Good fitting rocker covers?

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62wild1
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Bikes: 1962 panhead, 1999 Wideglide, 2008 Ultra Classic and a few other brands.
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Good fitting rocker covers?

#1

Post by 62wild1 »

I know this has probably been beaten to death but I see a lot of what seems like new versions coming out. I have a set of SS covers that have a gash in one but heard you can polish them a bit. I would like to get a nice chrome set but hear they have improper holes or are made incorrectly. Is there anything out there of any quality that can be installed without days of drilling and grinding? Of course they all say BEST QUALITY and EXACT FIT in the book.

Forgive me if this is old hack.
Commander47
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#2

Post by Commander47 »

I had original pans on mine, but they were in really ugly shape.

I got a new pair of chrome ones from jp cycles for less than 50. They are, of course, made in China. They lined up perfectly and the pans seemed nice and straight and flat on the bottom.

I cleaned up the heads and pans with alcohol and fit them first without a gasket. I was looking to see if they were flat and mated really well with the head surface.

I did notice a rough spot in the head and filed it flat and smooth.

Anyway, i mounted them with allen heads, a gasket, and silicon gasket sealer. See the previous thread for more on that.

BTW....I don't believe that some topics can be beat to death enough. And anyways, newbies to the forum, like me, are always checking in.
mbskeam
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#3

Post by mbskeam »

the stainless do buff out nice.
you may be able to work out the gash from the inside, put a steel block under the gash area and take a flat punch of the correct size and work the metal out, then sand out the area around the gash, working to finner grits till 400, then polish.
if this don't work it can be welded up, ground, sanded then polished

mbskeam
Last edited by mbskeam on Sat Dec 22, 2007 11:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
62wild1
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#4

Post by 62wild1 »

Thanks, I haven't been a big fan of J&P but thought I'd take a look at Paughco if anyone has tried theirs yet. I will probably try and polish first then see what they look like and then decide if I'm going chrome or not.
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#5

Post by Cotten »

I always had to grind Paughco's flat right out of the wrapper.

It is probably appropriate no matter where they are made.

Beware that it may flake the (ugh) chrome on the edge of the flange.
By that time, dressing out some original stainless pans will start making sense.

....Cotten
fourthgear
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#6

Post by fourthgear »

I seem to remember ,Vintage twin had a post on the Paughco covers here some where and I think he had alignment problems with them.
Good to here from ya mbskeam . It sure would be nice to have the S&S covers in good supply some where.
Commander47
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#7

Post by Commander47 »

Image

I know what you mean about JPcycles.

The pans I had had been chromed and beat up pretty good. Lots of dents and such.

I could find nothing wrong with these, and put them up pretty firm with some silicone. You can see where I rubbed my finger along the line where the covers meet the head. The silicone just peels right off and won't be an eyesore.

I was really concerned about having silicone towards the inside of the head, so I put a light coat on the inside and thickened just a very little bit along the outside edge.

It's in now.....and that's that. If It leaks, I guess I'll just have to carry a rag this summer until next years tear down. :roll:
VintageTwin
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#8

Post by VintageTwin »

Yikes :shock: That silicone is dangerous stuff. I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I'd take the pan covers off with a vacuum cleaner pointed at it to suck up all the debris and hope you don't leave any trails of flecks that will immediately clog any orifice it tries to pass through.
If you want chrome Pan covers and don't want to play "parts roulette", order them from Kick-Start (616) 245-8991 and relax your mind. Flat surface the bottom of the covers. Use no sealant and thick cork gaskets and torque the D-ring screws to 15 inch pounds if your using a D-ring. NOT FOOT POUNDS. I can't say whether you should torque screws without a D-ring, like you have it now. The D-rings were made for a reason. The covers are being required to be upside down oil swimming pools. The deep end of the pool is over each exhaust spigot.
Note: When the rider refers to the covers as SS, he means s/s (stainless steel) not S&S. V-Twin has some s/s now, that are advertised as "Made from new molds for accurate placement".
Imo, get a jug of acetone and try to remove as much of that silicone as you can. You were only trying to make it better and oil leak proof, but I'm hoping that this year there will be a federal law passed that will make it a felony to use silicone on any ancient OHV machine. Horrible stuff.
We already have sealants that aren't silicone. Certain sealants are for certain places. Some areas use no sealant for a reason. Tradition - hammered out by trial and grievous error. Use the elders mistakes. Be careful if you try and "improve" on what a history of past runners have proven to work. ASK HERE, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION. WAIT FOR AN ANSWER BEFORE YOU GO AND POSSIBLY CREATE MORE WORK AND DIMINISHED RESULTS, imo.
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As far as J&P, they are only V-Twin, much like the other suppliers. They have the same parts as V-Twin (although they may draw from a deeper parts "gene" pool than the average individual). The only company I know that has a knowledge base and renegade parts from the n.o.s aftermarket past is Kick-Start M/C Parts.
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Since nobody ask me, here's my opinion on Harley-Davidson's OHV engineering:
From 1936 Knucklehead to 1958 OHV, the motor got steadily better (with the exception of the hydraulic-end push rod era, and for me, the entire hydraulic push rod assembly). If you study the Palmer book's model-history pictures in the back of his Restoration Guide, you'll see D-ring arrangements that steadily progress from no-D-ring, to 12 instead of 6 screws, to laminate D-ring, to thick D-ring - well, that's a visual history of Harley trying to make the motor better. That upward scale continues until 1958 when they added the larger diameter pinion shaft, wider bearing surface and bearings, to support the right flywheel. At the end of 1958, the 1936-1958 office in Milwaukee closed. The engineers, secretaries, desks and typewriters were all moved over to the Shovelhead Dept. and no on ever entered the 1936-1958 room again. It's taken 38 years (1969-2007) to produce replica's of those rigid frame machines. Everything is made now, except the 1936-1964 gas tanks as exact replicas. The 3.5 tanks that are available now are poor examples of that era and not worthy of consideration as true "replicas". I've been told that V-Twin is investigating making the 3.5 gallon tanks.
The H-D® office took a break in 1959 and started chasing the Britiish "streamlined" look headlight in 1960, because the 8.16" bucket headlight wqs considered "antique" and not "with it". Business continued to declined for Harley-Davidson until they were rescued by AMF. You can't blame Harley-Davidson for leaving World War 2 engineering. They did such a good job, that it created a niche of powerful OHV motors for the years 1941-1964.
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Thanks for submitting the photo for scrutiny.Commander47. That takes real pluck and is greatly appreciated by us all. I try to give the facts without opinions. Mine aren't the only ones.
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#9

Post by Cotten »

I think the disease is called silicosis.

Great for exhaust pipes, but it shouldn't be used anywhere else.

Motors have been dying prematurely from it since the late '70s.

....Cotten
62wild1
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#10

Post by 62wild1 »

More great info. Thanks to all. I'll take a look at Kick Start also.
jlaley
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#11

Post by jlaley »

Does kick-start have a web site? I can't find one. I'd like to look at their stuff too.
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