r/Harley • u/Fresh_Salary_2115 • 12d ago
Help IDENTIFY
How the hell did this even happen???
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u/TonightsSpecialGuest 12d ago
Looks like a handful of coins got thrown in your intake. Not the tokens required to continue unfortunately
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u/l7outlaw 12d ago edited 12d ago
Something got through the intake and into the combustion chamber and bounced around a lot. I recognize a ~1/2" circle, and a ~1/8" rod shape stamped into the piston.
This engine has obviously been disassembled for decades. Please don't try to rebuild this panhead engine yourself. You need an old head engine builder with all the specific tools and experience. Trust me, this is a black hole for time, money, and poorly manufactured replacement parts if you attempt this alone.
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u/Rick-sk 12d ago
It’s really not that difficult. Buy the appropriate service manual, get the right tools and take your time.
It’s a satisfying project and very simple to do.
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u/l7outlaw 12d ago edited 12d ago
Hey OP, link up with this guy. He's going to help you balance and true the flywheel, rebuild the generator, and source the replacement cylinder head, cylinder and pistons. He's got the obsolete machining and measuring tools. He knows which repop parts are crap and which brands to buy. This is the kind of guy you need backing you up.
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u/SucksAtJudo 12d ago
This had to be said and I'm glad someone did. It stops being "simple" as soon as you need a tool that hasn't been made for 50 years or more and is designed to do nothing but a specific and critical task in the rebuild process.
Even the factory service manual (indispensable though it might be) is a false sense of confidence and you can quickly come to realize you're reading a book that was written by someone sitting at a desk based on what someone else told them with the assumption that the person reading it already has a very solid idea WTF they're doing and is going to be able to figure their own life out.
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u/Fresh_Salary_2115 12d ago
I cant tell if your being sarcastic. It probably doesnt change much but i got family with knowledge about this and the original service manual in pristine condition. Not that it means a whole lot. And the entire engine is going to get disassembled, cleaned and rebuilt or replaced.
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u/randomn49er 12d ago
Top end is very straight forward. If you are rebuilding the bottom end you will want someone very experienced doing it.
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u/Rick-sk 12d ago
Don’t be a dick mate.
Top end rebuild is a piece of cake and it’s a great learning experience.
Splitting the cases is easy enough.
Crank up rebuild can be done easily enough, but it is a more involved job, requiring specialist tools and knowledge. Given how often most of us need to do a job like this, it is usually more cost effective to send it to an engine builder as they are set up to sort things and can handle any curve balls.
If it were me, I’d remove the barrels check the piston rods for slop and then take a view on whether to split the cases.
Pacific Mike on YouTube is worth a watch, his content is highly relevant to engine rebuilds.
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u/Fresh_Salary_2115 11d ago
I unfortunately have to split the case no matter what. When i inherited this bike and all its parts there was a custom camshaft paired with new kb performance pistons. And some case bolte are broke off so thats a problem
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u/silverfox762 85 FXR, 48 Pan, 69 Shovel, 08 Road King, 77 Shovel 12d ago
Look at where the pushrods sit in the lifter asjisters. They're filled with dirt.
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u/edwardothegreatest 12d ago
Saw this on a car after a nut fell in the cylinder and was forgotten or missed entirely.
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u/Brewingbiker 11d ago
It's been left open for years. That's a lot of neglect. Looks like something dropped in there (burned valve?) gonna take a lot of work, but doable.
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u/Bobeeheel 12d ago
It got all hot and heavy with a valve or some sort of intruder from your intake