Hi folks, long time with no post. My last thread about this bike is here; I first picked it up in January '23. I put this project to the side for a long time and finally have a moment with enough time/money/motivation to make some more progress and wanted to follow up with you fine folks in case you've got any additional advice. I didn't want to revive the old thread since it's been so long. Buckle up, I'm going to try to outline as much as I can with a single update! She's as much of a basket case as one could ask for, and my first project bike ever. I have a tendency to jump into things feet-first. Any advice, wisdom, or parts you want to throw at me... feel free. 
After getting her fired up for the first time in 20+ years she's continued to sit and wait for the next steps. I pulled the carbs and had to order new boots; they were pinched, hardened, and torn - not saveable. A buddy of mine is finishing up the carb work for me while I take care of some odds and ends. I replaced the entire wiring loom (sourced from vintagecb750.com) after having my work double-checked and confirmed that there are random drops through a bunch of the wires, widespread corrosion. Too far gone to warrant fixing. The new harness is currently "mocked" in to test so I can easily pull it to clean up the frame and engine. I pulled the old one haphazardly and didn't think about the fading on some of the connections so it's a slow process trying to make sure I connect all the right wires. I have LED signals and flasher relay, I think I recall that I'll need to add in-line resistors as well. The signals have plenty of wire on them so I'll probably add those directly to the signals or maybe right inbetween the connection to the loom for ease. I didn't see which lines went to which connectors on the bottom of the changing relay so if anyone could help me figure that out, I'd appreciate it. I found the wiring diagram on this site but I'm a novice at reading them. That relay needs replacement but it doesn't look like there are any new options available. What would happen if I get rid of it?
Still to do is the entire front end, fork seals, entirely new brake system - master cylinder was shot, lines rotted and clogged, caliper badly rusted. I'm considering looking for an entirely new front fork that would be compatible; a dual-disk brake system would be nice. Wheels need to be pulled, blasted, painted. I really like the Comstars so I hope they're salvageable, I'm not sure how deep the rust is yet and I don't want to risk them having an offset or not truing up right because of it.
The tank has been blasted and needs to be bodyfilled/sanded/painted. I had a couple of pinholes welded, but the inside is still a horrible mess. Completely covered with rust and looks like it may have been coated once before. I'd really like to fix that with Evapo-rust, but I can't stomach the cost of 5 gallons of that right now. Last time I de-rusted a gas tank with vinegar I wasn't able to prevent flash-rusting with fogging oil so I'll need to really do my research on getting it done right. It'll definitely need coating after that as well, and I imagine the float arm is just going to have to be replaced if at all possible. I know the tank will probably start leaking again after this process but I wanted the existing pinholes welded first for the rust-removal process to work well. I've been considering using a totally different tank at first should the rebuild be complete before I finish that.
Chain and sprockets are of course rusted and will need replacement as well. Will do that when it runs. Original 4-into-2 exhaust has several holes and plenty of rust, and I imagine the mufflers are shot. Not really sure how I want to approach this yet. I've decided I'm going to sand and spray the frame myself. I'd really like to have it done professionally but don't have the wherewithal to take apart the motor to pull it from the frame and send it out and pay for the blasting/coating process.
Stylistically I can't make up my mind on where to take this. It seems like 99% of custom CBs are cafe racers, but I want something decently comfortable and don't like the riding position of a cafe. I don't have a use for a scrambler though they look cool. Maybe some kind of psuedo cruiser/cafe look? I don't want to cut the frame much/at all. I regularly ride a Shadow and prefer the upright, foot-forward position of a cruiser to other bikes. Opinions and examples welcome.
EDIT: Adding as well that I'm looking for different handlebars and controls as well. The killswitch came loose again within a few days of fixing it, and I think the plastic inside is simply damaged and not holding the ball in place anymore. It's still usable but slipped loose; I figure why not go with all-new sets, they don't need to be OEM style though. Any recommendations on some that would be easy to wire into the existing connections?
After getting her fired up for the first time in 20+ years she's continued to sit and wait for the next steps. I pulled the carbs and had to order new boots; they were pinched, hardened, and torn - not saveable. A buddy of mine is finishing up the carb work for me while I take care of some odds and ends. I replaced the entire wiring loom (sourced from vintagecb750.com) after having my work double-checked and confirmed that there are random drops through a bunch of the wires, widespread corrosion. Too far gone to warrant fixing. The new harness is currently "mocked" in to test so I can easily pull it to clean up the frame and engine. I pulled the old one haphazardly and didn't think about the fading on some of the connections so it's a slow process trying to make sure I connect all the right wires. I have LED signals and flasher relay, I think I recall that I'll need to add in-line resistors as well. The signals have plenty of wire on them so I'll probably add those directly to the signals or maybe right inbetween the connection to the loom for ease. I didn't see which lines went to which connectors on the bottom of the changing relay so if anyone could help me figure that out, I'd appreciate it. I found the wiring diagram on this site but I'm a novice at reading them. That relay needs replacement but it doesn't look like there are any new options available. What would happen if I get rid of it?
Still to do is the entire front end, fork seals, entirely new brake system - master cylinder was shot, lines rotted and clogged, caliper badly rusted. I'm considering looking for an entirely new front fork that would be compatible; a dual-disk brake system would be nice. Wheels need to be pulled, blasted, painted. I really like the Comstars so I hope they're salvageable, I'm not sure how deep the rust is yet and I don't want to risk them having an offset or not truing up right because of it.
The tank has been blasted and needs to be bodyfilled/sanded/painted. I had a couple of pinholes welded, but the inside is still a horrible mess. Completely covered with rust and looks like it may have been coated once before. I'd really like to fix that with Evapo-rust, but I can't stomach the cost of 5 gallons of that right now. Last time I de-rusted a gas tank with vinegar I wasn't able to prevent flash-rusting with fogging oil so I'll need to really do my research on getting it done right. It'll definitely need coating after that as well, and I imagine the float arm is just going to have to be replaced if at all possible. I know the tank will probably start leaking again after this process but I wanted the existing pinholes welded first for the rust-removal process to work well. I've been considering using a totally different tank at first should the rebuild be complete before I finish that.
Chain and sprockets are of course rusted and will need replacement as well. Will do that when it runs. Original 4-into-2 exhaust has several holes and plenty of rust, and I imagine the mufflers are shot. Not really sure how I want to approach this yet. I've decided I'm going to sand and spray the frame myself. I'd really like to have it done professionally but don't have the wherewithal to take apart the motor to pull it from the frame and send it out and pay for the blasting/coating process.
Stylistically I can't make up my mind on where to take this. It seems like 99% of custom CBs are cafe racers, but I want something decently comfortable and don't like the riding position of a cafe. I don't have a use for a scrambler though they look cool. Maybe some kind of psuedo cruiser/cafe look? I don't want to cut the frame much/at all. I regularly ride a Shadow and prefer the upright, foot-forward position of a cruiser to other bikes. Opinions and examples welcome.
EDIT: Adding as well that I'm looking for different handlebars and controls as well. The killswitch came loose again within a few days of fixing it, and I think the plastic inside is simply damaged and not holding the ball in place anymore. It's still usable but slipped loose; I figure why not go with all-new sets, they don't need to be OEM style though. Any recommendations on some that would be easy to wire into the existing connections?
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