Never mind.
They are Harley pistons at stock compression.

Too many build threads to keep straight in my head.
Sorry about that.

 

If you get second hand jugs you should really bore them anyway. Don't be cheap, sell your pistons and bore your jugs.

 

Point taken, I'm sure you're right...

 

By the way Blue, although very nice, I think Bernadette has Penny beat in that department..

 

Ok, I took your advice and sent them off for some boring and truing. Going up to .020 Wiseco's in the process.

Now I have some 10:1's for sale, std bore, if anyone needs a set.. Looking to get $200 for them, PM me if interested and we'll work something out..

Anyhow, back to the drama.... That gouge was obviously created by something very hard, from the bottom.. I see no matching damage to the pistons, but there is steel peppered into them, not much, but still there.. Cam chest is clean, no metal. Crank turns smoothly with no play. Oil filter flange is clean, no metal seen.. However, the oil filter does have a few spec's inside it, deep in the pleats(I cut it apart). Definitely steel, sticks to a magnet and about the size of ground pepper, but very few specs... This engine evidently had some issues at one time and someone put a set of S&S rods and steel breather in it.. The engine ran great, no abnormal noise, vibration or oil consumption. Although the pistons do indicate some ring wear and carbon build up at 60k....

So, with the top end off, do I continue down and clean and rebuild the bottom end?? Or, would I put it back together with the fresh top end and run it?? Money is getting tight, but I do my own wrenching and have a good indi that I trust for help, down the street.... I've never been that deep into one and put it together, but I'm not scared.. Just wondering what you guys, with experience, think I should expect (both damage and expense wise).. Part of me figures someone has already addressed the problem with new rods (was a police bike engine, may have pieced it together). The work looks good, but I have no way of knowing if the metal is new or old and why they wouldn't have changed that jug??? Thoughts??

 

Have you checked your oil tank with a magnet to see if any metal shavings are in there?

 

Good suggestion, as obvious as it sounds, I have not.. I'll check it tonight though... Thanks!

That also made me think of something else. I bought this bike as a basket case after the PO had a base gasket job go wrong and cracked the case.. Long story, short, I bought this engine used with about 45k on it. They pulled it from a running '98 Road King Police bike. I ran it as is for 15k and absoloutely no issues.. So, I'm now wondering if these trace metal particles I'm finding now are from thie engine or the previous. Either way, this one had something go wrong in the past, but that adds another element to my detective work....

 

Not looking good.. Pulled the lifter screen, oil pump and pan tonight.. Not horrible, but not feeling warm and fuzzy.....