OK, the guides are in. I must have done a good job sizing them. They are in tight and there was no cracking.

Note: I did use a 2 X 6 pine board to set the heads on while I pounded the guides in.




Now I just need to ream and hone the inside diameter.

 

Now about valves......

I think a stock Shovel valve stem is .375". Mine are bigger, around .378" after I polished them.

(Update: Turns out I have three valves at .378" and one at .375". ******@#!&* ! And NO, the polishing didn't even knock off a half thou.)

I can't find a reamer or hone that will work. They are either too small or too big. So I'm trying to figure out what to do.

(Get new valves ! Get some that have the correct valve stem size !)

Eons ago when folks used valves with over sized stems, they used to drill guides out close as they could and then polish with sand paper on a cotter pin chucked in a drill. Not sure I want to try that. These ain't brake cylinders.

(This may sound stupid but if you have the correct size valves and guides, you only have to hone them a bit to fit. I should have measured those valves all at one time. I don't know who is more stupid. Me or the person or persons that put these heads together !)

(Complete stainless steel valve set coming. Correct tulip and stem size.)

 

I found out today that the very last of the Shovels had valves with the bigger sized valve stem. The were sized at .377". My heads were made late in 1980. So I actually should have the .375" valve stems. That's what I ordered.

It's a lot easier to get a reamer or hone for the .375 valve stems.

 

My new valves came in today. Looks like the supplier is Precision Engine Parts of Las Vegas, NV. The valves are stainless steel and all four are dished. Not sure if this is a good thing on the exhaust side. My old exhaust valves are a little bit heavier and flat.




All new valves measure OK as far as spec goes. The exhaust valve stems are .375" while the old ones were .377" and .375".

The new intake valves stems measure out at .376" and the old ones are .377.

Even though the guides and valves are new, the seats are not. From what I understand, the seats need to be ground to make them concentric with the new valves and guides. The valves don't have to be lapped but some people do it anyway.

 

The title says it's a 2002 custom build. No name or anything. It's a TN title and I will title it in Arkansas. Maybe they will let me title it as something else.

I guess I was lucky. All but one Ironhead I rode was an XLCH and they cranked easily with a kicker.

 

I bought a couple of reamers online. They should be in after the holiday. In the meantime, I'm going to media blast the heads and clean up the combustion area.

 

I got two reamers. One is .375" and the other is .377". Unfortunately this is not enough. I ordered three adjustable reamers. They go from 3/8" to 15/16" in range. I was taught years ago not to use adjustable reamers. Live and Learn.

 

I got the adjustable reamers in today. They are nice little reamers but the smallest is 3/8" and it doesn't fit in the guides. I guess they need fiddling with.

I decided to reuse my old valves. I was working on the rear head tonight. I got the valves to fit in the guides pretty well. I lapped them a bit to see how they laid on the seats. The intake valve and seat are just perfect. The exhaust is a bit different.





Notice it sits to the right in the picture. I looked at the seat and found this.





The small shoulder on the seat is partially gone. I don't know if the seat was ground that way or if it was caused by wear. The valve doesn't show any abnormal wear.

 

the location of the guide hole dictates the circle that is cut into the seat