Panhead teardown - winter 2023

[CraigArizona85248]

It's been 10 years since the last time I tore my panhead down to the frame and gave everything a good look. What started out earlier this week as a quick clean up, snowballed into a teardown. 😂

So the first thing I uncovered was a rear brake backing plate that was broken at the pivot pin mounting point. That would have been bad news if it had come loose.

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The pivot pin was twisting so much it bent the brake shoes.

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Ran to Carson City and picked up a new backing plate from Paughco on Friday. It's nice having them close to home. They gave me a 20% discount and paid my NV state sales tax. Great place to do business.

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- to be continued -

[CraigArizona85248]

Next thing I discovered was a frayed clutch cable. This one is frayed at the transmission end. They usually start fraying at the lever end. Tis was buried under the oil tank and I probably wouldn't have seen it until it broke.

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Next item on the verge of failing is the generator. Check out the brushes. You can't use them much past this point. This is a Cycle Electric DVG-5000 generator. I've been running it 20 years and 160k+ miles without a hiccup. Glad I found it rather than my generator just stopping charging. Easy fix.

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I started removing the clutch hub and it is stuck fast to the transmission input shaft. This is the first time I've gone 0 years without removing it. I've been soaking it in penetrating oil via the key slot for a couple days. I'll probably give it a week of that and try again.

Cleaned up the clutch (Primo Pro Clutch) and deglazed the steels.

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That's all to report so far.

Having moved from Arizona to the Reno/Tahoe area, it's nice having an off season to do this work. In Arizona the off season is summer and the garage is 105F. 

[Ohio HD]

Boy they sure need a little TLC when you ride them. All in all it's not bad so far for the length of time and miles.

If the penetrating oil doesn't work, I used to strip the clutch hub of all parts, put the puller on under pressure, and heat the hub with MAP gas. They generally pop right off with a little heat. 

[CraigArizona85248]

I might have to try the heat trick. My clutch shell is made of polyurethane so I have to be cautious. Can't remove the clutch shell from the clutch hub with it installed on the transmission. These Primo Pro Clutches are a lot different than the OEM setup.

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[Ohio HD]

I see, yes I was assuming an OEM setup. Had I looked at the clutch plates you had posted....   

[FSG]

So the first thing I uncovered was a rear brake backing plate that was broken at the pivot pin mounting point.

is the replacement beefy enough in that area or need a doubler before you install?

[CraigArizona85248]

I was missing this "washer" previously. I had a regular washer but this OEM piece is much larger and thicker. It will distribute the load over a larger area. To be fair, I used that old backing plate for 20 years and put over 160k miles on it. I'd say it held up pretty well despite having the incorrect washer.

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[billbuilds]

    I use a stock clutch hub puller, a couple of extension nuts and two 5/16-18 X 2" bolts topped with washers to remove my Pro Clutch. I had to elongate two of the holes in the puller plate for proper alignment. Once you get these fastened to two opposing studs on the PC hub and have some tension between the hub and the output shaft, tap the hex end of the puller with a ballpein and the assembly should pop right off. This has worked for me many, many times. You cannot see attachments on this board.

[nibroc]

 


good post----thanks

[CraigArizona85248]

I use a stock clutch hub puller, a couple of extension nuts and two 5/16-18 X 2" bolts topped with washers to remove my Pro Clutch. I had to elongate two of the holes in the puller plate for proper alignment. Once you get these fastened to two opposing studs on the PC hub and have some tension between the hub and the output shaft, tap the hex end of the puller with a ballpein and the assembly should pop right off. This has worked for me many, many times. You cannot see attachments on this board.

I have a similar puller. In the past I just put a little pressure on it, give the puller bolt a rap with a hammer, and POP!  But so far, it's being stubborn.

I'm still letting the penetrating oil do its thing. I got time on my hands. The snow is just starting to fly here. 😂

[JSD]

I have the Rivera puller. But its thin at mounting point at hub but pulling on the 4 studs 

[CraigArizona85248]

I have the Rivera puller. But its thin at mounting point at hub but pulling on the 4 studs

Ideally it shouldn't take a lot of force. And having 4 mount points should help distribute the load.

[CraigArizona85248]

Getting closer to a bare frame. No more surprises found at this point.

I'm running out of shelf space in the garage to place the parts after they're cleaned and inspected 😂

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[cheech]

That chrome backing plate OEM?
If so you're saving it right?

[nibroc]

good pics,



 

[CraigArizona85248]

That chrome backing plate OEM?
If so you're saving it right?

The broken backing plate is not OEM. I bought it from J&B back in 2003. Honestly though, I still won't throw it away. You just never know when it might be worth fixing.

[CraigArizona85248]

Ohio HD, thanks for reminding me about the benefits of heat.  I let the penetrating oil sit for 5 days. Clutch Hub was still not budging. So I grabbed my plumber's torch and concentrated the flame at the hub/shaft interface. I could hear it snap a couple times, than POP!  Off it came.

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[Ohio HD]

It was good you could get close to the center with the torch. I've had some of those tapers as tight as a weld it seemed.

[CraigArizona85248]

Got it down to just a motor and frame now. We'll see if I'm strong enough to lift the motor out of the frame and carry it to the workbench by myself. 😂

Removed the transmission and transmission mounting plate. Also removed the complete wiring harness and oil cooler. Cleaning up takes a lot more time than removing the parts. I still need to hit the transmission with parts cleaner and let it soak. The wiring harness is in good shape. There are a few places with minor scuffing on the fabric loom. No damage to the insulation under the loom. I'll probably just put some shrink tube over it. I've got some shrink tube that has heat activated glue that is really good for this sort of thing.

Still need to breakdown the wheel hubs and inspect the bearings. Probably should put the wheels in the truing stand too.

Once the motor is out of the frame, I'll pull off the valve covers and R&R the gaskets. I'm going to go back to plain old cork. I seem to have the best luck with those. I tried the James rubber gaskets with steel sandwiched in the rubber, but honestly, they didn't seal that great. Not worth the cost, IMO.

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[turboprop]

You probably already know, but maybe not. If you can get your hands on a set of cast head covers, they will almost never leak and will reduce the noise from the valve train considerably. I forget who the players are that make them, but I assume they are unobtainium at this point.

[CraigArizona85248]

I have two sets of CCE cast aluminum covers. One polished set, one cast finish. I also thought they would be ideal for sealing tightly. But they've leaked about the same as my tin covers. Go figure!

[CraigArizona85248]

Cleaned up the transmission while listening to the Michigan / Ohio State game (GO BLUE!). I pulled off the lid for a quick inspection. Looks really good. No funky wear on the face of the gear teeth. Shift dogs and forks look good too. I'll button it back up soon. I'm waiting for parkerized hardware for the kicker cover.

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[ghostrider]

Greqt thread Craig.  You still running that power arc ignition?

[nibroc]

thanks for the pics

[CraigArizona85248]

Greqt thread Craig.  You still running that power arc ignition?

I switched over to single plugged heads back in 2020. At that time I also switched to a Mallory ignition. I'm kind of on the fence with it. It works, but I don't like the advance curve as much as the power arc. I might switch back at some point.