1920's Chief parts wanted

[Ken Lee]

I have just bought a basket case 1923 ish 74'' Chief with a few things missing , can anyone help with the following , there is a longer list but these are required so I can start on engine rebuild etc , any leads will be appreciated to get this lovely bike back on the road .
1/ Engine drive gear and intermediate gear (with shaft) . Do you know if these are the same as the Scout ones ?
2/Clutch worm gear complete ,
3/clutch pedal and mounting bracket
4/clutch springs
5/ignition switch and ammeter .
6/rear wheel hub internals ,
7/there's a front wheel brake (later forks) but no internals so need these .
Will later flywheels fit as not too happy with the ones that came with the bike ?
Many thanks , Ken

[exeric]

The 1923 Big Chief is one of my favorite motorcycles, and obviously, Indian hit a home run with that iconic model. I had a 1924 Big Chief and selling it was the stupidest thing I have done in the old bike hobby. Truly a great motorcycle. I wish I could help you with parts, Ken; but alas, I have nothing left. Gene Harper, and Kent Thompson are the most authoritative people when it comes to that era of Indian. . . Kent in particular. I can tell you that late model Indian 'Z metal' flywheels fit perfectly in the early cases, as well as valves, and pistons. Also, I believe the helical drive, and clutch assembly was shared with the Scout, and the Excelsior Super X. Hopefully Richard Ostrander will chime in as he knows a lot about the Super X. Gene Harper, and his wife Jan are currently navigating his 1924 Big Chief, and sidecar on the Cannonball, but Gene is THE MAN when it comes to Big Chief motor work. Hope this helps. I am very envious of what you have there, Ken.

[Ken Lee]

Hello Eric , many thanks for your informative answer , I'll give Kent a ring tomorrow . We all make mistakes in our hobby with letting things go and regretting it , I regret getting rid of many bikes but at the same time am happy with what I replaced em with . Hope this proves as good as you tell ! I have a Princess to put in my Princess sidecar that is currently fitted to a 101 Scout that does struggle a bit so the Chief will certainly make an improvement in that way ! Nice to know other stuff will fit ! Wish Gene and Jan all the best on their run ! best wishes , Ken

[exeric]

Indian's Big Chief was considered a sidecar hauler. Other people called it the 'Big Scout' in a derogatory way, but Indian found out that the Chief was outselling the Scout and it was a motorcycle their customers loved and wanted more of. I love Harley Js, but from my experience, the 20s vintage Indian Chiefs are by far a better bike.

[Ken Lee]

I had a Harley J outfit many years ago and loved it , had many outfits since , one of the longest running being a Harley 45 but really looking forward to getting the Chief done .

[mcarver]

Ken, Congratulations. I have a '25 Big Chief with a fresh rebuild and am still carefully breaking it in. Unfortunately I don't have any spares and am still missing a few bits myself. I am impressed with the torque and grunt this engine produces and I think it will do a good job hauling your sidecar. Kent and Gene are excellent sources for parts / info. Post pics when you can. Best wishes,
Mike

[Ken Lee]

Thanks Mike for your wishes , I have had a chat with Kent and am sending him my wish list , he says he can help with most . I'm in Canada at the mo so am not able to do anything apart from search info and parts which is useful and hopefully will be able to start on the bike when home , mid October but have lots of other stuff to do too . Thanks all for your assistance . Best wishes , Ken . Pic - as delivered !!

[gharper]

Ken,

Can't help with any spares but Kent is your best source for sure!

The beauty of the 74" chief is that most internal engine parts will match a late model (40's) chief, and those parts are easy to find. Don't even consider using the original spoked flywheels!!!!!! I used Z metal wheels, heavy, late rods, KIWI stainless valves, Greer pistons. pins etc. Because those parts interchange, building a bullet proof engine is fairly easy! Of course the hard parts are good cylinders and valve springs. Tom Kuhn in N.Y made up valve springs but beware, he did not stress relieve them. I had mine cryogenically stressed relieved as well as the cylinders.

My 24 Big Chief pulled the sidecar, 2 passengers and all our gear and never missed a beat, except for a magneto issue. We used about 1 quart of oil per 300 miles and half of that is what I dumped out of the crankcase at every gas stop. So, I agree with Eric, the early Chief is hands down a better built machine than a J Harley, Henderson or X of the same year. But, I'm partial.........

Gene CB #31

[Ken Lee]

Hello Gene ,

Many thanks for your info and your welcome advice . I'm hoping to hear from Kent soon and hope he has what I need .

I'm yet to sample the joys of an early Chief so cannot argue that my Henderson Deluxe (1926) is the best rider and I use it on longer journeys in preference to other , even more modern bikes ! But am sure I will enjoy both !! What oil do you use in engine and transmission ?

[gharper]

Ken,

I used Brad Penn 50 W "The Green Oil" in the engine, 10-30 castrol in the primary (Greer Clutch) and Valvoline 50 W in the tranny, for no specific reason. I installed sealed bearings in the tranny and separated the primary from the tranny. I did not know this when I restored the bike 28 years ago, but it has a 32 transmission so the output bearing is the same as the input, a 3/4" wide ball bearing which allowed me to install sealed bearings. 31 and earlier chief used the narrow 3/8" output bearing which is hard to find and not available sealed. However, a modern lip seal fitted into the output side retainer nut is available, yet another late model Chief modification that fits perfectly and is a big improvement.

[Ken Lee]

Thanks Gene ,
I'll probably try and seal the gearbox and use heavier oil in there , good to know about the modern lip seal mod as mine has the narrower bearing .

[Ken Lee]

Things going slow as have other stuff to do but have built up the crank assembly with new Truit&Osborne/Kiwi wheels and that went together with new shafts really well and virtually spot on accurate , easiest flywheel assembly I have done , probably as everything is new ! So thanks for your advice . I have asked in another thread about reboring as gudgeon pins have been loose on a previous rider and asking what is the largest acceptable bore I can go to ? any ideas appreciated . Ken