1930-36 VL Speedometer Bracket

[John Guntner]

I'm doing a 1934 VLD and would like to know what is the finish on the speedometer bracket that gets bolted to the fuel tanks. I've seen chrome, painted and parkerized. I'm not doing a chrome pacage so it's parkerized or painted. Thanks

[Peter Cooke]

I'd assume black paint to match the speedo housing, assuming you're talking Corbin. But that's pure guesswork on my behalf.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear John, I've got a used original here which is black painted.

[John Guntner]

Dear Steve,
Thanks for that. Why I thought the body was parkerized must be because of age and the paint worn off. So Peter must be right about the bracket also being painted. Now I wonder about the finish on the cable clip. Hmmmm

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear John, it looks like Harley sometimes used parkerising as paint primer. I've had a 1936 nos clutch rail that looked to be parkerised then dipped in black enamel. Also an export 1936 EL with forks apparently painted green over parkerising. I've seen the 1030-32 exhaust centre clamp nos in black enamel and parkerised, and all the 4160-28 handbrake cable clips I've seen nos have been black enamelled. When I made the Corbin cable clips they were parkerised, but they might have been black painted in service. Some of these minutiae on finishes will never be resolved.

[Rubone]

As I've posted before... this folder is a bit newer, but H-D had used these procedures for many years.H-D phosphate coating.jpg H-D phosphate coating 2.jpg

[Steve Slocombe]

Thanks Rubone. Bonderizing is announced as a new feature in the November 1947 Enthusiast launching the first Panheads, but we think it was used much earlier than that.