Good evening all! I'm curious about possibly swapping my 103 for a s&s 124.my questions are:
1: how difficult is an engine swap? Is this something I can do myself? I'm pretty handy, not a mechanic, but not a complete novice.
Or...
Should I pay a shop, and how much could I expect to pay?
Thank you!

 

i just pulled my motor for a bottom end rebuild. I had the machine shop put the cylinders on, gap the rings, and put the heads on. Putting this back together myself now and it's really been pretty easy. Getting the motor with the heads and rockers on it back into the chassis was the hardest part so far, needed some extra hands to help me with that. If you were getting a complete motor it should be something you can do yourself, though you would likely need some hands to remove install the motor from the chassis.

 

Your first purchase should be a factory service manual, which spells out what is involved in great detail. If you do the job yourself you will need one and it will help you decide if the work is within your comfort zone. Check the S&S website, where you may find their installation instructions.

You will need a decent toolkit and several special tools, or make them yourself - details in the FSM. To remove the engine will require dismantling the entire primary. Physically removing the old engine and installing the new one is not for the feint-hearted - the darned thing is pretty heavy! Note John's remarks above.

Having installed your new engine you should inspect other parts before refitting them. When I installed my S&S 107" engine the compensator teeth and primary chain were worn, so I replaced them both. You will need a suitable clutch upgrade, to deal with the increased torque.