broken piston

[PanPal]

I was installing .020 over pistons with the 32 style wrist pin clips. The tool I made didn't work well the first night, so I made up a modification part and was able to snap the clips in place the second go around. The first night I distorted a clip so after I had it installed I was making sure the clip was in place by pushing with a screw driver on the sides. Well after seeing a little spring back on one side and my bad eyes I kept poking around and accidentally cracked from the recess in the piston pin into the oil ring groove. Sucks! They were fitted to the cylinders and I have my ring gaps filed to fit the bores. So I'm looking for some .020 over 74 " 8.5:1 cast pistons. The local shop has a set I may pick up tomorrow. Which vendors pistons should I stay away from? examples - drag specialties, custom chrome, twin power etc.... I'm guessing I want to take my cylinders along with me and a long .002 and .003 feeler gauge and make sure I am not out of spec and can use these pistons with my present .020 over bore. I can refit them again if there is honing needed. Any suggestions welcome.

[58flh]

Panpal---Yea thats a bummer,Also you called what to stay away from--I use cast pistons on street ridden motors ALL the time!/KB supplies them Hastings makes them ,Among a few others that also supply Forged pistons.TRW is 1-example that somebody brang me .030-over cast pistons for a Motor a few yrs. ago.You should be able to get cast slugs from a REPUTABLE HD DEALER!--I have along with oem rods & wheels!.If your having trouble -just go hunting on google/scores of suppliers will pop-up!.I got rods & pistons about 6yrs. back for a pan from a HD dealer.I was told that most of the old stores that been in biz. longer then were alive have no problem & usually sell at discount because of all the Junk that is now made for the Credit-card weekend Bikers.--Respectfully---RICHIE

[PanPal]

The HD parts department looked up the part number for me and gave me on store in PA that had it listed. They only have 1 and the guy couldn't give me a price. He was going to talk with his boss and get pricing. He said parts like this that are obsolete since 75 they may raise the price. I'm still waiting to see what they want if he calls back. Went to the local vintage bike shop today and the cast pistons he has were Superior brand made in Taiwan. They get them from Eastern. Any input on these! The .002 feeler gauge was loose so I didn't buy them. Now, either my buddy has a .020 that fits tighter, or I'm looking at going to .030. The problem is the OE high compression piston he has in .020 over is the spiral lock ring type and he only has 1. I'm not so happy with this mismatch stuff. I'm thinking I want 2 new pistons with spiral locks and probably will need to go to the .030 over. Anyone have 2 pistons part # 22145-55C?

[George Greer]

JW Boon in Holland has them NOS.

George

[PanPal]

Yea George, I' m finding them online outside the US. After more research I think I really want to find 22145-55B pistons. I found the 55A has the external pin C clips, 55B has the spiralox and 55C has I believe the internal c clips. I lucked onto a site last night on my I pad that said they had piston, pin and clip sets oem for $49 each. Now I can't open the link from work.

http://partstream.arinet.com/Mobile/S" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PanPal]

Well found 2 pistons part #22145-55C and ordered them from A HD dealer in Iowa. $50 a piece. Fair enough for OEM NOS parts. Hell the local guy wanted $60 each the the aftermarket pistons. Kinda nice the HD parts person can tell you which Harley shop has the obsolete parts your looking for. It's just not open to the public online. They gave me 3 dealers with these in stock. And that link in the previous post was some dealer in Missouri's web guy that loaded every part number there is in their inventory list. That's who I ended up calling to find these other 3 that did have them.

[George Greer]

Glad you found what you needed.

George

[58flh]

There are scores of OEM parts that are considered obsolete according to HD!--The HD dealer that use to be on US-1 in rahway NJ--Got leveled 20+yrs. ago!-- .The "obsolete" parts were PLENTIFUL & it took a longtime to go thru it & account for what was there!.I just wish I had purchased more wheel & rod sets/Along with all OEM bulbs clamps/you name it-& it was there.BUT obsolete parts were everywhere then!. -It makes me sick just thinking about it!.But Alot of the stock went to other HD Dealers in NJ.-BUT knowing that goodies are sitting safely in cosmoline at a certain place DOES not mean your going to get to buy them!//They are reserved for a close friend of the owner & Family olny!.Yes it sucks not being able to just get what you may need,& not take advantage & buy alot for$25K!.BUT even though I helped load trucks & vans for a weekend--I cant get what I want!-Why --I have no ties to the owner!-Never even met him! when this took place long ago!.Also Its his stuff & can do what he wants with it!---His whole crew could never use whats in there! in thier lifetime & thier kids also.Im glad you FOUND your PARTS!!!& from a HD-DEALER to boot!--To me that speaks volumes of the owner!.----Respectfully--Thats is why I tend to know alot of the (nope never heard of him guys)-I find them more easy to talk to & deal with.Always support a local bike shop!---HD has credit cards & stocks to worry about!--They left us long ago!-its all fashion & crap parts that they think there doing you a favor by looking at a PC screen & reading off exactly what you did 10min.ago at home!.Whats disturbing is that the FANCY VISA BIKERS & thier Ol-Ladies will MAKE-up 35% or MORE on FASHION & PERFUME!-& HD is smiling all the way to the BANK every quarter!.ugh-enuff rant/sorry ----RICHIE

[PanPal]

I hear ya Richie. You know what I ordered isn't the real good stuff either. Revision C would be the last of what Harley was having made for them with the 55 part number and by this time they were outsourcing having them made in Taiwan. There is a big difference in the metal used to make the pistons with revision A. That's the early pistons your dealer is saving for friends and family