Floorboards 49 EL

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panz4ever
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Floorboards 49 EL

#1

Post by panz4ever »

Need to know what the finish should be on the floorboards please. Can't find any info from reading Palmers
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#2

Post by RUBONE »

Can't find any info from reading Palmers
Really? Mine shows all painted through '48 and then plain parkerized until '59 when they were painted again. I know some say mid '58 but I am just saying what is in my Palmer's.
Robbie
panz4ever
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#3

Post by panz4ever »

RUBONE wrote:
Can't find any info from reading Palmers
Really? Mine shows all painted through '48 and then plain parkerized until '59 when they were painted again. I know some say mid '58 but I am just saying what is in my Palmer's.
Robbie
Spent time reading and could not find it. Try not to bug folks with basic Q&A that I can resolve myself. So yeah "really" I was unable to find it (or I wouldn't have asked) and I really do appreciate the information.
1951 adam
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#4

Post by 1951 adam »

I took photos at hd museum, they were parkerized ......hope that helps..... , and yes sometimes its not easy to find what your looking for in his book, and he is not the be all end all, really, good luck , Adam
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#5

Post by George Greer »

1951 adam wrote:I took photos at hd museum, they were parkerized ......hope that helps..... , and yes sometimes its not easy to find what your looking for in his book, and he is not the be all end all, really, good luck , Adam
Ya know that Bruce has got the rights for his book back and is doing a update on the book for reprint.

I would assume the mistakes/omissions will be corrected during the edit.

George
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#6

Post by panz4ever »

Adam, thanks for the confirmation. HD Museum is on my list of places to get to. George nice that the book rights are back in possession of the owner. Folks were saying that the publishers did another reprint of his original book and that prices on them were about as expensive as a 47 knuckle. Hopefully if he publishes another with corrections it will not be sky-high priced.
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#7

Post by Speeding Big Twin »

panz, Adam stated above that he took photos at the H-D museum and the footboards were Parkerized. But some of the museum bikes were discussed on CAI a while back and found to be non-authentic in some ways. So how can we go by what is on display at Harley’s museum? (Absolutely no offence meant to Adam.)

My copy of Palmer’s 37–64 book has $39.95US on the back cover and according to Perry Ruiter’s website that makes it the third printing he knows of. Ruiter says the second had a cover price of $29.95 and the first was $26.95. Page 582 of mine has a photo of the right-hand side of what is said to be the 1949 prototype FL although other pictures I have make me suspect the engine has a 1948 EL serial number. Anyway, the accompanying caption states in part: ‘Footboards are once again Parkerized only and not painted.’ However, in the list of Parkerized Parts for 1949 on page 587 there is no mention of footboards. And neither are footboards mentioned in the list of Black-Painted Parts on that same page.

Still on 587 and immediately under the heading of 1949 Plating and Painting Details I find the following: ‘See Appendix C Information Notes at the front of this Appendix for the list of standard plated and painted parts.’ In Appendix C on page 520 there is a list titled Parkerized Parts,1938-64. The list begins as follows: ‘Footboards (some years painted black over the Parkerizing)...’ So we return to the abovementioned caption on page 582 where it said the footboards are Parkerized only and not painted. But is the caption correct? I do not know. I’ve mentioned on this forum before that some info in captions is wrong so how do we know your footboards should be Parkerized? And if they should be then why doesn’t it say so in the page 587 list of Parkerized Parts?
Eric
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#8

Post by 1951 adam »

Eric my take on all this is parts are carried over at the factory from year to year , or were replaced at dealerships with updated parts that replaced inferiour production parts....so what is correct? If I worked at a dealership as a mechanic in say 1954, and my customer came in on his 49, I would in the course of repairs use the latest and best OE parts to make my repairs, and 60 years latter people would discuse what is correct...I would say most of what is in the museum is correct, and if you are lucky enough to get in to the archives , there are rows and rows of bikes stacked to the roof , its awesome! Adam
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#9

Post by 1951 adam »

406143_3499383239120_795187353_n.jpg
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panz4ever
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#10

Post by panz4ever »

Adam/Eric thanks for the replies. Figure I will put them on with the parkerized finish. Worst happens is that at some it is determined that they should be painted then I can do that. Figure that would be easier than renmoving paint.

Eric, thanks for the info on Palmers. Look like my two copies are a send and third printing.

Adam, thanks for the pic. Going to add it to photos of 49s that fooks have posted and I have collected.
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#11

Post by RUBONE »

Page 73 1st printing.
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#12

Post by panz4ever »

RUBONE wrote:Page 73 1st printing.
Robbie, I only have a 2nd and 3rd printing. On page 73 it states ..."some are painted black over parkerizing. See the Appendix for the correct finish for your year model". Problem is that no where in the appendix can I find the reference to the finish (either paint or parkerized) for the floorboards (which is what led me to post this question in the first place).
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#13

Post by RUBONE »

panz4ever,
Sometimes it is the lack of something rather than the existence of it that speaks. All the known and documented years of painted ones are listed. All are parkerized no matter if there is any other finish. Merely deduction is all.
Robbie
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#14

Post by Robert Luland »

Here ya go.
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Re: Floorboards 49 EL

#15

Post by Speeding Big Twin »

1951 adam wrote:Eric my take on all this is parts are carried over at the factory from year to year , or were replaced at dealerships with updated parts that replaced inferiour production parts....so what is correct? If I worked at a dealership as a mechanic in say 1954, and my customer came in on his 49, I would in the course of repairs use the latest and best OE parts to make my repairs, and 60 years latter people would discuse what is correct...I would say most of what is in the museum is correct, and if you are lucky enough to get in to the archives , there are rows and rows of bikes stacked to the roof , its awesome! Adam
Cheers, Adam. But we’re not talking about parts carried over at the factory from year to year. And neither are we talking about using the latest and best OEM parts to make repairs. What we were asked related to the finish on the boards for a 49 EL. That is what we want to be correct about.

Regarding the museum, I have not been but I’m sure it would be entertaining as far as authenticity of certain machines is concerned. And if you view the photos below you may see what I mean:

Image

Image

Did you check out this bike? It is unknown at this stage exactly what happened with it but I do not believe it is a good representation of a first-year EL. Yet it seems H-D is happy to display this as an example of a 36 so I have to wonder what other mysteries lurk in that museum.
Eric
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