Just a couple of crappy snaps, I'll post some more as work progress's.
The plan is; fresh paint, Maybe some airbrushing, new oil & fuel lines, fit a 4' rim to the rear, maybe a different seat and something with the bars, maybe even apes? straighten up the rear exhaust pipe (It was never quite right since fitted) and then rewrap them both, fit a new one piece dash. That's about it i guess. Hopefully back on the road in a month.
I have been tempted to change the rear 'guard to a flat style like a lot of the old rigid choppers run, but mount it to the swing arm with a couple of neat struts at the back for support, Mount the number plate on the back of the seat and run nighster type rear indicators / tail / brake lights. I'll get the rim / hub laced and if i don't have enogh clearance with the stock 'guard I will go that way.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.
Chris, the wheels are in motion for a rewire, great idea, thanks.
More updates to follow.
Hi Doug,
I had posted these in another thread for Seaeagle when he was looking at rewiring, maybe you can use them too.
Cris aka The Don
BASIC HARLEY WIRING DIAGRAM Wiring your Harley. The first thing to do is to find the wiring diagram that best suits your bike. 1- Disconnect your Battery and remove. Earth wire first!! Remove you existing wire loom, if any. (You may be able to use some of the outer covering later.) 2- I’m assuming all your electrical components are in place, eg: Headlight, Horn. 3- Using a minimum 14 gauge strand Automotive type wires, select your colours for each component and route the wires connecting components. Work with only one wire at a time, and leave an extra 4 inches of length per side as insurance. Tag each wire end and write WHERE IT GOES. Tape the wires to the frame so you have a rough wiring loom. 4-For the Battery and Starter Motor use at least 10 gauge wire. 5- Once you have all the wires laid out, route them so they will not be in danger of rubbing or dangling. You can now make a wiring loom and touch each wire end to the component it’s attached to. Without removing the tags, cut each wire down so you have 1 inch over the required length. Remove the loom. 6- You are now ready to affix terminals to your loom. Do it on a clean flat surface, make sure the soldering iron can be used safely. If you have kids this is a time you don’t want them around. 7- Avoid using spade or horseshoe type connectors, over time they have a tendency to open up or spread. Use eye type terminals that fit the studs or terminals on the components. These will tighten up nicely using star washers. Don’t hook up wires without connectors, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. 8- Crimp or solder terminals well, I prefer to do both. Do not over crimp, excessive force will end up with a bad connection. Always use the appropriate size terminals for the wire gauge being used. 9- Avoid splicing wires in the middle of a circuit if you can run one wire instead. 10- You can now install your wiring loom, use tie wraps every 6 inches or so and route the loom away from contact with heat. You should be able to install it so it’s pretty much hidden from view. 11- After you finish and before connecting the battery, Double Check Every Connection! Better to be safe than sorry. 12- Connect the battery, positive first and test every circuit.
P.S. There's wiring diagrams at drop.io/1979FXS just paste on your browser without the www.
Regards,
Cris
Just a bit of an update,
Nothing has gone to plan, but that was always going to happen
Tins are @ the painters, ended up getting the whole lot "Acid?" dipped, they all had about sixty four layers of paint on them and the tanks had been sealed at some stage and all of the sealer was breaking away. The chrome on the oil tank was shitty so i thought i would get that painted aswell, Painter wasn't happy to scuff up chrome and paint over it, so after talking to a couple of sandblasters that also put it in the too hard basket i chatted to the guys @ Huntingdale electroplaters. Nice guys and so far very helpfull, they certainly do shitloads of Harley stuff. Anyway basically they "Reverse process" the chroming to take it all back to bare metal. Easy done, well kinda, some clown at some stage has bronzed up the tank why? Who knows? anyway the Nickell something stage will attack the bronze, so that'll have to be redone, tigged this time i thinketh.
Oil lines have all been replaced. Exhaust pipes rectified to run 100% parralel, and rewelded but not yet wrapped.
A mate lent me a set of 14" apes, very comfortable, well sitting on the bike in the shed they were. Didn't quite like the look of the 14" bars,In my opinion 16" apes look just right. Popped into Evel cycles in South Melb (Always a pleasure dealing with Alex, Good prices, good service and no attitude issues.) Picked up a set of 16" bars but after trying them on the bike discovered they were slightly wider at the base than the triple trees, something that annoys the shit out of me! alex was happy for me to return them but couldn't help with what i was after. ended up getting onto what I'm after but nearly twice the price and two weeks X-U.S.A.
I popped over to Kensington to Flexible Drive Agency today to get a Throttle cable made up. - $30.00 and a couple of days. Only issue is i couldn't get it made with the flashy stainless braided outer case, no great problem. I had to get it custom made because with the Super B / Superbowl setup the cable was already 14" over standard because of the routing.
Enzed have been given the task of supplying an extended front brake hose, Thay won't make it themselves because of A.D.R. etc but claimed they could order it in. Though after not returning calls are nearing the top of my "Get Fucked" list.
I think I've finally conceded that the cylinder heads may have to come off. Last time i removed the plugs the helicoils came out with them. I rehelicoiled the threads but they didn't seal great, ended up using some R.T.V ultra copper something sealant. they sealed ok but i know there'll be an issue next time. If i remove the heads a mate can weld and redrill them for nicks and it'll be a good chance to polish then clear the rocker boxes and also drill the inlet manifold for a vacum port for a V.O.E.S. feed for when i change to electronic ignition. If the heads don't need any major work I'll fit an electronic ignition aswell.
Ordered and recieved a custom number plate, still undecided about personalised / custom plate as to whether they're wanky or not but hey.
After all of the above i have decided to run with the current rear guard.
Sent of the rear rim, new spokes and "New" 16 x 4" rim to have the hub painted then the rest relaced. Turns out the rear wheel has been hand made and someone has either drilled the spoke holes incorrectly and/or punched the dimples to deep. Rim is useable but would need to get spokes made. It all got to hard so ended up sourcing a good 3.5" rim, wheels are in motion, so to speak.
So a couple of small hicups but nothing too serious.
Won't be back on the road in a month but with the shitty weather and lack of events that's no issue either.
Looking good, and a hand shifter too boot crazy f**ker
I started to remove the heads yesterday, the helicoils that i "knew" would be a problem were fine, plugs came out without an issue, started to think about leaving them alone but put the plugs back in, they just weren't sealing by themselves. I'm getting fed up with cutting corners and the repercussions that follow so the heads came off, first set i've done on a harley, off, & cleaned up within an hour. the bores look good, no lip and still have the cross hatch marks from being honed. heads look good, no issues evident, will have this confirmed once they are stripped down. I dropped the heads of today to have the spark plug holes fixed. Heads have had ports tidied up before but i will get the ports cleaned up some more, ports checked / matched to the manifold, heads CCed, valves recut, basically blueprinted i guess. The valves seem a lot larger than i expected, will have the measured up to see if they are oversized.
I think the cam may be aftermarket / performance, seems to make good power over 3k rpms, will try to borrow a degree wheel and dial indicator to cofirm this.
Rocker boxes are a bit daggy so i dropped them off to huntindale electroplaters to be polished, $70 -$80 ea which i think is pretty good.
Still getting rooted around with my rear wheel, hoping to have it back before the weekend so i can fit it and the new bars, ready to take it to a mate who is an auto elec for a freeby rewire early next week.
Once i have it confirmed the heads don't need guides, seats etc (Budget's getting thinish) i will order an elec ignition, brand t.b.a.
sounds like ya havin a ball doug...lol, i have a smaller pair off apes in the shed if ya intersted in sizing them up, they are pretty bad in the crome side but could give a an idea of comfort....just a thought.
ahh didnt see the bit where you got them sorted...lol
She's starting to come along, slowly. I managed to delete latest photos but will take some more and post them soon.
Picked up most of the tins (Oil tank still to be done) Yesterday, very very happy with them. Rang the guy that is going to do some airbrushing for me, turns out he had to go to the states for a month but is due back mid July. No drama, it'll give me time to finalise exactly what i want done.
Rocker boxes have been polished and came up nicely, ended up costing $70.00 each, it was nice to have something done at the low end of what was originally quoted. I've given them to a mate to preheat / paint / bake with VHT clear.
Throttle cable is done, went from $30.00 and two days to $80.00 and a week and a half but didn't have a lot of options. Went over and met Walka, Nice guy, who helped me out with brake line and fittings.
Heads have been stripped and blasted. One of the exhaust guides just fell out and was also missing the smaller / inner valve spring W.T.F? Inlet manifold has been drilled etc for a vacuum port for future V.O.E.S. use.
Handle bars are here and look grouse, just had them drilled for internal wiring. Just need to decide on which risers to run them bolt them on. I replaced the triple tree - riser mounting bushes to try to cover all bases.
The rear wheel relace has been a fuck up from go to whoa. The guy doing it (who will be named and shamed once said wheel is finished and back in my hot little hands) rooted me around for a month then after i gave him a hurry up put the wheel together (New spokes and new rim) without painting the daggy old hub. Farrrk. so i sent it back to be stripped, hub painted, as originally requested, then relaced etc.
That's about it for now.
Just a couple more crappy snaps; Big question is', If it hasn't got the Shovel rocker boxes or heads for that matter is it still a Shovelhead?
Decided to give the frame a quick tart up. A couple of good tricks I'd heard of but never used; Alfoil is fantastic for masking sharp, dirty and odd shaped things and whipper snipper line is great for feeding through bars etc. to later pull wires etc back through. Hard enoungh to push through and flexible enoungh to go around corners.
Yeah i know, it looks more like a roast lamb than a bike but hey...
Cris and Chris, thanks for your input and support, keep it coming.
Chris, When I'm painting, the shed is heated, The missus is still trying to workout why the little fan heater smell like paint fumes!
Not a whole lot of progress to report. I've just about finished painting the frame, have been a little slack. Still getting rooted around with my rear wheel so borrowed a wheel from a mate to get her mobile again. I'll drop her off to my autoelec mate on Saturday or monday. The only wheel i could come up with quickly is a 19' dyna cast rim, looks funny sitting in the swing arm, but is all i need to get her on / off a trailer.
I finally shelled out for an electronic ignition. I went with a Daytona twin tec set up (http://www.daytona-twintec.com/model_1005.html). There's a number of choices out there but the kick start only thing limits the selection somewhat. I wanted to buy a complete kit on the off chance there was an issue, so i doesn't turn into a shit fight between several suppliers blaming each other. Crane ignitions, people seem to either love or hate and the bankrupcy / takeover thing doesn't inspire confidence about warrantys etc. plus the technology is outdated. The dyna S gets good wraps but i wanted to do away with advance weights / springs etc to reduce weak spots. the Dyna 2000i is good but pricey and is set up for electric start only. It is possible to buy a p.c. cable to hook up and adjust them for kick start but that's more expensive again. After talk to the guys @ Daytona twin tech i was happy to use with thier product. The system is normally for electric start bikes but can be ordered from factory, preset for kick only bikes. Complete kit - Module, coil, leads, pick up cup thingy, V.O.E.S. and postage was a shade over $500.00 aust.
Picked up the oiltank from the painters, bloody nice. Starting to re think getting "real flames / true fire" airbrushed onto the tins. Can look great but heaps of shitty attempts out there and seems like a bit of a fad. I'm trying to retain an older feel about the bike (Super B, Juice rear, foot clutch etc) so maybe traditional style flames or just some neat factory decals, Clean and understated. My airbrush guy's not back for about another week. I'll work it out before then.
The cylinder heads are starting to take shape. They required some serious work but are looking great. The valves are standard size, Bigger than what i expected to find.
So that's about it, going through a bit of a lull but I'm sure the bike, heads, tins and rear wheel will all come back at once and I'll be running around like a mad man.
