Tappet Guide Paint & "Special" Solid Gasket

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VintageTwin
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Tappet Guide Paint & "Special" Solid Gasket

#1

Post by VintageTwin »

tappet.jpg
I'm inspecting the tappets for side-slop with a plunger dial on a stand; then the needle bearings (Japanese) and roller surfaces for any wear. These are Colony solid conversion tappet cups, no springs under the cup. They were "red' Loctited once, but have since broke that bond. I never re-cemented them, because it was a failure first time out, so why repeat a mistake? This motor has 30k miles on the bottom end - has always used Harley-Davidson® 20W-50. Now I'm going to alternate with grade 60 if it's still available. New top end.

Does any one have a spray can heat paint that would pass visual inspection? VHF® heat-proof?
Haven't looked in Palmers book yet for leads, but the glare of "aluminum" paint is more "bling" than I can live with. Aluminum paint seems not of the Panhead era.
Eastwood's "cadmium" spray is close, no primer needed. I have a can of that, but it's not heat proof.

Careful with the criss-cross tightening of the hex screws. Hand torque only. Mine were tightened way less than 15 inch pounds. You can snap an ear off, because of the blocks not sitting flat, or if you over-tighten an old piece of obsolete, brittle cast iron.

Does anyone have any extra no-return-hole gaskets for sale? They come in 5-pks. for the front and rear tappets guides. Not having the oil hole keeps the guide from leaking on solid lifter conversion motors. Maybe Kick-Start has them separate - dunno. Not listed in the K.S. parts book. Sure would be nice to have, but I don't have a $50.00 min. order. to order them from V-Twin. Part # (15-0236). J&P only has the stock ones with an oil hole.
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Last edited by Anonymous on Sat Jul 05, 2008 3:47 am, edited 3 times in total.
VintageTwin
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#2

Post by VintageTwin »

Does anyone in the USA need any part from V-Twin that costs at least $26.55 :?:
If you do, then I'll order it for you dealer price and send it to you in the mail, but it has to be something small that I can fit into a priority mail box or flat-rate box. You can PayPal me the money for your part and your postage.
Think fast dude.......I need these solid-lifter gaskets and I can't crack the nut on a V-Twin $50.00 minimum order.
Kick-Start doesn't carry them.
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#3

Post by VPH-D »

Panhead and Shovelhead lifter blocks were painted with heat resistant silver paint.
VPH-D
VintageTwin
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#4

Post by VintageTwin »

silver paint
Thanks! Is that the same as "aluminum" paint?

News Flash :!:
J&P has the "special" no-hyraulic oil hole tappet guide gaskets for $4.99 a set + shipping = $14.73. The part number is the same as V-Twins 15-0236
http://www.jpcycles.com/productgroup.as" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... age&page=1
But you have to call them. They're not sold online.

I'll post some pics of the tappet fit and gasket. My solids always leaked under the rear block, because the gasket had that oil return hole.
Last edited by Anonymous on Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.
51Hog
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#5

Post by 51Hog »

JP is a great life line--- So far they have had everything I needed, at a very good price, and have yet to charge me shipping. Polite too. I have talked to some knowledgeable people there. There are also some real winners there.
Sometimes it takes them a while to ship tho---
I have been waiting on this last order to ship for 7 days now. It still has not left their door.
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#6

Post by George Greer »

In my opinion.....

J&P Cycles suck :evil:

I would not purchase another item from them...and I will tell you.......

IF you get something from them...AND it don't fit or work..

Then you contact them about it or ask for help....

Well........all I got was a smartass Customer Service chick(must have been her time).........

Or the smartmouth Tech Service Rep...

They suck.

And my name is George Greer...not hiding behing my sign on.
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#7

Post by 51Hog »

Guess it depends on who you talk to, and what kind of attitude you have when you contact them. I like to think that most of the time, Approach determines response. If you get hold of someone that you don't want to deal with, the solution is simple. Just ask to speak with someone else.
When you find someone knowledgeable, get his name and extension and only deal with him. That is what I do and it works great at least for now.
.IRon

Silver heat resistant paint still available at H-D Dealers

#8

Post by .IRon »

The Silver heat resistant paint is still available at H-D Dealers - the exact color you are looking for...

Part #98660-78

I just bought a few cans a couple weeks back.

.IRon[/b]
VintageTwin
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#9

Post by VintageTwin »

Silver tappet guide paint: Part #98660-78
Thank Yew :!:
I'll call San Diego Harley-Davidson for a stock check. When I get it, I'll post a pic.
I'll check out the H-D silver VPH-D. Thanks .IRon The "aluminum" look seems more of flathead to me. I think Harley used aluminum paint in a couple of places on the flatheads, with the layered aluminum metal flakes as a sealer in head gasket operations.
"The 1953-1965 tappet guides are painted silver." - B. Plamer, Restoration guide - page 187.
In "Appendix A" the paint is listed as 9866*-49, (page 511).
Imo that is when Harley-Davidson first offered it. 1949.
Last edited by Anonymous on Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:49 pm, edited 5 times in total.
VPH-D
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#10

Post by VPH-D »

Heat resistant silver is not the same color as hr aluminum. The hr aluminum came out for the FXS Lowrider series. The hr aluminum does work pretty well for "cad plating in a can."
VPH-D
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#11

Post by VintageTwin »

My OEM tappet guides are too beat to go back into service.
Last edited by Anonymous on Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:26 pm, edited 10 times in total.
51Hog
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#12

Post by 51Hog »

Very cool idea VT. I was thinking of a similar situation with specialized tools. Borrow the tool with a replacement deposit to be returned if and when the tool was returned undamaged. Borrower pays the freight in both directions. Some of the tools are used once in a life time for some of us.
Dale
VintageTwin
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Star Washers? Who needs them?

#13

Post by VintageTwin »

silvpntgskt01ag5.jpg
Guide gasket for solid lifters. No oil return hole may cure the guide base leak problem.
I'm going to mask the (countersunk) guide holes from paint with some exacto-knife dots of blue tape.
I've heard the concave star washers tear up the cast iron. The washers aren't on mine now.
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Last edited by Anonymous on Fri Jul 04, 2008 4:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
windweaver
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#14

Post by windweaver »

the washers are there to keep them from loosening, and leaking. WW
VintageTwin
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#15

Post by VintageTwin »

Okay WW. Thanks for your reasoning.

I went out and set the inch lb. torque wrench on 15 in. lbs to see if I could move any existing screws. I could easily turn the screws a tiny bit.
If the screws were already torqued to say, 25 in. lbs., the wrench would click as soon as I tried to tighten the screw, right?.
I'd only tighten them hand-tight with a light seating behind a 6" breaker bar and the adapter x 5/16 socket which will reach all the screws.
A torque wrench is out of the question, unless they make a 1/4" drive beam torque wrench.
tptguid01ul6.jpg
Wrapped and taped I flooded the area with brake cleaner and a clean toothbrush.
tptguid03wc6.jpg
Vacuumed the tappets and under the screws when I backed them off enough. Anywhere dirt could be, I made sure it was gone.
The bike tire tube rubber bands keep the tappets from falling out when the guides are lifted.
tptguid04zr4.jpg
This socket set up is the only thing I can find that works on all of the screws.
tptguid02xe3.jpg
I found a roll of white paper wire-ties. You can write on the paper to keep parts identified.

Problem turns out to be, that my rear tappet guide is stuck to the motor. I sprayed WD-40 all around the base and tapped on the guide with the plastic end of a screwdriver (to set up capillary vibration). I wrapped blue tape around the top of the guide and used a 14" pair of channel locks, and gently tried to twist the guide clock-wise and c.c.w but it was a no-go. I'm going to wait until morning and try to knock it on the front (flat) edge with a plastic mallet (as per the Clymer manual). I tried using a hardwood wedge and a hammer. Another no-go.

I finally got the tappet guide to move by putting a 1" diameter x 2' long wooded dowel on the flat exterior side of the guide, and tapping the dowel with an 8 oz. ball peen hammer. This moved the tappet block off it's gasket enough, so that I could stick the rounded end of a s/s pocket (clip) ruler under the base of the guide and between the (top of the) gasket that was stuck to the crankcase.
tppts04ue9.jpg
The tappets don't look so good after 30k miles. Stett's told me that if he can catch a fingernail over a series of scuff marks (on pistons), then they need to be replaced.
tppts06hg1.jpg
I found it easier to stuff 3" wide strips of paper towel into the tappet holes, then clean up any small over-spray later with lacquer thinner.
I pressed on to pieces of tape over the screw holes and rubbed graphite from a pencil on the diameters and cut them out with scissors. Two coats of paint two hours apart.
tppts09gu2.jpg
tppts10fd4.jpg
tppts11om7.jpg
The tappet bores are pretty gnarley. I emery-papered the sharp rim top of the bore. The rough bores wore out the tappet skirts, but I got 30k on them, plus the OEM guides were used when I got them. In order to use .005" over size tappets, the bores would need to be honed.
solidkitlu8.jpg
I'm using the stock solid lifter kit from V-Twin/ Sifton® (Taiwan) that includes solid lifter tappets w/ adjusting screws, guide blocks, and push rods with the fat tips (not the narrow hydraulic tips).
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