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Dyna Glide ModelsSuper Glide, Super Glide Sport, Super Glide Custom, Dyna Glide Convertible, Super Glide T-Sport, Dyna Glide Police, Dyna Switchback, Low Rider, Street Bob, Fat Bob and Wide Glide.
Today we celebrate the life of the forward exhaust bracket. RIP forward exhaust bracket.
Did you jack up the engine to remove the bolts or cut them off?
It led a mixed life... From stalwart bastion of support, to worthless ugly misfit oddball...
In the end it came off proudly... Nothing broken or beat on...
As it turned out, one of the forward bolts had already lost it's head at some point, and I was able to reach the other one with a 1/4" ratchet and extension from underneath (while on the lift, but without jacking the engine at all). The rear was harder, as the bolt is almost directly above a frame member, eliminating access from underneath. Fortunately the bolt wasn't stupid tight... I broke it free by swiveling the bracket and holding pressure against the bolt with my finger. Once loose, I was able to get a long pair of needlenoses on it... Just a little patience and some very dirty fingers. That must be the dirtiest part of the whole bike. It'll deserve a very thorough scrubbing when I'm done!
Yes, I know... This is the world's slowest engine refresh... I just haven't had any time! I got a little bit done last night - pistons and cylinders. Of course I started with a good scrubbing...
Then it was time to remove all of the plastic and tape that had been keeping things covered up while I worked in the cam chest... And I discovered one of many bone-headed moves that periodically slow me down. When I first started taking the engine apart, I taped up the lifter galleys with Gorilla tape (which, in hindsight, made no sense since everything was coming out of the cam chest and it would be scrubbed).
Once taped off, they were just kind of out of mind from that point on. When I clearanced the cases for the new cams I did tape off holes and passages from the inside, and then cleaned out the chest when I was done. But last night when I pulled the tape off for the first time, I realized that a lot of aluminum shavings had gotten into the lifter area. I should have taken off the tape and cleaned them out after grinding, but I just spaced on it. When I saw how much debris was in there last night, I contemplated tearing down the cam chest again to clean it properly. Then I walked away for a moment and stopped cursing at myself... With patience and care, I ran some paper towels soaked in WD-40 into each hole, and eventually had them almost completely clean. That was dumb. Oh well... I'll change the oil frequently during break-in, and I think I really did get almost every bit of aluminum dust out of there. I ended up getting them cleaner than in this picture, but I forgot to snap a shot when I was done.
The pistons went on without issue... I had wished that I had extra wrist-pin clips, as I sort of assumed I would lose or damage at least one, but all four went on pretty easily. I did make these cardboard shields to catch the clips in case I dropped one, which was good because one did pop out once and landed right on the cardboard (instead of inside the cases).
The cylinders slid over the pistons easily, no malletizing required. Just some wiggling. draping my knee over the brake pedal kept the crank from turning.
It's finally starting to look like a motor again...
Some 1/2 inch drive sockets worked perfectly as head-bolt spacers, allowing me to rotate everything a couple of times to make sure nothing felt off at all.
Inside, we're all the same... My bike bleeds red just like the rest of us!
Yesterday I took a little bit of time to clean some areas that were easier to reach without cylinders in place. I also took the factory decals off the frame tube... I never tried before, because I didn't want to end up with torn, impossible to remove, 17 year old remnants, or completely noticeable different shade paint... None of my concerns were valid. I hit them with a hair dryer for a couple of minutes, and they peeled right off. It looks so much better without them!
Since the decals came off pretty cleanly, I stuck them on a piece of card stock to keep with the owner's manual and paperwork.
Question for some of you who have recently completed similar projects (cvaria, reindeer, robbyville...): Did you drop the oil pan and clean it out? S&S recommends doing so whenever the cam plate/oil pump is new. I'm not anxious to do so, but don't want to be boneheaded by omitting something important...
Question for some of you who have recently completed similar projects (cvaria, reindeer, robbyville...): Did you drop the oil pan and clean it out? S&S recommends doing so whenever the cam plate/oil pump is new. I'm not anxious to do so, but don't want to be boneheaded by omitting something important...
i did not.... may pay for that later. i'll be doing my second oil change once i can get out and warm it up. between the 50mi oil change and the coming one, hopefully all the bad gets out. i do stupid things though.... reindeer, robbyville might have better responses. you could also float it in the engine forum and see what the builders say.
i did not.... may pay for that later. i'll be doing my second oil change once i can get out and warm it up. between the 50mi oil change and the coming one, hopefully all the bad gets out. i do stupid things though.... reindeer, robbyville might have better responses. you could also float it in the engine forum and see what the builders say.
Thanks, cvaria... I do stupid things too, but knowing that, I do my best not to (not always with success)! Heh heh... Good thought about the Engine Forum. Sometimes I forget this isn't the only neighborhood, but it does feel like home!
Both heads are on (with the S&S MLS head gaskets), and are torqued as specified. I probably won't have time again until Sunday, at which point rockers, push rods, and valve adjustment should follow. I could probably finish on Sunday, except I know there are a handful of odds and ends that still need to be chosen and ordered.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
