93″ of LOVE – PART 1

There are a lot of ways to build up a good shovel. I’ve had 74s and 80s but Im now working on a fresh 93″. The wheels, cylinders, cam, and pistons will kill you if you don’t try and shop smart. Retail, Sidewinder kits are gonna beat you over the head at anything from $1500-$2000. Lots of good things can be said for S&S products but that’s not really the point of this series. The point is to look at some math and figure out how to go the distance without going broke.

Here’s a pic of my pile of parts to build up my 93″ motor. Stock cases and heads will work just fine with a little trim and shim work. A set of used T&O wheels are at the heart and soul of this thing. If you haven’t looked into it here’s the deal with T&O. T&O stuff is killer and they’ve been around since the beginning. They’re experience and knowledge are in their products and the prices are very reasonable.

That said, these wheels were used and I paid used price. They need to be checked carefully and rebalanced but overall, they are in great condition. After a chat with some guys at T&O, I decided I’d go with new Vtwin Cylinders to save some cash over the name brand stuff. The money I saved on the cylinders I turned around and dumped on some really nice forged S&S pistons.

All the stroker parts are present and accounted for. The other parts like the cone, rockers, lifters, oil pump, etc are all on a shelf as well but those are stock parts that anyone can find in abundance. I’ll post more pics as the motor comes together.

Everyones runnin’ P-nut tanks

…And for good reason! Here’s a pic of a Wassell next to a new P-Nut tank I got from Lowbrow a while back. The Lowbrow tank is really something. It’s spot on, well made, and an ideal swap out for that narrow sporty tank look.  The only complaint I have is the damn brit style cap. I gotta admit, wish they’d made it with the standard HD cam-style filler neck. Fuck it, the tank is tits. I highly recommend them.

74″ of Love – part 2

Finally got the bottom end completed. Got that Andrews AB cam spaced out proper. Cone back on. Tappets and hydro lifters cleaned and neatly back in place. New rings on .060 over pistons. Cylinders torqued back down and I even took a minute to set the timing. For now Im shelving the motor and Ill come back to the top end when I have more free time. I’ve got a couple pairs of heads that I need to have blasted before I reassemble so I’ll just save up the extra scratch and service all of them at the same time. This thing is looking real good and should run even better. Much thanks to Gator and Bear on this one. They both really laid some knowledge on me during the entire rebuild. Learning shovels from the best in the biz is a humbling (and equally rad) experience. More from the chopper blog soon.

74″ of Love

So that Davenport shovelhead motor I picked up turned out to be a keeper after all. I was really looking to flip it for a while but now that I started the rebuild, I have to finish it. And if I’m gonna spend the time to build it, I’m gonna keep her around for a while. Crank properly trued to within .001. Took me all damn day to get it just so. Checked the pinion side for a plug fit with .0002 over bearings. Pressed new sprocket side together and slipped the pinion half back together. Buttoned it up and checked end play. All well within spec. I got a really really clean Andrews AB cam from Gator last week. Gonna get that thing spaced out today. Top end coming soon.

Ideally, this thing will be a sweet mantle piece until I decide what to throw it in.

xs650 Motor Rebuild – DONE

Another small win on the workbench. Just finished the xs650 motor rebuild. New cam chain on Sunday and I finished rebuilding and torquing down the head last night. Slapping it back into the frame later today and trying to move on to the next project as quick as I can. Gotta get the next one on the lift. Dreaming of warmer days. Tune in again. Garage features coming up soon on the chopper bog.