1978 H-D FLH BUILD: PAGE 2
A big shout-out goes to all of my scooter friends here around the Chicken City. Much of this bikes character evolved from the mishmash of parts I was able to beg, borrow, buy and steal from a lot of really good scooter trash. Without everyones help and encouragement this project would have stalled early in the game. All ya'll can take credit for the end result. Ivan especially gets a super big thanx for lots of the parts searching and snatching. Our prayers go up for him daily as he got thrashed by a road tractor while putting round the sunshine state.
Almost every major part except for the engine and transmission came out of a friends garage, living room, M/C clubhouse, or barn as the case may be. During this project the general rule was to never turn your back when I was around your putt or stash. I was willing and able to unbolt anything cool I may have seen on someone's bike or put something in my pocket. Same rang true for folks coffee table, kitchen, bathroom, etc. If you think the bathroom and kitchen idea is strange then you just ain't been around enough. I have seen many a bathtub used as a partswasher and kitchen table for an engine stand. Sorry if your missing someting but it had to be done for the greater good. If you recognize something that is missing from your putt or garage, send a bill to my ol lady and she will get a check in the mail. Sorry if your missing someting but it had to be done for the greater good.
CHOP, WHACK, GRIND & WELD
So even a non biker knows an evo motor does not fit in a four speed frame. Read any book on the subject, ask any professional wrench, a half decent bird dog, or even a pine tree, everyone knows this won't work. Hmmm, unless you have a torch with a cutting tip, rosebud head, chop saw, sawzall, grinder, welders, tube bender, frame table, frame jigs, assortment of big hammers along with other sundry and assorted implements of destruction and reconstruction then anything fits. If you try hard enough you can turn a Model T Ford into a space shuttle. Reckon the term "chopper" came from chopping up a perfectly good bike into giblets then gluing it back together with bubble gum, bailing wire and duct tape? At least this was done by hillbillies in the good ol U.S. of A. instead of funny talking short people from Asia.
WHAT IS THAT PIPE IN THE SEAT POST?
The crux of this frame chop is the fact that an Evolution engine is physically taller than a Panhead or Shovelhead engine. If you try to bolt it to the existing engine mounts the rocker boxes won't clear the top tube and the rear cylinder hits the seat-post on a four-speed frame. Daggum it... Looks like being hardheaded just added a quite few days of hard labor to the job. All I would really have had to do to make this easy would be take a fifteen minute drive and grab a mid 1990's Softail frame from a friend but I had to do it my way instead of the easy way. A Softail frame just doesn't look like a vintage four speed ride especially when the tins are bolted on. Remember that looking cool is very important when you are an instabiker.
So you just have to cut the seat post, stretch it 1.25" vertically and weld a spacer of the correct diameter in place. Even then, the rear cylinder jug and head doesn't want to clear. What the hay? The solution for this dilemma is remember to stick it in your daughters easy bake oven before you start the stretch and find a correct outside diameter heavy wall tube that fits the inside diameter of the seat post tube. Call your local dealer and the part number for this job is "are you crazy?".
Once you weld in the inner tube, you have to become a Michelangelo of metal and sculpt the seat post so the rear cylinder sits in its place like functional art. Remember exhaust pipes and other necessities are going to have to fit in this space also. You better plan this out on paper (a napkin from a midnight trip to Waffle House works) before you start whacking and welding. A nice flat frame table and jigs are imperative if you want the frame straight after all this hacking. Otherwise your bike is going to ride sideways down the road like a dog who's rear end is trying to pass its front end.
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