Barn Find Harley

[saudivette]

...I did not want this, it's like a big-eyed, tail-wagging puppy dropped on me. I did not want it but I cannot refuse it. Its like a pound of cocaine dumped on the table in front of me. Or--sheeit--a hot girlfriend from 30 years ago suddenly showing up on my doorstep, still hot & sexy & wanting me.
And my wife is standing a few feet behind me, arms crossed & tapping her foot while I stammer & stutter.....

:lol::bonkers: Life's a bitch, ain't it?

Damn, you think wives would be just a little more understanding :bonkers:

You guys think I'm kidding? Here's a picture from nearly 30 years ago: and after 25+ years, 'the girl' re-entered my life a few months ago, and that is this same bike which she's just kick started --that's why she's grinning so big!

Does she still look that cute? You need to take a "then & now" shot. Get her over to sit on the bike in a similar pose as in the older shot :thumbs:

 

[JPhil]

Actually, Wayne, I have not seen her. She lives several hundred miles away but a friend who has visited her says she's still a real good looking girl. We talk on the phone occasionally, her voice & attitude are still cute as can be. She's very sad about the whole situation, but happy that the bike is in my hands.

I guess I'll get some diesel & PB Blaster today, although I suppose theres no big rush--After 20 years of waiting, a few more days won't matter.

 

[saudivette]

Actually, Wayne, I have not seen her. She lives several hundred miles away but a friend who has visited her says she's still a real good looking girl. We talk on the phone occasionally, her voice & attitude are still cute as can be. She's very sad about the whole situation, but happy that the bike is in my hands.

I guess I'll get some diesel & PB Blaster today, although I suppose theres no big rush--After 20 years of waiting, a few more days won't matter.

If you run into her when you get the bike running, go for the "then & now" shot.

Kroil is another good lube for breaking apart frozen items...

 

[easyasone2three]

Nice looking bike and nice looking woman, let the fun begin! Great story.

I think that a 71 is before AMF bought Harley so that when you are done fixing it up you'll have a pretty nice bike that is worth some money too.

Are you sure that the transmission is not seized? Those things leaked, as I'm sure you know, and the bushings in the trans could have seized over time while sitting. Would the bike go into neutral? I assume that it wouldn't since you had to pull the chain to get it to roll. You can pull the primary cover and remove the primary belt or chain, whichever it has, put the drive chain back on and rock the bike back and forth to see if the transmission turns.

If it's not the trans then I vote for deisel or PB in the sparkplug holes and a socket on the primary drive nut at the countersprocket to rock the crank back and forth instead of in only one direction like with using the kickstarter. If it's the motor the iron rings probably seized to the bore from moisture over time and will etch the cylinder walls so you'll probably have to bore it or sleeve it anyway if you don't want a big time smoker.

Cool looking bike, good luck.

 

[racervette69]

Thats a really interesting find, drum front,,, juice rear,, 1971 was the first year of the 10" front disc brake,,,, which the drum legs are better looking and the juice banana brake sux any way.. Plus the rear swing arm on a juice rear brake is a looker also.

The roller bearings on the bottom end will be short lived when you get it running, you might need to do a total on it.

Cool ass bike!!!!

 

[JPhil]

I know it will need a 100% overhaul: motor, tranny, chassis, electrical, every little bit.
My first priority is to get the engine & driveline turning. It's a real bitch to dissassemble a motor when the pistons are siezed in the jugs....pulling the jugs is about step 3 of 12 to get a big twin apart. It can be done, but if the bottom end is stuck as well, well, a sledgehammer is about the only way to open it up.
But I got time, I'll let PBB & diesel & ATF work slowly at it.....

'73 was the first year for disc brakes on the FL, but at least this one has 'timken star' hubs, a vast improvement over the old roller bearing 'star hubs' of earlier years....Cable operated front drum & hydraulic rear drum brakes are pretty pathetic by modern standards, but they are simple......& i ain't no young buck hotrodder any more, leastways not on a motorsickle.
Ding dang, this model even came with a permanent magnet alternating current generator & electrical pushbutton starter. Glory be, Elmer. What'll they come up with next? Radio recievers on 'em? Air conditioning?

 

[00fxd]

Thats a great find, Git'r runnin', pour the 60w to it and ride it on Sundays. Who wants to ride too far anymore anyways? I've got my eye on a couple of local projects as well. A 36 EL or a 28 JD. I'm not sure I need the aggrevation at this stage. They might make good living room ornamentation. This year I finally hauled my Twin Cam Super Glide out after 5 years. Ran a couple of tanks of gas through it. The wifes Evo Super glide is still settin' there. I dunno, I'm kinda into the Corvette right now. Still miss my old shovel tho. I had to upgrade to later models some years ago 'cause I just rode too much.

 

[TimAT]

A little work, some paint and polish and PRESTO!!

I did find the radio, but I'm still lookin' for the air conditioning. But the heater DOES work well.

 

[big2bird]

A little work, some paint and polish and PRESTO!!

I did find the radio, but I'm still lookin' for the air conditioning. But the heater DOES work well.

Ye old "Geezer glide.":trumpet::1st:

 

[racervette69]

A little work, some paint and polish and PRESTO!!

I did find the radio, but I'm still lookin' for the air conditioning. But the heater DOES work well.

you can find the air conditioning by removing the four bolts inside the flaring on the triple trees..., then lift the windshield and batwing offand place in the corner... It should work then.......

Here's one of my old pans (1953) with air conditioning in working order..

 

[BRUTAL64]

A little work, some paint and polish and PRESTO!!

I did find the radio, but I'm still lookin' for the air conditioning. But the heater DOES work well.

you can find the air conditioning by removing the four bolts inside the flaring on the triple trees..., then lift the windshield and batwing offand place in the corner... It should work then.......

Here's one of my old pans (1953) with air conditioning in working order..

Pans are cool!:beer:

 

[JPhil]

Update: Feb '09

Well I started taking the bike apart this weekend. Sheeit, I can't believe the condition of it. It breaks my heart that anyone, let alone a friend, could let a machine go like this.
Anyway, back in December I had cut all the oil lines and pumped a gallon or more of ATF/PB Blaster into the engine. Every day or two for a couple weeks, I would re-pump the top end, re-fill the cylinders, etc. About half of it seeped out, but there's still a bunch in it.
This weekend I pulled the primary drive & trans. I poured over a cup of water out of the tranny, any oil was long since gone. Friday evening, after draining out the water, I filled it to the very top with my ATF/PBB mixture and let it sit until Sunday when I cracked it open. See the photos below, but believe me they don't really show how bad it is. Good lord, no wonder it's stuck.
I'm not sure what to do with it, I just put it in the solvent tank and am letting it soak for now.......







I tried turning the motor over using a breaker bar on the sprocket shaft. It moved about 3 or 4 degrees, then stuck fast. I cannot move it at all in either direction. Shit. If the inside of the motor looks like the tranny, I may just have a coffee table base here....

I'm depressed.

 

[Luster]

Fill that cylinder head with PB Blaster, it will work. That stuff brakes down rust, carbon deposit, chases threads. its worth the money!

X2^^^ Yep, PB blaster is some really good stuff. Has a catalyst in it and it works on the corrosion without damaging the metal parts.

 

[racervette69]

Well, that sux..hate that..

what will you take for that one piece kicker arm?? or are my eyes fooling me.

 

[JPhil]

Nope, that's a genuine early one piece kicker arm, good condition. He beat the hell out of the exhaust pipe to make it clear. As I have asked myself so many times on this bike, "Why?" A two piece arm is less expensive & clears the pipes. It's not an old kicker cover either. Why?

Anyway, hmm....how about a set of heim joint ends for my rear strut rods? This antique Harley stuff is worth a lot, doncha know!
I dunno, gimme a while to sort this mess out some more....I may have a whole rolling chassis for sale....

 

[racervette69]

Yep,, ,, I think the last year was 53 for the one piece, and that's a real one,, not a repop, for sure, most broke and where replaced with two pieces. That is a puzzle,, two piece would have been the choice to clear the pipes. So you could pick the right kicker arm... strange but cool,, you need some struts?

 

[JPhil]

I have the VBP poly strut rod set up, but now I want the heim joint ends.

I sure won't be using that kick arm if I build the bike, you're first in line for it!

 

[racervette69]

,,, I thought you where wanting struts to replace the shocks on the FL, Saw a set on a FX with heim joints,, thinking motorcycles,, my mistake

 

[JPhil]

Ha ha--yeah sorry, it's easy to get confused typing--I knew what I was talking about, but without visual & physical cues things get mixed up!

 

[jack]

jphil .... I have a 1954 FL pan that I got cheap via mechanic's lien sale MANY years back ... was thoroughly screwed up, neglected basket case even before it was abandoned. Decades back, I retroed it w/ 80" flathead U flywheels & 80" shovel F topend ... makes about 85" using only gen HD stuff (not entirely so, I recall "ForgedTrue" pistons & Jim Leineweber cam) ... that was kinda unique until HD started making 88" motors. Yes, I could've gone over 100" w/ SS&Dytch but I did it "my way". Just as long back I did work as mechanic in a HD shop at Charleston SC. There we COMPLETELY rebuilt motors & trans. The only machine work we did Not do in-house was balancing. We honed our own rod-races & case-races in-house using antique tooling. Priorities changed; I got out of the HD loop soon thereafter but keep the 54.

Cut to the early 2000's ... I recall trans was noisy in the 54 ... it had some earlier RUST damage ... bad but not as bad looking as above. Many/most bearings in 54 trans are hand-fitted needles in hone-to-fit races. Again, recall I've been out of the HD loop for LONG time. Well, there was a local shop with folks I know nothing about ... I asked if they could rebuild trans if I took it to them ... they had no freakin' idea where to begin to even talk about this ... they'd never even heard of having to hone trans case races & fit needles. I knew later HD got factory-fitted torrington bearing assemblies eliminating hand-fitting bearings. But those guys had NO clue & of course No tooling. I don't recall if 1971 F trans requires honing or not. Perhaps your 71 uses press-in bearings; just dunno. Good luck.

PS ... TOO many of my 2 wheeling acquaintances ended up addicted / broken-spirited / imprisoned / crippled / young corpses. Way back, car nearly killed me in bike-car wreck; afaik, traffic-drivers are worse now. About 4 years ago I was visiting an old pal in Houston; we arranged to rent me an evo for the day; he, his pal & I rode outside of Houston all day. It was fun & all came back naturally within a minute. I REALLY liked the new bike's fuel injection & smooth, lite clutch. But I ain't getting another bike, haven't rode my 54 in many years; it's hi&dry but NOT F/S. That No clue of old school local shop has since closed. Again, good luck & be safe!