[sulconst2]

hey,
my first post. been reading here for a while. could use some help.

tale of the tape!

built a 14 x 24 garage for a bike builder acquantance in feb. spent 4 days straight. got er done. guys got 2 bike lifts. snap-on cabinet box set-up. war eagle frame build, etc. he was supposed to do an 95" build, 211cams, fueling pump and lifters on my stock 02 fatboy. finally tells me i can bring it in but he wants it for the "duration". all winter! mutt! so i pulled the plug on the deal and collected $1500 for my troubles. now im on my own with this build and my parts.

here is the list.

s.e. performance heads
s.e. big bore 1550 +.020 cylinders
s.e. 1550 high comp cast piston kit +.020 (need to change)
s.e. 211 cams with install kit
fueling pump
fueling lifters
crane fireball ignition
thunderheaders
need pushrods, engine gasket kit, baisley spring

2 questions

any chance of finding a builder in central jersey to work with my parts?
is this a project i could consider doing myself?

i do have the 1500 back from the mutt. could purchase the specialty tools plus with the info from here and the manual its tempting. guess i'm looking for a push in either direction! :265:

 

[MechaGodzilla]

hey,
my first post. been reading here for a while. could use some help.

tale of the tape!

built a 14 x 24 garage for a bike builder acquantance in feb. spent 4 days straight. got er done. guys got 2 bike lifts. snap-on cabinet box set-up. war eagle frame build, etc. he was supposed to do an 95" build, 211cams, fueling pump and lifters on my stock 02 fatboy. finally tells me i can bring it in but he wants it for the "duration". all winter! mutt! so i pulled the plug on the deal and collected $1500 for my troubles. now im on my own with this build and my parts.

here is the list.

s.e. performance heads
s.e. big bore 1550 +.020 cylinders
s.e. 1550 high comp cast piston kit +.020 (need to change)
s.e. 211 cams with install kit
fueling pump
fueling lifters
crane fireball ignition
thunderheaders
need pushrods, engine gasket kit, baisley spring

2 questions

any chance of finding a builder in central jersey to work with my parts?
is this a project i could consider doing myself?

i do have the 1500 back from the mutt. could purchase the specialty tools plus with the info from here and the manual its tempting. guess i'm looking for a push in either direction! :265:

All winter for an afternoon project? Smart move collecting back your cash and pulling the plug.
Are you decent with a wrench and enjoy working on your bike? If the answer is yes, use the $1500 saved, get yourself some tools, a parts and service manual and do the job yourself. And maybe make a few changes to your component list if thats an option like gear driven cams. Few things you can do to improve the durability of your ride's engine.
Otherwise I'm sure someone will be able to point you to a reputable shop to do the conversion for you.

 

[rpbrock]

Get a hold of Doc.

You might talk to HDMD88 here on the board. He will either know of a guy in your area or he might build it for you himself for a fee.

Good luck.

 

[sulconst2]

All winter for an afternoon project? Smart move collecting back your cash and pulling the plug.
Are you decent with a wrench and enjoy working on your bike? If the answer is yes, use the $1500 saved, get yourself some tools, a parts and service manual and do the job yourself. And maybe make a few changes to your component list if thats an option like gear driven cams. Few things you can do to improve the durability of your ride's engine.
Otherwise I'm sure someone will be able to point you to a reputable shop to do the conversion for you.

i do enjoy working on the bike. just changed lower sliders, wheels, pulley, rotors and calipers. also have done forward controls and switch housings. all bolt on stuff with decent instructions in manual. which has become a daily read. i'm psyched to do this. just worried about getting in over my head:huh: would be willing to change parts. suggestions?

 

[Ozzie In Arabia]

hey,
my first post. been reading here for a while. could use some help.

tale of the tape!

built a 14 x 24 garage for a bike builder acquantance in feb. spent 4 days straight. got er done. guys got 2 bike lifts. snap-on cabinet box set-up. war eagle frame build, etc. he was supposed to do an 95" build, 211cams, fueling pump and lifters on my stock 02 fatboy. finally tells me i can bring it in but he wants it for the "duration". all winter! mutt! so i pulled the plug on the deal and collected $1500 for my troubles. now im on my own with this build and my parts.

here is the list.

s.e. performance heads
s.e. big bore 1550 +.020 cylinders
s.e. 1550 high comp cast piston kit +.020 (need to change)
s.e. 211 cams with install kit
fueling pump
fueling lifters
crane fireball ignition
thunderheaders
need pushrods, engine gasket kit, baisley spring

2 questions

any chance of finding a builder in central jersey to work with my parts?
is this a project i could consider doing myself?

i do have the 1500 back from the mutt. could purchase the specialty tools plus with the info from here and the manual its tempting. guess i'm looking for a push in either direction! :265:

Firstly, welcome to the forum sulconst2..............if you are mechanically adept..........there are quite a number of guys on here that will steer you down the correct path to a successful build.

All the best, Ozzie

 

[MechaGodzilla]

i do enjoy working on the bike. just changed lower sliders, wheels, pulley, rotors and calipers. also have done forward controls and switch housings. all bolt on stuff with decent instructions in manual. which has become a daily read. i'm psyched to do this. just worried about getting in over my head:huh: would be willing to change parts. suggestions?

Well, sounds like you can read a manual, and do basic mechanic stuff on your bike with no problems. If you have a service manual and a parts manual, then your already halfway there. Changing out your cams and installing big bore jugs and pistons is pretty easy. Ill give you a list of some basic tools that will come in handy for you. Maybe use it as a check list to see what you have and what you need to pick up:

Rachets: Have 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 available along with extensions and swivels.
Sockets: Most items on the bike are SAE Standard, deep and standard socket sizes, also torx and allen head bits will be required. You probably already have most of these.
Torque wrench: Have one of these handy in the 5-75 foot pound range will suffice. $75 at Sears
Feeler guage: This will come in handy to check piston to bore clearance and ring gap clearance. Make sure it goes down to .001" Can pick up one for less than $10
Manual ring filer: Great tool, you want one to make easy accurate work of accurately gapping your rings. WIth one of these its a 5 minute job, even for a first timer. $40
HD Service and parts manual for your bike $60 for both
3 ton tabletop portable press: Can get these cheap online for under $75. Will need it to press out your old cams and press in the new ones.
Ring pliers: To open the rings and install on your pistons $5
Jims camshaft outerbearing/camshaft install tool which is used with your press, about $100 for this.
Jims inner cam removal/install tool: $75
There are also a few small Jims tools that help hold and remove the tensioners from the camplate about an extra $35
Piston ring compressor set: For installing your pistons into the jugs, can find a set for $50

So with the $1500 saved you can get alot of great specialty tools that will allow you to do alot of the work on your HD for the conversion and future maintenance or projects.
With the extra money left over, I would suggest maybe switching to gear drive. Gets rid of the chains and the tensioners which has been an issue on some TC bikes. The gear drive conversion will run about $350. And if you see gear drive in your future, you may want to consider cams like the Woods TW-5g cam. Great cam, loads of torque,broad powerband. Was deisgned around the SE heads .575 lift limitations.
Another recommendation I would like to suggest is your ignition module. The Crane is a good unit, but if you have yet to purchase it, may want to take a serious look at S&S's IST ignition system. The IST takes out all of the guess work on your ignition timing. It automatically and continuously advances your spark curve for maximum performance, and will automatically retard the timing if spark knock is present under different and varying loads while riding. It's worth every penny. If you ever make an engine change or modification, it will learn and adapt to the changes. Love it, can't recommend it enough.

Rest of your parts list looks pretty good from a quick glance. %[email protected]

 

[sulconst2]

thanks for the positive push in the direction i wanted! I'm all in!

mecha thanks for the list. i've been writing down parts # from manual. this makes it easy.
i'd be interested in renting if hdwrench would be willing. after reading about the tentioners here i would invest in chain drive. plus i hear the s.e. pushrods are thick . plus the pistons i have are cast i read that won't work with s.e.performance heads. crane cam ignition looks complicated. i'll look into the IST. i'll ebay the pistons, fireball and cams. if you can fill in the blanks below plus offer suggested sellers i'll get movin! :xhere:

2002 carb fatboy
s.e. perf. heads
s.e. 1550 +.020 jugs new (need to be deglazed?)
pushrod suggestions?
fueling pump
fueling lifters
baisley spring
tw-5g cam kit
piston comp. to match the cams?
gasket kit?
s&s ist
thunderheaders 2-1

 

[ViennaHog]

thanks for the positive push in the direction i wanted! I'm all in!

mecha thanks for the list. i've been writing down parts # from manual. this makes it easy.
i'd be interested in renting if hdwrench would be willing. after reading about the tentioners here i would invest in chain drive. plus i hear the s.e. pushrods are thick . plus the pistons i have are cast i read that won't work with s.e.performance heads. crane cam ignition looks complicated. i'll look into the IST. i'll ebay the pistons, fireball and cams. if you can fill in the blanks below plus offer suggested sellers i'll get movin! :xhere:

2002 carb fatboy
s.e. perf. heads
s.e. 1550 +.020 jugs new (need to be deglazed?)
pushrod suggestions?
fueling pump
fueling lifters
baisley spring
tw-5g cam kit
piston comp. to match the cams?
gasket kit?
s&s ist
thunderheaders 2-1

I am wondering about your jug being + 0.020. Did you bore them that way? AFAIK HD sells only a standard bore cylinders and over sized pistons for future repair jobs.....
You may wan to check with HDWRENCH on parts, he has good prices from what I hear.
As do the push rods, any good easy fit would do unless you are certain that you not going to change cams etc. then perfect fit rod would come to my mind. I never got around to perfect fit PR as I am messing too often with the engine.

Good luck

 

[hotshotfxdl]

If you are mechanical at all I would do it yourself. Just take your time and take notice to how things are as you take things apart, as they go back the same way. I did my own last winter. I would go with the TW-5G for sure I just did mine a week ago. The SE 211's are OK but you will probably want to get rid of them later anyway. And for sure you want to get away from the chain tensioners. I would become a paying member on this site so you can view all of the pictures, it will be well worth the 15 bucks. Also as mentioned by others go get a shop manual at the HD Dealership before you start. Looking at it will give you an idea of what you are getting into. Also they have a manual with exploded views of everything and these pictures are not in the shop manual it could be a big help when you are wondering what is behind something. I laid everything out in an order that made sense to me as I took thinks apart. I also took digital pictures as I took things apart and put them pback together. I still reference those pictures today. One thing you may have to do is grind some clearance for those TW-5G cams as they may hit the case. Hey you got all winter,if you take your time and pay attention to details there will be no better feeling when you start that baby up trust me.

 

[sulconst2]

paid my dues weeks ago. premium member!
bought the manual the same week i bought the bike. use it regular.
really hipped on doing this. looking at presses on ebay for the cams. just put bearings in chromed wheels with pvc pipe. wasn't pretty! but got er done.
jugs are new from harley # 16547-99 1550 + .020 got them cheaper than boring stock. the s.e. h.c. cast pistons i bought i believe wont work. harley book says you can't use with the s.e. perf. heads. "read and learn". there is a forged wiseco set 1550 + .020 on ebay now im looking to grab. thanks for the input on tw-5g.

need to figure if compression from heads and piston work with the cam.

how do you get a hold of hdwrench for tools and parts?

 

[Prky Pg]

Don't forget our sponsor "Georges Garage" sells the cam tools for less than Jim's

 

[ToddM]

Piston ring compressor set: For installing your pistons into the jugs, can find a set for $50

Or $2.00 for a worm-gear type hose clamp. I've been using them for years. They work great! :beer4u:

 

[ToddM]

I also took digital pictures as I took things apart and put them pback together. I still reference those pictures today.

Very good advice! The digital camera has made this type of work a lot easier! You can never take enough pictures. It'll make assembly a lot easier.

 

[sulconst2]

Or $2.00 for a worm-gear type hose clamp. I've been using them for years. They work great! :beer4u:

yea thanks! seen that at a link posted in this forum.

http://www.harleyhog.co.uk/1550/bb9online.htm

shows short cuts to avoid purchase of some specialty tools.

keep it coming i'm soaking it in like a sponge! :beer4u:

 

[HDWRENCH]

cam tool rental is 50, I have in the past rented the ring compressor +and a others

 

[LittleBear]

I used a ring compressor for an old VW engine. Their pistons have to go in from the bottom also. Got it at an auto parts store.

 

[hotshotfxdl]

Feel free to e mail me if you have any questions. I only now enough to be dangerous but my bike is still running after all I did so it couldnt be to bad
~!Awesome!
I got pic's too

 

[sulconst2]

getting my ducks in a row. hopefully easier than getting my kids to line up straight!
picked up a nice set of jesse james mac torque wrenches. plus a 3 ton arbor im picking up sat. i pm'd hdwrench for an opinion and part quote. looks like i need to unload some parts i won't use. guess i will post them here on the classifieds and ebay. once i get it together ill be back for more "knowledge".
:yes:

 

[hotshotfxdl]

Couple of thoughts. I did the cylinders and pistons first. Once I had the cylinders and pistons, and heads all together then I did the cams. Be sure to have all of your timing marks lined up before you pull the cam plate. The rear cam with the gear on it has a dot on it. It should be lined up with the dot mark on the small gear on the crank. Do not rotate the motor again until
you have the cam plate back in with the new cams on it. This keeps things simple. Also note the timing marks for the rear and front cam both before and when putting in the new ones. I also made some thin card board cut outs to protect the inners from any debries. HD is nice enough to mix and match foot lbs and inch lbs for torque setting so watch for that too. I have attached a conversion chart just in case seems I needed it at some point during my build even though I had a tq wrench for each.
http://www.srtorque.com/torqcon/tcip.html

 

[Ozzie In Arabia]

If anyone is interested to convert from foot lbs to inch pounds, divide by 12.

All the best, Ozzie