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Last weekend my flight home got cancelled because of the storms, so I got to have an unplanned visit with an old friend in Charlotte, NC. It was a great weekend but made me wish for spring even more. I'm freezing my butt off here...
Today I got some help and put the motor in the frame! That felt good
Then it was time to rebuild the carb. The bike was running OK before, but I had no idea of the jetting or if there were any issues.
Taking it apart was fairly easy, and I found a 72 main and 31 intermediate jet.
As it turned out the throttle shaft needed replacing. It wasn't bad enough to need the bushings.
Also the float level was way off - nearly 1/2", not 1/8" as it should, making the gas level in the bowl too low:
I told my motor helper that harleys are pretty industrial looking, so I decided to polish the carburetor without sanding it smooth first. It shines up but keeps the imperfect finish from S&S:
The master kit comes with a new throttle plate, shaft and screws. I used red loctite and squeezed the threads with vice-grips so the screws have no chance of coming loose:
Putting everything back is pretty straightforward, mostly.
The throttle return spring is a pain to install. Start with it like this and then turn it clockwise until it goes into the slot:
An old trick I learned with carb gaskets is to coat them with chapstick. The wax keeps them from sticking and helps seal too. I read that cherry has the most wax.
The other difficult part is installing the throttle arm on the shaft. You hold the throttle wide open and put the arm up against the stop, like this, then tighten the screw. The first time the arm was too tight against the body and kept the throttle from closing fully. It should snap closed without scraping inside. I need a third hand to hold the screwdriver while I take the picture:
The previous owner kept the single throttle cable setup, but I want to modernize to dual, just in case. That means I need to look for another one of these cable connections. I also need a shim washer to take up the sloppy fit.
You're going from a 79 single cable setup to (basically) an 81 dual cable configuration. I'm doing the same on my 80 FXS. The install manual for the Super E/G carbs talk about the two different sizes cable guides (which our bikes don't have). I assume we can get these from S&S? I'm right there now, too, so I'll be contacting them this week to inquire.
Today wound up being a snow day so I spent most of it in the garage. I decided to leave the carburetor with a single cable for now and add the second cable when I get the part, so the intake is finished for now - shovelheads are such good looking motors:
Good looking motor!
Next up - bolt the motor in place. With all four bolts loosely fitted, I tightened the back ones to 35-40 ft lbs. It helps to have a Chevy distributor wrench:
Then I measured the front mounts with a feeler gage - the left side was raised .021" and the right only .004":
I had some thin strap and some shim stock stock and filled the gaps before torquing the front bolts. I also made sure the skid plate was lined up.
Front motor mount shims
There are two 5/16 bolts that go in from the bottom that hold the back of the skid plate. I should have put them in before installing the motor, but they weren't too hard to get. No pictures, they are just bolts, haha.
I'll work on the top mount another day, it needs cleaning and painting...
Meanwhile, since I am using forward controls, I had to fill the hole where the mid controls go thru the inner primary. Lucky for me I had the perfect bolt and nut that I sealed with RTV. I installed it this way so if the nut comes loose it won't fall into the chain and sprocket.
In case you guys want to see snow, we got about 14-15 inches, and this is the view out the back door of my garage:
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