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The Grim Reaper Comes Together Again.
Well, I've had the pieces and the plan sitting around for years. Last month I finally got around to beginning the assembly. |
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This is more along the lines of the classic bobber than it is a later chopper or modern version. I have left the FL front end on while minimizing the bulk of the rear end. I want it to have the heavy shoulders and narrow waist and hips of a bulldog or pro wrestler.
The frame began life as a 1972 FL, but a Paughco hardtail put on by Tom Blair of Selah, Washington is so well done you gotta look close to tell where it went on. That's a stock Harley 4-speed, ratchet top. Won't have a battery. I'll use a battery eliminator, and mount it and the voltage regulator behind the tranny. That, and the cylindrical oil bag will leave the frame with a much lighter look back there. |
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The GMA disk and caliper will stop it pretty quick. It's a juice drum on the back, which does just fine when it's adjusted right.
The 7" Cibie headlight casts a helluva beam, and the big housing contributes to the bulky look. You can see I've still got to align it; it points pretty high. The frame has been coated with Line-X, that super-tough coating put in truck beds. It's a real coarse finish, but tougher than elephant toenails. Since this is buit to be a rider, I'm more concerned with function than form, and you couldn't chip the stuff with a jackhammer. |
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This will be lean machine. The blue stuff is masking tape I put over the custom-made belt guard (thank you, Dave Terry) to protect it during assembly. It shouldn't even be installed yet, but I had to see how it fit. | ||
| One part at a time - it'll all come together. The crank has been assembled, dynamic balanced, and put in the cases by Bob Gage at Custom Cycle in Clearview, WA. Everything else is my fault. |
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The long block. Those are the original stock 74" cylinders, bored .040 oversize. Pistons are stock-style overbores from Wiseco. The only performance upgrades will be the Andrews A-grind cam, an SU carb, and a Joe Hunt magneto. I had thought about having the heads flowed, but changed my mind; this thing's built for sex, not speed. Light as it is, it'll be quick enough for a bar-hopper. | ||
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The engine's about ready to drop into the chassis. I'll get the pushrods in place and adjusted first; I'd rather do that on the bench than in the bike just in case I have to pull the rocker boxes again. For no good reason I can think of, I put a semi-solid lifter kit in it.
After that comes the magneto - it'll drop into that hole in the top, front of the cone. I never timed a mag before, so it oughta be an adventure the first time I kick it over. Joe Hunt mags have an auto-retard feature that helps save the knee of the guy starting it. It also winds itself up a little during the kick stroke, then lets go to spin quick and make a better spark than an unassisted knee does. The SU carb is sitting there, waiting. They're a bitch to set up, but once they are right, they're tough to beat. This one ran like a champ on this bike nine years ago. I don't claim they're the best carb around, but they are damn good, and it's what belongs on this bike. |
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