Tappet oil screen plug

[Canuck]

Can anyone tell me what year Harley added the tappet oil screen plug on the panhead?

[panz4ever]

late '52 I believe

[Canuck]

Thanks for the reply. I am trying to figure out what year all these parts are on my panhead. It looks like it was put together using what ever was available and what fit together. It looks like it started off as a 1948 but it is hard to tell, but I am sure cases and most parts did not change much. Thanks again.

[Bigincher]

It looks like it started off as a 1948 but it is hard to tell...

It should be very easy to tell what it 'started out as'.. just look at the belly / line bore numbers on the bottom of the cases. It's a fact that many parts are interchangelable for a lot of years- and 'back in the day', it was a 'quick fix' to simply bolt on another part that fit and worked. Therefore, it's really not surprising to see the dangedest combination of things on these old motors.

[Canuck]

Thanks for the reply. I bought the bike from a friend who has talked to the previous owner and the bike was rebuilt 50 plus years ago by a Harley dealership and restamped. The title matches the motor but the belly numbers have been grinded off. According to the original owner the cases were replaced and it was common for Harley dealers to restamp and grind off belly numbers back in those days. Here is the crazy part, the motor and title match but the year of the bike is a 1947 Panhead. I know there was some panheads released in 1947 but I thought the engine number would be stamped 48. If that is the case why would someone stamp it 47 and not 48? If someone is going to go through that much trouble you would think they would have enough sense to atleast stamp it 48.

[Bigincher]

I'm just not going to engage in a "1947 panhead" debate.....

[Canuck]

I understand that and thanks. Just wish I knew the true history of the bike and where to go from here. This panhead has been around for over 50 years with these numbers and a matching title. I have heard from some old timers that there are many old Harleys out there with some crazy looking numbers and are legal and that there has been many rebuilds where Harley dealerships restamped and used cases and parts they had without the concern of whether it was legal or not. Maybe just wishful thinking on my part.

[Bigincher]

It is true that a lot of wierd and crazy things were done with 'numbers' back in the old days, and Yes they can certainly be legitimate-- or at least not illegal. (For instance, I have an old chopper that I've owned for 36 years. The lower end is a Knuck-- '41EL-- and back in the '60s a panhead top end was grafted onto it-- a very clean job. But somehow it got titled as a '59. The VIN is entirely original and unmolested, so that's not an issue, nor is it an issue with my State's DOL.)
These days the whole subject is very sensitive, and you will find a lot of different opinions on the matter.

[Canuck]

Thank you again for your reply. Your right, it seems to be a very sensitive subject. I know, and I am not saying that I have a 1947 panhead. The bike has turned out to be a mixed breed for sure but why is it that we can't get a straight answer from HD? Did they release a panhead with a 47 number or not. I plan to contact them again and see if they can do some research and provide documentation that will confirm. They must have some kind of record or did they have the same issue with numbers like me and hundreds of other pan owners. I did not mean to re-hash this issue, but I would like to get an answer from HD and hope I didn't p.... anyone off. If HD can't provide proof then who is to say? I promise not to bring this up again without HD documentation but I would like to hear what you and other pan owners think. I think the problem is that we are all talking about different bikes and issues. Fact is that it is possible to have a panhead with sloppy looking numbers restamped by an authorized HD dealer, odd year parts, missing belly numbers, same matching title for over 50 years and be legal.