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I retired last year and have always planned to restore cars and bikes. I've done a few projects over the years and have been turning wrenches my entire life. After reading @Joe12RK thread about restoring his beautiful FXR, I decided to document the restoration here. I had another thread about resealing the engine where I asked for advice on some things. I'll do the same thing in this thread and will greatly appreciate any constructive feedback.
The Bike: 1990 Fatboy with 17k miles that I bought from the original owner's estate (Jerry). Jerry bought it brand new from a Harley dealership in Baltimore, but he lived in York, PA. The dealer painted blue on the tins which is why they aren't all silver. Jerry loved chrome and it has a lot HD and aftermarket chrome - fork lowers, floorboard mounts, oil tank, and a lot of covers. It has braided cables and oil lines as well.
The Plan: I'm going to take the bike back to mostly original. I learned a new restoration term yesterday that best describes my build - Day Two Restoration.
"The term Day Two came from the idea that on day one you bought a brand-new muscle car, and on the theoretical day two you modified it with a selection of parts from your local speed shop. Items like valve covers, headers, hood scoops, steering wheels, and shifters were common upgrade items, and it was a no-brainer to personalize your new muscle car with new tires and wheels. Fast-forward about 50 years and you can still personalize your muscle car with period-correct components. The beauty of the Day Two movement is that you can easily undo it and switch back to stock or jump ahead into a more contemporary build without major expense. Follow along as we spill the beans on this somewhat-undiscovered segment of the hobby and depict some of the most popular Day Two modifications that you can easily apply to your muscle car restoration to give it the perfect amount of retro styling."
I'll keep the chrome forks and floorboard mounts. I have the original oil tank so that will go back on it. It also has a Baker 6sp OD transmission that I'm going to keep in it for now. The Jay Brake 6 piston chrome caliper will be sold as I'm going back to the stock front caliper and rotor (PM me with an offer if you want it). It has some type of aftermarket exhaust but I'm going to install and OEM exhaust with stock mufflers (even though I might try to also find some period correct SE slip ons).
Engine/Trans: Tearing down the top end and doing a complete reseal. There is oil on top of the relief and check valves on the oil pump and it had an oil leak somewhere near the rear of the frame and the swingarm. I'll install new oil seals in the transmission housing as well (output shaft, shifter, top cover, and trap door gasket). Engine will also get new cylinder studs, head bolts, and lifters. I was told that it has an SE cam in it, but not sure yet which of the 3 they made for back then. When I pulled the plugs, they showed the bike was running rich, so I'll have to figure out what jets are installed. It has the stock air filter housing but has a K&N air filter. The ignition is Scream'n Eagle and I'll keep that as well.
Frame: It is currently at a shop to be powder coated and I should get it back in about 2 weeks. I'm installing new swingarm and neck bearings.
Hardware: A lot of the nuts and bolts on the bike do not look factory. I went through all of them and ordered new 316 stainless steel fasteners for everything. All of the bolts on the bike are grade 5 so no worries about tensile strength. I live in Florida and they should help with corrosion.
Here are some pics to show the progress of where I am now.
The bike has been completed. I have to figure out why the turn signals don't work but it probably has something to do with the original owner add some BS LED lights and a module I removed. This bike doesn't have a turn signal canceler, only a flasher. The only other thing is the front master cylinder isn't pumping up. I'm going to have to remove it and take it apart. I've read where the rubber cup on that kit can rip. I ordered a new one that is Drag Specialties this time. Easy fix.
When I filled the oil tank, I put the bike in 6th gear and rotated the rear tire A LOT to work oil through the engine before trying to start it. It hit on the second try and runs well.
What a cool project. What are you planning to do with the tins? I think the blue looks great on the bike, but its not original. Then again, even if you go back to all grey, it wont be "original" either.
I'm looking forward to watching the bike come together.
What a cool project. What are you planning to do with the tins? I think the blue looks great on the bike, but its not original. Then again, even if you go back to all grey, it wont be "original" either.
I'm looking forward to watching the bike come together.
I'm painting it all Fine Silver Metallic like it was stock. It will look like a stock 1990 Fatboy with some mods that you'd really have to know the bike to point out. I got a set of decals including the VIN from a guy in New Zealand.
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BigMike's Grey Ghost Restoration
