I am restoring an Iron Head and I am with the guys here about several things so some fo this will be repeating.

I think the idea of turning the fuel tank into a memorial piece is brilliant. Mount it on a board or display and have your dad's Birth and Death (my condolences on your loss BTW, I lost my mom this year) then on the plaque the bike's birth date. That would be a great way to immortalize your dad and leave one thing untouched as he had left it.

I would get manuals for the bike. Also prepare to use Ebay, Amazon, and every source available in the known universe to find parts. You will be amazed what you can find out there. I found a NOS (New Old Stock) points cover and a Speedometer/ Tach set for my 82 Ironhead onEbay and Amazon.
Also be prepared to go nuts finding parts and figuring them out, but have fun doing it and share those memories with others.

I agree dismantle the bike to nothing and then do it slowly in a methodical order while also keeping everything highly organized. Have a plan of action on which project and when it will be done. Do not build an engine and transmission at the same time, instead build the engine one day and trans another. Prepare to throw away some of the parts that are no longer useable, such as the forks, you can find brand new tubes out there for the bike and it will save you a ton of head aches and is usually cheaper then trying to fix those.

I also recomend swap meets for parts. I found many parts for my Ironhead at the swapmeets and my bike is not that popular in comparison to all of the baggers and Softails out there.

I know some of this is common sense and you may not need to hear or know, but a refresher never hurts.

 

wow tie me to a post dude...sorry dude ....didnt look like a shovel to me from the top....dude....was just trying to help the guy out dude ...oops I mean help the dude out. i think the only thing that's twisted is your tighty whities....dude....merry Xmas dude

 

You my posen friend can pound sand, read a few more chopper magazines then maybe you can tell the difference in the basics....

 

 

you have nothing to lose on the tank which means you can go aggressive. muriatic acid will clean the insides, from there you can see what needs to be done. powder coat is nice but $$$$$.
media blast the frame with fine sand, make a perfect base for powder or paint. a good urethane with a hardener make a tough coating.
on the aluminum pieces, i would use soda powder or walnut hull to see if the corrosion can be removed, soda on chrome works wonders too. if the soda does not work, fine sand till the surface is equal all over. by fine, i mean near powder, i make my own with river sand/silt. once the surface is good, choice of paint or powder or you now can polish and clear coat. i do not suggest chrome, the old hd cast is crapola and even to get a good job, the plater MUST know what he is doing. i have seen too many chrome jobs totally ruin a machine.
what year is the machine? the electrics changed over the years.

 

 

soda is the most gentle. walnut is a little more aggressive. the cast iron jugs can go with fine sand media. now you can get all kinds of media but these are cheap and work. the jugs i would used VHT paint although powder with the right formula can survive, only issue is hot powder and any kind of solvent like gasoline will alter it. the vht paint can be re-applied without much fuss, powder not so much. my 1974 fx super glide had a diff charge system but yours is the newer stuff, finding the older regulator is a challenge. the older more like an alternator unlike the newer pmg.
if fixed up right, they can be a pretty impressive machine, biggest thorn is the heads, do not flow very well. a big kick is to trash the hd 1&3 gears for some andrews with diff ratio, my first would drop out around 60 mph, no shriner gear here, it smoked a bmw 900 r.

you can replace the fork tubes but go for quality, sleazebay products will have the chrome worn off in short order. the sliders can be media blasted. the insides usually fair pretty good. if they are worn on the id, they can be bushed but getting NOS or extremely good used is an option. on the seals, i like the dynamic seals over the static, less wear and works like a squeegy, float in one direction and wipe the other, some do not like them but all i have is praise for them, running them on my 74ch and when needed on my 01 sport.