I work in the oil and gas industry. I am in management. No wife or kids. My only debt is on my house which is only $675/month. I am not rich, but I do pretty good while still maintaining my small town personality.

Still, I go for bang for the buck. Not always the cheapest route but not the most expensive either. That being said, I research my purchases thoroughly and agonize over them before I finally pull the trigger.

I certainly appreciate all the advice you guys have given me so far. My plan is to continue the research so that by the time I am ready to do this, which will be in rainy winter months, all the details will be hammered out.

Any suggestions on ignition systems? I read about screamin eagle ignition module, specifically one with a P curve.

 

I hear ya on research and not overspending or underspending. The Dyna 2000I is good if you run the compression up, if not the HD stuff gets the job done.

The Ultima 2000I is the best bang for the buck but we have already mentioned the origin of country.

Good luck in your direction and get as many opinions as you can.

 

I got a quote today from shop I've never been to before. The helper seemed like a decent enough guy. The owner/main mechanic gave off a bad vibe, and I swear I was staring at evil right before me. Still, I discussed my plans and he told me he would give me a call back.

He just called and he said the engine work, parts and labor would be $1,700. This would include pulling the cylinders and remachining the block because having the heads off would disturb the base gaskets and often on engines this old, the gaskets are baked on, which would require machining after they would be removed to ensure they would not leak. That sounds like a good precaution, but I am not sure if that's really all that necessary.

I was so shocked by the price that I forgot what he told me it would be for the transmission work. I am going to get one or two more estimates from different shops.

The guy seemed like he was very knowledgeable, but there have been very few times in my life in which I was affected this way by meeting someone and this has been the most severe.

I had planned on getting this stuff done in the wet winter, but due some noise that has just started (see my other thread about tearing metal noise), I am moving these plans up.

As a recap, this is what the $1,700 covers:

shave the heads to increase compression, but no fancy combustion chamber work on heads
install andrews ev13 cam
chromoly adjustable pushrods
new set of lifters
machine the block after pulling the cylinders due to being disturbed from pulling the heads

Does that price seem inflated or about right?

 

I don't think he's going to machine the block, he'll prob. chuck the cylinders in a lathe and flatten the bottoms.

Sounds a little stiff to me.

 

I went to a different shop. The vibe was much better. I discussed my plans. They didn't nail down a specific price, but in general discussion, it was substantially less money.

I asked about the need to machine the block and they said no, not unless I was taking a lot of material off the heads and building a racing engine.

They advised against a six speed transmission on an 80" engine because it would not have enough power for it, even with the cam.

They tried to steer me in the direction of an EV27, but I explained I don't really ride fast.

They also told me that shaving the heads is not worth it because it will make very little difference and might be good for 1 or 2 horsepower. My experience tells me different and sometimes, things like responsiveness are not really portrayed on a dyno and is something that you can feel more than you can measure. They said regardless, they will still do whatever I want to do without a problem.

The secondary mechanic suggested changing sprockets to lower my rpm's instead of going to a six speed. I am thinking about his suggestion hard and maybe a low end cam like the EV13 might be enough to compensate for the overall difference in ratio. I will probably hold off on the six speed or sprocket changes for now.

One thing that surprised me is they said I could provide my own parts if I wanted. I like that option because it could save me some money on the other hand introduces a potential problem in the event of needing warranty work.

Regarding the damn noise, both agreed it is probably the compensator sprocket backing off.

I think I have found the right shop for me. The vibe was good and the discussion was very open

 

Re-read your own thread again? I think you're making the wiser decision. Your tranny is most likely fine and dandy so going to a newer setup sprocket-wise will be just fine if not what some of the experts, as I think of them, have already advised. The cam is for the way you ride and again your decision is all about you and your riding habits.
You may have found your shop.
Btw, if you deck the heads then remember to ask about different sized gaskets.

 

Yep. I have collected a decent amount of material regarding how much to take off the heads and what gaskets to use. I am glad I have found a shop that is willing to discuss these things with me.

From what I have gathered, I should get .050" taken off the heads and use .030" thick gaskets. That should put the compression right where it needs to be without getting crazy. In terms of ratio, I am going to end up with between 9.25 and 9.5 which is what Andrews recommends. Stock is 8.5.

I have also found out that the 95 models featured lame cams to meet tighter emission standards and were more conservative than 94 models. That means that this EV13 is going to make more of a difference on this bike.

Maybe that nut backing off the compensator sprocket is what is causing the excessive vibration on the interstate in which case the sixth gear or higher ratio is not needed at all. Either way, I'll concentrate on getting the noise fixed and the engine mods done, then figure out if anything else is needed from there. It's not like everything needs to be done at once.

I have a good idea of what I want for parts and machine work with the exception of the ignition module. I am really at a loss for this and confused by numerous choices and in some cases bad or conflicting information. The one constant I keep running into is high praise for a screamin eagle module with a P curve, but the part number is elusive to me and sometimes when I think i find it, it ends up being for 96 and newer.

I remember using a dynojet kit with the thunder slide on my 92 sportster and that helped the throttle response big time, so something similar is going into the Heritage.

I can't tell you how much I appreciate the input from you guys. Who knows, once I get the mechanical stuff taken care of, a fresh coat of paint might be in order. I have been working on a design for a long time that I never was sure what I would do with until now. It's going to end up on the Heritage at some point.

 

The EV-13 with raised compression is a good combo. I ran stock compression when I was running one, & for the most part, was happy with the performance, but wanted a little bit more. My bike is not as heavy as yours, but I'm 6'1" & go 230lbs & my wife is not petite. Close to a 1000lbs, total, riders & bike, pulled very well. Cruise, all day , 70-75 mph.The Dyna 2000I ignition that 1997Bagger mentioned, is what I run with no problems. If I had it to do over, I would prolly go with dual fire, as single fire costs more & don't think it really helps. I would also use .030 head gaskets in order to maintain the squish band. Think they recommend to keep it between .030 & .035. Also think the $1700.00 you were quoted was a bit out there , myself. Sounds like you been doing your homework. I researched my mods for months before dropping the hammer.
Ride Safe,
Harold

 

I have been looking at the numerous modules Dynatek offers and even within one product, there are several sub products.

I think what I need is DD2000-HD2EP which is one of the models of the Dyna 2000P, but I am unsure about the need for an adapter.

Never mind, I found my answer. I need the adapter. I found the adapter for a lot less money than what it lists for.

 

I just finished ordering parts and found some great deals on ebay. Here is what I bought. Prices include shipping,

K&N Air Filter HD-1390 $42.57
Andrews EV-13 cam $119.95
Dynojet Thunderslide with Jet Kit 8708 $128.42
Crane Cams Time Saver Adjustable Push Rods 4-0030 $126.72
Dynatek 1009002 8 pin to 7 pin adapter $25.95
Dynatek 2000P DD2000-HD2EP ignition module $145

I probably could have gone cheaper on the pushrods, but the time saver ones might be a blessing later on.

I'll let the shop get the gaskets, cam bearing, and small parts since they will be doing the machine work and labor. I think I am going to reuse the lifters unless when they pull them out, something is wrong with them.