Today the ’65 Honda restoration project advanced a little bit as I started to reassemble the engine. To account for the previous wear, over-sized pistons were purchased and the cylinders were bored to match at a machine shop.
Following the service manual procedures, the transmission shift drum was the first part to go in, along with the shift forks that mount on it. The pair of transmission shafts followed. I had no trouble manually shifting the transmission through all 4 gears. The kick-starter shaft was a bit more challenging, but after about 20 minutes of wrestling with the spring I was able to get it installed. After the crankshaft was installed, the engine cases were sealed.
The piston rings were compressed and the pistons were set into the cylinders. The cylinder was then mounted on the engine, with the pistons connected to the rods.
There’s still much more to do. I have to reassemble the engine head, assemble the clutch and oil pump, and mount the starter and alternator. So far, the engine is coming together nicely.
