1974 CT70K3 project

[Stoney]

Hi there, My name is Tom i am a new member to this forum which i must say is amazing.
Today i collected my very first CT70 from my a friends grandads farm.

It was just sitting in a old shed
covered in tyres so i asked to have it and lucky for me he gave it to me for free . It is in need of a lot of work but that is all apart of the fun, i did a quick compression test to find out the extent of the damage after 20 odd years in a open shed and to my surprise it hit around 150psi.

My plan is to slowly rebuild this bike to its former glory along with hopefully recording it on this page as a build thread.
Let me know what you think

 

[airblazer]

The first pic won't load for me, but that's probably my fantastic wifi at work. How's the frame? looks pretty dirty/rusty, but if you've already dug into the engine i'm assuming you've verified the frame is worth keeping...Looks like fun! Keep us posted.

 

[kirrbby]

Welcome to lilhonda Stoney. That bike is lookin better already. That candy blue K3 is a popular bike here on LH. Good luck.

 

[scrubus]

Welcome Stoney, This is a great site to get info from. Post some pics of it after you give it it's inaugural bath. The 74 is the chrome wonder of the ct70's it seems. You'll have fun with it though! Good luck!

 

[Stoney]

Yeah mate the frame has no major rust, just spor rust in parts. Most of the rust is in the chrome parts which i will either get re chromed or replaced when i decide what direction i want to go with. I.E. Original OEM parts or aftermarket parts.
My current goal is to get the motor running which will hopefully be done by the weekend, if the damn carb gasket ever arrives from ebay.

 

[kirrbby]

Right now is a good time for you to find this thread. http://lilhonda.com/webboard/f6/tool-tools-tools-14175/

 

[69ST]

Congrats!:4:

You have what appears to be one of those true diamonds-in-the-rough I've mentioned on numerous occasions over the years.

150psi cranking compression means, imho, that you've gotten a $500 winning lottery ticket. There's about a 25% chance that an engine will be stored with both valves closed, just by pure, dumb, luck...it's always good to be lucky.

Judging by the widespread and well-established, surface rust, plus the vibrant color still remaining in the original paint, I'd guess that this bike has at least been in covered, if damp, storage. All of the unobtanium parts for this model (headlight ears, speedometer, turn signal stalk, handlebars) plus some others like the original seat w/trim and tail light bracket all appear to be present and straight. It'll take a small wad of C-notes to have these properly re-chromed but, that's a huge break compared with trying to source replacements. I'd bet that the engine just needs some cleaning (inside & out) plus some elbow grease to freshen it cosmetically, possibly saving you enough bucks to more than offset the higher cost of chrome associated with a K3.

Even if you had paid $500 to get this bike, it'd be possible to bring it back to 100-point condition and still end up with a bottom line at the low end of the range for a more common (and less costly to restore) K0-K1. Since it was a freebie, you'll come out just that much further ahead...

 

[cjpayne]

SCORE!!! Congrats.:41: I would have been thrilled, as you are I'm sure. Guard those headlight ears.

 

[hornetgod]

Nice K3 starter. I like them so much I own two of the same exact model. Ones orange and the other is being painted Riviera Blue like your's. Welcome to the club!

 

[Stoney]

Thanks I think I have been super luck with the condition. I have given the bike a good clean and started a long list of things that need to be fixed most of which are just due to age and obviously being crashed like a missing indicator lens and both of the hand break leavers are broken. There are also a lot of dodgy farmer fixes like the home made exhaust and the car floor mat as a bigger mud flap

 

[Stoney]

So last night I pulled out the carb and gave it a good clean it was full of varnished petrol and dirt.

I am now just waiting for my carb gasket to arrive from eBay so while I wait I have started pulling basic things off the bike like the seat, battery and as much chrome parts as I can.


I can already tell that this project is going to become very addictive.

 

[hornetgod]

I'm willing to bet the steel tank will need pulled and cleaned. Rust and other debris will clog your freshly cleaned carb if you don't clean it and install in-line filters.

 

[cjpayne]

I'm willing to bet the steel tank will need pulled and cleaned. Rust and other debris will clog your freshly cleaned carb if you don't clean it and install in-line filters.

X2. Replace the fuel lines and air filter element. Also, check for mice nibblings on the wire harness while your in there.

 

[scrubus]

SCORE!!! Congrats.:41: I would have been thrilled, as you are I'm sure. Guard those headlight ears.

+1. If you get the headlight ears re-chromed be very careful who you send them to. My original set got over amped where I sent them and they were distorted pretty badly. Needed to pay a bundle for a 2 pair on e-bay to create 1 good set, then sent to a good chrome place.

 

[Stoney]

Thanks for the advice regarding the head light ears I think they will be ok other than the front left one that's bent. So I got it RUNNING today it was stuck on full throttle so I got a bit of a shock .
I then ran an oil cleaner through it and put fresh oil in it.
I have made the decision to reprint the bike and replace damage parts and chrome the rest. So I pulled the bike apart this avo I was surprised how quickly and easily it came apart.
Have I made a mistake removing the front forks like I have?
I am a bit worried about all the ball bearings and getting them back in if I haven't lost any :-z
I am super excited to have it looking like new.

 

[Stoney]

Is this the sort of thing I would want to replace the bearings?
http://www.keepitroostin.com/servlet/the-3988/Honda-CT70-CT-TRAIL/Detail
Thanks for the help!!

 

[b52bombardier1]

I use some axle grease to tack the ball bearings into place as it all goes back together. A low tech approach to this can work very well then simply wipe any excess grease away when finished.

Rick

 

[Stoney]

Bike without steering stem and forks

 

[scrubus]

Is this the sort of thing I would want to replace the bearings?
Honda CT70 CT TRAIL Steering Stem Bearings Seals 69-94
Thanks for the help!!

Unless the (not sure what they are called) races are dented, pitted or somehow bad, this is what I used. #6 STEERING STEM BALL SOLD_EACH 42_REQUIRED PER_MOST_BIKES
Or you can go non-OEM with these "ALL_BALLS" TAPERED STEERING BEARINGS SEAL/S_INCLUDED (17B)
As far as the front fork, I pulled mine 1 leg at a time but I don't think there is a right way or wrong way to do this. You should be fine. Keep posting those pics.
Thanks

 

[Stoney]

I use some axle grease to tack the ball bearings into place as it all goes back together. A low tech approach to this can work very well then simply wipe any excess grease away when finished.

Rick

Thanks mate I will give it ago when it comes time to put it back together. Is it easy to source new bearings to replace any missing ones?