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14th January 2020
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XL FORUM TEAM MEMBER
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,022
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RicThompson
Glad you mentioned tubing being inserted down from the top. The oil return hole is 3/16 which means hole must be drilled oversize to fit tube in. Why is it down from top when drilling from bottom would be much easier?
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You can go to a modeling shop and buy tubing in many sizes. It is much thinner material. An exact fit can be reached this way. Using regular copper tube is putting in very thick material into the hole. The upper hole doesn't need to be absolutely sealed, as mentioned before, lots of splash is going in there anyway.
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14th January 2020
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Biker
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Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 2 Sportster/Buell Model: xlch Sportster/Buell Year: 1968 Sportster/Buell Model #2: 1968 Sportster Sportster/Buell Year #2: 1970 Other Motorcycle Model: 2004 Custom Pro Street Other Motorcycle Year: 2004
Reputation: 10

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Cylinder Oil Hole lowering for stroker
If the upper hole is not completely sealed the oil will come in the cylinder above the oil ring which would cause motor to smoke right? Even if you flared the top end of the tubing after the oil flows down to the lowered hole isn't it possible for the oil to try to back up in the tube and if the tube isn't a tight fit going past the upper hole oil could get in the upper hole and above oil ring. I am getting ready to lower my holes and would prefer not to braze cast iron. I have done a few strokers years ago always brazed but always a chance of repercussions from all that heat even with preheating and such. I'm glad someone brought this up. I'm not experienced like a lot of you so I'm looking for a cleaner less crude way to lower the holes and plug the upper ones without failures. Thank You!
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14th January 2020
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Biker
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Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 2 Sportster/Buell Model: xlch Sportster/Buell Year: 1968 Sportster/Buell Model #2: 1968 Sportster Sportster/Buell Year #2: 1970 Other Motorcycle Model: 2004 Custom Pro Street Other Motorcycle Year: 2004
Reputation: 10

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Cylinder Oil Hole lowering for stroker
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iron Mike
I have seen both the epoxy and the brazing. seems the epoxy is much more commonplace nowadays. Also have seen the 3/16 tubing inserted down through the cyls.
Thanks to those that shared their past break in procedures.
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2 years ago I let a machinist lower the oil holes for my Stroker, put tubes in then plugged upper hole with JB weld, woops motor started smoking out both cylinders, JB weld came out of one hole in each cylinder but stayed in two holes. All the other strokers I built I brazed the holes I don't like to braze them but I should have. Anyway maybe J-B Weld was the wrong thing to use maybe there's better epoxies out there but anyway just my one experience with epoxy. Thanks to everyone on this forum lots of good information
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14th January 2020
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Senior Custom Bike Builder
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Northern Colorado
Posts: 2,550 Sportster/Buell Model: XLCH Sportster/Buell Year: 61 Other Motorcycle Model: Superglide Other Motorcycle Year: 74
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I have done the brass tubing, flared at the top, going into the case. I did not plug the cylinder holes. It worked fine.
Now I am running external returns It works also
If you need to plug the hole in your cylinder silver solder will work at a much lower temperature.
__________________
When you sit on something, you built from parts;
You're sitting on top of the world.
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14th January 2020
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Chief Master Mechanic
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Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 455 Sportster/Buell Model: XLH Sportster/Buell Year: 1969 Other Motorcycle Model: 111 Ironhorse Outlaw Other Motorcycle Year: 2004
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nitro57xl
It's done from the top because it's very hard to pick up the right angle from the bottom, also the original drilling varies ? If you drill from the bottom and you miss the intersection with the hole from the top you won't be happy?
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Yesterday I grabbed an old cylinder off my shelf and using a 1/8 drill bit I drilled from the top all the way through the bottom. Now if I used a 1/4 drill bit and drilled from the bottom just past the oil return hole I could use a much shorter 3/16 tube from the bottom. Then drill my new lower return holes. I could even tap the bottom for a set screw to keep tube in place and stop oil instead of just relying on the base gasket. Thoughts?
Last edited by RicThompson; 14th January 2020 at 17:45..
Reason: clarification on set screw purpose
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14th January 2020
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Chief Harley Engineer
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Brevard Count, Fl.
Posts: 528 Sportster/Buell Model: 883 Sportster/Buell Year: 1989
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RicThompson
YI could even tap the bottom for a set screw to keep tube in place and stop oil. Thoughts?
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Stop the oil from draining from the top? You'll be smoking in no time.
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14th January 2020
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Chief Master Mechanic
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Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 455 Sportster/Buell Model: XLH Sportster/Buell Year: 1969 Other Motorcycle Model: 111 Ironhorse Outlaw Other Motorcycle Year: 2004
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spacecoast
Stop the oil from draining from the top? You'll be smoking in no time.
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Apparently you missed the part about inserting shorter tube from bottom. The set screw would be in the cylinder base. Yes the whole idea is to have oil return from heads into crankcase.
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