The Home Machinist!

Looking good, patio.
Did you ever discover the source of the noise in the engine (the squeal)?

H

Good job Pat. When you pulled back into the yard after the run around the block I heard sirens, then noticed you pull into the shop right away. Tell me that wasn't Barney chasing after you.


Jack.

Halorld, I believe the noise was a bronze bearing in the cam chest that had not gotten oil yet. I have not heard any squeals or other worrisome noises, since that initial starting of the motor.

Jack, the sirens are from a business located near by. They were going off for quite some time. They would reset every so often and then start all over again. I call the police and they may have done something, because they did not last much longer. I may ride bikes, but I do try to keep my nose clean.

Thanks for all the nice comments.
I am now eagerly waiting for clear days so I can get some break-in miles on the bike.

Ride safely!

A little update on the Panhead.
I have found the cause of the squeal I experienced when starting the bike for the first time. The front rocker arm support was galled. I have also discovered that the heads had some issues with galled valves and cracked valve guides. Both heads are in the shop getting rebuilt. I should get them back soon. In the mean time I have been building prototyping a set of foot controls, that fit me and function better than the original set up. I have acquired a used speedometer, from a swap meet this past weekend and will try to graft it onto the bike in the future. I have been using an app on my smart phone for speed and distance. I will get some pictures together of the process soon, too. I have about 40 miles on it at this moment. Only another 460 more to break it in.

Update on the Panhead!
I got the heads back from the shop and they are installed. I did some repairs on the rocker cover nuts. Gave it a few test runs and seem to have a problem with the getting enough oil in the front hydraulic lifters.
I have taken the oil pump apart, measured everything, messaged some mating surfaces and assembled it all back together. The pressure valve seemed a bit tight, so it got a nice polish too.
This it the setup I used to hold the shuttle for polishing. I turned a piece of wood, with a slight press fit. The problem still exists. It is not severe or constant. I feel like there is some sort of restriction of the oil flow ,and am going to look at a couple of fittings that could be a problem. We will see!?
The primary drive on this bike came with a chain drive between the motor and clutch basket, it has a belt on it now. When the chain was on it, it was oiled through, passages in the motor cases, that are part of the crankcase ventilation ( breather system). The passage is also one of the crankcase bolt holes, and is 5/16" on one end and .553" on the other. The PO had used a washers and an acorn nut on each end and it would leak oil and not hold well. The acorn nut was crushing on washer in the .550" end. I made a O-ring bushing for the large end used copper washers under the nuts, to seal the holes.
This is a picture of the bushing. This is the bushing in place, in the engine case, behind the primary belt cover. Lots of projects going on, and the weather is getting nice. So it is a little time, switched between all the projects, at the moment. But things keep moving forward, and that is a good thing.
Just went on a memorial ride, up to the Mt Saint Helens, Johnson Ridge Observatory, in Washington state, with some 300-400 other bikes. The friend that puts this on, does it because, he and his dad where scheduled to be on watch, when something came up and they traded their watch time with another gentleman, the night the mountain blew. The gentlemen did not make it. 56 other people lost there lives that night. I had not moved to the state at that time, so I did not witness any of it.
More to come as I get things figured out!

Wow, I have not updated this in a long time. This project has consumed a lot of my time, over the last two + years, from my last posting.
It has not been easy, and I am not any closer to getting this one running, properly. Mostly due to other peoples work and some of my own stupidity, but I am still working forward!

I have had the heads done twice, by two different people. The intake valve stem to guide clearance should be .002" and the exhaust should be betweem .004" and .006". Both times they came back with the exhaust about .002". The second person that did them even reamed the exhaust guide while I was there. I gave Harold a call, and he told me to bring them up. A few minutes on his Sunnen hone, and the exhaust guide was to specs.

Hopes were high and I was getting longer rides in with out sticking a valve. One of the trips out to test, I think I let her get to hot and collapsed the rings. (My stupidity part). Got it home, checked the compression and I had 30 in the front and 70 in the back. Should be above 100 somewhere. (I don't have the book in front of me to know, exactly.)

Pulled the front head, flipped it and filled it with alcohol to test the seal. Let it set over night, no leaks. Pulled the cylinders off, as that is how ones access the piston rings and found a couple of strange anomalies in the front cylinder. After a lot of people looking at it, I consider it unusable.

I am now in the search for the front Cylinder, of a 1962 Harley Davidson Panhead, with a bore of 3.475" or less.

This is where most of my time is spent, with other project in between when the project stalls. Which is where I find myself at this moment.

Sounds a bit discouraging. Especially after all the work done so far.
Hoping for a better future.
RussN

Update:
I have acquired another front cylinder, with enough meat on it to work. It is at the local machine shop, getting bored to 3.4875". Waiting on a phone call.

Mighty small diameter bore, Patio. Best check your figures.

H

Lol Harold, could you put a 3 in front of that, for me and delete this post.
Thanks.

Still working on the Panhead. Went to pick up the cylinder, and found that a fin had gotten knocked off. I gave the old cylinder to the shop owner, and he used a fin from it, to weld onto the just bored cylinder. He then took an extra .0005" out of the bore, to take care of any changes that happened when he welded the new one in. I did a bit of painting this weekend, and the cylinder was one of the projects. I have the cylinders installed on the bike, with a new set of rings and base gaskets. The heads are on, but are not tightened down, yet. I need to lift the front head to put in the front exhaust, it is easier than unbolting the squish pipe, when the heads are coming off or going on.
Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. We are headed into the rainy season here in the PNW, so there is no hurry to get it finished. So it will get done as I get to it. Many projects and still working, at least until August.