My Last To-Do List

Hi.

I'm nearly, nearly finished with the restoration of the Harley-Davidson WL.  Over the next 3 weekends I have to :

• Make a small adjustment to the exhaust pipe to ensure a proper fit of the rear cylinder exhaust port - completed;
• This will require that I touch up the spray painting of the exhaust - completed;
• Fit the exhaust - completed;
• Fit the two handlebar pinch bolts - another one bites the dust;
• Fit the 3rd headlight mounting bolt and nut - and another one gone;

Tanks and Seat Back On

Afternoon

I have managed to fit the tanks, as well as, all three oil lines. I must admit that I battled with the one oil line - the line must align perfectly with the connector otherwise the nut does not want to screw onto the connector. But I eventually managed to get the line fastened.

Oil Tank Rinsed

Hi

Doepie tells a story about a WL that he restored a while back, where the oil tank had about 3 inches of sand in the oil tank. He said that when he looked into the oil tank, the oil had cut a pathway through the sand to the oil pipe.

But what was more amazing was that when he opened up the motor, the entire inside of the motor was coated with sand. Despite all of the sand in the motor, the motor was actually running before he started with the restoration!

Because a large number of the WL's were used by the Union Defence Force of South Africa in the Western Sahara desert during WW2, they did pick up a lot of sand in the oil tanks.

I really don't want sand in the newly rebuilt motor and have rinsed the oil tank:
1. I started by pouring about 1/2 litre of thinners into the tank (obviously after blocking all of the outlets) and I then swirled the thinners around the tank. After about 2 minutes I poured the black gunk into an old container.
2. I repeated this process again, using thinners again.
3. I then switched to petrol and rinsed the tank again.
4. I repeated the process again, using petrol.
5. To prevent the tank from rusting I poured a bit of oil in the tank and swirled the oil around, which I poured out.

Next, I want to fit the oil and fuel tanks and connect all of the fuel and oil lines.

Spark Plugs Connected

Hi.

I've connected the spark plugs, using the old style copper connectors with cooling fins.

If you zoom in to the spark plug on the left you will notice that even the spark plugs are vintage original Harley-Davidson branded spark plugs. 

Distributor Control Cable Bracket

Hi.

The distributor control cable is used to retard the ignition timing to around top dead centre, to enable the rider to kick start the motor.

Once the motor is running, the rider can advance the ignition timing to the required degree before top dead centre.

Without this control it would be very difficult to kick start a 45 cubic inch (750 cc) motor.

The bracket just keeps the cable in the correct position.

Carb Support Bracket

Hi.

To fit the carburettor support bracket I had to take off the carburettor. There are just 3 screws to loosen.

I then fitted the carburettor support bracket to the carburettor. This bracket just keeps the weight of the carburettor off the 3 mounting screws.

The bracket rests on the engine block between the two sleeves - in the middle of the V.

Another job on the To-Do list completed. 

Cylinder Heads

By way of background - when the motor was rebuild I had the head nuts and bolts on order. This arrived after I got the rebuild motor back. Consequently Doepie only put two of the head nuts on. I've fitted the nuts just hand tight when I received the package. But they were not properly fastened. 

OK.  Here goes.  First off is the seat T-bar. 

What I want to do This Weekend

Morning.

I'm nearly, nearly finished with the restoration work on the vintage Harley. So. The plan for this weekend is to:
1. Remove the dashboard cover, both tanks and the seat T-bar so that I can remove the two cylinder heads.
2. Then I have to put copper gasket sealant on the one copper head gasket, put the head back on and torque the head bolts to the specified torque.
3. Do the same with the other cylinder head.
4. Fit the carburettor support bracket.
5. Fit the distributor control cable bracket.
6. I can then fit the tanks properly.
7. After that I can fit the various fuel and oil pipes.
8. Then the seat T-bar can be fitted properly.

Wish me all the best for this last push.

Tool Bag Fixed

Afternoon

When I bought the vintage Harley in November 2014, the motorcycle came with a rather beat up canvas bag that had some holes in it, the straps were ripped off and it was full of oil.

The canvas bag has a 1945 manufacturing date stamped on it.

I took this bag and asked Faik to fix the canvas bag for me. Which he did.

Front Tyre Fitted

Hi

This afternoon I had the front tyre fitted - I took some photos in the fitment centre. 

Front Wheel Respoked

Morning

Grant - the guy that is respoking the front wheel for me - called yesterday afternoon to say that he has finished the respoking of the front wheel. He was supposed to have the wheel respoked last week, but came down with a really bad bout of flu. He will deliver the wheel to me during the course of the day.

I have actually brought the tyre with me and I intend to stop at a motorcycle fitment centre on the way home to have the tyre fitted.

If all things go according to plan, I should be able to fit the front wheel this evening. But things have not been running to plan - Murphy has been rather active.

Rear Wheel Fitted

Good afternoon.

It was a busy weekend.

Yesterday I drove out to Doepie for some help to fix the speedo drive ring gear on the rear wheel - the gear was cracked straight through.

We have managed to fix the gear and he then heated the gear and dropped it on to the brake drum. As the gear was hot, it just slipped into place. To make sure that the gear doesn't slip, he clinked it at three points.

On the way back home, I stopped at a motorcycle fitment centre and had the rear tyre fitted. I also bought a good quality, sealed chain for the Harley. 

Back home, I started with the fitment of the rear wheel. I finished up this morning and then installed the chain.

With the chain fitted, I could adjust the chain tension and then adjusted the two rear wheel adjusters to properly align the wheel.

This allowed me to do the final adjustment to the rear drum brake. 

It is really looking great! Here is a photo.

Our 1st Show!

Hi

The Cape Vintage Motorcycle Club, in conjunction with the Cape Multi Motor Club, is planning to hold a Vintage Car & Bike Show at the Kilarney Race Track on the 6th November 2016.

 

I have indicated that I would like to participate by exhibiting the 1941 Harley-Davidson WL in SAUDF military colours at the show.

UDF (SA) Harley Davidson's in North Africa during 1940 to 1943 (Part 3) — and the destruction of a large number of the SAUDF Harley Davidson's

FROM SIDI REZEGH TO TOBRUK

Immediately after Sidi Rezegh and “The Sunday of the Dead” 

(See "UDF (SA) Harley Davidson's in North Africa during 1940 to 1943 (Part 2)").

After the destruction of the 5^th South African Brigade by the Panzerarmee Afrika on the 23^rd November, the 1^st South African Brigade had to retreat to Taib el Essem, where it beat off determined Axis attacks on 25 November.  On the same day, the brigade had to retreat further, but on 28 November again had to advance to support the New Zealand Division's attack on Sidi Rezegh.  After being further involved in heavy fighting between 30 November and 1 December the 1^st Brigade again had to retreat south to Taib el Esem.  On 20 December, they were sent back to Egypt to recuperate.

In the meantime the 2nd South African Division was detached to the 13th Corps and participated in the fighting at Bardia, Sollum, Cova and Halfaya.  The 3rd and 4th Brigades participated in the heavy fighting in the capture of Bardia on 2 January 1942.  A total of 7 775 prisoners of war were taken, while the South Africans lost 353 men.  On 12 January the 6th South African Brigade captured Sollum and on 17 January, the Axis forces at Halfaya surrendered.  During the operations at Bardia, Sollum, Cova and Halfaya, the 2nd South African Division lost 500 men, killed, wounded or taken prisoner of war.

The Expansion of the War to Include Japan and the USA

With Japan's (and the USA) entry into the war in December 1941 and an increase in the activities of German U-boats in the southern oceans brought the war closer to South Africa – there was a danger that the Axis forces could threaten traffic along the Cape sea route.  In spite of these developments, Genl Jan Smuts was adamant that the Union Defence Force's largest contribution should still be in the Middle East.  Thus, according to him, the Union had to contribute as much as possible to the effort to defeat Field Marshall Rommel's forces.

NOTE TO READER: The SAUDF’s Harley-Davidson’s have been used for more than a year in the East African, the Madagascar and the North Africa Campaign BEFORE the USA was sucked into WW2 following the attack of Japan on Pearl Harbour.  Logically, the SAUDF were using their Harley-Davidson’s in combat months before the USA entered the war.  Some of the Canadian forces might have been equipped with Harley-Davidson’s, but the Harley-Davidson WLC’s for the Canadian Defence Force was only ordered in 1942 and supplied to the Canadian Defence Force in 1943 onwards. Hence my view that the SAUDF’s Harley-Davidson’s were the first Harley-Davidson’s in WW2 to be seriously used in combat.

Revised Plan for the Week

Morning

When I phoned Doepie on Saturday morning past, to find out what time would suit him the best for me to stop by, he said that he had picked up a bout of flu that has turned into lung infection. Which meant that I could not drive out to visit him.

Grant - the guy that has done the re-spoking of the rear wheel and is currently busy with the re-spoking of the front wheel - has not been able to finish the re-spoking of the front wheel.  I should get the front wheel back from him during the course of the week.

I consequently ended up fetching the parts from the Post Office and fitting the front brake assembly on Saturday.

What's up for this week? The following:

• Fitting the tyres to the two wheels and the balancing of the tyres.
• Then fitting the wheels on the motorcycle.
• I also have to torque the two heads.
• That will allow me to finish the installation of the tanks and I can also fit all of the fuel and oil lines.
• If I have time, I want to fill the battery with battery acid and check that all of the wiring works properly.

Assembly of the Front Brake

Hi. 

I have previously assembled the brake shoes. 

I have already assembled the front brake shackle and have partly assembled the brake lever. 

Parts Arrived

Morning 

The couple of items that I needed to finish the rebuild of the front brake have arrived. 

Revised, Revised To-Do List

Hi

The To-Do list is getting shorter and shorter - from an earlier post titled "Outstanding Work" and "Revised To-Do List":

• Complete the spray-painting of the front fender and fit it;
• Complete the dash board rebuild;
• Complete the re-wiring of the motor-cycle;
• Assemble the rear rim and put a tyre on;
• Complete the front rim and spokes and assemble the rim and put on a tyre;
• Refurbish the handlebars and fit them, with the control cables;
• The heads still have to be torqued;
• The seat must be covered and fitted; 
• Fit the fuel and the oil tanks and connect the various hoses;
• Fill the battery with battery acid;
• There is a small adjustment that I have to make to the exhaust to ensure that it fits properly;
• And I have to fit the horn;
• The couple of parts that I need for the front brake has arrived and I must fit that.

I could not take the Harley WL to Doepie for a final check on the 27th August 2016, due to the small number of missing parts on the front brake.  But these parts have arrived. At the moment I'm thinking of taking the motorcycle to Doepie for a once-over on either the 10th or the 24th September. Should all be fine, we will start the bike at that time.

Wish me luck!

Plan for the Week

Morning 

My plans for this week are as follows:

• I will drop the front rim, hub and spokes off at the guy that has respoked the rear wheel. He should be able to finish the respoking of the front wheel by Friday afternoon.
• On Saturday I'll take the two rims, pick up the inner tubes and have the tyres fitted and balanced.
• I want to pop in and visit Doepie to see how he is doing. I have one or two small items that I want his help with.
• When I get back to the house, I will fit the two wheels.

I'll then have a rolling chassis!

The following week or two I'll finish up the outstanding items and get the motorcycle ready to start the 24th September.

Front Rim Spray Painted

Morning

I have spray painted the one side of the front rim yesterday and am busy mixing Celemix for the other side.

Dispatch Rider Patch in Wall Hanging

Morning

Today I went to fetch the patch and the vintage tyre levers.

I want to use the patch and some of the other memorabilia to put together a man cave wall hanging - similar to the one that I have done for my 95th Commemorative Edition Sportster.

In this wall hanging I have fitted the following items:

• Top left is a 95th Commemorative Edition patch. 
• Below that is a 95th Commemorative Edition pin. 
• Bottom left is a post card of the 95th Commemorative Edition Sportster. 
• Bottom right is a Maistro model of the 95th Commemorative Edition Sportster. 

In a similar wall hanging of the WW2 SAUDF Harley-Davidson WL, I would like to put together the following:

• A short history of the H-D's during WW2 service in the SAUDF, with some WW2 photos of the H-D's in East Africa, Madagascar and North Africa. I'll include the Dispatch Rider's patch, the early WW2 SATC badge and some of the other memorabilia in this collage. 
• A summary of the restoration process with a before photo, some photos that I took during the restoration process and an after photo. I also want to use some of the packaging of the NOS parts that I have used in the restoration process. 
• I have managed to get a Maistro model of a 1942 WLA (see post “1942 Harley-Davidson WLA Memorabilia”. I will include this in the collage as well. 

What do you guy's think of such a man cave wall hanging? Anything that you would suggest that I include in the wall hanging? 

Busy with Another WW2 Article - The Disappearance of the UDF Harley-Davidson's

Hi

As I have mentioned before, I have done a lot of research on the use of Harley-Davidson motorcycles by the Union Defence Force of South Africa in World War 2.

I'm currently busy writing my last article on the use of H-D's by the SAUDF in WW2. The SAUDF procured 4,500 H-D's early in WW2 and has used the motorcycles in the East Africa and Madagascar Campaigns. 

They were then moved to North Africa to fight against Rommel (nickname was the Desert Fox). This ding-dong campaign between Britain and Italy / Germany saw Italy gaining valuable ground into Egypt initially. 

The British then pushed them back hundreds of miles into Libya. When Rommel arrived on the scene he quickly took action and pushed the British back into Egypt. 

A small contingent of Australians managed to hang on to Tobruk - a small town with a deep harbour in the Mediterranean Sea. The British managed to resupply this force until it was relieved later.

But this meant that Rommel had to supply his Panzers with fuel and ammunition from a harbour about 400 kilometres to the west of Tobruk. His supply line was about 800 kilometres long. 

After replenishing their forces, the British pushed Rommel way back into Libya. Rommel then replenished his forces and went on the offensive again. But... This time he realised that he has to capture Tobruk and it's harbour. The British have since replaced the Australian troops with two divisions of South African troops (almost 30,000 troops).  So... Rommel focused his entire Panzerarmee on Tobruk. 

Read what happened in the article.

Dispatch Rider Patch from World War 2

Good morning

I was really lucky to buy a British Dispatch Rider patch from WW2 on eBay a while ago. This is what the badge look like.

WW2 Dispatch Rider Patch

This looks very similar to the insignia worn by motorcyclists in the Union Defence Force in both World Wars - see post titled "SA Motocyclist Insignia".  After all - the Union Defence Force of South Africa formed part of the British Forces and used a lot of British kit in WW2.

I want to mount all of the memorabilia, some of the NOS packaging, and a short history of the Harley-Davidson's that serviced the Union Defence Force of South Africa in the East Africa, the Madagascar and the North Africa Campaings in a frame that one can hang on a wall.

Wiring Completed

I'm finished with the wiring (except to connect the horn, once I have mounted it).

What a finicky job!

Note to self - don't do this ever again!

Fitting the Rear Light Harness

Hi. 

I'm busy connecting the rear light harness to the tail lamp. 

Exploded View of Tail Lamp

I have managed to pull through the two wires to the tail lamp. 

Test Fitted the Dashboard Cover and Tanks

Hi. 

I'm finished with the wiring of the dashboard and have test fitted the dashboard cover and tanks to see if I have to shim the dashboard. 

It is fitting like a glove and is really looking great. Judge for yourself. 

Vintage Tools have Arrived

Hi. 

I have collected a parcel with a number of vintage tools that I have bought over a period of time. Some eBay'ers in the continental USA doesn't ship internationally and I have shipped these tools to a friend of mine is the USA. He graciously collected the parts and after all the parts have arrived at his house, he shipped all of the tools in one parcel to me. 

In the process I saved hugely on shipping costs, as the shipping cost for the individual tools would have been more than 3 times what I paid for the one parcel. 

Here is a photo of the vintage tools. 

Note the NOS package for the chain breaker. Still in the "For U. S. Ordnance" packaging. 

The toolkit is coming along nicely. Here is a photo of the tools. 

 

This is seriously starting to look like an early WW2 H-D WL Toolkit.

 

Not shown above is the tyre levers (on it's way). What I am missing is the following:

•  The spark plug spanner;
• The Rear Wheel Lug Tyre Wrench.
• The tappet wrench.

 

Fitting the Front Terminal and Wiring

Morning. 

I'm busy with the front terminal. I have fitted the terminal (the horn is mounted to the terminal). Here is a photo. 

The 1941 WL Horn Mount

Hi. 

Last night I had a good look at the horn mounting to try and figure out how the lot all fit together. The best exploded view that I could lay my hands on for the early models (prior to 1941) are provided below.

Exploded Views of the Horn Mounting

This is not the 1941 WL Horn Mount, but it is very close. This exploded view was in the 45 Restoration Company catalogue.

I have test fitted the horn mounting and it looks pretty much like the photos that Palmer have in his book. Here is a photo of the the horn with the horn mountings fitted. 

I'm going to fit the top mounting and connect all of the wires to the horn terminal. I will have to install the front fender before I can complete the horn installation. 

Palmer on the 1941 WL Horn Mount

Hi. 

Following on from my previous post - this is what Palmer has to say about the 1941 WL Horn Mount.