anyhow - I haven't updated this blog in a long time & I should because some good stuff has been happenin lately. The recent accomplishments....
1) bought new 18" rims & spokes, rebuilt the pans original rear hub (had some material recession and seals were very brittle) <- the new tires (Firestone Deluxe - true vintage look with modern rubber compound) & laced wheels were trued & tires installed + balanced @ the Boar Shop. Turned out that my attempt at lacing actually resulted in a fairly true & centered setup @ the onset - not too bad for my first attempt.
2) roughly assembled the bike & made it a roller:
3) Total rebuild of the engine to loosen the lower end and fix other odds & ends. This was a great idea as there were many improvements I was able to work in during the rebuild:
> installed time sert threaded inserts where the cylinder bases are assembled (recall that threaded stud mistake I mentioned some time back - done fixed it) applied red loctite to the locking threads to make sure they stay. I then ended up making some 7/16"-20 studs to fit but whatever - I think this will work well.
> ground ~0.012" off the large crank thrust washers (0.010" on left side, 0.002" on right, the left was a bit thicker anyway) to obtain the thrust required thrust clearance. Now we rotate with ease!
> removed that additional washer I decided to add to take up some end slop in the left side crankshaft bearing - turns out that slop is needed
> removed the additional washers I had placed behind the circuit breaker & idler gears in the gearcase to take up that slop too.... I think if I would've left that 0.005" washer behind the circuit breaker gear, I would've had some nasty interference with the camshaft gear!
> verified the end play & gear lash all gearcase bits + installed a new oil seperator & screen & installed the crank oil slinger / seal that I couldn't find (although while recently rummaging through all of my mountain bike parts - I found the old one...) and finally a new spring & retainer to keep that crank gear in place
> learned of a new method to torquing the cylinder heads (install front cylinder, torque head, remove front cylinder, install rear, torque head, install front again) - which was a life saver as I think the click-type torque wrench I had been working with resulted in only ~ 45 lb-ft torque instead of the 65 required.
> install a new intake valve oiler on the front head (broke the original during the valve install).
4) Hacked the rear fender to better follow the contour of the new 18's
5) You may notice in the photo my inverted clubman riser handle-bar - this orientation makes the bike look a bit more streamlined but made me also locate the front brake lever & clutch lever too far out for me to get a good grip so I extended the bars ~ 1.25" to locate the grips further out & put the levers properly in front. I accomplished this with the help of about 2 " length of solid, .8125" steel bar stock to help dampen some bar vibrations & two pieces cut from an older pair of ape hangers that the pan use to rock until ma & pa tried to slide under a truck - dukes of hazard style.
6) Rebuilt the carb - such a bitch. Generally - there's a few well known carbs for Harley use - but this one kinda fit in between two models & I couldn't find the specs until releasing a barrage of google searches & after I found out that Jesus lives in Alabama - I found the make - a Keihin, pre-CV carb, generally used on sporty's between ~1976 & 1989. I took it apart & mechanically it appears to be really solid - a bit dirty but solid - so I continued with the rebuild. This is also my first attempt at a carb rebuild and, with exception for the new parts replacing the old parts - I didn't have any random pieces left over - neat! I am really impressed by this carb (38mm bore, accel pump & plastic float) and its simplicity - which may be an operational curse but I'm willing to give it a go.
7) Passed my motorcycle road test & knowledge test - officially certified by the state of Minnesota.
8) Built my exhaust system - which is one of the pieces I worked over that's got me most excited. I used some ol drag pipes from the pan's previous life, chopped the angle tips off so we've got straight exit, then tucked in some 8" baffles that were slightly modified to be not so restrictive & wrapped those baffles in fiberglass cloth to deaden some of the sharp notes & provide a bit more dynamics in the inertia supercharging & back pressure equations on the engine. This could sound sweet or like a wet fart... either way I'm pumped to find out.
9) Cleaned up the clutch & primary chains <- all of this looks good enough for re-use.
10) Stripped the frame & tranny for a bit of smoothin before painting.
11) Finally identified a paint color I can obtain for the gas tank, rear fender & oil tank - chevy's silver green metallic:
Today - I'll visit our friendly DMV - inquiring about what's required to get me a title & plate for this Pan - which ought to be cool. Otherwise - can't think of anything else!
