Colony kits

[suicideshovel65]

Anyone know of a cheap but decent stockist of these kits, and are they what you'd recommend to use throughout your bike (not bothered about authenticity, just quality)? Amazed at how many bolts a Panhead can have missing, and still have been running (according to previous owner)!

Post by panhandler

J&P cycles stocks these along with most aftermarket catalogues. Guess it depends exactly what you need them for. Just watch anything made overseas as the torque value sometimes leaves a lot to be desired (Meaning China or Taiwan).

Post by weezeo

If your talking pushrods I go for the one's (I think there Colony or Paughco) that have the 2 nut adjustment as oppossed to 3 nut its easier when adj and you don't have to fool with 3 wrenches. Also get it to the point where just barely spin dead cold not a real hard turn but not spinning freely.

Post by dereborn

I've been told that you should be able to just barely spin the pushrods with oily fingers...

Post by cotten

Steel pushrods should have slight drag to turn; Aluminum pushrods should drag heavily, but still turn.

Different thermal coefficients of expansion, y'know.

Post by dereborn

Yep, I learned the rules of physics when the valve seat (steel) expanded less than the heads, and came loose... But if you look at it that way, the aluminum rods should expand more than the steel ones, and therefore be adjusted with MORE play...? Or do they expand in width ratherthan length maybe, that would make sense. Anyone know?

Post by cotten

Hardened valve seats fall out when they shrink from overheating (excluding poor installation problems, of course).
You may remember the old trick for removing blind races (like fork cups) by welding a bead around them to shrink them. It is the same effect, except that you didn't want it to happen in your heads.
Overheating can be caused by advanced timing, overlean carburetion, or the Evil Manifold Leak (most common).
Because of the difference in expansion coefficients, seats in aluminum heads need ~ 6 thou interference on the exhaust seats. Often replacements are barnyarded by cramming another stock seat into the old one's counterbore. Unfortunately, the original counterbores are never concentric, thus allowing air gaps that prevent heat dispersion, as well as making the machininist sink them to china to get them round again. So the cycle of destruction perpetuates itself.

[58flh]

My personal exp. with Colony is this----I have used there bolts,nuts,washers,some studs here & there & had no problems!. But when it comes to pushrods, My exp. have been all bad. They claim to heattreat the ends where the adj. & upper ball are inserted. Well I have had 1 of the upper balls disindegrate rightout!. And twice I had the adj. crack right out of the rod-tube!. Luckily no major damage was done-outside of replacing one push-rod cover. Now I use all steel pushrods with no problems!. Also I have to tell you when I blewout my pushrods it was about 8yrs.ago.Maybe they have gotten better since then. Right now I still am running the set I got 5yrs. ago in my sportster with no problems!. But for the longer-stroke panhead I had no luck with them. Again this is olny my exp.that I can tell you of!. (good-Luck & always keep it upright)--58flh

[58flh]

My personal exp. with Colony is this----I have used there bolts,nuts,washers,some studs here & there & had no problems!. But when it comes to pushrods, My exp. have been all bad. They claim to heattreat the ends where the adj. & upper ball are inserted. Well I have had 1 of the upper balls disindegrate rightout!. And twice I had the adj. crack right out of the rod-tube!. Luckily no major damage was done-outside of replacing one push-rod cover. Now I use all steel pushrods with no problems!. Also I have to tell you when I blewout my pushrods it was about 8yrs.ago.Maybe they have gotten better since then. Right now I still am running the set I got 5yrs. ago in my sportster with no problems!. But for the longer-stroke panhead I had no luck with them. Again this is olny my exp.that I can tell you of!. (good-Luck & always keep it upright)--58flh

58flh---Also I wanted to ad was when you do fracture a alum.Colony pushrod ,you will notice that the steel-parts--ADJ,-TOPBALL, are inserted into the rods about 1/2 to 9/16 inch. A Bro of mine took a new set & we pulled out the adj & topball & machined new ones that went in deeper when inserted-(1.000) was the final of insertion.,-He has been running his pan now with the conversion we did for almost 3yrs.Lots of miles! I think it was a good Idea ,considering there only in there a half inch & thats the critical part that takes the abuse of the valvetrain ,also everyone that Ive ever seen fracture like this! I changed to steel ,just for the reassurance Will let you know how it works out! We are doing a set for a customer. Will keep posted