Post #5 - Engine: Jugs

The Pan's cylinders - while already having been sleeved with something - were actually in pretty good shape. The std. bore walls had a bit of scuffing and a significant top-ring groove wear groove wasn't really there - so I thought a minor cleaning (honing = yes, boring = maybe) was required. My dad's collection of tools didn't host a setup for properly securing the cylinder if boring was required - so I found a place that could: Wagemon Brothers in Minneapolis. If they are trusted to build Tony Stewart's dirt late Model engines - they must be OK to check this cylinders out. So I dropped them off & waited to hear back,

& waited,
& waited,
& waited... but didn't hear back (I didn't actually wait, I worked on other stuff too...but still)

Eventually - I think a couple months had passed - so I dropped them a line. They claim that, because those cylinders were so small - they never got the attention they needed. Finally - they got to checking things out & found a 0.010" overbore would cure the scuffing & straighten as needed. They got to that real quick & I shelled out ~$100 for the whole deal - not too bad...

I didn't have a real good way to check for cylinder deck flatness, so I fixtured the units to a mill table with perpendicular cylinder alignment key and used an end mill to do a light pass. Turns out the decks were in really good shape as well.

I couldn't really tell if the cylinders were original 48's, but they did host both the oil feed & return passages through the base of the cylinder as compared to the later versions with combinations of cylinder bore oil returns & external feeds.

Post #4 - Engine: Heads

This is where - for some special readers - you'll likely glaze over & lose interest as I'm gonna dig into the engine details for the next few posts. Look for the first post after the next few where the words "Engine" or "Bike" aren't in the title - you're likely safe again to resume reading.
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The primary reason for a Pan revival was the engine. Since my dad's detuning work conducted in a chicken coop on his home-farm near Canby - the engine hadn't received any work besides basic maintenance and a lifter block & pushrod replacement. So I set off on the revival by digging into a part that I was fairly familiar with - the engine cylinder heads.

The heads were the first sign that this pan had been probed a few times as the heads weren't original 48's - but rather from a 55. Generally - after I popped off the heads, rockers, valve springs & valves - I took a closer look at the heads in search of cracks and anything that may warrant them unusable. I found a slight crack between the rear head's spark plug hole & the exhaust valve. According to my dad - he knew about that crack from back when he did the detuning & didn't find it to ever be a problem. Some of the fins had been broken off & the exhaust spigots were also really tapered & cracking away in spots. The gasket surface & head bolt bosses were all where they were supposed to be without any cracking or pulling out. The head bolt hole threads all felt and appeared to be fine along with all of the valve cover bolt hole threads - which my dad had Heli-coiled every one some time ago. The head gasket surfaces had some scratches but generally checked out without warpage. The only other negative finding was, for some reason, the rear cylinder's exhaust valve guide had been ground down at an angle... I think that was the work of the Dude. The heads still had the original, brass valve seats & the valves I pulled were relatively clean (not much carbon build-up indicative of oil burning because of loose valve stems or leaky stem seals).

I figured - based on the state of the heads and the cost for some new / reconditioned heads - I was better off working with what I had. Butch @ Wart Hog helped replace the exhaust spigots with some new aluminum. I worked with the original valve seats & ground them round again (I think only ~20% of each valve was touching at any one time before I ground - imagine the compression). I didn't replace the valve seats because I've heard of too many horror stories about the replaced seats falling out because a Dude didn't heat the head properly before setting the seat in - even if they actually knew what they were doing - it was risky business I wasn't about to partake in. Looks like I'll be carrying some lead additive for the gasoline instead. Some light hand reaming straightened the valve guides & some planing of the head gasket surface resulted in quite a solid set of heads to work with again. No port work was required - someone had already done a bit of light work in that area & I knew any more opening would only hurt port velocity & fuel atomization - so I left that alone (seriously - the head's ports aren't the problem - the obvious problem is the T-shaped intake manifold, 90 degree port bends = poor port utilization).

Now - back when I did some engine simulations - the result was telling me to work with a camshaft that had ~ 0.600" total valve lift & start that lift asap - so the best solution I found was S&S's 514. When I received this cam and compared it to the piece I pulled from the Pan - the S&S was huge. Significantly more lift w/ a bit more of a gradual slope leading to 100% open - as compared to the Pan's nearly square cam profile. I was a bit worried - but charged on anyway - which will later result in nothing but shit.

On the same order I got the S&S cam - I picked up some new valves (stock diameter Rowe's) & a stock replacement Crane Cams valve spring & retainer setup. First check was valve seat height on both the valve & valve seat - which resulted in me looking a whole lot closer at the original hardware. Apparently - the Pan's valves were HD's +5/32" exhaust valves on every port - obviously the original hardware wasn't gonna work. So I found some new Rowe black melonite (sp?) +5/32" valves & checked these against the seats & everything was good. Solid seating around the whole valve, mid seat on the valve seats & mid to lower on the valves. Valve stem fit was pretty good too - maybe just slightly loose - but better than the fit of the original valves.

After I had a good valve & seat - I checked installed height & valve stem to valve keeper clearances @ 100% lift & found about 0.100" interference (including valve stem seal height). I ground a bit of the valve stem & checked again - and as I continued to work the stems down - I got to a point where I wasn't comfortable removing more materials as nearly nothing was left for a good valve stem seal to grip to. Another measurement & I found the valve spring kit I was working with would result in coil binding before complete valve opening anyway - so fuck it - reality check complete - I call complete bullshit on S&S's book claiming good to mild midrange performance without affecting idle and only needing some valve stem clearancing to fit. I chucked the S&S cam back in the box & purchased an Andrew's B grind, some Sifton +0.060" valve retainers & modified some neoprene with spring retainer valve spring seals. A double check of the measurements & everything looked good.

The rocker & rocker blocks diametrically were ok. No significant grooving or wear to note of. The end play registered a bit much @ ~0.015" max, 0.013" min - so I did nothing but clean these up & install. Note that even the rocker blocks weren't original hardware. Three of the blocks appear to be the latest Harley rev for blocks with the oil hole drilled on the top-front; the fourth appeared to be a middle rev without that hole. The rocker block nuts felt ok - so I reused them too.

The intake valve oilers all cleaned up ok & had the check balls inside - so I reused these as well, until I effed up & let up on a valve spring installer without realizing the oiler was to be hit. As the steel on these oilers wer pretty brittle - that one broke. So now I am in the process of finding another.

The tins are a bit rough - but I'm not looking for visual perfection - so they'll get reused as well. I'm using Adam's head gaskets with impregnated silicone sealing stuff & Adam's cork valve cover gaskets.

One thing I haven't verified is if the valves will hit during rev's - once I have the engine installed in the bike and have a better way to rotate the whole assy - I'll let you know what I find.

Can't think of any other head related business - so that's it for the heads. They're assembled and already on the refreshed engine.

Post #3 - Gettin focused

Now that I had the authority to revive the Pan - told enough people I was gonna do it & spread the word of my ideas - I eventually got to work. My efforts were sporadic - searching high & low for parts I thought were cool, making some lists & cleaning some stuff but never really got my head into the rebuild. I haven't finalized the project yet - but am hoping this sporadic effort won't bite me in the ass when I try to ride.

A bit of info for those reading the dusty pan without previous Harley service knowledge - apologies if this sounds weak - but if you don't have access to a goddamn good pool of tribal knowledge about Harley's before you dive into one of these projects, by far the most frustrating bit about this rebuild as I had none, go find someone who has got that knowledge. If you go to a Harley parts catalog in search of something with specific dimensions or mass or even general properties - you'll never end you search because THEY JUST DON'T POST THAT SHIT... Don't ask me why - maybe the lack thereof is Harley's means of keeping idiots like me from working on these bikes - who knows...

And then when you go looking for that tribal knowledge in Clymer's service catalog & they cut the service detail & generally refer you to a Harley dealer whenever the task is harder than an oil change - FUCK OFF - I know my skill limitations, don't assume that shit. I bought your book to tell me how to do these complex things so I don't have to bring my bike to the dealer - if I'm not comfortable with it - I'll find someone to help dammit...man (rant over).

thanks: www.hydra-glide.com

Back to it - the focus booster I needed came in four forms:
1) Vicki's looking to have some babies sometime soon & I knew the only way I was to get this bike done was before any storks land (this bit also plays a factor in booster #3).
2) My dad brought the frame up to Minneapolis & dropped it in my garage. There's nothing like looking @ that for motivation every time I come home.
3) Trip revival - Minnesota to California, circa 1975 - except this time w/ the Pan & my buddies.
4) Sturgis 2008 - My dad's working on a business venture Liberator Trikes (www.liberatortrikes.com), building trike motorcycles w/ an old Chevy V8 out back & a seat & controls setup up front fit for anyone from paraplegic folks to rippin youngsters. His venture led him out on a solo trip to Sturgis last year & I was off on vacation with Vicki's family. Needless for further elaboration - I'll never let him visit Sturgis solo again.

Booster #4 hit like a bag of bricks - this bike needs to be finished so the Pan, the Shovel (for my older brother) & Liberator Trikes can trip cross the plains of SD, destination - Sturgis 09'. I kicked up my focus & efforts significantly - done were the engine simulations & modelling for maximum area under the torque curve between 2000 & 4000 rpm (although - this will come to bite me later as I took some advice from the simulation that resulted in a shit-ton of head work to clearance for the S&S 514 cam... I'll explain later) - onto the serious purchase of required parts & rolling gear to revive the Pan into a road-worthy machine.

Post #2 - Commence...Pan Dissassembly

Paint the Setting:
I live in Minneapolis.
My parents live in Canby, MN, approximately 3hr's west of Minneapolis. The Pan has always been at my parents place.

In Minneapolis - I had a basic set of tools.
My dad hosts a rare arsenal of tools only time can accumulate.

At the time - I drove a Mini Cooper & lived in an apartment (no room for a motorcycle).
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While in Canby one weekend (almost immediately after receiving approval for working on the Pan) I figured to take advantage of my dad's tool set & shop... I took the bike completely apart. I tend to have a problem with not trusting something I haven't worked on or completely understand. If I could get to the microscopic level on something - I probably tried. I think I was able to take everything apart in a weekend - & kept things generally organized in 2 boxes & a couple of coffee cans for bolts.
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The booter:
Even though I kick-ass at taking things apart - I'm not so good at putting them back together or finishing the project (my dad can vouch for everything from my 71 Chevelle I left half-restored to the 1991 Mitsu 3000GT VR4 I totally gutted...). It was probably the moment I left with some Pan stuff in a box that my dad shed a tear or regretted giving me the authority to revive the Pan. He knew I didn't have the facilities, time, money, tools or attention to properly rebuild this bike. In addition to the general life of a Cummins Service Engineer - somewhere in there I married Vicki - my awesome wife who lets me venture on these damn projects that will likely steal more of "our" time than help (if you're reading this - seriously - it's for my sanity) - bought a house, got a dog, picked up the need to barrel through the Forrest on a fat bicycle & dropped the Mini for a new truck. Come to think of it - I really have no idea why my dad ever let me do this project...

Post #1 - Why do I have a '48 Harley?

My father, Mark Kallhoff M.D. (Motor Doctor), has had this bike forever. From what he's told me - his cousin, Andy Kallhoff, got this bike from a "dude" in Sioux Falls, SD. In exactly what shape Andy bought the bike - I'm not totally sure. And the title - yea it burned up in the dude's shop shortly after purchase...

According to my dad - the bike's engine was wild, overheating & blowing head gaskets all the time because of the high compression, nearly un-streetable because of the aggressive bump-stick. The "dude" did some decent work to the engine - but always operated with the "I'll get you by cheaply" mentality - so he stuffed some VW valve guides in the heads, sleeved the cylinders with something out of a John Deere - and God knows what else.

Meanwhile - my dad was scootin on an old Knucklehead. Somewhere - the time passed & my dad rode w/ a brother & some buddies out to California. Upon return to Minnesota - he sold the Knuckle & bought this Pan in 1976 from Andy (Andy was ready to rid himself of the Pan because it was in the shop more than on the road). My dad gathered some parts & commenced a detuning of the Pan - making it steetable. Where & when the cradle frame was chopped to allow for a +4" fork or when the bulk of the stock h/w was ditched - again - I'm not sure.

Between 1976 & ~2005, my dad rode the Pan, changed its look a couple of times, took care of basic maintenance & rode some more. Seems to me I can recall several younger days of my dad rolling about town or coming home from work on the Pan & me thinking - Jesus that bike looks goofy. My dad had attempted to make the Pan a comfortable ride with bars that curved vertically back to his seat, a big 70's chopper seat & sissy bar out back for him to setup the sleeping bag on for a backrest, a narrow windscreen & even narrower front springer fork & ginormous fat-bob gas tanks. Being naive about the heritage & age of the bike - frankly - I wanted nothing to do with that bike.

The "dudes" true craftsmanship & my dad's infrequent riding of the Pan were starting to show by 2005 with a severe backfire on deceleration, nasty vibration from the engine @ ~60mph, a good bit of oil leaking from the clutch push rod & the rear drum brake about as good at slowing the bike as putting your feet down to stop. These nuances were starting to make the Pan less of a fun ride & more of a pain in the ass or worry (fearing breaking apart). Instead of conducting a Pan revival - my dad surfed across a basket Shovel soft tail (the Pan's rigid frame was sending the wrong vibes to the ol' man's spine) in Iowa via EBay.

Gradually - he built the shovel & made it his own & it turned out to be a pretty sweet scoot w/ a S&S Shovel engine & decent rear suspension setup. The Shovel was consistently working well for him - I asked about a potential Pan revival & he approved with one stipulation - don't change it much!