1926 JD Build

[MassHarley]

I have not been very good about keeping up with my build thread, but I have been steadily working on the bike. Actually, I was able to get the bike running a few months ago. Such a satisfying sound after a 3 year restoration. I completed the repairs on my gas tanks in the fall. This turned out to be a very time consuming project but wasn't as difficult as I was anticipating. I ended up repairing all the holes with brass mesh and solder, then once complete I used red-kote on the inside to seal everything. I had some difficulty getting the timing on the motor correct but with some helpful information I received on this forum I was able to get it all squared away. Of course there were several other bugs that popped up once I actually got the bike running, but so far they haven't been anything too major. As of now I am waiting for my seat to come back and I should be able to take the bike for a little test ride.

Fenders for the bike were another challenge. When I bought the bike it came with a decent front fender by my rear fender was pretty rough. I purchased an aftermarket rear fender but was disappointed with the quality so it was returned. Last summer at Davenport I went with the hopes of finding a nice rear fender. I was lucky and found 3, bought them all and picked the best one for this project. It still needed a ton of work especially in the hinge area. I have had little experience with sheet metal work so this repair took much longer then it probably should have, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out. The front fender actually turned out to be more work then I was originally thinking as well, but I guess that's part of the restoration process.

[MassHarley]

I purchased the exhaust for the bike from W&W cycles in Germany, mainly because of the price. This might have been a mistake. The exhaust took hours and hours to fit to the bike. I ended up having to heat, bend, and beat the main portion of the exhaust in order for it to fit. I contacted W&W twice for some advice but never received any response. At this point I am going to live with it.

[MassHarley]

Few more progress pics.

[Steve Swan]

your 26 is looking mighty fine ! i can appreciate all the fine work you've done over THREE years ! So exciting to be so close !

Does the outer edge of your front fender have that little flair like i see on the outer edge of your rear fender ?

[MassHarley]

Hey Steve

Thank you! I cant wait to take it for a little ride!

No, I don't believe the front fender has that small flare at the edge. I wonder if that was actually meant to be there or if it was just an imperfection in the forming process.

[Steve Swan]

i think the front fender's supposed to have the little flair as seen on your rear fender; perhaps those more experienced can share their knowledge.

here's some pics of an original 26, i believe it shows the flair fairly well. not that i want to pick at your work, but i wouldn't want to find out the flair was supposed to be there after i had all the paint on. there's also pics in JD Yahoo groups, "Joe's Contraptions," his 28 has the flair. i seem to recall a conversation on either this board or on JD Yahoo Groups the repro fenders available do not have the little flair like the originals. and a pic of another 26, showing the flair.

[Steve Swan]

a couple more pics that show what appears to be the flair on the front fender.

Luland.23.jpg26caljd.1.JPG

[MassHarley]

Steve,

I see what you mean about the flair. My fender does not seem to have this. I wonder if at some point someone hammered it out not knowing. Might be a bit difficult to reestablish this flair accurately. I picture using one of those panel steppers that you install in a air hammer, but with a customer created profile.

On another note, I received my seat back the other day and was finally able to take the bike for a ride! Ran into some trouble with the motor over oiling and causing some heat build up in the crank cases. I cut back the oil feed adjustment to have one thick washer and one thin washer and this seems to have calmed the issue down. Overall I am very impressed with the bike. It handles great. Take your hands off the bars and it run perfectly straight. Few little bugs to work out and It will be ready for some longer rides.

I plan to run the bike through the summer with the sheet metal in primer. Then this winter, break it back apart for final paint. This was one of the biggest mistakes I made with this project. I should have fit the entire bike together before anything was painted. I won't make that mistake again.

Mike

[Robert Luland]

Hang in there Mike, your doing great. Maybe you can bring it to Hebron for show and tell. Bob Luland

[Steve Swan]

Mike, someone at sometime had taken the flair from my front fender. I can't tell you how the man who did the body work on my bike got it back and it looks perfect. He did say it wasn't that difficult to get there. And yes, your bike is beautiful. You had you engine finished before i started on mine and was inspiration for me.