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At a member's recommendation, I'm moving my FXWG rebuild question thread here...
I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to get this engine looking right without taking it apart. The casing looks pretty good. At least it will with a little more scrubbing. I'm going to polish the rocker boxes to match some other polished aluminum on the bike.
I'm not new to engine building but this is my first HD build. I've done a KZ400, an Elsinore and several v-8 engines. The previous owner, Frank, assured me that I'm not getting in over my head so... Here we go.
I asked Frank if I should just order stock base and head gaskets. He said: "You'd better tell them that it's a stroker." I'm having a little trouble figuring out how that makes a difference but, if it does, what do I need to order for this? Any recommendations?
From what I could find out from other sources, satin black powder coating doesn't affect the cooling for cylinders. I should be okay with blasting the heads. I'm not sure if bead-blasting or sand-blasting would be best. Any opinions?
Stoker motors are just that: typically bored and fitted with longer cylinders and a crank that provides a longer stroke = equals higher cylinder pressure. Some are just bigger bore and may be fitted with higher compression pistons. It will be a good idea to use gaskets that can handle the increase, such as S&S. Besides, there are better base gaskets than the stock Harley gaskets that will ultimately sweat oil, if not actually leak.
It's perfectly OK to powder coat the cylinders. I do it as SOP. You can glass bead blast the heads. I personally would not use sand, as bead blasting is a proven standard. If you're just blasting the chambers, soda blasting works well and preserves the integrity of the surface better than bead.
Depending on your budget, anything that can be polished can be chromed. I prefer chrome because it's easier to maintain. Polished rocker boxes don't stay pretty for long.
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1983 Shovel top end r&r
