exhaust mounting

[militaryrider]

1940 el front header pipe , where does the clamp go , top or below sidecar loop casting ?
Merry Christmass to all Jim p

[Lonnie]

Referring to Palmer's and copies of other original photos, a 1940 should have the clamp above the loop, even with a "slinky" installed. Such a pre-war "slinky" would be shorter than a later ('47 on) version.

[militaryrider]

Thank You . Merry Christmass Jim p

[sirhrmechanic]

Jim P:

I am going to be putting a complete system on my 46 EL sometime in the next week or so. I would sure appreciate some pictures and any description as things go together. Cheers and thanks,

Sirhr

[sirhrmechanic]

Ended up mocking up the system on Christmas afternoon (sort of a tradition to play in my shop before X-mas dinner)... and it went together perfectly.

Having put a lot of vintage 'repro' exhausts on a lot of vintage vehicles, I have NEVER had one that went on as well as this one did. It was from AAOK... an early Christmas present from my better half. And I was really impressed with the accuracy of the system and with the inclusion of every clamp, lock washer, nut, bolt, etc. No instructions... but none needed, really.

I took the system down this morning and beaded the protective paint off it and will be putting on heat paint tomorrow.

Picture of the mocked up system.


knuckle w. new muffler.jpg

This is my recently-acquired '46 EL. Not factory stock, but a true survivor of the late '40s and early '50's era of Full Dress (Garbage Wagon?!?) machines. Bought from the gentleman who owned it for decades and after 4 years sitting in a garage, it started on the third kick. It would never survive a real judging... but to restore it would strip away it's identity as an un-chopped old Rockabilly era dresser. FYI, the tanks are from a Pan. The original tanks and dash, which came with the bike, are undergoing restoration and will go back on w. original tank emblems. As will the bags, seat, etc., which I am bringing back to life. I hope to ride it to Rhinebeck this spring.

Cheers, Sirhr

[Chris Haynes]

A real nice looking bike. But those white walls have to go,,,,,

[Mr. Big]

Nice looking bike. Love the whitewalls!

[BONES47FL]

Sirhr, I wouldn't mind if you gave a detailed description of your exhuast mounting exercise. On my '47, I have a leak on the rear head. I am thinking it is a clearance issue, and the Ultra Copper just didn't do it the last time I put it back together. Maybe I should look into an exhaust tube expander tool for tighter clearance? It's pissing me off! Need any ideas!...Bones

[sirhrmechanic]

The white walls will go.... they are MT90's and don't look or run at all right. I am going to put on a set of original pattern tires. I *think* I ordered Firestone's from Universal Tire. I can go either way on WW's. Mostly, I don't like them but they would work on this bike w. the proper tires. But the net of it is... I hate cleaning them. So Blackwalls it will be.

@ Bones: I will be glad to do that when I put the system on. Both my pipes seemed to go on really nice and tight. A good slip fit in the exhaust ports. Ultra Copper/Silicone won't cut it in that application. I will assemble the slip joints with a product called Acousti Seal. It's originally, I believe, a Ford product and is designed specifically for exhausts and exhaust gaskets. Most big autoparts stores will carry it. This is the stuff. I never bought from this company, but you can see the product:

http://autoparts.pricegrabber.com/ex...816088479.html

It won't fill holes, but on slip fit gaps it works great. And the exhaust expander tool may be your best bet. Try putting a vernier in the port, too. Is the rear oversized and 'hogged out' from a loose pipe/rust/vibration? That makes for a great lap! If it is, you will definitely need to expand the pipe, clean the port and seal. Also, is the pipe far enough in? Push it in and mark how far up it slips. If only 1/8 inch or something like that, find out where it is hanging up and get it as far up as you can. The more wall-to-wall surface area at that joint, the less possibility of leakage, esp. with the right sealant.

I'll post a play-by-play when I put the system on. Should be within a week or so... waiting for some oil lines before I can final mount the exhaust.

Cheers and thanks for the compliments on the bike. It's just a gem!

Sirhr

[sirhrmechanic]

In follow-up to the request to give some info about my install, here goes. I only have "After" pictures (which I will put up tomorrow), but here is a bit of a narrative.

-- fitted the system as a test before finishing. Wanted to make sure all matched up and went in place. I bought the system from AAOK and it was a superb fit. Unusual, in my experience, for an aftermarket exhaust.

-- Took the system down and bead blasted it, which was easy. The paint on the system 'as delivered' is just protective. It blasts off in seconds. Prepped the metal with etch and painted (brush) with Black Velvet from POR-15. Never used it and do NOT like POR 15. But this product looked interested, so decided to try it. Mainly because my objection to POR-15 is that is is thick, nasty and never comes off. I hate that in a chassis paint, but may love it in an exhaust paint. I will report on its efficiency.

-- Fitted in the following order: Expand front frame clamp and slide over frame rail. Slide clamp on the front pipe. Set aside.

-- Slide the flat pipe under the engine. Fit up the rear cylinder downpipe to the Y-Pipe and slide that into the flat pipe. I use a sealant called AcoustiSeal on the joints.

-- Slide the front pipe into the flat pipe and then move the pipe up against the cylinder point. You may need to tap the pipe to get it to seat into the port. Use AcoustiSeal at the port joint as well.

-- Use taper alignment tools to line up the bolt holes on the mounts. I left the center mount (where the brake switch goes) loose until the end. Put in front bracket bolt and tighten. Put in rear clamp bolt (the long one) and tighten. Last, put in brake switch and tighten that clamp.

-- Slide clamp over muffler and slide it onto Y pipe. Use Acousti Seal here if you want. This clamp will both secure system and hold muffler on. Make sure fishtail (rocket fin) is exactly aligned vertically. Keep in mind that tightening the rear clamp may cause the fin to rotate slightly, so you may have to play a bit.

-- Fully tighten all the clamps. I then scuffed the whole system again with Scotch-Brite and painted another coat of the Black Velvet.

Again, this was how it worked for me. I was impressed with the AAOK system, but would not be surprised if all the repro systems came from the same place and just got different labels stuck on them.

I'll post pictures tomorrow and a running review in, say, May when the snow disappears from the Great White North of VT.

Cheers,

Sirhr

[sirhrmechanic]

Here are some after pictures w. exhaust installed. And with the new period tires.

knuck rear wheel 2.jpgknuck r side.jpg

Now, to get the correct tanks back on... and the bike rewired. Riding weather is just 12 short weeks away. But when it's negative 20F outside... it seems like a looong time.

Cheers,

Sirhr