Project: Better late than never ! ( AKA George W's hot rod )

[georgew4714]

Hi all ,
I've been a member for a while , and yeah just getting around to posting some info on my project. I've got an 84 that I bought around 2001 or so for $300. Before you say "Great Deal " , let me tell you it was totalled and missing alot of parts. Somebody hit something with it . I didn't buy it from the guy that got in the accident. But it ran pretty good and even though it didn't track straight when ridden ( if i tried to let go of bars at any speed it wanted to turn in any direction but straight ) I was hooked !!

Unfortunately i didn't take any pictures when i bought it but to give an idea the forks and triple tree were bent , the gauges and warning light cluster were missing as well as the windshield ,mid fairings ,the aluminum wing, and the belly pan. All the turn signals and the rear fender was broken and the tank was dented and seeping gas. And And the previous owner or one his buddies ,I can't remember ,decided the bike was only good for burnouts so needless to say the rear tire was cooked. So for the next 6 years or so i collected parts and got it driveable and inspectable. And have been riding it ever since.

The reason I'm starting this post now is because I've done a decent amount of work upgrading it in the past couple years and plan on doing alot more . Anyway here is a pic of how it looks as of this past weekend.

[georgew4714]

Back in 2008 i started the process of upgrading the rear suspension because of lack of tire choices , lack of traction and lack of stability . I started with a zr7s rear shock which was pretty easy to do and helped immensely .Then proceeded to collect parts for an 89 zx7 braced arm withe brakes and rim . But should've listened to what was written on this site about easier swing arm swaps cause it took me until 2013 to complete the full upgrade . However now having ridden it with the 180/55/17 , it was well worth aggravation.

Last year's modifications included dyna coils , and taylor wires . I also had the head resurfaced and rebuilt with new exhaust valves and had the cylinders honed and i rerung the pistons.

So now we're at the present . I just spent some time this weekend taking the turbo off to send down to Charlie . I also bought a manual cam chain tensioner last year , i plan on installing soon , as well as new clutch rubbers i got from Steve . I plan on installing a boost controller and gauge. And would like to tackle the job of installing an adjustable fuel pressure regulator. I would rather install the pc3 or pcv but can't afford the new injectors or dyno time so will have to go the old route first and upgrade S....L....O....W....L....Y.

[Deerslayer64d]

Sounds and looks like You have done a great job with the restore and upgrades, congrats
If you have not done so already be sure to do the oil pump upgrade and relief valve upgrade before you reinstall your turbo fresh back from Charlie , And definitely do the clutch basket dampers before reinstalling the turbo as there have been a few on this site who had not upgraded the dampers and caused more turbo damage in a very short time due to damper Debris !

[georgew4714]

Thanks slayer ! Yeah the oil pump and relief valve are on the list with the sump mods.

[georgew4714]

Well turbo is down at charlies now and so i decided to dive into the clutch to inspect the fibers and replace the dampers. Everything looked pretty clean considering i have no idea on mileage.

I measured up the fiber discs and they measured up good , between .116/2.94mm -.118/3mm . But i noticed on 3 of the 7 steels there were blue dash marks around the disc ? Having never had to service a clutch , is this bad or repairable ? I've read somewhere here about sandblasting . I have felt the clutch slip on rare occasions but nothing bad , however i don't race it often.

[Charlie @ Evergreen]

Got your turbo in so will try to get to it mid week... I sandblasted mine steels with aluminum oxide and they work perfectly. No issues. Do not use anything super abrasive...mild media.

[Charlie @ Evergreen]

Thanks slayer ! Yeah the oil pump and relief valve are on the list with the sump mods.

Slayer thanks for pushing the upgrades! Saves in the long run everyone money and a good running engine to boot

[georgew4714]

Take your time i know your busy.
So im assuming a glass bead would also work , or would that be too fine ?
One other question , charlie i noticed you welded up the outside of your primaries that go into the turbo flange before your porting work . Did you weld with stainless wire ?

[Charlie @ Evergreen]

You will have to try the glass bead..should be ok. Used high nickel steel wire with argon. Welded up nicely. Also tacked each primary down on a flat steel 1/2 inch plate so the primaries would not change shape when welding them. Check your flatness... surface of your primaries...both my headers were NOT flat..as much as .015 off so resurfaced them after porting the primaries

[georgew4714]

I'll have to try that . I have argon for the tig , I'll just change tanks for a bit , and I'll look into the high nickle wire . Thanks.

[Charlie @ Evergreen]

[Charlie @ Evergreen]

Better sooner than later!!
Good talking to you this a.m. George
Well when your turbine housing was taken off..your turbo locked up ! from so much carbon from oil leakage!





Bearing Housing Bores worn out of spec





Seal Area heavily carboned up

[georgew4714]

WOW !! Your right , it most likely didn't have much life left in it .

[Charlie @ Evergreen]

Surprisingly...as bad as it was coked up...the Turbine Shaft Journals were in pretty decent shape...everything should machine up fine George

[Dirck]

George, Great salvage and resurrection of this bike!