just took this in the garage - it is an early 78 - ratchet top tranny - motor is all S&S internal - verified the flywheel is an S&S - lifter blocks are S&S - tend to believe the prior owner that it was built with SS parts - it started leaking down real bad - like he'd park - and all the oil would drain from the tank out the breather - he had a really nice RW Co. breather can on it mounted high up - I think the bike could not clear the wet sump so it kept filling up and dumping down anyway - starting to pull it apart and I notice there are shims under the front motor mount pads - and they are cut to fit rather well like they were made well and not just hacked up metal - I've only done 6 or so shovels but I have not seen this - rear mount is not shimmed - anyone seen this before?

 

My 49 EL has shims of different thickness on the front motor mount. To correctly get the motor in place you tighten the rear motor mounts to spec then measure the gap (if any) on the front motor mounts. Today's times I use brass shim stock (availabe through ENCO); back when we used aluminum beer can tin to approximate the difference.

Someone took the time to make sure the motor wasn't going to bust loose and break the front motor mount. That's a good thing.

 

it was built by a shop in Winona MN - they went out of business some time ago - I did run the motor last night - it sounded great - right now - it is not leaking down - I can tell it was leaking out of the sprocket shaft seal when the crankcase filled - the RW catch can was so high that the oil pooled up over at the sprocket shaft and dumped out onto his BDL closed primary belt/clutch setup - when I shim motor mounts I usually use brass feeler gauge material - the shop also shimmed the top mounts to the heads - heads appear to be later style heads - I have not dug into the cam chest yet

 

the oil pump ball in all the style of old pumps, brings along one will do it and one wont, to safe guard against the drain back, you could take a 3/8 pump ball weld it to a steel rod and give the ***** seat a tink

second way would to remove the oil pump and using the same tool you just made light valve grinding compound lap the ball seat smooth

a shop trick that wont stop it but keeps it in check on a driver, turn the vent fitting to 12 oclock run a 3/8 hose up with the 2 other oil hoses up the seat post tube, and over the oil tank tie it off at the chain - 2 two fer happens you send any oil 12 inches vertical and the vapor is lubing the chain

 

FYI the ball end of an evo pushrod is the same diameter, mic one they make a nice lapping tool for that seat.

 

1 out every 4 or 5 motors I do I have to shim the front mount, really gets fun when one of the previous owners went gorilla on the rear bolts and it distorts the machined area on the rear of the cases. Finding loose mount bolts is common, wears hell out the cases that way.