1970 Upper Oil Tank Bracket

[billpedalino]

I purchased a 1970 CH as a burn-up in 1973. Over the years (around 1980 or so) I stroked the motor and added an electric start. The use of the larger, electric start battery assembly necessitated cutting the welded the upper oil tank bracket from the frame and I've since lost the bracket (of course!). Now that I'm restoring the bike to original, I'm removing stroker stuff and the electric start and must re-mount the CH oil tank. Therefore, I need to know what the welded top bracket looks like so I can fabricate and reinstall a replacement. Can any one help with some photos, measurements, etc.?
Thanks so much,
Bill Pedalino

[1939wl]

I purchased a 1970 CH as a burn-up in 1973. Over the years (around 1980 or so) I stroked the motor and added an electric start. The use of the larger, electric start battery assembly necessitated cutting the welded the upper oil tank bracket from the frame and I've since lost the bracket (of course!). Now that I'm restoring the bike to original, I'm removing stroker stuff and the electric start and must re-mount the CH oil tank. Therefore, I need to know what the welded top bracket looks like so I can fabricate and reinstall a replacement. Can any one help with some photos, measurements, etc.?
Thanks so much,
Bill Pedalino

Hello Bill,
Hope these pictures will help. I have an all original 66' XLCH and just took these pictures. It is a small triangular, radiused corner bracket. I lifted the seat in the one picture, so you can see the side-to-side placement. This is stone stock. Not a hard fabrication and install.....you may have some "witness lines" still showing on your frame from when you cut the original mount out, to assist in placement.
Hope it helps.
Have a great day!

XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount I.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount II.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount III.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount IV.jpg

[billpedalino]

Hello Bill,
Hope these pictures will help. I have an all original 66' XLCH and just took these pictures. It is a small triangular, radiused corner bracket. I lifted the seat in the one picture, so you can see the side-to-side placement. This is stone stock. Not a hard fabrication and install.....you may have some "witness lines" still showing on your frame from when you cut the original mount out, to assist in placement.
Hope it helps.
Have a great day!

XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount I.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount II.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount III.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount IV.jpg

Excellent! Thank you so much.
I'm guessing that it's about 1/8" thick? If so, it looks like I might be able to shape a 1" x 1" x 1/8" structural angle or maybe just bend a 1/8" plate.
Thanks again for your effort - VERY much appreciated!

[billpedalino]

Hello Bill,
Hope these pictures will help. I have an all original 66' XLCH and just took these pictures. It is a small triangular, radiused corner bracket. I lifted the seat in the one picture, so you can see the side-to-side placement. This is stone stock. Not a hard fabrication and install.....you may have some "witness lines" still showing on your frame from when you cut the original mount out, to assist in placement.
Hope it helps.
Have a great day!

XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount I.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount II.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount III.jpg XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount IV.jpg

One more question:
It's difficult to see in the photos, but are there vertical pieces welded to the top of the bracket that are welded to either side of the frame tube?
Thanks Again...

[1939wl]

One more question:
It's difficult to see in the photos, but are there vertical pieces welded to the top of the bracket that are welded to either side of the frame tube?
Thanks Again...

Hello Bill,
I see what you mean, and when I took the photographs, I thought those vertical "plates" were simply a reinforcement that was added to the frame tube (from the factory) to actually weld the top tank bracket to. The bike is behind several others, took me a bit to move it out to take the pictures. When I get a chance, I will move it out and try to get more info. That's what I meant about "witness lines" where your original bracket was. It would have been much easier, and not chance grinding into the frame tube to have cut your original bracket off at the bottom of the vertical plate / top of tank mount, so I wondered if the "vertical plates" are still on your frame? Then you could fabricate the bracket and weld it back onto your vertical plates.
Picture here shows this best:
Hope that helps.

XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount III.jpg

[billpedalino]

Hello Bill,
I see what you mean, and when I took the photographs, I thought those vertical "plates" were simply a reinforcement that was added to the frame tube (from the factory) to actually weld the top tank bracket to. The bike is behind several others, took me a bit to move it out to take the pictures. When I get a chance, I will move it out and try to get more info. That's what I meant about "witness lines" where your original bracket was. It would have been much easier, and not chance grinding into the frame tube to have cut your original bracket off at the bottom of the vertical plate / top of tank mount, so I wondered if the "vertical plates" are sti;; om your frame? Then you could fabricate the bracket and weld it back onto your vertical plates.
Picture here shows this best:
Hope that helps.

XLCH Oil Tank Top Mount III.jpg

I have to remove the paint in that area, but I can see some of my old grinding marks. Looks like I'll have a little weld-filling to to. But I think that I'll install the cases in the bare frame, install the bottom oil tank mount and the tank, and chip away at a bracket that fits and looks like that in the photos that yo provided.
Thanks once again for your effort on my behalf and enjoy your remaining Sunday!

[rustynutz]

Bill, If you go to harleykmodel.com, click on the technical section along the top of the page, then go to frames. There are several photos that should give you a very good idea of what you are after.

[billpedalino]

Thanks to all. I have a clear idea of what to do now!

[billpedalino]

image_43341.jpg image_43342.jpg
Gentlemen,
Please note the attached photos - I hope that I've attached them correctly. Forgive the chrome, as this bike will be my only 'Period Modified' machine. Also forgive the 1974 oil tank - I've since found the one original to the 1970.
I've mached-up the oil tank to show how how I'll place the assembly into the bare frame in order to locate and weld the fabricated bracket. According to the parts book, the lower bracket is installed onto the rear motor mount bracket with it's lower leg facing forward, as shown in the photo. Also, the parts book isn't clear and I couldn't find a reference on the K-Model site, but my memory seems to recall that the oil tank is mounted to the back side of the lower bracket. Also, when correctly installed, the oil tank leans slightly towards the rear of the bike. Please confirm all of the above, as I want to be sure that I weld the frame bracket at the correct location.
Thanks,
Bill Pedalino

[billpedalino]

ALSO...In addition to the above, would assume that the bracket is 1/8" thick? And, if somebody could measure the distance from the FRONT face of the bracket to the rear downtubes, it would be a very helpful check.
Thank you again for your assistance!

[billpedalino]

Attached are photos (if they attached correctly) of the fabricated Bracket, ready for welding. It still needs a little more cleaning up, but based upon what could see form the above photographs, its pretty close.
I added a small horizontal return on the left side to give the outstanding leg a little more section and resistance to fatigue against bending, but that's the Engineer in me!
Thank you for your assistance!