Original 1953 HD panhead-restoration advice
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,754
Likes: 4
From: GA
It can only be original ONCE. So my vote is to clean it up, take care of minor stuff to get it running and ride it.
Get yourself a copy of Palmer's book on old bikes (not cheap but it is the bible for old bikes). Lots of useful information to identify what you have. Lot of time someone who you solicit to do these types of things have no knowledge or a very LIMITED knowledge of what is correct for the year of the bike being 'restored'. As a result parts are refinished incorrectly, nuts and bolts are replaced with modern day ones (CP bolts are hard to come by), fit and finish end up being poorly done replication.
Also check out www.caim.com It is a wealth of information of classic bikes. Lots of folks would be able to provide you with valuable input regarding your dad's machine.
A proper restoration is extremely time consuming and very expensive to do right (working on a 49 pan so I have a bit of first-hand knowledge on the money pit it can be). Lots of bikes on flea-bay are offered for sale with chrome this-n-that Taiwan Ted crap on them. They might look pretty but they are just a pile-o-parts nothing more.
I am biased, but you have a heck of a piece of history. Would be a shame to screw it up. Would have loved to have had something like you possess. Mine started as a Kentucky barn find that had been sitting for almost 30 years. Probably still a year away from having back together.
Get yourself a copy of Palmer's book on old bikes (not cheap but it is the bible for old bikes). Lots of useful information to identify what you have. Lot of time someone who you solicit to do these types of things have no knowledge or a very LIMITED knowledge of what is correct for the year of the bike being 'restored'. As a result parts are refinished incorrectly, nuts and bolts are replaced with modern day ones (CP bolts are hard to come by), fit and finish end up being poorly done replication.
Also check out www.caim.com It is a wealth of information of classic bikes. Lots of folks would be able to provide you with valuable input regarding your dad's machine.
A proper restoration is extremely time consuming and very expensive to do right (working on a 49 pan so I have a bit of first-hand knowledge on the money pit it can be). Lots of bikes on flea-bay are offered for sale with chrome this-n-that Taiwan Ted crap on them. They might look pretty but they are just a pile-o-parts nothing more.
I am biased, but you have a heck of a piece of history. Would be a shame to screw it up. Would have loved to have had something like you possess. Mine started as a Kentucky barn find that had been sitting for almost 30 years. Probably still a year away from having back together.
Thread Starter
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Stage II
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
I want to thank everyone for their insight and opinions. Clearly, most like the idea of keeping it as close to original as possible. I like the idea of riding it more than staring at it....so that is probably what I'll do. I just want to make it actually safe and reasonably reliable to ride. Still investigating some local mechanics who can do it correctly. I did purchase the Palmer book and it is very complete and shows me that a mechanic that is familiar with wrenching old HD's is the right path for me. I'll get some photos posted along the way. This looks to be a great forum.
Road Master
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,136
Likes: 93
From: Andrews, NC
I post this '54 Pan from time to time. It is a bike my Father-in-Law and I restored
in the late '80s. Everything that needed replacing was replaced. A couple of
chrome doo-dads were put here and there. Mostly, all of the bike were intact except
the hard saddlebags. One was bought in Boone, NC and the other came from somewhere
in SC. The paint was bad and was repainted a blue that my Father-in-Law remembered.
It was a labor of love to do all of the things that needed to be found and fixed. I think
Lyall HD in North Wilkesboro charged him $2500.00 and $500.00 to go through the
engine and transmission. My Father-in-Law would have done these jobs himself, but
at that time he had had a heart attack and wasn't in much shape to work on it. I did
a lot of what I could do, but unfortunately, I did not know that much about the old
bikes. He did sell it before he died. I think he got what he had in it. He tried to give it
to me, but me being stooooopid, I wouldn't take it. Boy, I wish I could go back now
and have it.
I would just take my time if possible and do it right.
in the late '80s. Everything that needed replacing was replaced. A couple of
chrome doo-dads were put here and there. Mostly, all of the bike were intact except
the hard saddlebags. One was bought in Boone, NC and the other came from somewhere
in SC. The paint was bad and was repainted a blue that my Father-in-Law remembered.
It was a labor of love to do all of the things that needed to be found and fixed. I think
Lyall HD in North Wilkesboro charged him $2500.00 and $500.00 to go through the
engine and transmission. My Father-in-Law would have done these jobs himself, but
at that time he had had a heart attack and wasn't in much shape to work on it. I did
a lot of what I could do, but unfortunately, I did not know that much about the old
bikes. He did sell it before he died. I think he got what he had in it. He tried to give it
to me, but me being stooooopid, I wouldn't take it. Boy, I wish I could go back now
and have it.
I would just take my time if possible and do it right.
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