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I am using a single superglide tank - and there were witness marks on the bottom of it from those tabs rubbing. I didn't want to cut them off, in case plans change, or I sell the bike.
Not going to rebuild the motor now - it was running well with no smoke or weird noises. I will pull the rocker boxes to inspect if anyone used wavy washers to quiet the top end.
Today I cleaned the motor and tranny mounts and dressed them with a file, so they get good electrical contact and don't loosen as the motor vibration pounds the paint away.
I also installed the swing arm with new bearings and seals. I know there is a cheap tool for this, but I still get satisfaction doing it the way my father taught me:
The way my father taught me 45 years ago!
I cut a piece if 3/4" PVC 4 3/4" long and put it between the bearings to fill up some volume. It probably doesn't make that much difference, but why not?
Looks like new, and will be good and tight going down the road:
The way you know how tight to make the swing arm axle is with a spring scale. The swingarm "weighs" 5lbs with the bolt loose. Tighten until it takes 6-7 lbs to raise it slowly. That's the 1-2 lb preload they specify. Then bend the lock tab to hold it there.
I cleaned the motor with some wire wheels and spent a couple of hours with green & black scrub pads and a bowl of mineral spirits. I'll remove the rocker boxes and give them a good inspection and polishing, and clean the rest of the motor while the pushrods are out of the way. I think the heads came out like new!
I went to buy pushrod covers and found there are early and late 79 versions. How can I tell which to buy?
I discovered both belly numbers are B78, and the heads are 16705/16707-75, so early 79?
Here's what the motor (and transmission) started like:
Last edited by Joe12RK; Feb 15, 2018 at 09:41 PM.
Reason: added 'before' picture
This weekend I pulled of the rocker boxes and cleaned and painted the motor:
Saturday I removed the pushrods the usual way. Found compression TDC with my finger on the plug hole. Front cylinder no problem, but I had a scare, because the back cylinder didn't build pressure! All sorts of nasty thoughts went thru my head, but when I went to loosen the pushrods they were tight. Someone didn't adjust them right, and the valves weren't seated. With the rockers removed, there is pressure like there should...
The rocker arms were in good shape, end clearance on the high side of OK; 0.022" - 0.025" and no wavy shims!
Top end looks clean, and all four valves have seals too:
So you painted the engine without taking it apart? How did you do that?
I did the black with a small brush, and then sprayed clear on the heads and cases using a piece of cardboard as a mask to protect the cylinders and chrome.
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