anyone out there into older harleys?

[kennycoulter]

i am working on rebuilding my dad's 1968 sportster.

i am having trouble gettign the flat head machine screws out of the right hand side of the engine assembly(to be able to split the cases and re-gasket the engine).

i tried tapping witha screw driver and hammer again to jar them loose, but still not making any progress.

i have broken 3 tips on my impact driver, and have soaked with pb blaster for 2 nights.

i don't want to have to drill all of these bolts out, because so much of the bike is still original, it would look wierd with new bolts on just one side.

i appreciate any other tips, advice, and tricks.

happy easter and stuff.

 

[PC PaiN]

pics of what you're trying to get off?

 

[kennycoulter]

i will have to get some. i have it back off of the workbench and covered up again until the weekend.

the screws are long, with about 2-2.5 inches between the cover and the case, so even though i didn't want to use heat....it may not work anyway.

 

[kennycoulter]

i took pictures yesterday after putting it back on the bench.

i thought "for the hell of it", i will spray more pb blaster and try them again. they all came out easily.

i guess it needed a few extra days to let the stuff soak in.

after i make some real progress, meaning the engine going back together, or back on the frame, i will try posting some pictures.

 

[kennycoulter]

how about this: the olllllldddddd service manual is calling for "aluminum paint".

can i substitute suzuki bond silicone?

it is the stuff that i used to use at the shop to seal between engine cases and anythign else that coudl ever possibly leak.

 

[oilwell1415]

I would not use silicon there. Anearobic sealer (made by Loctite) would be the best substitute.

On the screws, with a part like that I would have been real tempted to throw it in the oven at about 300 degrees for a while, then spray it with PB and put it back in the oven for a while longer. Since aluminum and steel expand at different rates that will often get them out. You also have good control over the maximum temp so you don't have to worry about ruining something like you do with the blue wrench.

 

[kennycoulter]

i think that would have been the best bet, but don't think a regular oven and rack could handle the weight. but the idea that the heat is getting to them being so much deeper than the surface, definitely would have worked better than a torch.

i will look into the loctite stuff.

the factory book calls for aluminum paint in some areas, around all gasket surfaces, there seemed to be a type of brownish epoxy, .....but this type of suzuki silicone isn't the same type of expanding and shrinking that normal silicone does.

 

[oilwell1415]

How much is still on the engine? If you get rid of everything but the case you should be OK. An oven will easily handle a 25-30 lb turkey. The bottom of a HD engine shouldn't be a whole lot more than that since the transmission isn't built into it like most other bikes.

 

[kennycoulter]

How much is still on the engine? If you get rid of everything but the case you should be OK. An oven will easily handle a 25-30 lb turkey. The bottom of a HD engine shouldn't be a whole lot more than that since the transmission isn't built into it like most other bikes.

i don't think any of the sportsters are like that, but i had the trans assempbly out by this time. i think the crank assembly alone is close to 25-30, the cover i was trying to get off covered the cams, so still a lot of gears and steel in there.

i got it off, now lookign to put it back together, but want to get the aluminum looking as good as possible(close to factory, not polishing)

does anyone have any suggestions on what to do or use?

the yellow is p.b. blaster. the bolts are out, i let it sit about a week, and went back and sprayed again, and they all came right out.

the discoloring or sort of oxidizing is more evident on the generator area.
this is mostly what the bike will look like, with a few differences here and there:

it looks liek their aluminum is sanded though. i want mine to look 'as cast'.

 

[oilwell1415]

One of my uncles had some old drive in movie speakers that he wanted to restore. I sand blasted them and they came out looking very original, but they were pot metal instead of aluminum. With aluminum I would use either plastic media, walnut shells or baking soda to avoid pitting or disfiguring the part.

Another option might be to have some kind of coating applied to it.

FWIW, on the raised ribs on the side of the case I would be really tempted to sand and polish those. If you don't, there will eventually be areas that are polished by your foot constantly rubbing against it and it will look worn in those area. If the rest of the ribs are polished it will look like it is supposed to be that way.

 

[Steve@BAS]

Sweet bike man, take care of it!

 

[kennycoulter]

Cleaners and Polishes - Aluminum Brightener

this was a suggestion from 4 eyed pride.

i will probably polish the ribs. the brochure/owner's manual shows the ribs polished. it is just possible that mine looks liek that from sitting in the basement un-covered for as long as i have been alive.

the red bike above is not my dad's bike. just very very similar.

i will post a pic later. i had the paint redone the same color, with the same stripes that he had on it. the aluminum and chrome is what makes the bike look so aged.

 

[kennycoulter]