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Ok I just got back from Harley did some cross checking of parts and yes the newer deluxe has narrower struts I ordered some and they should be in next week. 85.00 a piece...hope they work
Any status on the new struts yet? I am waiting to see how they fit in your bike before I order them
Any status on the new struts yet? I am waiting to see how they fit in your bike before I order them
It's not going to work, the mounting point on the frame is way off
Might be able to grind it down some but the way it sits on the existing strut puts it at a bad angle. I tried last night to install them, the struts also angle out to a point that there is know way to get the fender to mount. I tried to get pictures of the fender mounting but it's was dark and I was the only one home so I didn't have enough hands...bottom line is get the rsd struts and drill the fender...
It's not going to work, the mounting point on the frame is way off
Might be able to grind it down some but the way it sits on the existing strut puts it at a bad angle. I tried last night to install them, the struts also angle out to a point that there is know way to get the fender to mount. I tried to get pictures of the fender mounting but it's was dark and I was the only one home so I didn't have enough hands...bottom line is get the rsd struts and drill the fender...
Well crap son. I thought I was on to something there. Thank you for tying. I hope all is well with your build
Not sure if will help or not..but...My buddy just cut the stock frame struts off his 04 Softail and is running the rear struts from a Softail Slim, what he had to do was insert a threaded helical insert into the front strut bolt hole to bring it down to the right diameter and thread, where he cut the OEM struts off the frame he had to cut them on a pretty steep angle so they didn't hit like your picture above. Everything worked out perfectly. Do you have enough "meat" there to make an angled cut so your new strut would fit flush? (Or is that not the issue?)
Last edited by Blackp5ca; Feb 25, 2016 at 03:59 PM.
Not sure if will help or not..but...My buddy just cut the stock frame struts off his 04 Softail and is running the rear struts from a Softail Slim, what he had to do was insert a threaded helical insert into the front strut bolt hole to bring it down to the right diameter and thread, where he cut the OEM struts off the frame he had to cut them on a pretty steep angle so they didn't hit like your picture above. Everything worked out perfectly. Do you have enough "meat" there to make an angled cut so your new strut would fit flush? (Or is that not the issue?)
When the RSD kit was installed the very front hole was helicoiled & the factory strut was cut off very low. I am going to grind the crap out of these things and see what happens since I have nothing to lose...My only concern is when you start grinding down the "meat" on anything the integrity of the steel will be in question, not to sure I want the old lady on the back at 80mph...lol. But I'll grind them Saturday and let you guys know.
EDIT..I see now your talking about grinding the frame down more..It is possible but I think I've grinded enough of the back end of this thing..
When the RSD kit was installed the very front hole was helicoiled & the factory strut was cut off very low. I am going to grind the crap out of these things and see what happens since I have nothing to lose...My only concern is when you start grinding down the "meat" on anything the integrity of the steel will be in question, not to sure I want the old lady on the back at 80mph...lol. But I'll grind them Saturday and let you guys know.
EDIT..I see now your talking about grinding the frame down more..It is possible but I think I've grinded enough of the back end of this thing..
Have you considered redrilling and taping the holes so the brackets clear?
When the struts are the correct distantce apart for the fender how much distance is between the struts and the frame?
These struts wont lay on the exsiting struts flat, so if I tighten the strut down all the way it brings the angle further out than when I was using the Fatboy struts..you can see that the angle has to be aggressive on the deluxe struts being that the frame is narrower, basically a narrower frame has to have struts that angle out enough to fit a 7 inch fender meaning if you put those struts on a piece (old struts) that has the depth of approx. 2 inches you are going back to the same spread as the fatboy struts...I put the fender up there and I had about a 1/8 inch from the first mounting hole but as you get further down the fender you get further away from the fender maybe 1 inch. I did have a thought of cutting the struts I got for the fatboy and tack welding them on the factory location and see if I can get them to line up that way at this point I have nothing else to lose.
What about mounting the struts to the fender(if you have it) and measure the distance between the struts where they mount to the frame? It might give you a good perspective of what needs to be done.
What about mounting the struts to the fender(if you have it) and measure the distance between the struts where they mount to the frame? It might give you a good perspective of what needs to be done.
You know I never thought about doing that...great idea. I'm going to do that first thing in the morning..keep you posted
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