Valve Guides

[Reddog74usa]

I just picked up an all original 82 FXE from the original owner. He tells me the engine has never been into with 22K miles, my question is, what year did they change the valve guides on Shovels? I do remember there being some tall oem guides being installed at the factory that would cause clearance issues when installing a normally bolt in cam in certain year Shovels and would like to avoid that issue. Thanks for any info....

[Ohio HD]

I want to say that was in 1980 ~ 1981 years. After that didn't they use a larger diameter guide OD and shorter?

[Buglet]

  Those were the years.

[Reddog74usa]

I know they did some changes during those years and would like to know what the 82's had for guides if possible. I have a Sifton 112 cam along with a set of Velva Touch lifters to install in this engine and would like to know what's up with the guides on these years before goin ahead with the install. When I was at the dealer back in the late 80's early 90's I remember a tech installing a B cam in a Shovel and there being clearance issues due too the guides being to long. It was a mess that resulted in the heads being removed and repaired all on the techs time and money which it should have been. One of those lessons I learned due to someone else's mistake and not mine which is rare...

[Buglet]

  The best way to know for sure is take the heads off and check. I have 2 82's SER# 500 difference, both motor were built different. Changers were made as they were being assembly. Both bikes are FLTC's. One had updates done by the dealer the other one can from the factory with the updates done to it.   

[14Frisco]

I just picked up an all original 82 FXE from the original owner.

Off topic, but in case you don't already have it: 1982 FL/FX Models Owner's Manual

[Don D]

74" uses a smaller guide,  80" at some point put seals on the intake. Sorry can't be more specific,  many times I dont know what year the bike is for the heads I get to fix. The seals hit the retainers before the coils bind. It takes some machine work to get everything happy. Kibblewhite has done a good job with their springs but still the seals need to go down all the way to the head surface so the spring seat id needs to be large enough to accommodate that. I use Kline seals, they are compact. Spring seats counterbored to clear the guide flange and sit flat in the spring pocket gives a little more clearance. All clearances and spring heights need to be checked unless using cams listed as "bolt-in".

[Ohio HD]

In late 1979 HD went to 0.625" OD valve guides. As Reddog says, some have seals and are shorter, some taller. I think the production years 1980 to 1981 as I stated above are the tall 0.625" diameter guides. They were shorter in 1982 to 1984. I may have the lengths when I'm at home.

[Buglet]

  In those years Harley was using some guides with out shoulders machine on them. They were machine for a heavy duty ring clips that went on the guides to use as a shoulder. I probably still have some nos laying around. They also use different valve retainers when they started putting seals on them so the seals had more room.

[guppymech]

Some info on the late large valve guides from working on my bike, second owner, first to pull the heads off, '84 FXE. 
from my notes:
valve guide O.D. .0625, guide height .505 without seal installed.
On my engine a Andrews #1 wouldn't clear the pinion bearing boss without dremeling some clearance.
In the pic, the James seal didn't fit quite right, I ended up using Cometic seals and opening up the spring seat I.D. slightly so the seal body would slip inside it.

[Ohio HD]

From my notes.

1948 to Early 1979
0.5655" O.D. base
0.562" O.D. top
2.050" long with flange


Late 1979 to 1981
0.6245" O.D. base
0.625" O.D. top
1.980" long with circlip


1982 up
0.6245" O.D. base
0.531", O.D. top
1.920" long with flange (0.060" less is on the spring side)

[Reddog74usa]

Hey Frisco thanks for that owners manual info. The one I got from him is for an 83 so I'm thinking it may be a late year bike. Ohio, thanks much for that guide info. I thought they did some changing around on them around 1980 but it's been so long I wasn't sure. I purchased my first new Harley in 79. When they came out with the 80 inch engine I was hooked and really liked that 79 Low Rider. Mine was Black with Red lettering and pin stripes. Thanks very much for all the other helpful replies as there's a lot to  know about these great old machines....

[Hillside Motorcycle]

Chances are the heads need attention anyway, as if the OE springs are still in the 36 plus year old heads, they are probably like bubble gum.
Guides shortened, lower collars bored/modified, plenty-o-room then.
Shovelheads always seem to get over-cammed, by many folks, always have.

[JW113]

Amen to that. When I rebuilt mine, I used a Crane 288. A somewhat tame cam by most standards. The bike had almost no throttle response from about 1/2 to WFO. I put the stock "H" cam back in, what a difference. All I could figure is those huge valves and even huger ports don't like a lot of cam duration.


-JW

[Ohio HD]

What I always found with Shovels was not so much added compression, although that helps, but added cubic inches to use the large butt ports and a hot rod cam.

[Reddog74usa]

Finally got to take this bike for a road test yesterday. Man, she's a nice one. Very smooth. This is a real nice original owner survivor that runs n rides like a new one. These days there very hard to find like that so I'll be leaving it alone for the most part.

[Don D]

Good decision Travis

[Hillside Motorcycle]

Amen to that. When I rebuilt mine, I used a Crane 288. A somewhat tame cam by most standards. The bike had almost no throttle response from about 1/2 to WFO. I put the stock "H" cam back in, what a difference. All I could figure is those huge valves and even huger ports don't like a lot of cam duration.


-JW

When we ran AHDRA Comp Eliminator(10.30 index) years ago, we had a 101".
Lieneweber 6 cam, single D carb/Thunderjets, Dyna S, locked, and 30" pipes, 4 spd.
Bike would run 9.90's with a 200 lbs rider(my youngest brother Todd, RIP, would have been 57 on Saturday)
Probably a bit much cam actually for that, even.