recently purchased a 1960 pan. It's bobber style,v-twin rigid replica frameand originalmotor and tranny. It takes 100 kicks to get her going and after shes ran a bit she fires right up with 2-3 kicks. Alot of backfiring out of the carb when kicking. also alot of backfiring out of pipes and carb when riding and rpm's start getting high. Carb is an s&s super b. The guy i bought it from has installed a pump but I think the carb is in bad shape. I have replaced the battery and coil. it has a mallory unilite 556 distributor, think this is a timing issue? carb issue? or both.

 

sounds like ignition problems(timing, etc.) but don't rule out valves leaking or adjustment. What do the plugs look like if the low end is lean it will pop through the carb, check for vacum leaks when cold and running.

 

More than likely sticking valves.
Ron

 

If it's consistent, it is probably timing ora valve not seating(bent or worn guide). Sounds like you need to give the old girl a going through and upgrade the carb. What "pump" are you refering to.

 

accelerator pump.... he added on the B. took the carb off yesterday. VERY BLACK in manifold. took a flashlight and shined it down the heads....VERY BLACK. would like to ride it this season and rebuild her next winter. Will a s&s E fit on a B manifold? Trying to get something from mallory on the ignition. Also any one have any expierence with SU carbs?

 

Just put new plugs in but old ones were black. New to pans and knucks and to me this is what its all about. thanks for all your help guys!

 

Hey Hey. This might be both our lucky days.

Just posted this on the shovelhead classic forum but my spring cleaning yielded
a POS I have been meaning to dump.

A #556 Mallory Distributor.

I have a beautiful 90CID stroker 63 FLH.

I built it myself exscept for the flywheels and tranny.

The BIGGEST waste of time and money I had on it was a Mallory 556.

It was all I could do to get it to start, and my leg was already shot from trying to
get a cheap MIT junk automatic advance dist to work.

I bought a Mallory thinking it would end my troubles.

WRONG.

Nice long spark, but after I FINALLY got it to start, I couldn't get the timing mark to
stay in the window. NO WAY. It scattered everywhere.

The bonhead that claimed to have "designed" it said it didn't matter where
the timing mark was.. BS!!

I tried all kinds of springs, and even nailing it down to no advance and
doing it manually. STILL no steady mark in the hole.

It might be that the "hall effect" scatters the beam unlike auto applications.

I JUNKED IT, Put a MANUAL SP dist on it with a nifty advance lever off a

high end lawn mower, and it has worked PERFECTLY EVERY TIME.

It's a Two KIcker. Rain or shine, hot or cold, and has been ever since I got rid of that

POS Mallory #556.

The way I found this post was a search for a "price on a 556 MAllory" so
I could put it on craigslist.

The guy that said he designed it "Panman" is the same guy that maintained
you should put KB pistons in high tolerance panheads and wrench the keepers.

Those Mallory 556s are POSes.

Can't put it in strong enough terms.

So are those Taiwan Advances.

Hope I might have saved you a major headache.

A scattering spark will crater your pistons.

Don't believe me, take a timing light, a piece of plastic hose stuffed in your timing hole to keep the oil from spattering you, and LOOK AT YOUR TIMING MARK with a REAL TIMING LIGHT. Just cause you can "get it to run" doesn't mean a damn thing. If it won't stay still, or you can't see it when you are supposed to, THROW THAT MALLORY AWAY.

Or, like me, put it on craiglslist for whatever you can get out of it.

All JMHO.



EJL

 

Sorry for being so adamant,

I just spent a LONG time trying to get that 90CID PAnhead to kick

and damn near ruined my knee doing it.

I was REALLY exasperated to have "PanMan" tell me I was full of crap
wanting the timing mark to STAY STEADY.

I just went out and kicked it after not even starting it for a YEAR.

TWO KICKS.

granted it's only 8.x to 1 comp ratio, but it's a 90 inch bike.

Good luck, and don't discount the timing light.



EJL

 

ALSO.

BE VERY CAREFUL, but make sure you have the right plug length.

On mine, the PrevOwn had a set of the shortest threaded plugs, and you couldn't

see the electrode above the hole.

Keep in mind that you DON'T want to put the longest threaded ones in,

Kicking a panhead should be a two or one kick affair.

I almost ruined my knee getting mine there.

Good luck.



EJL

 

Good Postings EJL63FLH. Hope that POS Mallory 556 is the cause of his troubles. I've heard others say similar.[:@]