Futher Frame details needed and frame repair questions

[Pzokes]

Great link to explain what I poorly described.  The aftermarket tumbler from VT will not match the original Briggs & Stratton lock key for your ignition, and the "recently discovered NOS" Briggs & Stratton locks sold on Ebay are actually for another application, and don't have the stop in the tumbler.  They do fit and turn, but try to stay with the original lock.

[Little Al]

Pzokes, you gave an excellent description, but as always a picture is worth a 1000 words, especially for the feeble minded like me, lol.

Craig, I hear you on some's reaction to the mods you made, but a very large part of biking is about making it yours no matter what others may think. I've been riding 39 years as of this past September and have never worried once about what someone else thought about any of my bikes and I've never knocked someone else's vision of what their bike should be.

Jim, Craig and they rest of you guys that are members there as well as here. I'll continue to go there for stuff, as you guys do too, but you'll find me stopping by here every single day, if for nothing else, just to see what's up, lol. Like my neighborhood bar, it's just like home. it's funny maybe, but I talk to my buddies about this or that or who on HTT like I know some of you guys in person. Actually in the almost 5 years I've belonged to HTT I've thought many times about making an attempt to meet some of you in person but was never sure about how that would be received. I ride all over the country, make a coast to coast just about every year and ride every day (if no ice!). I'm a member over at OFOPOS too (about 2 years) and sort of regretted I never got to meet Samuel in person especially since he saved my ass many a time when i rebuilt my Shovel from the ground up. oh well, life goes on right?

I'm gonna start a new thread with an idea that just struck me...

[Little Al]

and the lock saga continues.

I scraped the 1 o'clock position with a razor blade pretty damn good, still can't find any pin:

http://s726.photobucket.com/albums/ww263/LittleAl_2008/1954%20PanHead/?action=view&current=lock.jpg

Also, I realized the hole in the front of the neck is plugged with something very hard (JB weld?):

http://s726.photobucket.com/albums/ww263/LittleAl_2008/1954%20PanHead/?action=view&current=Front.jpg

so I'm thinking I'm back to drilling the lock out and of course, drilling out that plug. any suggestions?

[MBSKEAM]

use a propane torch on the plug and the what ever will burn off, the plug is just a sheet metal piece
you might see if a lock smith could make you a key.
I drilled mine out, this will let you collapse the outer sleeve into it self.

mbskeam

[Little Al]

well I took out the plug in the front of the neck, it WAS just a light metal plug. First I drilled a hole in the center, was gonna use a slide hammer to pop it out but I could see it was a whole lotta nothing so I just used a drift pin from the inside on an angle and 2 hammer taps and out it popped.

Next problem;
when I look into that now un-plugged hole it looks like whatever pin or something that is operated by the tumbler (assuming the turn of the tumbler pushes whatever I'm seeing into the neck to lock the tree in place) is broken. it looks like an un-even broken-off maybe 3/8" diameter pin.
I did finally fin the small pin that holds the tumbler in but even after drilling that out the tumbler wasn't coming so I started to drill it out. we all of course know how that went, lol, I broke my bit. I was doing this all last night at midnight in my kitchen and i gave up for the night. gonna go back at it tonight when I get home from work.

any advise on what I can expect with that broken appearing pin?

[Little Al]

btw, it's kinda deep and dark in there but I'll see if I can get a pic of what the end of the "broken" pin looks like.

[Little Al]

well I got out the tumbler and the "pin" that it slides into the trees to lock the fork.

that pin IS broken so a whole new assembly is in order. I'll worry about it after I get the frame fixes done and after it's painted.

thanks all,  for the help so far...

[Little Al]

Just for future reference for all of us, here are some pics of what that pin looks like (although mine is broken at the tip) and the tumbler pin position

[Pzokes]

You can still "mix & match" parts to use a Briggs & Statton tumbler.  You can buy the tumbler from "zimalady" on ebay (aka Bill's Cycle, originally Bill's Harley Davidson in PA) and use the locking pin, front plug, etc. from a V-Twin neck lock kit.  These "discovered NOS tumblers" did not have a stop on the last one that I used, but they will use the same key as the ignition switch. 

[Little Al]

thanks Pzokes, gonna go search eBay now.

[mark61]

       Bill's Custom Cycles
       7145 Columbia Blvd.
       Bloomsburg, Pa. 17815
       570-759-9613            570-759-3078
       www.billscustomcycles.com     

      Actual location is on the south end of Berwick, Pa. on route 11. Really nice people and a great place to visit if you get near them!  Even after HD tried to screw them back in the late '80's.

mark61

[Little Al]

mark,

emailed Bill for a catalog and I think I can stop there on 1/30 while on a drive out to Milwaukee for the weekend. He's 3 hours from me and I'll be going right by, would seem a damn shame not to stop there. Seems like a cool guy and place!

[mark61]

   Leave yourself some time and spend the $5 to go upand see his collection/museum!
   He is about 2 miles north of rt80 Berwick (and I think Washingtonville?) exit for rt 11. Easy to find!

mark61

[Pzokes]

Easyrider did an article on him in the eighties when HD corporate screwed him out of being a dealer.

[mark61]

    Story was---Bill goes round buying old dealers inventory and what every else he finds with HD parts. There was a HD dealer bout 30 miles away. Went thru change of ownership---2 owners maybe 20 years while Bill was doing his thing.  Neither of those owners seemed to have a problem with him.  HD dealer wanted out after a fire and the younger generation wanting to get into computers. Guys  or a family that was doing indy shop work building some hot rides picked up the franchise and built a new shop/ new location. This happend right around the time the "Eagle Sours Alone". New dealers got worked up bout people buying parts from Bill"s and Bill had a very large stock of OEM. He also took trade in for chrome. Courts found Bill was doing nothing wrong.  Even when dealers were  still selling shovelhead parts it was easier to go to Bill's cause they KNEW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT! Bill's got an expert machine shop too. Real old school type shop.

mark61

[Little Al]

already spoke to Denise there at Bill's. I'm making a stop there on my way to Milwaukee on Friday 1/30. I can't wait. gonna bring lots of cash, lol

[04customking]

Yea, and don't forget the camera. Great place. You'll love it. 

[Pynzo]

I've got a spare pin if you need one- the welch plug for the frame also.