Tool Box Mounting

[billpedalino]

I'm mounnting the tool box on my 1947 FL and noted the several different mounting positions available. While I'm aware that this is the last high-mounted tool box, the bracket that is welded to the frame allows three different horizontal positions.

The tool box hole on my fender was welded up at some point in its past and must be re-drilled, so I can't determiine the tool box position from that hole. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the hole was missing prior to having the fender bodied out and painted and it's now mounted on the running bike. Obviously, I must be sure as to where this hole must be drilled. Also, the only other fender that I have to compare it to to my 1953, which accommodates the low-mounted tool box.

Being that I'm running a rear crash bar, It appears that the tool box should be mounted in the farthest -foward position, closest to the oil tank to allow it to be opened. Looking at the pictures of various bikes in Palmer's, it looks like those machines without rear crash bars have their tool boxes mouned in the rear positions, but from the angles that the photos were taken, and because some are flatheads, I really can't be sure. Pleae advise.

Thanks....

[Rooster]

I would like to comment on the location of that bolt hole in the fender.
I have a '52 FL, had a repop rear fender, and I was lucky enough to find an original fender. I also had to restore the toolbox mount bracket to the frame, so I began to investigate the exact location of that bolt hole in the fender. Since I don't have a stack of OEM fenders to measure, I called someone who does, and he measured the location of that hole on the three or four or five of the rigid FL fenders he has. Interestingly, no two fenders measured the same. My conclusion (which could be wrong, of course) is that the hole was drilled by the man on the assembly line that was in charge of installing the toolboxes, rather than the hole punched or drilled during the manufacturing of the fender itself. It's the only way it makes any sense, and besides, there can be enough slight variations in the way the fender is mounted, one bike to the next, that would seem to make a standard location impractical.
I wonder if anyone else has any input on this obscure and insignificant detail?
I apologize for not having the answer to your real question.

[billpedalino]

I think that you're correct Rooster. I also have a 1950 rear fender that I KNOW is original and there is no toolbox hole in it. My guess is that that particular bike had no tool box from the factory?? Maybe my '47 fender had no factory tool box either? Can anyone clarify this and also and advise as to the correct tool box mounting?

[Chris Haynes]

Perhaps it was a replacement fender?

['58zombie]

tool box line up

From the pics I have seen, it appears that the tool box key slot lies directly over the edge line of the fender, this view, was common to all the pictures that I saw from a straight side view.

[billpedalino]

Chris - you're probably correct about it being a replacement fender - but if so, by looking at the fender you can see that it's an OEM dealer replacement, and definately not aftermarket. Therefore, one might assume (I hate that word) that dealer replacement fenders did not come with tool box holes ??

Zombie- that's a very good observation! I'll see how closely the key lock aligns with the fender edge at the foward mounting position.