84 RZ350 resto

[350forme]

I found an '84 RZ350 2900 miles stock for sale $8k. Sat untouched for 35 years. Has title.
But... it has a little corrosion in spots. Not bad. Gas not drained. nothing done to store it properly other than keep it locked in a trailer. No water damage.

big questions: tank is black with coffee ground looking material. No rodent damage. I have not had a case like this before.

It's a beautiful bike and all complete. No abuse noted other than improper prep for storage. It ran perfectly before being stored. Just a forgotten relic.

Any idea what I will be facing? i know it will end up more than $8k!

Cheers :)

[Darrell]

35 years? Wow! You're going to be looking at a full tear-down of the engine to replace seals. Most of the rubber bits, like intake boots, will be rotted and cracked. Cleaning the inside of the tank is gonna be a challenge, but you may be able to restore it if it hasn't rotted through. If you get most of the corrosion out of the tank, then you use a tank sealer product. Dump a couple hands-full of nuts inside the tank with some soap and water and swirl it around. Rinse and repeat and see what condition the inside of the tank is in.
Does the engine spin freely?

[350forme]

i didnt spin it. was worried cylinders were rusty from sitting with condensation from sitting. maybe im wrong. it was stored away from rain and sun in a shed. but not climate controlled in California.

[brrrappp]

I found an '84 RZ350 2900 miles stock for sale $8k. Sat untouched for 35 years. Has title.
But... it has a little corrosion in spots. Not bad. Gas not drained. nothing done to store it properly other than keep it locked in a trailer. No water damage.

big questions: tank is black with coffee ground looking material. No rodent damage. I have not had a case like this before.

It's a beautiful bike and all complete. No abuse noted other than improper prep for storage. It ran perfectly before being stored. Just a forgotten relic.

Any idea what I will be facing? i know it will end up more than $8k!

Cheers :)

Don't overthink it, just buy it!
Complain about the difficulty of getting parts and all shit that might be wrong- try to get a better price. If he won't budge....it"s a low mile RZ350 in one piece- Even if you spend a few grand you're still going to love it.

The fuel tank will be the single biggest problem and they can be hard to find. If it isn't rotted, you can use that acid solution to clean the rust from inside.
Main seals are must if it hasn't run in more than a few years.
If you're in the engine then your going to have everything else apart- like carbs petcock oil pump.
Put new tires of it - the 30 year old skins wont give good grip. Probably want to put a new chain on too.

There are is a lot of knowledge on this site- It's not real active but every possible question in contained over the history.