I need a bunch of work done on my 68 FLH. I had some work done by a home garage mechanic. I don't have faith in him, and will not bring the bike back to him to rectify his shoddy work. I am preparing to bring it to an independent shop for the following work;

Tear down the top end, replace all the gaskets with a cometic kit I already have,

Change the rings? (is it necessary to change them any time you take down the top end?)

Machine work/ prospective mechanic talked about something possibly needing to be honed.

Replace leaking transmission seal.

Removing the primary to get at the trans seal will be necessary. Seal the primary while its apart (I've read about the pros, what are the cons of sealing the primary? Are there any extra parts/ labor since its gotta be apart anyway?)

Reassemble and tune.

Here's where I need help, I don't have any bros here in AZ to recommend a shop or tell me a fair price for the work I need. The prospective mechanic charges $70 an hour on labor. Is that average? How many hours would be reasonable to bill for the above work?

I hate to be a pain, but I told the new mechanic I need an estimate in writing. I've been burned before with a shop running up a bill. My problem is I won't even know if his quote is fair without some feedback. Please help if you can.

 

What spooked you with the home shop guy if I can ask ? I do work from my home shop so I kinda pay attention to any beef I here about .

A quick couple passes with a hone to break the glaze if the cylinders are still within spec in good thing with a set of cast iron rings , just freshens things up a bit and myself and most shops will suggest it on older iron .

There is no down side to sealing the primary that takes care of so many little BS problems it's unbelievable and your engine will benefit big time with cleaner oil longer . Only extra parts would be a couple optional upgrades to the clutch assy. like a RamJett retainer & alum. pressure plate both can be had under $40 and they will clean up 90% of the clutch headaches that shovels have .

Can't help you with cost's but from a mechanics point of view it is very hard to give you a locked in quote with an old bike , you always run into other things that need attention not to mention stripped holes needing repair or redoing somebodies elses not so well done work first and it all interconnects you can't do just a little of it and say the job is done . It eats you alive cost & time wise .

Give an example guy brought me a nice clean looking 73 FLH for some basic repairs shouldn't have been a any problem . He or whoever had worked on the bike prior had used red permanent loctite on every bolt and screw on that bike including into the aluminum 3 out of 4 broke and had to be dealt with not to mention the JB weld glued stuff I found deeper in . This was just tip of this gremlin monster . Of course the owner swore up and down it was all my fault this happened . Hazard of dealing older well used bikes in a shop .
Good luck and please keep us updated .

 

Thanks Twisted. When I gave the mechanic the bike I told him it had sat for 10 years and was probably ferry rigged to begin with. I told him I wanted everything replaced, wiring, oil lines, gaskets, tires, wheels,etc. I gave him a green light to do what was needed to make the bike solid. He had for over a month. He gave it back running but with a multitude of issues, the generator wasn't charging the battery, the kicker wasn't engaging, the wiring hadn't been redone, and he laced the wheels himself using new Chrome spokes and wheels but didn't tell me he was gonna use the original shitty flat black hubs. He didn't have the courtesy to hit them with a rattle can.

I gave the bike back and told him to retire it and fix the charging and kicking problems. He has it for another month. He tells me the transmission was bone dry, the kicker gear had a bunch of warn down teeth, and the generator needed new brushes or something. He gave it back kicking over, running and charging well. He told me he filled the trans fluid but it was leaking bad. He said the seal might expand and self seal, but may need to be replaced. The bike was retired, but electrical tape was his choice of shielding. He put a generous bead of red silicone at the base gasket. Despite the top end being redone, it was leaking from the base gasket. The oil lines were never replaced. I did them myself and found that they were run below the frame where a bottom out could snag em. I also found a t junction in one of the lines where one of the arms of the t had been snipped and crimped. It was leaking. It may have been like that beforehand, but its something I asked him to address that never got done. After riding the bike 5-10 times I thought the top end was getting loud or cranky. Another mechanic said it may just be in need of a push rod adjustment. I had just gotten the bike back and couldn't understand why it wasn't tuned right.

I just lost faith in the guy. Bringing the bike back to him would be pennywise but pound foolish.

I spoke to mechanics at two Indy shops today. They were super helpful even knowing they weren't getting my business (different cities) one said about 8 hrs labor, the other, 12, and told me that was a high worse case estimate. I had the prospective mechanic pick up the bike. I will get an estimate in writing tomorrow. If its way off base, I'm making a trailer trip to one of the two shops I spoke two, both are recommended on another forum.

I will keep you apprised, and attach some pics

 

As an example, a very reputable shop in Davie Florida charges $85/hr for labor, and they have a huge inventory of every little nut and bolt in their parts dept, plus, they guarantee their work.

IMHO, any labor rate is acceptable within reason so long as the work is quality and the mechanic stands behind it.

Good luck

 

I'm not a professional wrench like Twizted and some others around here, but I can vouch for HATING what you find on old iron from the PO (Previous Owner). You might not ever know who actually piecemealed these things together over the years, but you're bound to find the surprises and unexpected work that was mentioned above. Basically, you have to do "right" what someone else has done "wrong" over the years. The wrenches you spoke with probably already know that, but for your own peace of mind just don't be surprised if whoever you pick to do the work calls you at one point with a sentence that begins with "Yeah, while we were in there we found...."

 

I won't be. The bike belonged to my brother since 89. I know he wasn't above gerry rigging some stuff to get on the road. He was also living a hard life before he passed. My only gripe was I told the first mechanic this, and told him to go over it with a fine tooth comb. Instead he spit on his had and gave it a quick patting down.

I am meeting with the mechanic tomorrow to get stuff in writing. When things are washed out I will update the post and let people know if the shop is legit.