Have finally found a great head rebuilder.
Floheadworks of calif.
No lead conversion cost me $800.00 bucks
The bike is running like a top
5000 miles since rebuild!
Winter is here time to rebuild the original tranny on my 63 pan FLH.
http://www.floheadworks.com
"BEANS"
Head work
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Cotten
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Re: Head work
Why did you need the ""no-lead conversion""?
Bronze seats work great without lead. Some modern auto manufacturers use them for propane fueled cars. No lead there!
Maybe $800 didn't mean much to you?
Bronze seats work great without lead. Some modern auto manufacturers use them for propane fueled cars. No lead there!
Maybe $800 didn't mean much to you?
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BigMike
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64 FLH
Various partials.... - Location: SW Florida
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Cotten
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Re: Head work
No doubt "Spam" and "Beans"go well together!,
But really I think Mr. Beans is just very proud to have a good running scoot.
That's priceless, right?
Floheadworks may well be a top notch shop,...but why go "unleaded" on a Pan? They already are.
But really I think Mr. Beans is just very proud to have a good running scoot.
That's priceless, right?
Floheadworks may well be a top notch shop,...but why go "unleaded" on a Pan? They already are.
Re: Head work
We only switched to unleaded a few years ago here in the U.K. The classic bike and car mags were full of articles on the havoc that would be wreaked on our engines. One guy put forward a theory that made a lot of sense to me. He reckoned that if your vehicle had already covered a few thousand miles, the valves and seats would be work hardened, so unleaded would be no problem. I decided to give it a try. My early Jap bikes are okay with unleaded anyway, but I've had no problems with my old Jaguar or my Norton Commando. Seems to me that some people made a lot of money out of exploiting other peoples fears.
Ironically, back in the 1920's, the U.K. motoring press was full of similar scare stories because leaded gas was about to be introduced.
Ironically, back in the 1920's, the U.K. motoring press was full of similar scare stories because leaded gas was about to be introduced.
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Cotten
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Re: Head work
Tetraethyl lead was introduced to increase octane; the side benefits as a valvestem lubricant, or valveseat preserver, are grossly over-rated.
Nitrided valves and seals are today's standard for an overhaul anyway. The only part left in the traditional "unleaded kit" is hardened seats. (The ones so notorious for falling out. Or cracking priceless heads during the installation. And expensive.)
The thermal expansion coefficients of an aluminum head and a hardened seat require that they be installed at .0065" interference, or they will have less than .0015" press when hot. Any overheating condition, such as advanced timing, or an evil manifold leak, raises temperatures to where the hardened seat will soften and shrink even further than its original size. Like welding out a wheelrace.
And even if you gave the hardened seats the benefit of a generous 20% more mileage,.....That means you might go 30 instead of 25 thousand before you freshen them up. Was that worth the risk, and all of that cash?
The answer to a sunken seat appears to be spray welding, where they build up the original cast-in seat.
Has anyone tried it?
Nitrided valves and seals are today's standard for an overhaul anyway. The only part left in the traditional "unleaded kit" is hardened seats. (The ones so notorious for falling out. Or cracking priceless heads during the installation. And expensive.)
The thermal expansion coefficients of an aluminum head and a hardened seat require that they be installed at .0065" interference, or they will have less than .0015" press when hot. Any overheating condition, such as advanced timing, or an evil manifold leak, raises temperatures to where the hardened seat will soften and shrink even further than its original size. Like welding out a wheelrace.
And even if you gave the hardened seats the benefit of a generous 20% more mileage,.....That means you might go 30 instead of 25 thousand before you freshen them up. Was that worth the risk, and all of that cash?
The answer to a sunken seat appears to be spray welding, where they build up the original cast-in seat.
Has anyone tried it?