CL350 Top end rebuild

KirkN · Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:16 pm Post subject:

OUCH! Man that bites.

I know this is a silly suggestion, but is the shifter linkage on correctly? My older brother once was stumped by why his CB350 trans wouldn't shift, and we discovered it was because the external linkage had gotten so sloppy, it would hit. I can't remember now if it was hitting the engine case on the upshift or hitting the exhaust on the downshift, but a quick tweaking cured his 'transmission' woes.

I also had a similar problem on my CX500C. It would sometimes hit a false neutral when upshifting from 3 - 4 - 5. Not always and not in the lower gears. It, too, turned out to be a slightly bent shifter lever that was hitting the engine case every once in a while.

Good luck with it.

Kirk

fasterspider · Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:27 pm Post subject:

My 71 CL350 has been sitting in my garage collecting dust for the past 8 or 9 months now because the transmission failed after the top end rebuild and 3 complete eBay transmissions later, it still would not shift.
So I got fed up and bought a complete {Butt Ugly nasty dirty on the outside silver Shocked

} bottom end for $55.00 to go with my beautiful fresh black ceramic coated top end but, I did not pay close enough attention when I bought the eBay bottom end and came up with a 73 bottom end to go with my 71 top end.
I just ordered another gasket set from eBay.
The gasket sets do not know the difference between 1968 and 1973 but, the shifter mechanism does. Shocked

I am no old school 350 twin expert, that is plain to see so, can anyone tell me if my 71 top end will meld with the new to me 73 bottom end no problem?

Bikegeezer · Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:06 am Post subject:

fasterspider · Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:58 am Post subject:

Thanks Stu, I had a feeling it would be no problem but, I just had to hear it from one that knows more than me.

fasterspider · Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:08 pm Post subject:

Progress is slow but, there has been some.
I got the new bottom end apart to find a lot of mung caked to the bottom half of the case but, the top half and transmission were clean. I put the crank and new cam chain from my old bottom end into the new bottom end.
It is almost back together again but, I am not feeing well and my back hurts, so this project waits for a day in the near future when I am feeling better.
My bad health is my own fault but, I am healing with a new diet and new meds from my new GI doctor.

Bikegeezer · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:23 am Post subject:

ol55 · Commuter Joined: Feb 09, 2009 Posts: 391 Location: VA

fasterspider · Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:07 pm Post subject:

I love being able to go out and work in the garage again Cool

, being cooped up sick is just no fun anymore. Shocked

Hahaha, HabaÃ±ero peppers have never crossed this lips and never will. Laughing

It's a funny thing hating & never eating hot/spicey foods in my whole life and getting holes in my stomach anyway.

Bikegeezer · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:43 am Post subject:

fasterspider · Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 9:30 pm Post subject:

fasterspider · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 5:53 pm Post subject:

The Scrambler is re-assembled and will be fired off tomorrow after I fill her with oil & gas.
If she runs well & shifts through all 5 gears successfully, she immediately goes up for sale.

I am done working on that bike, it has cost me too much time & aggrivation and extremely too much money.

She is a good looking bike except for that ugly silver crank case and I hope to recover some of the cash I foolishly sank into her.

Lesson learned here is "Start with a turd, end up with a polished turd!" Rolling Eyes

4 completely assembled bikes in the garage again, one too many according to the landlord.

fasterspider · Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:17 am Post subject:

I took my 350 engine's top end off today and found some weird scoring on the wrist pins. Not that it matters much because I am putting standard size sleeves & pistons back in place of the 3rd over pistons and badly bored sleeves. But, what else I found was the connecting rods have a lot of lateral play. It is a good thing I still have a good crank & rods laying around, they are going in also.

I tell you what, when I blow up an engine, I do a hell of a job. And this thing ran too, it made hella noise but, it did run.
The more I think about this, the more I think I did not clean the engine good enough after it was ceramic coated, I found media from the blasting in some nooks & crannies here and there and that shit is probably what caused this engine to blow up.
Her top end gets oil no problem now but, I am thinking she was not getting sufficient oil up top after the initial rebuild and then I rode her like I stole her and that is why she siezed on me. Rolling Eyes

My gas tank is out getting the rust treated & sealed by a radiator shop down in Marina Del Rey, my petcock is rebuilt and flowing freely again, I have the new to me standard pistons & cylinders and a new set of rings.
Still waiting on the gasket set to arrive and the new piston clips from Honda, can't put her together again until I have all the new stuff that needs to go in but, I am going to get her ready to put it all together as soon as the necessities get here.
Dumbass me forgot to drain the oil before I pulled the engine out of the frame, so she is sitting on my V-Twin bike floor jack draining now and then I will split the cases and replace the crank shaft & rods.
This 73 crank case I am using now is spotless inside but, it is the wrong color on the outside and I cannot afford to have it ceramic coated like I did with the 71 crank case so, a rattle can is going to have to make due to change the ugly worn out silver paint to black as an engine should be.
More updates as they become available, have a nice day.
I am going to Pasadena to pick up some 6mm Time-Sert inserts and riding my VFR1200F, she gives me no trouble, she was built to handle my weight.

fasterspider · Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 3:26 pm Post subject:

After a few hours baking {122Âº with my infrared thermometer} in the warm So Cal sun, I was able to break the sleeves loose pretty much no problem in the black ceramic coated cylinders but, the fugly ones are not going to come out easily. Shocked

They will go into the oven the next time it is cool enough here for me to actually fire up our oven, our house is too small and there is no stove vent, so the heat from the oven really gets me hot under the collar. Evil or Very Mad

fasterspider · Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:18 pm Post subject:

The junk sleeves are totally out of the casing and I still can't get the good ones out of the fugly casing but, an oven and a CO2 fire extinguisher will get me what I want. Twisted Evil

Does anyone want some scored 3rd overbore sleeves for free + shipping?

tbpmusic · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:08 am Post subject:

Ray -

Preheat your oven to 400 (F) , leave the jugs in there for about a half hour - the sleeves should drop right out.......you shouldn't even need the fire extinguisher unless you set the place on fire.

Try to do it while wifey isn't there, it will stink up the joint. And don't burn yourself !!!!