HarleyTechTalk

Was wondering if I could get an answer, was the wishbone frame used in 1957. I'm looking at a 57' panhead and it has a wishbone frame, could that be the original frame?   Thanks

I'm 99.9% sure the last year for the wishbone frame was '54.

-Snuff

http://books.google.com/books?id=nHJsMYEnvZkC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=harley+wishbone+frame&source=bl&ots=1he-328vrm&sig=TL_w1vlZ6VycMtS3xTXtkSrfNmo&hl=en&ei=wxJGS5WDFc2ztgfupbT5AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CCsQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=harley%20wishbone%20frame&f=false

All the '57s I've seen are straight leg.

Stock frame for '57 was a straight leg.

Quote from: Pynzo on January 07, 2010, 04:49:54 PM
Stock frame for '57 was a straight leg.

I had a '55 and '56....straight leg. '57 also.

Mid 54 was last of them i believe. iiggii

Late '54 was the last wishbone.

Quote from: Bill Golightly on January 16, 2010, 06:23:47 AM
Late '54 was the last wishbone.

Bill and HOGMIKE, on page 35 of Bruce Palmer's restoration book it states: 'The late-1954 frames are "straight leg" frames.'

However, you are both saying: 'Late '54 was the last wishbone.'

Please both advise where your info is from.     Eric 

Quote from: Speeding Big Twin on January 18, 2010, 02:06:50 AM
Bill and HOGMIKE, on page 35 of Bruce Palmer's restoration book it states: 'The late-1954 frames are "straight leg" frames.'

However, you are both saying: 'Late '54 was the last wishbone.'

Please both advise where your info is from.     Eric

My parts book shows part # 47000-40A as "1940-1954"
I believe as a replacement part, this frame would fit earlier than 1948 also.
IF there was a change to 1955 style frames sometime in 1954, I'm not sure when that was.
All the '54's I remember had the wishbone frames. Maybe they were "early"?? That I don't know.
Pan frames changed a bunch during their run, as did Knuck frames (check out the 1936 "small tube" frames!)
1955 was a big change for Harley, the engines were changed a bunch.

As an aside, did you know you could still get a springer fork, knuckle fenders in 1949? Everyone thinks that 1948 was the last year for springers, first year for Pan engines, not so!! I had one.
Just a little bit of trivia!

I also found some notes from a member in LA........

1)The 1948 is a one year only frame. Skinny front motor mount. Round downtubes without any horn mounts.
(2)The Early1949's have round down tubes where the horn mounts attach. These horn mounts have square corners.
(3) The Later '49-'50 frame down tubes were flattened at the horn mounts. Still square corners on the horn mounts.
(4) The late 1951-1953 got horn mounts with round corners.
(5) The 1952 frames got the new short tool box bracket. They also got the new design top motor mount and seat mounting bracket.
(6) The 1953 frames received thicker front motor mount.
(7) There were three different frames used in 1954. The first 1954 had the flattened spots on the down tubes but no horn mount.
(8)The second 1954 had round down tubes like the 1948. No horn mounts.
After the first 3,000 frames were built in 1954 the rest were Straight Leg frames. So late 1954 wasn't a Wishbone frame.

This is what the judges use to identify some differences in frames from the Pan years, so, how many frames did Harley produce in 1954??? I guess you could do some very extensive research!

Back in the day, my partner and I did very extensive research for our restored bikes, but, we did NOT do every year.
I hope this helps a little.

Found a shot of a '54 frame.
Must be "early"!

[attachment removed after 60 days by system]

Sweet. You don't find many with the tool box bracket and the side car loops these day's.

That's a keeper. Fair price for original with all the tabs. How do the motor mount holes look? Egged out bad?
Eric

Quote from reply #10: ‘So late 1954 wasn't a Wishbone frame.’ 

HOGMIKE, thanks for your reply. So regarding the late-1954 frame it seems the LA member you mentioned is in agreement with Bruce Palmer, as am I. 

However, I notice said member appears to believe the following: ‘After the first 3,000 frames were built in 1954 the rest were Straight Leg frames.’ But I don’t know if 3,000 is correct or not. Hence question 1: Can you post evidence regarding 3,000?

2. What parts catalog do you have? Although Harley catalogs are SOMETIMES MISLEADING regarding application of certain parts, my 1949â€"1957 H-D catalog lists frame #47000-40A as available for use 1940 to EARLY-1954. But it also lists #47003-54 and its replacement which is #47003-54A with the latter being available for use LATER-1954 through 1957. That indicates to me that #47003-54 was used for early-1954 (flattened front downtubes) and mid-1954 (unflattened). And it also indicates to me that #47003-54A was the straight leg.   

3. Yes, I knew about the springer fork being available for some 1949 Panheads. Bruce mentions it, as does H-D in The Legend Begins, as does Greg Field etc. And it sounds like you had one of those 1949 springer models so I’m wondering if your serial number had any additional characters stamped after the sequential portion? And if so, what were they? 

4. Getting back to the notes from the LA member, I notice some info for 1952 but nothing about the manufacturing date code stamped on the top engine mount. Said date code was originally reported by some to have started with the 1952 model frames but its exact introduction point is now in dispute. Do you have any info regarding the introduction of the date code?

5. Again from the LA member: ‘The late 1951-1953 got horn mounts with round corners.’ That appears to be somewhat in dispute, according to an AMCA forum discussion last April-May. http://www.antiquemotorcycle.org/bboard/showthread.php?t=14405

6. More from the LA member: ‘The 1953 frames received thicker front motor mount.’ That statement may be correct. But the AMCA discussion suggested the thicker front mount may have been a gradual process, beginning prior to the 1953 model frames.

7. You mentioned judges. Do you mean AMCA judges?     Eric