1954 frame

[Lutazca]

Dear guys , I am new of this forum.
I have a oem Panhead frame for sale. My frame has data code 4H , so, August 1954, used on 1955 motorcycles.
Other question, I have a Panhead engine 54FL4173, so late 1954 panhead engine. I asked many times to many friends in USA which is the correct straightleg data code for this engine. Is it 4A 4B 4C 4D or 4E?

Thanks in advance

[1950Panhead]

Is it 4A 4B 4C 4D or 4E?

Any of those and several others

[Lutazca]

Dear 1950Panhead, I would like to know if Harley Davidson stoped the whishbone frame and started straightleg frame.
Now an old man said to me the correct frame for my engine 4173 could be wishbone but he is not sure. Is there someone that can tell me which is the correct frame for me?

I can spend 5000 usd for correct frame

[Buddhahoodvatoloco]

My understanding was HD quality control was not the best, what year frame can be debated back and forth..

[Faustmill]

I have 54FL4993. Panhead sales bottomed out in 1954 at 4757 units. "Late in 1954" the wishbone frame went to the straight leg frame, according to Greg Field's book. A couple of years ago I called HD Customer Service to see if they could tell which frame was correct for my bike, but they could not. I also talked to the frame expert in Australia (cannot remember his name now) and he did not know either. Also did a little more research but never found the answer. But if sales topped out at 4757 units, then 54FL4993 sounds "late" to me. So I went with the V-Twin 54-57 straight leg replica frame. My parts went on the frame well and the bike handles well at highway speed. The only original frames I could find were pretty beat and very expensive -- I did not want to fool with them.

[Doc37W]

According to "The Legend Begins" book by H-D, there was 4,757 Big Twins built in 1954, 1,579 KHs, 1,397 Servicars, & 2,835 ST singles for a total of 10,568. The last VIN would have been 54FL5758 or 54FLE5758 as they started at 1001 (or 1000). E was the only other letter used that year in the motor VIN in conjuntion with FL and was used to denote a 61 cam & carburetor on a Police bike (known as a Traffic Combination). Doc

[Andygears]

My frame is coded 4D and is straight leg, not much else is original to '54 but the upper portion of my frame. Perhaps someone who has a '54 wishbone could reveal the date code and we could deduce when the switch was made to straight leg, then guess where your motor number fits in.

My 2 cents
Andygears

[Doc37W]

According to B. Palmer's SE, on page 54, top of second colunm, "Per the factory drawing 47000-40A, the first 3500 1954 Big Twins have the wishbone frame" So, starting with motor 54FL(E)4501 , Big Twins were finished with a straight leg frame. He has a graph of the castings and their die numbers used on the different frames for 1948-M'54. Also, he mentions that there were replacement frames made in later years that had the later date stamps and later die numbers. Date of manufacturing is stamped on the upper right side top motor mount starting around March of 1953. A=Jan., B=Feb., C=Mar., etc. and the last number of the year is used, i.e., 3=1953, 4='54, 5='55, etc. So, a frame made in April,1954 would be stamped 4D or D4 (can be either). Doc

[Doc37W]

Lutazca, looks like you're going to need a wishbone frame. Dated G3 (July '53) to B4 (Feb '54) ? Doc

[Speeding Big Twin]

Bruce Palmer contradicts himself. I went through all this on CAI in 2015 when I tried unsuccessfully to resolve the 54 frame issue for someone else. And more recently I’ve been trying to help Lutazca.

On page 54 Palmer refers to a factory drawing and he says it is 47000-40A. I do not think so. According to my 1949–57 H-D catalog, 47000-40A is not a factory drawing but is instead the part number for a frame. Palmer even agrees with me because on page 52 he refers to that number as a part number when he states: ‘The part number of the frame changed to #47000-40A…’

Pages 54-55 of Palmer describe the early-54 WB, mid-54 WB and late-54 S-L. But captions on pages 950-951 say mid-year (not late) change to S-L.
Page 952 FYoF list mentions return of the S-L frame, BT, mid-season change at approx 54FL3501. This indicates approximately the first 2500 BTs had a WB frame, given SNs for 1954 Pans began at 1000. But that contradicts page 54 which says the first 3500 1954 BTs have WB.
Which amount is correct? Or are both amounts wrong?

Almost one month ago I emailed Palmer but I received no reply. Nine days later I tried again but I received no response. I rang or emailed certain other people and places in the States and I rang several shops here in Australia. No-one could tell me when the changes occurred and no-one had H-D literature that mentioned said changes. One person told me the changes were not documented and in his second response he was quite blunt about it.

During my search I ran across two H-D publications that involved the 1950s so I ordered them. They won’t arrive for another couple of weeks though and I have no idea if they contain the info we want.
Eric

[Doc37W]

Eric, I wish we could find someone who owns a '54 FL that has a VIN close to 3501 or 4501 and can document that it's been together since it left the factory. At least then, we could get a little closer to when the change occured. Boy, are we nerds or what? LOL!! Doc

[Speeding Big Twin]

Cheers Doc. Yes, that’s what we need. At least that would give us something to work with even though there may have been some overlap re the change from WB to S-L.

More than a fortnight ago I emailed the AMCA Chief Judge. I figured the club may have factory documentation and/or factory drawings to use when examining a 54, especially mid-54, because if they didn’t then how would a judge know what frame was appropriate. I received no response.

Something I read elsewhere is that about the first 3000 frames for 54 models were WB, meaning VINs were around 4000 when the S-L appeared. But I’ve seen no factory document(s) to support this claim. And of course it is in direct conflict not only with Palmer page 54 but also with Palmer page 952.
Eric

[1950Panhead]

Cheers Doc. Yes, that’s what we need. At least that would give us something to work with even though there may have been some overlap re the change from WB to S-L.

More than a fortnight ago I emailed the AMCA Chief Judge. I figured the club may have factory documentation and/or factory drawings to use when examining a 54, especially mid-54, because if they didn’t then how would a judge know what frame was appropriate. I received no response.

Eric,
Highest wishbone vin, lowest straight vin you have seen ?

[Bigincher]

Eric, I wish we could find someone who owns a '54 FL that has a VIN close to 3501 or 4501 and can document that it's been together since it left the factory. At least then, we could get a little closer to when the change occured. Boy, are we nerds or what? LOL!! Doc

Doc, Dennis Corso owns an original '54. I can't tell you if it can be 'documented', but I think Dennis is approachable on the subject; he's as much an enthusiast as you or I, and I'm sure he'd be willing to share what he knows.
You can contact him through his website via email.