Flat Track Knucklehead - Narrowing the Clutch

Clutch Drum Before...

I talked to my buddy Marty (the wizard of Harley) on the phone last week and he told me (basically) how to modify the clutch assembly to fit in the narrow primary cover...sounded doable so I got some junk parts and got to work! Thanks for the info Marty!

Now a guy I know from the Tavern has been telling me for a long time..."if you ever need any parts made for those old bikes, I can help you out". I never took him up on it over the years...But, as I was about to go Caveman style with a grinder on my clutch drum... I thought about his offer...I wasn't sure what he had to work with but I figured he at least had a  lathe... I met him at the bar and followed him to his place which is only 5 minutes away and ...HOLY SHIT! He wasn't kidding! see below...

Damn!

Chocked it up and went to town...

Touch up...

Clutch Drum After!

Back at the Caveman shop (mine)...

Getting started on modifying the already fucked up clutch hub...

One stud was cut down from a previous encounter and the other two are slightly bent at the ends...This was the clutch that I fucked up while flat tracking my 46 Knuckle (both the drum and the hub).

First order of business...run a tap down each stud 

and extend the threads to the shoulder on the stud

Used my home made clutch hub tool to hold the hub in place...

Socket with the 5/16 24 die and T handle 

This process throws a few extra threads on the studs

as you can see comparing the front to the one in the rear...

All threaded...

now to shorten the studs with the cut off wheel...

Oops..

One down two to go...

Not too shabby...

Cleaned 'em up on the grinder and wire wheel. 

I think I'll convert this hub to roller bearings whilst I'm at it.

Now I had some later plates laying around. The friction plates are 1/2 the thickness of the stock Knucklehead plates. Using these I'm able to maintain the same amount of surface with the narrow assembly. I'm not sure what these are from or if they're H-D or aftermarket since I don't mess with anything later than 1963. They were in a box of crap I got at a swap meet. If I was to use the stock clutches I would have to remove a friction disc and a metal plate thus reducing the surface.

We'll see how this works...

Time to see if it all fits together...

Assembled into the drum and slid onto the shaft...

All looks good so far!

Pre-war narrow outer primary cover...

Well it all seems to fit together!

All this to get this thing to lean over as far as possible!

It does look cool with that narrow cover!