I Need a Cleaning Lady

I need a cleaning lady!  How could anyone let a motorcycle get this filthy?  I'm gonna have dishpan hands before I'm done.  Today it was the coil and voltage regulator that received a good scrubbing.

Then it was back to the wheel rim which is looking awesome.  Once the spokes are removed I'll be able to finish up restoring the chrome...my supply of tinfoil is getting low.  Also, received word that the solo seat and headlight I ordered yesterday have been shipped.  Probably won't get here for a couple of weeks as they're coming from the US.

August 30 The Cleaning Continues

Back at it again.  This time it was the fender struts.  They certainly had seen much better days but, with the application of WD 40, aluminum foil and (again) lots of elbow grease, they came out pretty good.  Next I started on the rear rim.  It was chrome once and, after about 20 minutes with the before mentioned miracle cleaners, it started to look like nice chrome once again.  Fabulous stuff WD 40 and, combined with aluminum foil, really knocks the he-- out of rust.

August 29 Bead Blasting

Today Curtis and I removed the cone from the engine as well as the kicker plate from the transmission.  Surprise....the engine has an Andrews cam and the innards of both the engine and the transmission look great.  Somebody spent some good coin on the engine at some point in the past.  Off we went to the Bead Blasting shop with the cone, kicker plate, rocker boxes and some other pieces.  Curt operated the blaster (he knew what he was doing) while I assumed the role of trusty gofer.  The pieces came out beautifully.  Beading is the only way to go!  Also brought some more bike pieces home for clean up.  Good thing I have some Gunk left.

August 28 Good to crank

Picked up the rebuilt starter and new solenoid today.  Looks like the shop did a great job.  Should crank the beast over quite well when required.  Yeah...no kicking unless I really feel masochistic.

August 26 The starter needs help

The Auto electric shop called today to say that, although the starter and solenoid both work, they're close to death's door.  A rebuild of the starter and a new solenoid is in order.  The cost quoted was less than buying everything new so I gave them the go ahead.

August 25 I don't want to have to kick it!

All the old Shovelheads had a kick start...so does this one.  But, seeing as how I'm not a fan of having my motorcycle kick me back sometimes, I want to be able to push a button and have the engine leap to life.  Ergo...the electric starter has to work!  So, today I took the cleaned starter and solenoid down to the auto electric shop and left them with the experts to be checked out.  Thinking ahead, I also stopped at a Canadian Tire store to check out the various paint colours available.  So many choices but I settled on Toyota Vintage Red Pearl.  If not that one exactly, something very close.

August 24: TheClean up starts.

As I am not that great a Harley mechanic or sheet metal fabricator (Jr. is), the task of removing years of dirt, old oil and other stuff that will not be mentioned here, from several pieces of my "new" custom bike, falls to me.  Thus, having brought home numerous pieces from Curt's house last night, today I started in.  I cleaned the inner and outer primary, transmission, transmission base plate, starter, solenoid, primary chain, compensator, and clutch hub.  All were filthy and required liberal applications of Gunk engine degreaser and plenty of elbow grease. In addition to the years of dirt, someone in the past had used liberal quantities of silicone on the primary gasket surfaces.  What fun...but I got it off.

Purchase of "The Basket Case"

While on a trip to Calgary,( dodging forest fires  along the way) I received a phone call from my son Curtis telling me:  "Dad, I bought another Harley." "Just what you need", I thought...he already has three!  "I couldn't turn it down Dad, it was only " $1000.00 and, if your interested, we can rebuild it for you."  OK, I admit it, I was hooked.  He then texted me a picture of the bike as it appeared in the ad he answered and it was a pretty nice looking bike.

 He then texted a picture of the bike he actually purchased and...it was in pieces!  A true "basket case". however, the engine and transmission appeared to be in good shape along with the frame, swing arm, and other bits and pieces so the deal was done and thus began this 1972 Harley Davidson Shovelhead rebuild/customization odyssey.