Four Wheel Forum

Ok, I got my engine back together, and I made sure the pistons were top dead center, the cam shaft zero at 12:00, woodruff key also at 12:00, and the bottom crank shaft at 6:00.

Hell maybe I've worked on too many cars but the question crossed my mind, so I thought I'd ask. Does TDC even matter on this bike when reassembling it for timing? I don't recall running across any threads mentioning it...Then again the C.R.S. grows greater every month.

Ok, on the count of three whats your favorite part of an engine rebuild? 1...2...3...What? I don't hear one "Installing the keepers." For all of you that hate those forking keepers...

I don't sweat it at all. Just a 3/8 x 1/2" deep well socket cut in half lengh wise connected to a socket extension with the female side machined down to a shaft.



The assembly fits my drill press. I use the unplugged drill press to depress the valve spring and top. Once the spring depressed I lock the drill press down. That gives me all day to put the retainers in. I simply release the lock on the drill press and ease back up. Retainer lockes in.

looks like a nice little set up to handle the job Spokes. I didn't have trouble with the keepers I was just feeling creative with the fork and being silly.

My question was actually if top dead center matters or not, when you put the motor back together for the timing. I didn't read anywhere, on here about timing and top dead center with the CA95 when you put the motor back together. Only lining up the cam sprocket zero with 12:00, the woodruff key also at 12:00 and the bottom zero at 6:00. Besides lining things up and setting the points is that all there is to it? No top dead center required?

Actually I just lineup the timing marks like this


I will adjust timing after the bike is running. Adjusting to what makes the bike run best.

Gotcha, thanks Spokes the closest thing I have to that doodad; is a chalk line My marks are all lined up and where they should be. The last person to rebuild it marked the cam sprocket with 2 other options besides the zero, I guess the zero wasn't the only option they wanted. The auto parts place up the road said NGK quit making the D8H plug so I couldn't get those today. I'm glad to see your engine coming together with just the few odds and ends left, did you decide on what your going to do color wise yet with the under coat? My Girlfriend is from Detroit, so I decided on a Detroit diesel green and Chevy red combo for mine. Pretty much the same color as that tape hanging in the background of your picture there.

Bike undercoat for both bikes is 2 part standard PPG grey. The CA95 will have the topside fender-tank-frame -headlight in black and the whole frame and all overcoated in candy metallic red. So the CA95 colors will blend together to make a seamless two tone paint job.

Detroit..I spent 10 years working for an innercity chemical company that operated near the davidson and the lodge. She will know where that is. Deep Hood.

Ahhh keepers. Gotta love em. At least the springs on these little engines are easy to compress. My 4L V8 in my truck has 4 valves per cylinder that I've had apart a couple times, keepers all over and really hard to compress. Now that's my idea of fun!

With 64 keepers floating around, a nice magnet would be a good idea to keep the keepers from floating off. Also something that keeps putting them in not so much a pain on the ca95, put a cloth under the head if you drop one down in the head, grab another keeper in its place. Then when you remove the clamp or whatever to do another valve, pick up the head and give it a little shake then use the dropped keeper on the next valve. Spokes she said her dad's brake company wasn't far from Davidson and Lodge.