37 Indian Chief front end ID

[Bills37]

I'm starting a new project. A 1937 Indian Chief. The pre-war bikes are new to me so I have lots of questions. I have 2 leaf spring front ends I've picked up over the years. I think the one on the left is the correct one. I'm thinking the one on the right is for a later model with skirted fenders. Any info, advice or comments are appreciated.


The one on the right had this set up to hold the handlebars on.


It also had these mounts on both forks.

[mcarver]

I could easily be wrong but the fork on the left might be a '39. The spacer on the bottom might be what was used to get the fork rockers positioned at the correct angle to work properly. Mr. Hatfield describes this well in his "Indian Chiefs" book. If you can get a copy it is very helpful in determining details. Best of luck.

[exeric]

I believe the 1939 and earlier fork was 29" long, and the '40 and later fork was 31" long. The right side fork also has the full fender mounts like '40 and later. The 1939 fork had a wedge that was located on top of the spring pack and under the crown plate which would alter the rocker angle. I think that was a '39 only addition, otherwise, I believe the basic rigid fork in '39 was the same as a '37.

[D.A.Bagin]

Wasn't a 40 front-end a bit narrower than 41 and up? Like 3/16th? I know the front fender on my 440 doesn't have that slight bulge where the valance meets the top portion of the fender. It is a flat transition. I think that was to accommodate the 16 in. wheels rather than the 18s that were standard on 40s

[exeric]

The '40 fork was 1 year only, and narrower than later forks, but they were all 31" long. I was just pointing out the differences between the '40 fork, and earlier forks.

[Bills37]

Thanks for the info gentlemen.