Home Stretch!

Hi. 

I have completed most of the wiring this weekend. I only have to pull the two rear brake light wires through the channel in the rear fender and connect the wires, as well as, the horn harness. But before I can do the horn harness, I have to finish painting the front fender.

I only have a small amount of painting to do: the spokes for the front wheel, the front fender, the front rim, the front brake handle and the two handlebar switch covers. O. I forgot about the steering control.

Once that is finished, I can fit the painted parts and finish off the wiring. I also have to respoke the front wheel and fit the two tyres.

Hence the title of this post - I am in the home stretch! I really hope that I can have this all completed by the end of August. We can then start the Harley end of August or early in September. I intend to capture the first start on video and will post the video online.

It has been a very interesting year - actually more than a year - and I have enjoyed the restoration work tremendously!

At the moment I am busy looking for the next project to do. I'm considering doing a 1946 flathead (a 74 cubic inch motor) custom bike.  Something like this :

Connecting the Headlight Wires

Hi. 

I have also connected the headlight wires. I had a couple of extra pieces of asphalt loom available and I have slipped the four handlebar wires through a 5/15 inch asphalt loom and then split the loom into two 3/16 inch parts - one for the two headlight wires and the other for the two wires going to the horn terminal. The wire loom will prevent the individual wires from getting caught in the fork springs. 

Here are some photos. 

Connecting the Dashboard Wires

Morning. 

Yesterday I started connecting the dashboard wires, as per the 1941 WL wiring diagram - my WL only has a 5 point dash switch. I also have read what Palmer has to say about the connections. This is what it looks like. 

Firstly notice that the coil harness has been installed using the lower left hole (hole A in the diagram), the generator harness through the top left hole (hole C in the diagram), and the forward light harness through the top right hole (hole D). 

Notice that I have used friction tape to tape the end of each wire, so that the material covering the wire will not fray. 

And I have wound some of the wires together, as Palmer says that this was standard practice in the early days of the Harley-Davidson factory. 

Switch to Coil Harness Instalation

Hi. 

I have fitted the switch to coil harness - along the top rail of the frame, as stated in Palmer's book. 

The green wire has been fitted to the coil's front terminal, the red wire to the rear terminal post on the frame, and the black wire to the negative terminal.

 Here are some photos. 

Battery Instalation

Hi

The battery has been fitted. At this point in time there is no battery acid in the battery. 

I have also connected the two battery terminal wires. Here are photos of the positive wire running to the seat post terminal. 

Seat Post Terminals

Morning. 

I'm busy fitting the seat post terminals. This is what Palmer has to say about the installation of the seat post terminals.

Handlebar Wiring

Hi

I have started with the wiring of the handle bar. I first strung a piece of wire through the two holes on the handle bar and then tied the first wire (the horn wire) to the piece of wire with masking tape.

This is the horn wire pulled trough. 

I did the same for the light toggle switch wires. 

Another H-D WL Wiring Diagram

Hi

I have come across this wiring diagram for a H-D WL (1938 to 1946), which shows the layout for a 5 tab switch (such as I have on my WL).  The wiring diagram came from the flathead and panhead web site (http://www.hydra-glide.com/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=2).

Rear Wheel Respoked!

Morning

I have just picked up the rear wheel - I had it respoked by someone.  It is really looking great!  Here are some photo's.

Harley Davidson Grip's and Handlebar Plunger's

Afternoon.

This is what Palmer has to say about the grips used by Harley Davidson during the early years. The grips that I have used in the restoration is therefore period correct, albeit reproduction grips.

Refurbisment of the Controls

Morning

I have started with the refurbishment of the handle bar controls (both for the manual retard /advance and the throttle).

Exploded View of Controls

I first used my Dremel tool with a small sanding disc to remove all of the rust and gunk from the controls - here are some pictures. 

Rear Rim Spray Painted

Hi 

I have also completed the spray painting of the rear rim. Which means that I can now have the rim assembled with the black spokes and the rear hub. 

Here is a photo. 

Handlebars Fitted

Hi. 

I have fitted the handlebars after cleaning them and spray painting. It was a bit of a mission to get the controls out, but I managed. 

Here is a photo or two. I still have to fit the two control cable's, etc., but this is really starting to look like a motorcycle! 

Solo Seat Covered

Hi. 

I have dropped the solo seat off to have the seat covered in a tan leather. I'll post pictures of the seat when I get it back. Which should be in two weeks time. 

The guy that will cover the seat is an old artisan - he must be in his 70's - and he only have hand tools in his shop. Everything that he does is hand tooled and stitched. 

I have also given him two vintage army (British) canvas bags that was used by the UDF during WW2 to fabricate a leather attachment for the carrier. 

And he will also replace the leather strap and band of the WW2 steel UDF helmet for me.

Vintage Shifting Spanner for Toolbox

Hi

I am slowly but surely getting a decent vintage toolkit together.  Yesterday I won an auction on eBay for a vintage shifting spanner from the same producer that supplied Harley-Davidson with shfting spanners during WW2.

Here is a photo of the shifting spanner.

Vintage Air Pump for Toolkit

Hi!

The toolkit is coming along very nicely.  I have also bought a vintage air pump for the H-D.

Vintage Spoke Wrench for the Toolkit

Hi

I have also bought a vintage spoke wrench.

Vintage NOS Harley Davidson Chain Breaker Tool for Toolkit

Hi

I have been very fortunate to win an eBay auction for a NOS H-D chain breaker.  This is part of the items required for the toolkit.  Here are some photo's.

Restoration of the Delco-Remy 16 Horn

Hi

I have disassembled the original Delco-Remy horn. The inside is in great condition. Here is a photo. 

The outside is a bit rusted and I have lightly sandblasted the outside of the horn. Here is a photo just after sandblasting. 

And this is what the horn looks like after spray painting. 

I then resoldered the connectors. Next, I will test whether the winding works. 

Speedometer Fitted

Hi. 

I have fitted the speedometer and then fitted the cover to check if everything fits properly. 

There is a couple of dings in the cover that I have not noticed before. I'll sort it out before I complete the wiring. 

Here is a photo. 

Rear Brake Pull Switch Fitted

Hi. 

I think that I have managed to fit the rear brake pull switch. If there is anyone out there that begs to differ, please reply to this post. 

Here is a photo of the fitted switch. 

Fitment of the Rear Drum Brake

Hi People. 

I have been away for a week to visit family up North. But am back and working on the old Harley again. 

I have fitted the rear drum brake and have connected the brake rod. The parking brake has also been fitted. 

Here are some photos. 

Vintage Tyre Levers for the Toolkit

Hi

I have managed to procure a set of vintage tyre levers for the Harley WL's toolkit.  Here are some photo's:

Vintage 'JP Danielson Co' Pliers for the Toolkit

Hi

I have also managed to acquire a set of two vintage pliers for the Toolkit.

Vintage 'A Schrader's Son' Tyre Gauge for Toolkit

Hi!

I have managed to acquire a vintage 'A Schrader's & Son' Tyre Gauge for the Toolkit.

Tyre Gauge