Are the rocker boxes the the same on a 76 and 79?

 

no the one stud on the later is shorter and the rocker box is different because of that in that one location - the head center fins are shorter then the early as well

But the stud can be swapped out to make it work either way early to late or late to early

 

ok thanks

In my other thread i mentioned the new project that i just bought. A rough but decently running 79 flh with a motor from a 76. As part of the deal the guy included the original 79 motor that he pulled out, along with many.many other parts too. I would like to rebuild the 79 and put it back in the frame so it is all matching, but the rocker boxes look pretty bad with pitting and some flaking chrome.

I also have never rebuilt a shovelhead motor but I am not in a hurry and would like to learn how to do it anyway.

 

chrome is easy - send them to a chromer and have them strip off the chrome reverse process and then if you like natural look glass bead them

small issue - experience tell you by looking just how they prepped them to chrome and how much alloy they removed in the buffing, so having them re polished by peasants on the buffer with no idea what they are doing other then make them shine - you could end up with never stop leaking rocker boxes - pictures of the right and left side bolt hole locations before and after you take them apart - sometimes they destroy the flatness that should be so seeing them I might be able to tell how effed up or not they are already