63 tranny parts

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socalrider
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63 tranny parts

#1

Post by socalrider »

greetings all,
i have to buy a new mainshaft,countershaft, shifter clutches and maybe a couple of gears for my 63 - 4 speed tranny. any recommendations on brands ? what brands should i stay away from? i prefer american made if at all possible. is andrews the only american manufacturer for these parts? the manual states as one of the reasons to change a gear is if the surfaces where the shifter clutches engage are rounded.the ones on my tranny are rounded some but it does not appear to be that bad.the teeth appear to be in very good condition. at what point of wear to the shifter clutch engagement surfaces should they absolutely be changed?i think all the gears are original h.d. so im trying to keep as many original h.d. gears in this tranny as possible but i dont want to have to take it apart again because i didnt change something when i should have. is there a way to verify that the gears are in fact h.d.?i just aquired the tranny a couple of days ago so i cant say how it ran. its going into a chopper with a stock 63 motor that will NOT be riden hard or abused in any way. all help and advice always appreciated.
gracias,
arnulfo
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#2

Post by Sir_Rat »

Socal.....I hope I'm wrong on this one ...really I do...but I don't think Andrews is made in America anymore. If it was me I would go with the Rev Tech Close Ratio set up. I personally know 2 guys that ran it without any trouble, on the flips side I have heard of others running Rev Tech tranny parts and having nothing but problems. Ya pays ur money you takes your chances I guess. IMHO

Aloha...Mike
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#3

Post by Bosheff »

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the parts yer needin are still available from H-D. M.Shaft, C.Shaft, shifter clutches, shift forks, C.Shaft bushings, bearings, and Main Drive Gears are all parts that need replacement frequently. In my opinion, a good used "Genuine" H-D part is the way to go over aftermarket. I haven't used Andrews stuff in many years, but never had a problem with their parts in the past. Couldn't tell ya how their parts are these days. As far as import parts, I wouldn't use any of em. These parts aren't worth the effort it takes to install them. Remember, not only do you have to rebuild the tranny, you have to install the tranny in the motorcycle, which means more labor, and having to redo it all again means more labor. Seek out quality parts, pay a reasonable price for them, and have a competent mechanic do the work for you if you are not able to do it yourself. Do it right the first time, and you'll be happy later on down the road....bosheff
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#4

Post by socalrider »

mike, bosheff,
thanks for the help.located h.d. mainshaft and countershaft here in a couple of socal h.d.dealers.the dealer with the mainshaft has 2 . im picking them both up.
arnulfo
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#5

Post by partshunt »

I purchased some gears and a countershaft on Ebay that were made for Harley Davidson in Taiwan. They came in the modern clear wrapper with the Harley Logo, modern factory bar code on the package and the part number ending in "T'. Even tho made in Taiwan, I would think the quality should meet the Motor Comanys specs or they would not want thier name on it. Does anyone doubt the quality of such so called genuine factory parts? I tried a file on the parts and they are good and hardened. I know a lot of new modern Harley parts are farmed out so these must be in that category. Your thoughts and experience would be apreciated here, thanks...Joe
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#6

Post by Bosheff »

H-D has been farming out parts for decades. The parts #'s ending in "T" are in fact Tiawan parts. Ya gotta ask yerself where did they cut corners on the import parts. Quality of materials? Labor costs? The whole reason for the Tiawan parts being introduced was cost savings to the retail customer. At one time you could obtain certain select parts either "Genuine" American made or the Tiawan alternatiive, from a franchised dealer. I don't know, but if possible I'd go for the real thing whether it be new or used. Upon close inspection, a "Genuine" part can usually be distinguished from aftermarket and repops. I've installed both, but never guaranteed my labor if Tiawan parts were used....bosheff
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#7

Post by socalrider »

picked up countershaft and mainshafts. countershaft appears to be usa made original hd part no "t" on part number. mainshafts have "t" on part number , came in a iron eagle box that says "korea".
arnulfo
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#8

Post by partshunt »

I think its getting harder to get away from offshore made parts in Amercan brand vehicles and related parts. The new Harley models probably have many parts made in Korea and Taiwan. I would only hope they meet the Harley specs and if Harley puts thier name on the packaging then they must back the parts warranty and quality wise or am I dreaming?....Joe
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#9

Post by Cotten »

I've wrote it before and I shall write it again:

I don't care if a part was made on the Dark Side of the Moon as long as it is quality.

A devastating weak link in the aftermarket chain has been feedback to the manufacturer, and thus no motivation to even care.

When Lifeline commissions/collects a batch of Pacific Rim crap and then sells it to CCI who then vends it through Fog Hollow using Midwest's destriptions who then mail-orders it to fellow in his garage who discovers it is crap,... he loses all patience and Lifeline will no more hear of it than the Man in the Moon.

Consider why Eversure is still making brass floats.
And that established and trusted American providers like Colony turn out shrunken venturies, and Eastern turns out un-useable throttleshafts, which are then sold en masse through Tedd and a dozen other large distributors, and dozens of smaller. The market becomes flooded to where quality replacements cannot surface for years.

Yet do these manufacturers feel the pain?
Not until we compare notes and spend our money accordingly.

Rule Number One is to deal with a vendor who stands behind his services.
Rule Number Two is to quickly and scrupulously inspect all hardware for anything that can bite you.

If these two criteria are met, it is surprising how well these machines can be renewed, even with some parts from Delhi or Suchou.

....Cotten
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#10

Post by socalrider »

i understand where you are coming from cotten and i agree with all of what you said except the part about not caring where its made. i do care about that. i want my parts being made on american soil by american hands and machinery with american metal. call me crazy but i belive these old machines have a soul and an american soul at that. i want my bikes to keep that american soul and the only way i see doing that is adhereing to what i said above . i know thats not always possible but i will sure give a strong effort before i resort to the foreign made. not knocking the foreign made , its just not for me or my harleys.
arnulfo
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#11

Post by Cotten »

That's a noble thought, Arnulfo!

But whether it is American crap or oriental crap, it is still crap.

...Cotten
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#12

Post by partshunt »

Cotton; What I was reffering to was the offshore Harley parts, not the CCI Vtwin and others. We know they can be a problem sometimes. Bassically, the offshore so called genuine Harley parts must meet Harley specs or they would not put thier name and reputation behind them is something I would expect such as in my 07 Classic which so far has run well.. Those who want total American will have to stay out of the new Harley showrooms I be thinkin as I believe there are a lot of parts farmed out offshore on them as well. I dont believe the new Harleys are totally Amercan made anymore. Likewise with my panhead gear set with the T after the part number in a Genuine Harley package. I just wonder if so called Genuine parts like these meet factory specs. Has anyone had a problem with Taiwan made for Harley parts yet?.....Joe.
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#13

Post by Service-Guy »

I hope your still looking for an answer and ignoring the debate about where better parts are made. I've rebuilt dozens of transmissions and the only gears I will use are the ones from Andrews.

The face of the Rev Tech gears are rough cut, the longer you run these gears the louder the trans gets and the harder to shift. This is a problem I have found with many of the aftermarket gears. The face on Andrews gears are polished, they provide good fitment with little lash and after thousands of miles they look like new.

As for the shafts you need, check out Jim's, you will find none better. They have a nice kit for the four speeds that includes shafts, bushings, gaskets, and needed seals.

Check the counter shaft bushings for wear, install new ones if needed, this will help when setting the end-play of the counter shaft. Use a quality trans fluid, change it often. Take your time setting the shifter clutch centering. Get it right and life is good, get it wrong and many a bad thing can happen. Good luck

Everyone has an opinion, few have knowledge. I hope my two cents helps answer your question.
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#14

Post by partshunt »

I hope I wasnt ignoring the topic. Socal was looking for good Amercan gears and shafts. I could suggest Harley packaged parts if they meet the factory specs and possibley he could pursue those so called "genuine" parts if we could get good feedback from those who have used part numbers ending "T'. Its just seems like most manufacturers farm out thier parts offshore. Some may be good and some are not...Joe
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Re: 63 tranny parts

#15

Post by socalrider »

many thanks to all for the help. all responses were very informative and helpful.this is a great site!
arnulfo
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