Another amateur build thread

My head s finished and will ship back to me tomorrow. Chris sent some pictures today and I thought I'd share them.

After cleaning the head, he flipped it over and the threads from one of the cam cap holes dropped out n his bench! That hole got a time sert. Also, he has gotten enough requests for stud and nut conversion for the cam caps that he has developed a kit. I got the first installed set. He also has stainless steel exhaust studs and nuts. The studs install with an Allen wrench! I am really looking forward to seeing it all in person.

Good to see things moving forward, head looks great. Are the exhaust nuts "self locking"? I am using the same type of studs but the nuts I have are copper plated locking nuts from the car world

That is a good question, that I failed to ask. I will take a look when it arrives.

By the way, if the cam clearancing looks a bit amateurish, that is because it was done by an amateur (me). Chris said that every head he has gotten in for a performance build was already clearanced, so he is not set up to do it. 

The exhaust flange nuts are serrated, so they should "lock."

I have a couple of questions---

1. The GpZ steering stem should work in the KZ frame, if I can find the proper bearings. Allballs does not list a kit, likely because of the upper bearing situation. 
The stock KZ bearings are 25 / 47 / 15 (top) and 28 / 52 / 16 (bottom). The stock GpZ bearings are 28 / 52 / 16 (top) and 30 / 55 / 17 (bottom).
Soooo, I reckon for the conversion I need 28 / 47 / 15 (top) and 30 / 55 / 16 (bottom). The Z1, KZ900 uses a 30 / 52 / 17 on bottom.
The top size seems impossible to find except from AliExpress, which I am reluctant to use. However, I found an upper bearing that is 28 / 47 / 12.
My question is, will the extra width on the bottom bearing and the less width on the top bearing be a problem?

2. What size do I need to drill the block oil passages to compensate for the larger APE studs?

Thanks

I don’t see the narrower top bearing being an issue (still located better than the ball type) with the bottom they don’t sit very deep so you may have to sacrifice the dust seal 
Alternatively you could reduce the stem to 28 and use the stock bottom bearing (which is what I have done)
with the oil passage, if I remember correctly you drill to the original size at the gasket face (the casting “tapers” to a smaller opening part way down) Zed1015 was the guy that posted this mod

Welp, before getting serious about the seat pan, I have to get the tail piece located and that cannot happen until I get the tail llight located, which depends in part on how the tail piece is located. Yes, I am already dizzy.
Additionally, I am not really a big fan of the chrome fenders that came on the LTD, and I really do not like that brick of a tail light. I do like the tail piece of the earlier KZs, but not really the tail lights that go with them, so the obvious solution is a KZ1000 tail piece and a tail light from a ZX7RR.

Butt weight, you say, the mounting points are all wrong for those. Yes indeed, but finally all of those years of study at the Rube Goldberg School of Engineering have finally paid off.

After staring at my creation (Mary Shelly would no doubt be proud), I have decided that the tail piece is at too severe an angle to suit me, so off it comes. A rebuild of the bracket should get the result I am after. A bit less of an angle than the subframe ought to be just right. 

I know what you mean, spent hours looking at mine until I was happy   The Honda SC57 (fireblade) rear light is about as perfect a fit as you will get in the tail piece (this is what both Scirocco and I are using (I posted Scirocco's as my tail piece is modified)

Ah, Rube Goldberg!  The patron saint of all mechanical draftsmen.  Never tire of seeing his machine creations!