65 FLH King of the Highway fit and finish

[JSB55]

Hi...

I'm putting my 65 FLHFB back together, and have a couple of questions about correct fit and finish. This is intended to be a daily rider, rather than subject to judging by experts, but I still want it as correct as I can get it.

The bike had the King of the Highway package on it when I got it, and I'm reproducing that, but having to contend with some modifications made by the previous owner.

First, was the inner primary the same finish as the motor, lightly polished, or highly polished (e.g., to rival chrome)? The one I have on there is smooth, and seems to have been lightly polished, but certainly does not glitter like it would if it were highly polished.

Second, was the front brake drum highly polished (e.g., to rival chrome), or just lightly polished? I did get my fork legs polished and they came out looking almost as if they had been chromed.

Finally, I have the chrome headlamp nacelle, and I've seen some restorations that have small jewel lamps as turn signal indicators installed on the nacelle facing the rider. Was that a stock offering, or something that people did on their own? My nacelle is undoubtedly aftermarket, as it has no part numbers stamped on it anywhere, and I can't tell from either the Palmer or Field books what is correct.

Thanks for your help!

John

[Chris Haynes]

[QUOTE=JSB55;79809]Hi...

First, was the inner primary the same finish as the motor, lightly polished, or highly polished (e.g., to rival chrome)? The one I have on there is smooth, and seems to have been lightly polished, but certainly does not glitter like it would if it were highly polished.

The original finish was sand cast aluminum. Rough texture. Not smooth, polished or chrome.

Second, was the front brake drum highly polished (e.g., to rival chrome), or just lightly polished? I did get my fork legs polished and they came out looking almost as if they had been chromed.

Looking chromed is not correct. Lightly polished is correct.

Finally, I have the chrome headlamp nacelle, and I've seen some restorations that have small jewel lamps as turn signal indicators installed on the nacelle facing the rider. Was that a stock offering, or something that people did on their own?

Jewels and castings without numbers are not original.

[JSB55]

Thanks for that info, Chris. I suspected the inner primary should be the sand cast finish, but the previous owner had apparently polished it, which confused me.

I knew my nacelle was aftermarket but wasn't sure about the turn signal indicators, since I'd seen them on some bikes, but never in a manual.

The photo you posted raises another question, though. What is the correct coloration of the cylinders and heads? In the photo, they appear different from the color of the inner and outer primaries.

Thanks!

John

[flthead]

jewels ?

are these turn indicator lamps what you are considering jewels ?

[JSB55]

Mine are different, but in the same location.

Mine are about 1/2 inch in diameter, with flat red lenses. Judging by the wiring, the aftermarket nacelle, and the way the holes were drilled I assume the ones on my bike were installed by a former owner, but it's still not clear to me whether having an indicator light there was factory or not.

John

[Chris Haynes]

Thanks for that info, Chris. I suspected the inner primary should be the sand cast finish, but the previous owner had apparently polished it, which confused me.

I knew my nacelle was aftermarket but wasn't sure about the turn signal indicators, since I'd seen them on some bikes, but never in a manual.

The photo you posted raises another question, though. What is the correct coloration of the cylinders and heads? In the photo, they appear different from the color of the inner and outer primaries.

Thanks!

John

Heads are bare aluminum. Cylinders are painted high temp silver.

[panz4ever]

Mine are different, but in the same location.

Mine are about 1/2 inch in diameter, with flat red lenses. Judging by the wiring, the aftermarket nacelle, and the way the holes were drilled I assume the ones on my bike were installed by a former owner, but it's still not clear to me whether having an indicator light there was factory or not.

John

If you look closely at Chris' photo you can see the turn signal lens covers.

[JSB55]

Okee doke. Thank you guys!

John

[Underdoggie]

I have attached some pictures of the head light housing off of my 65FL, I also noticed a couple of numbers on the inside of each half. Anyway I thought they might be good reference for you. I am a new member but am thinking any time you have a part off your bike maybe a few pictures for future reference might not be a bad idea.

[JSB55]

Much appreciated. For now, I have to live with an aftermarket nacelle, but at least I know to install the turn signal indicator lamps.

Now I'm muddling about the cam cover... I have the original "smooth" cam cover with the correct part number stamped inside, but it appears to me it may have been painted at some time in the past, and the outside is pretty beat up with boot marks and scratches, so I somehow need to clean it up.

Was the original finish on that the same natural sand cast finish as the primary cover, or something else?

Thanks again to everyone for helping a restoration newbie get things right.

John

[Magic]

Now I'm muddling about the cam cover... I have the original "smooth" cam cover with the correct part number

Was the original finish on that the same natural sand cast finish as the primary cover, or something else?



John

Yes it should be a dull finish which many owners changed.

[JSB55]

Mine is definitely "dull", but does not have any of the "grainy" texture found on the sand cast primary cover. Inside is the same color as the outside, and the part number is clearly stamped on the inside, near the front.

There are a few places on the outside where it has been rubbed or scraped to the point it reveals a shine, and when running your hand over it the surface feels like "flat" paint, which is why I wondered if it had been painted.

The previous owner had painted the heads and the generator to match the tank color, so I'm finding that anything is possible on this bike.

Maybe the attached photo will allow someone to tell me if the cover appears to be more or less the correct finish. It's "smooth" meaning "without ribs" but also smooth to the touch, rather than granular like the primary cover. The black specks towards the back of the cover are actually areas where it is pitted, and it obviously has plenty of scratches.

Any tips on if/how this cover can be given a more "like new" appearance would be greatly appreciated. I have brand new paint and chrome, and want to get the engine finish and covers looking as good as I can.



John

[rbenash]

Much appreciated. For now, I have to live with an aftermarket nacelle, but at least I know to install the turn signal indicator lamps.

Now I'm muddling about the cam cover... I have the original "smooth" cam cover with the correct part number stamped inside, but it appears to me it may have been painted at some time in the past, and the outside is pretty beat up with boot marks and scratches, so I somehow need to clean it up.

Was the original finish on that the same natural sand cast finish as the primary cover, or something else?

Thanks again to everyone for helping a restoration newbie get things right.

John

Both the cam cover and outer primary covers were natural sand cast aluminum.

[Chris Haynes]

[QUOTE=JSB55;79864]

Was the original finish on that the same natural sand cast finish as the primary cover, or something else?

Natural cast finish.

[JSB55]

Thanks to all for the info, and especially Chris's photo collection, which for me is a priceless reference.

I've tried the "hummer club" treatment (bead blasting, then application of mother's wheel mist, followed by polishing compound and wd-40) on this cover once already, and while it darkened the color a bit, it failed to bring out any of the original "granular" texture.

I'm about to conclude I have to live with it as is, unless anyone else has a magic formula to suggest. I think the former owner must have polished the cover at some point.

John