Indian 4 upper case without plug for shifter fork?

[gsottl]

Hello Indian 4 enthusiasts,

On the upper case of my 1939 Four project there is one detail I did not recognize on other 1938up Indian Four cases:

on the back of the transmission case the plug for tightening the shifter fork screw is missing....

Does anybody of you have (seen) similar cases on a late model Four?
What year do you think this case is from?
The transmission was welded all along the clutch so the rear section could be from another year too?

Unfortunalely the cases do not have numbers any longer as the weld went right through the number boss as well.

By the way - I am still interested to buy an upper case with correct numbers from 1939.

springfield1901

[gsottl]

some more pictures of the case.....

[Oldchief]

It looks to me as if this is a pre-1936 case. It looks like the ones I have for the following years: 1929, 1930, 1931. I found a picture of what it is that I think you are referring to but it is not on the backside of the transmission case, but rather the top of the transmission. I believe this is for a 1938.

Best Regards,

Old Chief



4007.jpg

[partshunt]

oldchief, your 1929 and on cases should have the small oval plate at the rear of the trans case that gsgotti is asking about., His does not have that access hole for locking the shifter fork pinch bolt. That oval plate is held by two screws but you dont show a pic of the rear of your cases. My 29 has the access plate for shifter fork work and it went on for many years I believe.....

[Oldchief]

That's right Joe. I forgot all about that. Gasket, two bolts, oval plate, hole for adjusting the tightening/adjusting the bolt on the shift fork. The picture I posted was from a 1938 and up four cylinder model. On my four, I'm getting the rims and spokes done up right now on that bike and will wire it during the winter. Just about everything else is done now. Probably take a breather after this one.

[Jerry Wieland]

Here is my DOC case - 1932









and here is my DCD case 1934





Oops I forgot - it is missing a piece. While I am at it I am looking for a DCD 1934 case, motor or what have you - or the piece to fix this one. I have 1932 motor complete in a basket to trade only for same in a 1934 Four. I have the complete 1934 Four bike.

Jerry

[partshunt]

That's right Joe. I forgot all about that. Gasket, two bolts, oval plate, hole for adjusting the tightening/adjusting the bolt on the shift fork. The picture I posted was from a 1938 and up four cylinder model. On my four, I'm getting the rims and spokes done up right now on that bike and will wire it during the winter. Just about everything else is done now. Probably take a breather after this one.

oldchief: sounds like you are getting there. Been out on my ole four quite a bit lately. Sure a nice bike to ride. You will enjoy yours when you are done and running. I dont have a newer than a 29 four cylinder but did they eliminate that access plate in this topic? Can you imagine, that means you will pull the engine and pan to adjust the shifter and retighten the shifter fork pinch bolt from the underside on the bench??? That sucks.......Joe

[Oldchief]

Thanks Joe...almost there is right. Here is a picture of the progress so far:

DSCF0015.JPG

This is what it looked like after I rescued it from a dilapidated shed and got it home:


DSCF1348.jpg

[partshunt]

oldchief; Your bike looks great. I see the Indian 4 decals are more correct than mine. Who supplied you the tank decals? Mine are US made but not exact. I would go for a set of yours and remove mine if I had another set .............

[Oldchief]

Joe,

I purchased four water slide decals from one of the big suppliers in the industry, but they were very thin and frail and had a tendency to break apart on a moments notice. They would also dry with small air bubbles underneath them despite my best efforts to the contrary.

I am a machinist, but my company has several smaller companies within it and one of them is a sign business. We scanned the original into the computer, corrected the lines for straightness and pixel problems that resulted in fuzzy edges in certain places. We also straightened the line and adjusted the "4". We also adjusted the width of the black lines around the gold Indian because they didn't match the bottom line very well.

I was surprised to see so many details that should have been straight or square or rounded with a ragged edge.

Anyway, we used a Gerber paper with a gold leaf color that was quite different in shading from the original decal and printed it on .002" mil vinyl. Then we pressed some release paper over the top of it after it set for a while. We sprayed and activator/release agent onto the tank and aligned and laid the decal over the top. I think I ended up using some pictures that you posted of an original tank showing the locations, so that helped quite a bit. He used a stiff plastic card to lay down each decal until there was no bubbles and then slowly removed the paper. It transferred quite will.

I then took it to my painter and he clear coated the tank again. I had my painter paint, clear and polish first and then I installed the decal and then clear coated over it again. My friend owns an automobile paint shop with down and side draft vents. I just pay his painters to prep and paint the parts directly. We work with no specific timetable in mind, so it makes it easy to take the tank, put the decals on, etc.

The owner of my company liked the way that the decal turned out on the tank, but was wary over trademark lawsuits from Indian over the making of the decals. I told him people would want to buy this, probably even some of the Indian companies dealing with restoration parts. I know we could produce them in small or large batches, but what exactly is the demand for these decals? I'm not certain myself, but I know restorers out there need nice solid ones that won't break and crack apart during install.

Here is a picture of the opposite side. I have a new camera, its a bit blurry from the reflection. I'm still getting used to it:

[partshunt]

Thanks for the very thorough explanation on creating that nice decal. My decals came from the late Rob McLean who was makeing them. Someone else has taken over his decal work and I dont know if they have corrected the "4" on thiers or not. I would like to find a set that is more correct than mine. However, I admire the time and effort you put into creating your nice decal. If you ever decide to make more for resale, I'd be interested...

[partshunt]

oldchief:- Forgot to mention, your attachement of the other side of your four does not open. Rather, the website note says it is illegal?....Maybe try sending the pic another way?....

[Oldchief]

I had a phone call while writing the post and timed out. Here is the other picture, I hope it goes through:

[gsottl]

Thank you for your postings so far.

I do have an early Four as well and there are small differences to the case I have for the 1939:

- The magneto platform only has 2 holes for the new (1938up) generator mount / Splitdorf RM
- There is no "Made in U.S.A." casted on the transmission.
- in the section in front of the sprocket the casting is stronger that an the early case
- and the main difference is: it only has 12 instead of 16 cylinder studs and thus is made for the 1938up cylinders.

But: all late cases I have seen up to now had the shifter fork adjusting cover as well.......

[Oldchief]

It's funny that you mention that now. I did notice the 2 holes in the mag slot, but didn't think about counting the studs. It looks like the adjuster hole might have been eliminated when they welded the cases up. I know some people who make new cases. They are quite pricey, but the quality is excellent. Good luck on solving your problem with that case and let us know how it works out.

Old Chief