On inspection it was found all the floats were crushed. Anyone know why this might happen.?? Knowing they were likely scrap and to cut a long story short I took then apart , pushed out the dints and soldered them up. A dunking in water overnight proved they didn't leak and after a float height check the carbs were refitted.
I'd already given it an oil change and fitted a new battery, checked plugs and timing and rebuilt all the switchgear so we were good to go. ..or so I thought. Apart from a lot of backfiring and popping ...no joy. Eventually I discovered the points to coil leads had been swapped (not by me !!!)Then success, it fired more or less straight away and , considering the carbs hadn't been cleaned, ran pretty well. I did notice the two left had cylinders (1&2) were a bit smokey compared with 3 & 4. Is this common ??? I've only just fitted a centre stand so it's likely to have been on the side stand for the last umpteen years....could that be the reason ??
Apart from that I'm working on the clocks,have located a correct brake disk and calliper, have a new (replica) chain guard and rear shocks. Still need a chain oil pump and shaft if anyone has one :-)
I'm only looking initially to get it running and registered . A concours restoration may follow at some future date but for now I just want it running and riding. I never rode one back in the day so looking forward to it.
Apologies for the epistle.....will post some pics next time.
C.
1 and 2 a bit smokey, 3 and 4 not could indicate some seepage through the valve stem seals. That could indeed just be from sitting with oil in that side of the head more than the other side on the side stand and clear up, or you could find that in the fullness of time you need to change all the seals.
But, if all it does is burn a bit of oil, that's for another day.
Great project, the sort we all dream of uncovering.
