Anybody live in LA that can help.

I just rebuilt my carbs but I can't get them back into the bike. It is completely impossible. Is there anybody in LA that could possibly help me on my 81 550 Seca. I've spent the last three days of my life trying to do this and I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. I've spent so many thousands of dollars on this thing and I need to follow through but I'm dead. If anybody is out here please please please. I beg of you. I will cut your lawn for a month or something along those lines. Please help. Josh

 

What is the issue? Have you--
Greased the boots with oil or Vaseline?
Heated them with a heat gun?
Used a stick or handle to wedge them into the boots?

What have you done?

 

After stepping away from the situation I have calmed down and I think I may have figured it out. So what did I do. Well, I've basically attempted twice both times taking roughly eight hours to put back in. This is my first time doing this and I'm all alone. In the first attempt, I was able to get the carbs into the intake manifold very easily but I couldn't for the life of me get the back boots on because these boots were stiff and virtually impossible to get them completely around the entire circle of the carb without them slipping off. I actually did use a drum stick to get wedge them into the airbox but getting them back onto the carb was impossible. This was before I knew about warming the boots up with a hair dryer. The second attempt I attached the back boots to the carbs using the hair dryer to warm them up first and fastened them on really firmly with the clamp. I then preceded to take off the intake manifolds first then insert the carbs with the back boots on. I was able to insert all the back boots into the airbox but now I couldn't reattach the intake manifolds firmly onto the engine. There just wasn't enough room to tighten the intake manifolds bolts to the engine. After two desperate attempts I am going to try my first method but right before I put the back boots on I will heat them up with the hair dryer before attaching them. I noticed that I could almost just use my hands when they're extremely soft. What I need though is an extra pair of hands to tighten the clamps while I firmly hold the boots in place around the carb intake.
Here is my question. When I'm about to put the air boots onto the carb should I first correctly insert them into the airbox or should I attach them to the carbs first before putting them into the airbox?

 

Intake boots should be attached to the manifold.

Now, install carbs into the and tight the clamps.
Get the air boots into the grooves. Slide the air box back forward and tight the mounting screws.

Warm the boots and install. Start with the inner two. Do not grease them. Use a radiator hose hook to work the lips over the carbs. Work your way around and tighten the rings. Then do the outer two.

Usually take me under half an hour. My record from beginning install to fire up is 8 minutes.

 

Wow! That's impressive. That's over 16 hours on me and counting.

Do the front intake manifolds need any kind of sealent before attaching them or can I just feel that reattaching them firmly with the two bolts should do the trick?

 

on the airbox boots, in the area under the clamp, there should be a oval mark, that's the top.

 

Right. I meant is there an adhesive type product I can purchase to apply to the intake manifolds before reattaching them.

 

Oh wait. I think it may need gaskets.

 

Gaskets between the manifold boots and the intake surface. No sealant needed for the carbs to slide in. The oil/Vaseline will help them slide in, and there is a ridge all the wh ar0und the inside of the boot lip that will sit in the detent around the back snout of the carbs. The clamps tighten everything down. From that point, the rest of the work is to get the airbox boots onto the carbs

 

Yeah. This whole experience has been a blessing in disquise. In my second attempt to try and put the carbs back on by taking off the manifold boots I realized there were no gaskets. I didn't have any air leaks before so I almost wish I didn't discover it. In any case, I ordered new boots and gaskets just to be sure. Thanks for your help.

 

You might THINK you didn't have any Air leaks

 

True. Sprayed starter fluid and propane around and nothing happened. but maybe I missed that ONE spot.

 

Fair enough

 

Another question. Should there be O-rings on the pilot screws? When I removed them they had a washer and a spring. No O-rings.

Also, one of the pilot screws is missing the washer. I know it's there for a reason but how important is that washer?

 

Each mixture screw has one spring, one washer, and one o-ring

 

the o-ring seals. The washer keeps the spring from cutting up and displacing the o-ring.