I don't think there is any way to make this process go faster. I've got pretty potent solvents, but chemical deposits from 40 years of old gas just take elbow grease to strip away. There is progress, though.

Work - the kind that happens at an office on weekdays - and the big 4th of July weekend have gotten in the way of progress on the Honda 90 project lately. This weekend brought a rainy Sunday and a few hours in the garage to get caught up. Plus, an important part arrived in the mail last week: a replacement front fender. These have been hard to find in decent condition, and the one that came off the bike was pretty torn up. I picked one up online that has only a couple of crinkles in it. Dad volunteered to straighten those out, so I dropped the fenders off with him this afternoon. With that, bodywork on this project has officially begun:

I also hit a big milestone in getting the engine completely removed from the bike! It was messy work:

Now that the engine is out, the fun can really begin. I'm going to spend the next couple of nights getting the back end torn down. Once that is done, I will collect all of the coated body parts (frame, forks, front fender, rear swingarm) and get them out for "paint, powdercoat, and chrome." That's what they say on American Chopper, and I've always wanted an excuse to say that. I can't wait. Once the metalwork is moving forward, I'll tear the engine down. I already found and ordered a complete gasket set, so the carb in the only remaining challenge to deal with.