1946 Indian Chief Preservation

[jlammers]

Thanks for the input guys. I do have some bare wire sections like Jim showed in his pic that I'll need to repair. Since most of my continuity checks are coming back ok, I would like to save this harness. I may need to find some guys that have replaced their harness and see if I can get some old loom covering to replace my bad sections.

[jlammers]

Here's a pic of the main bundle coming out of the handlebars. Am I correct in the assumption that the tape is a prior owner's handiwork and the cloth covering is factory? Wanted to verify before I remove the tape. Am I safe to also assume wherever there is friction tape, it wasn't there when it was built? There are a few other spots as well.
If anyone has a good phot of the wire routing under the dash panel, I would appreciate it. My dash panel had some wires between it and the tank when I bought it so something got changed along the way - maybe messed up when they replace the ammeter?

[Tom Wilcock]

If it was my bike I would replace all the wiring rather than risking a short and fire.
Tom

[jlammers]

Here's a few pics of the front fender light. Looks to be a frosted glass lens. Anyone recommend a commonly available replacement bulb? I assume it just pushes down between the copper flange? There was no bulb in it when I took it apart.

[jlammers]

Chipping away at the bike today. I've patched a few bare spots in the wires and have continued testing. Headlight high/low works when I put 6V to the headlight power wire. Installed a number 63 bulb in the front fender socket and put power to the ignition wire and it works!

Question for the community on the horn. I assume for the two electrical posts, one is ground and one is hot. Does it matter which is which? Also assume the little slotted stud with jam nut is the tone adjustment? I also noticed that the center of the horn has internal 10-32 threads, is something supposed to go in there?

[jlammers]

More questions.....how does the headlamp reflector fasten to the headlamp housing. It is stuck in the housing, can't see where the seam is.

[pisten-bully]

I think most of tonight's questions have intuitive answers (and maybe you're beyond by now?) The fender lamp bulb faces forward, base goes through the round hole and then turned so the pins keep the bulb in place...the upright copper piece contacts the base of the bulb. BTW, nice fender lamp, originals are difficult to source!

Horn terminals are not specific to polarity! That hole in the back? On my horn it looks like a rivet, but I'm not certain we have the same horn. What's the front look like? Sunburst?

And the headlamp reflector is held in by the lens, a gasket, and the outer trim ring...so it should come out without much persuasion. Motolamp should be chromed brass and the reflector nickel plated brass so it's not rusted in place....hmmmm!

[PRG]

Howdy chaps,

That horn likely from a later machine, 46 is as attached in first image. That one not an uncommon replacement as the elaborate mounting method for the 46 included a laminated rubber isolation plate (#11) that rotted and broke.

[jlammers]

The horn is a sunburst, here's a pic of the front. Maybe what I have is a Frankenstein assembly of original front with replacement guts?

[jlammers]

Update on the reflector topic. After removing the dried out gasket, I found a notch in the housing to pry out the reflector with a screwdriver. There is some rust on the headlight housing, it looks like my Moto lamp is painted steel, the reflector has an April 22, 1946 ink stamp on it.

[PRG]

Howdy sir,

That horn was shared with vehicles other than Indians, sunbursts were fitted to very late 46’s along with slant ammeters. These sunbursts have a rectangular mounting plate riveted to the back with four threaded mounting holes to take 1/4 x 28’s passing thru that rubber isolator. As you are probably discovering, 1946 is very notable for details eliminated via cost cutting on subsequent models such as rubber isolated real tail pipe mount, round fuse block under the seat as seen on earlier Fours, generator guard, this horn mount, more elaborate front brake cable anchor, etc.

[T. Cotten]

...That horn was shared with vehicles other than Indians, ...

A buddy I rode with decades ago, Peter,....

Swore his came off a Caterpillar.

I believed him, because Central Illinois had "yellow blood".

....Cotten

[FLFD7]

I believe the sunburst 46 horn shares the same back as the 40-45 horn, but mounted with the rectangular plate vertical rather than horizontal

Here is a 40-45 horn with that plate. The threaded .190-32 hole is to mount the back cover…

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I have a sunburst horn without the plate, the center rivet is not threaded though….

IMG_2556.jpeg IMG_2557.jpeg