1961 XLCH Ironhead R&R

20140921183542
1961 XLCH Ironhead R&R #149 Motor Rebuild Overhaul Harley Sportster
complete teardown inspection rebuild reassembly install and get running.
this sportster bobber only had 175 miles on its rebuilt motor before it needed to be fix correctly.
I built the bike earlier in the year so it was up to me to fix it now.
see it as I go and don't miss the fun.

[@shawnmartins169]

Thanks Fred for protecting my eyes I can't afford to get a piece of metal in it lol I got to work on Monday

[@charliedee9276]

Most of the ironhead guys I know and the drag bike builder I rode for never used more than one shim on the cams, I was showed a small box full of shredded ones. I ended up doing on my 74 xlch what they did and had shims made for each cam with endplay of .010". The later ironheads are recommended to run no shims at all regardless of the play.

[@TatroMachine]

they are not really needed that much unless you get up over .030. tatro

[@M3Atelier-Initiative]

best 22:31 on yt. #148-150 both extremely helpful. thks.

[@Jaime-qh2vd]

Hey Tatro, why do you place the shims at back instead of putting them between the gear and the cam cover how it says in the manual? Is there any benefits by doing that? Thanks

[@TatroMachine]

it doesn't matter. they get chewed up in both locations. use the thickest shims you can use. they cover up the timing marks on the outside. besides, who reads the service manual. if you noticed, i do things my way not how others do it. if it works i stay with it, if not i make changes until i find what works for me. tatro

[@lassei4659]

Well 2 questions Tatro ;) How much clearance do you need on the cam gears with shims installed (not so tight that they can't move but close)? And how do you get the the engine that clean, petroleum and a toothbrush?

[@TatroMachine]

+Lasse Ibsen cam endplay is .008-.012 but more is ok. with a distributor or mag i run .005-.008 on the #2 cam only that drives it. best to be loose, not tight. tatro

[@TatroMachine]

+Lasse Ibsen the cases were bead blasted with C grade beads. the A grade looks even better but does not clean as good so we use the coarser C grade. tatro

[@fisher1972]

Whats a ballpark price range for an ironhead rebuild if i shipped you the engine removed from the bike but not dissasembled?

[@TatroMachine]

4 to 6k if it is not real bad. tatro

[@bigmikelongwood3276]

fisher1972 build it yourself man I build all my own an my old Ironhead got atleast 30k miles l

[@rollthelosingdice]

True that, feels better riding them as well.

[@jacobmcmahon1676]

how do u measure the cam end play?

[@TatroMachine]

+jacob mcmahon with feeler gauges through the lifter block holes. you move the cam back and forth with a big screw driver. .008-.012 works good. tatro

[@jacobmcmahon1676]

Thanks man, in middle of doing rebuilt and i have to replace some cam bushings cuz they lost the pin so i wasnt sure if i would need new shims or not

[@millermatic140]

My cam cover on my 90 sportster 883 wont go back on.

[@TatroMachine]

either you have the lifter suck behind one of the cams or you have the pushrods push down on the lifters, binding things up. you have to have the lifter load off the cams from the valve springs. loosening up the rockerarms will free things up. tatro

[@millermatic140]

So how much do you think the labor would cost to have someone with more knowledge be?

[@TatroMachine]

just do it yourself and it is free. you just have to pay for what you break. that is the cost of learning. tatro

[@astr0creep6x6x6]

"change the gasket thickness, it changes the shim thickness".

[@TatroMachine]

yes. tatro

[@GaryLordsWayMinistry]

Why not blow the shavings out of the threads to start with before trying to tap it? Duh~!~