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Thanks Panz. I wonder if the covered shocks are Gabriel and the open ones Showa?
Rainy weekend gave me time to clean up some parts, getting ready to paint them later this week when it's warmer and drier.
These will get a coat of clear to preserve the finish:
These will get painted black like the frame:
The muffler mount was worn like the frame was, so I fixed that. Interesting that it is power coated. Maybe the factory was transitioning to powder, but not doing frames yet?
This is why the mount hit the frame. I'll have to get a new one and do a better job aligning the pipes.
Good idea, but platers are few and far between in this part of the country, EPA etc. However, now that you mention it, it is something that I could try to do myself. Have you ever done it?
[edit: Is tin-zinc the correct finish for later bikes? I could maybe use this with a Lionel power supply that I have instead of the d-cells?]
Good idea, but platers are few and far between in this part of the country, EPA etc. However, now that you mention it, it is something that I could try to do myself. Have you ever done it?
[edit: Is tin-zinc the correct finish for later bikes? I could maybe use this with a Lionel power supply that I have instead of the d-cells?]
I have plated stuff myself before yes and got the kit from eastwoods as well. The volume I do now on the bike and car restorations I just couldn't do myself so I send them out.
The older bikes were clear cad and parkerized which is also called zinc phosphate at some shops. The parts I plated for my 82 WG were clear cad not zinc.
Question for you guys about replacing the cleave blocks. Someone on another forum suggested it. They look good, don't move if I pry the center with a 12" extension, and the swingarm pivot fits tightly. Is it worth the trouble for a bike that won't be ridden hard? Thanks
John, are you referring to the rubber biscuits? I'm definitely replacing them with NOS Harley parts. The cleave blocks are pressed into the swing arm, and I've convinced myself to keep them. I also suspect the replacements that Drag sells are made in China.
I decided to try the Eastwood plating kit, but got a 3v charger to replace the two D-cells. A little cutting and soldering on the adapter they included with the charger, and I'm in business.
They recommend a few test runs to get the timing right, so I cleaned off a few rusty bolts and gave it a shot:
Three minutes later:
The gunk cleans off with water. Seemed like too much so I did 2 min and 1-1/2 min. This is how they looked after polishing. Two minutes seemed best to me.
First real part was the washer for the front motor mount:
A few hours later, my box of bolts was all plated, but not polished:
I took them inside to polish - it was getting too warm in the garage. Got halfway and wasn't convinced the plating was right. Then I got to this bolt that had some copper stains on it before plating, and still does! Maybe I should have cooked it longer? Waiting to hear back from Eastwood, but the instructions did say 3-4 minutes for a typical bolt.
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Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
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Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
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