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on my 1980 CB750 C, can I replace base and head gaskets without pulling the motor?

BLUE1980CB750C

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...is this at all possible?

hello everyone.. a garage rumor says I can pull valve cover and head off, remove studs ( and maybe replace them) and then cylinder block should have enough clearance to be pulled out.

anyone ever try this?

thanks for any feedback!

lou
 
I asked that same question of somebody on this forum and the answer (for my '81 750k) was no. Smaller bikes, yes, but not 750cc and up.
But if you plan on doing that job, try it. The worse that can happen is you have a lighter engine to lift out.
 
I can see it being possible theoretically if you removed all of the head studs, but that presents a few problems.

1. Steel head studs in an aluminum block = galvanic corrosion. It's been over 40 years since those studs got installed and convincing them to leave may be impossible without a lot of heat, which you can't apply to the aluminum case threads if the cylinders are on and in the way. I also don't know this for certain but I imagine the factory would've used threadlocker to install those studs and that requires >350 degrees F of heat to break.
2. You would have to line up the cylinder base and head while reinstalling and then install the studs through them, as when the studs are already installed the head is impossible to put on. Not enough clearance between the top of the studs and the frame.
3. Keeping the gaskets aligned while you try to install the studs between the aligned cylinder base and head. I suppose you could achieve this by using Shellac or gasket dressing to glue the cylinder base gasket and head gasket in place during installation.

Just pull the motor. Seriously, it will easier than what you're trying to do. I've done it twice and while I wouldn't call it easy the official procedure is very doable with 2 people and a floor jack.
You can even cheat by laying the bike down on its side on a pallet or other stack of wood supporting the engine with cut sections of 2x4, unbolting it from the frame, and then having a buddy hold it in place while you raise the bike back up to vertical. As long as the engine is drained of oil and the fuel tank and battery are elsewhere, and the front brake master cylinder cap isn't off, leaning the bike all the way over like that onto something wooden should cause no problems.
 
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I just realized another issue -- when the head is installed there's only enough thread room for the acorn nuts to thread onto the studs. So you can't use the typical double-nut method for removing them. You'd have to use some kind of low-profile stud extraction tool that has enough clearance on all sides to fit inside the engine head geometry.
Have fun trying. I honestly think you'll spend as much time trying to figure out how to extract the studs as you would just dropping the engine out with a buddy and a floor jack.

Now, if you were to somehow remove the studs and then find a set of commercially available high-strength bolts that fit the exact same length and thread pitch as the studs and nuts, I could see the head and cylinder removal/installation process being very doable in-frame. They probably wouldn't be cheap though.
 
yes the idea was to replace the studs with thicker ones because ultimately that is the one under engineered issue with these engines and the sohc ones.

I think I remember the head coming out ok and the cylinders being the issue.

anyway, thanks for feedback, I shall execute and report..cheers
 
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