Noot

1948 Motor

All parts blasted and washed.

Rod races replaced and surface ground
Races honed (rough to finish)

Bore gauges set-up

Wrist pin bushings replaced(Kibblewhite)
Reamed & Fine Honed

(now a light press at 70 degrees)

Shafts checked for run-out (centers checked)

Flywheels blasted, washed and shafts trued with each side

Cylinders turned (turned base and head gasket surface
with live center) Fire Ring height checked

Cylinders bored and finish honed
(painted H-D Hi-Heat)

Crank Pin measures a bit big @ 1.250

(should be 1.249)

I don't want my original all trashed in the shop. This Second Edition has more information. If you read all these from cover to cover, and have decent comprehension . . . you will be an expert on 1936-1965 Harley Davidson Big Twins and Sidevalves. Thanks Bruce & Friends !

Rosemary

I like Rosemary Chicken. I bit into a large piece of the spice - whoa . . . it has a distinctive "flower power" taste. A hint is best.

Thor Drake of See See Motorcycles

I've only met him once . . . but, he left a great impression. Super nice fella from the northwest. Very talented in all things motorcycle. AND, he's really a hell-of-a motorcycle rider . . . touring, long distance, trails or flat track - this guy can go ! Cool name: Thor Drake (almost as good as Lake Speed)

Cold, Clear & Clean

Cold air brings back memories of mod SRXs, GPXs, Blizzards, TXLs . . . Sno Pro on the ice oval with Super Seer shields and leathers. See: of Ice & Engines by C.J. Ramstad.
My name is in the book . . .

The Perfect Bowie Tribute

The local radio station 103.7 did about as perfect of a David Bowie tribute as could be done. All requests by local listeners left me rocking and smiling with Suffragette City and Rebel Rebel near the end. His new album Black Star is already a hit . . . leaving the rest of us back here on planet earth with more new music. Bowie's career will most likely never end.

RETRO REWIND Dubuque - Kicks Ass !

A great turn-out of choppers, hot-rods and customs filled the Five Flags Center. Lots of stuff to check out from nostalgia clothing, antiques, auction, music, films all day . . . a real lay back event right in the heart of Dubuque, Iowa's historical district. A great time was had by all . . .

Partied down with Steve, Susan, Michael, Clara, Pete & crew . . . Good to see Nate, Mike, Jimbo,

Spencer, Zac, Darryl, McCoy, John (as in Wells) . . . and the whole Hee Haw gang !

Above: Phantom Party People (guess who ???)

Winter blues . . . now cured.

Markel made it look easy . .

He always made flat track motorcycle racing look easy for me. Just put your left foot down, hard and locked. You don't need gloves. You don't need much of a helmet. A light shield, no goggles. Here, he doesn't even need an air filter on this clean, blue-groove. What Bart Markel doesn't show . . . is that you need a really stocky build, strong arms, strong hands(with a vise-like grip), strong legs and nerves of steel to win multiple championships on heavy Harley KRs and XRs - on all types of tracks under every type of track condition imaginable. A former golden gloves boxer . . . Markel was known to just move you right over if you weren't fast enough to get away from him.

Stroker Power

This sucker looks tall don't it ?

If it runs as good as it looks . . . hold on !

How to HOTROD Small-Block CHEVYS TECH:

If you like the small block Chevrolet, this book is great for building stock, warm or really hot motors. Technical information, graphs, specs. and lots of photos. I have 4 different books for this 283 project . . . and I keep referring to this book most often.

FTWCO & COC Shirts

I have a total of 29 shirts from FTWCO and/or Church of Choppers. (I was wearing one, and a couple more in the wash) They've held up quite well. My oldest is the Swazi shirt(6th & Boston). Latest is Hannah !

Front End Dreams

I was so pumped about gettin' my front end all done . . . I took it to bed with me so I could stare at it while I fell asleep. I may have a problem no doctor can diagnose ?

Cal "You Do It" Custom

It's a neat pan, agreed. Like all aftermarket products - it usually requires modifications.

- Fastener alignment

- End Seal alignment (shaping pan arches)

- Oil pump pickup clearance

- Windage tray modification

- Lots of little stuff . . .

Plus, they can be easy to damage from rocks, railroad tracks, big racoons, deer antlers . . . and difficult to repair (on the car anyway), and you don't really see all my detail work
unless you crawl under the vehicle.

They sure look cool !

Fiberglass Trackmaster

I'm breathing weird dust . . . Safer than a Camel or Marlboro ?

Seat Mount

Please excuse my welding ability. It's on. It's straight . . .

and the seat and powder coat will cover it.

R.F. - Retro Flics

No easy way for these . . .

STRAIGHT HEX (3 different lengths)

BALL END

Whoever invented these Ratchet Wrenches gets a pat-on-the-back.

Good Job Dude !
(I needed all (5 ways), and some time to get these buggers on)

One o' the best motors H-D ever made (I know)

The Ironhead Sportster. 1957-1985. The later ones get a little weird, but still a solid motor that will get you anywhere you want to go. As fast or easy as you want to go. A thrill a minute !

Pushrod Blues . . .

Why do these aftermarket companies make their pushrod diameters so big they hit on everything. They touch and rub on the inside of the covers, they can hit the rocker boxes . . . They should just make a nice, thin set of pushrods that expand and contract properly (like H-D intended). What's wrong with some light, steel rods? These things are moving like a 1/2" . . if that. I don't believe we're gaining that much horsepower advantage, for the pain-in-the-ass these oversize push-rods cause.