Honda CA77 Restoration?

 I am looking to do (my first!) "Frame-off" restoration of a 1968 CA77
Dream.  And I need to know where to start!  I need old manuals as well
as color photos of how the bike looked originally.  My bike has no
rust, no dents - just faded paint and aluminum motor cases that need to
be polished-out.  Again, if anyone has any experience in this regard I
would be extremely grateful for any tips or ideas.
Thanks very much,
Steve in Paso Robles, CA
ssidwell@charter.net

 
I have no personal experience with such an event, but you
might can use these....
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=%2B%22honda+ca77%22

The Honda site seems not to have a reference for CA77,
but here's the CA76 reference.
http://powersports.honda.com/the_story/heritage/heritage_milestone.asp?Decade 50&TargetUrl=Milestone/Milestone_Model_0127.asp&PrevPageTitle=Milestone+Archive

http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_C77#Honda_Dream_Touring_300_C76

And, probably most importantly, the ultimate site for freq-
uent visits during your restoration.
http://www.vjmc.org/

Good luck,

Gary

 
Steve wrote:

 First, if the bike is in really good shape as you say, you may not
want to "restore" it. A bike in original, running condition (as long as
it's in very good condition) is generally worth more than a "restored"
bike, especially if the restoration is obvious. You may want to
partially disassemble it and give it a THOROUGH cleaning.

 You can polish the aluminum cases until the cows come home, but you
will likely end up with cases that look like the were.....polished. The
only way to restore them to their former glory is to media blast them.
If anyone has a better suggestion for the aluminum parts, let me know.