Back on the Road..

'46 FL after TROG 10/10/2014...

'46 FL Wednesday 2/18/15...

Well it's been 4 months since I've been able to ride my '46 FL (or anything else)...On Wednesday of this week the mercury rose to a balmy 27 degrees and I was feeling pretty good. The shoulder has been coming around with the help of a lot of Physical Therapy. I took Tyler's Black Pan for a test ride up and down my street after putting it back together and thought... why not? I think it's time...I fired up the '46 FL for the first time since October. She was a little stiff and required a squirt or two of WD-40 to get the linkages moving (kinda like me)...but she fired up and was ready to do a hole shot in no time! I went out for a spin (making a few stops along the way for anti-freeze) and got back before dark. It felt great to dump the clutch on the Knuckle again and spin that back tire!
This morning the temp in my truck was -002 degrees...so I might wait it out a bit...at least I know me and the Knuckle are ready, willing and able...

Panhead Revolving Door...Black Magic...

Hmmm...wonder why this is coming back...

Now I know those tanks were on this thing when it left here the last time....Hell, I watched it ride away! There must be dark forces at play...

I know what to do!

I'll wave my "Harley Magic Wand" over it 

and make them reappear!

Poof!

They reappear!!!!

Now I'll close my eyes and count to three....

Open my eyes and...YUP...they're still there...

Let's get this thing outta here one more time...

Now you know that this relentless cold (it was 01 degree out this morning) and never ending winter combined with my shoulder rehab is starting to have an effect on me...I'm starting to hallucinate and ba ba ba ba ba ba babble...

Just Being a Dick at TROG...2014

'55 Pan... Comin' through in a Clutch...

Brought out the big guns...

Popped it right off...

Old style seal in the Clutch Hub Nut

Removed all this...

Pop in these two little seals

Sealed up...

After installing the nut (with the lock in place) using the socket and breaker bar, I leverage the flathead screwdriver used to bend the lock tabs against another across a couple of the clutch hub studs so as to not damage the bearing retainer plate (by using it for leverage).

Soaked the plates in ATF...and wiped 'em dry

Oh yeah...while I had the impact out I took the belt retainer (or whatever you call it) off the front pulley. I understand from friends that actually ride with belts that you don't need it and removing it makes replacing a belt on the road a snap...

I hate these chintzy aftermarket pressure plates! The little locking tits start to wear out from a couple turns of the spring tension nuts...CRAP!

OK... time for the moment of truth....

The clutch worked like a champ! No screeching or jumping.

It looks like the ATF did it's job on the Kevlar plates....

Time to button it up and get it outta here!

Buttoned up and out the door!

Shit...one out and one back in....oh well...

'55 Pan...all Clutched Up!

Took the clutch apart to delve into 

the "screeching and jumping" issue

Barnett Kevlar plates???

Now from what I understand, Barnett Kevlar clutch plates need to be soaked in ATF for 15 minutes and wiped off prior to installation or guess what??? THEY FUCKIN' SCREECH AND JUMP!!!!! I'll give it a try...

Hmmm...no updated seal in the clutch hub nut and alas... no lock tab either....No problem...I'll pop off the nut, update the seal, install a lock tab and be good as new!

Broke out the old 1 1/8 socket and breaker bar as usual...

Hmmm...nut is a bit stubborn...

Extended Sportster tube should do the trick...

Nope...????

Air ratchet?...I've never had to use one before but I'll give it a try....

NOPE!?!?! WTF!?!?!

It would appear that this nut was installed with a heavy duty Impact tool (and of course no lock tab)! These fuckin' clutch hub nuts are left hand thread with a lock tab for a reason! Never use an impact tool to put these on!!!!!!!! I pray there is no red loc-tite on this fuckin' thing...

You wanna be able to work on these bikes with hand tools on the side of the road if need be...

Time to call in reinforcements! More to come...

PS...
I'd like to apologize to my mother for using so many "F" Bombs in this post...but guess where I learned it....yup...

'55 Pan Other Trouble...

Oil lines...bad

Oil lines...good

Fuel Shut off ...bad

Found this spring in this position and nothing under the cap

Fuel Shut off...good

I utilized my patented method of removing everything, cutting a slender piece of 1/4 fuel line and sliding it down the shut off rod, pushing it into the area under the cap with a small screw driver and replacing the cap...I've done this for decades and it works well...

Missing spacer...bad 

(he'll need to get me one to make good)

Headlight loose...bad

Now tightened and adjusted...good

Case stud found to be loose and stripped...bad

Replaced...good

Generator connections loose and sparking...bad

Tightened...better (not really good)

If I get deeper into the wiring I may never come out!

Clutch screeching and jumpy...really bad

Need plates and further investigation to make good

(if it were up to me I'd scrap the whole belt shit and chain it up!)

Mouse trap adjustment...bad 

(sounded like a metal trash can lid banging against a dumpster)

Readjusted from scratch (which takes two men and a boy)...good

So this 55 is still here...the more I look at it the more it needs. After fixing the carb problem I noticed that the oil lines were on wrong, the fuel shut off was fucked up, a case bolt was loose and stripped,  the generator connections were loose and sparking, the spacer for the brake light switch was missing, the head light was loose, the mouse trap was a mess and the clutch screeches and jumps...and that was just a cursory inspection...

There's a bunch of cosmetic stuff I would do to make it flow (starting with the wheels and lower legs, kicker arm, etc.)...but for now the goal is to get it functional and rideable.

'55 Pan Carb Trouble... Fixed!

I noticed the Spring Collar missing!

Jet and plug swapped...But an expert tells me that's not a problem

I swapped them back...every M 74 B I have has the jet on the left

A spare Spring Collar installed...

After a full inspection, swapping the jet and plug back to the "normal" positions (even though Linkert expert "Cotton" tells me that doesn't make a difference) and installing a spare low speed needle spring collar, I re-installed the carb, reset needle adjustments (5 turns out on the low speed and 1 3/4 on the high speed) and fired it up...it worked as normal (a bit too rich as it should) and I dialed it in. 

The Pan now starts on one kick, idles nicely and revs up like a dream. Too much ice out there to road test...but all systems are now a GO!

So it looks like the spring collar missing made all the difference! Too much air getting past the Low Speed Needle!!!???

'55 Pan Carb Trouble

'55 Pan came in for a look see...running like shit and popping through the carb

Never had one that ran better with the idle needle completely removed...I have a couple ideas...

Some spares... just in case...

This thing showed up recently and is popping through the carb and won't run unless the idle needle is turned waaaaay out. In fact it runs better with the idle needle completely removed. I'll dig into it tonight and see what I can find...I have a few ideas...

I really should work on my own stuff while I can't ride because of this fuckin' shoulder injury...maybe after this one I'll get back to my '39 Knuckle project....I haven't been doing much in the shop lately...

But hey... just tryin' to help out the reckless youth...doin' my part to bring down the average age of an Antique Harley rider....