Ironhead drum brake pivot question

[Kit352]

As i continue my mid century service of my ironhead i am continually finding little things owners have messed about with in the past. Today i am dealing with the drum brake.
I have a 71 with what appears to be a newer style drum brake due to the cable slots that have been cut off by a PO. The issue is that it never had a proper pivot bushing, just a normal bolt screwed into it and floating (alot) in the axle window. I can order a pivot kit for a 73 and up that looks correct except the the bushing doesnt look like it is deep enough to fill the gap in the swing arm window and i will have a large space when i run the bolt through it which doesnt seem right to me. The kit for a 71 looks like it presses into the drum hub which i no longer have provisions for but it looks correct other wise. I do see that some are infact floating in the window but i only see that on rigids.
Im not sure what year swingarm i have or if there are any differences between them but my pivot window has about a 3/4in wide plate the bushing would rest in. Is that why the pivot kit for a 73 doesnt look like its wide enough to fit properly, because it isnt?

[67170]

Sounds like your backing plate is a 75 used with brake cable. The 73 and up bolt and spacer would be correct. Spacer would be placed from the inside of frame and bolt outside IIRC. Bob

[Fivecats]

Like this one? https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrW...xJ7KGNCNxBRLU-

[Kit352]

Yeah, that's the main bit of the newer kit. Without it in hand though it doesn't look like it's very deep, at least not deep enough to fill the swingarm window to be flush with the outer edge.
When a newer style drum is assembled does that spacer end up be flush with the face of the swingarm pivot window or is a bit of empty space expected?

[67170]

The spacer on mine does not come flush with the outer frame. Bob

[Kit352]

Thanks for that bit of information. That's my biggest concern really. I'm going to order a kit and cross my fingers.

[DR DICK]

Originally Posted by Kit352

Im not sure what year swingarm i have or if there are any differences between them

you gotta figure that out.

because the anchor hardware is matched not only to the backing plate but to the swing arm also.


there were 3 different swing arms used on long frame drum brake bikes.


-67 used 67-72 xlh and 70-72 xlch. this arm uses the early stud style anchor setup. using the 73 style anchor spool & washer on this arm usually creates headaches.



-73 used 73-74 all. this arm had an extra machining feature for the brim of the -73 anchor spool to seat against.


-75 used 75-78. same as the -73 except the earlier rod style brake light switch tab isnt present instead a guide for the cable is.


a pic of the anchor area taken from between the swing arm legs will verify what vintage the arm is.


with some ingenuity any backing plate can be anchored to any swing arm.

[Kit352]

I've already assembled the wheel back on so I will need to find the time to get it apart again to take a pic.
On my arm the pivot window has raised plates inside on the top and bottom. On the inner edge there is maybe a 1\4 in recessed lip along those plates, possibly for the spool to ride in? Is it fair to say I may have a 73-75 style swingarm as I still have the brake light tab as well.

[toodogs]

DR DICK, I'd have pm you but your box is full. So I'll post this here and hope I don't disrespect Kit352 topic.

I'm happy to see you posting on this forum Sir. I've digested many of your older posts and technical discussions. Thank You!

You have provided me with much appreciated HD Ironhead wisdom.

My bike is a '76 xlh1000 that has mostly stock powertrain, Cycle Shack exhaust system PHD-112-T ($184 ebay) 40" tapered muffler pipes fit Sportster models 57 -78. 2" dia. pipes with 3" muffler tapered to a 2-1/4" outlet, made in USA. Wyatt Gatlling 8” round Evo style air filter assy pn: 34-0946 w/Uni Filter foam filter element pn: NU-3413. '97 XL 39mm fork w/'97 single piston brake caliper. Progressive xlh rear damper/spring assembly. XLX style handlebars. Home crafted solo seat. Rims on bike are Akront flanged type so I mounted Dunlop K180 dot tires.

This bike runs good, I'm very satisfied with it.

Thanks again DR DICK