Ironhead need some clarification on early parts

PetesPonies · #1 2nd February 2011

..... say for a '57 . . . what would the coil bracket be like? same as ?? up to what year?? Mounted in usual ironhead location?

. . same question for the chain guard ????
. . re: generator . can a 12V Gen look the same as an original style 6V?
regulator too??
. . what type of horn was used? up to what year was the same etc?? I know it
had the trumpet, but does that make it totally different otherwise ??
. . Were the brake and shifter levers plated? I have seen some black and some
silver colored? Which is right and what would the plating be then?
. . I bought a new reproduction wiring harness . . what type of "clips" would be
used to hold the wire tight to the frame in certain locations??

Thanks guys

gunterjaeger · #2 2nd February 2011

These are questions that owning a simple JP Cycles catalog can answer for ya!

PetesPonies · #3 2nd February 2011

Well prove me wrong, but I don't believe that. Most Harley parts books are full of reproduction "chrome and shiny " parts. Not many places dedicated to originality. From my own experience ( since I specialize in Mustang restorations ) many of the reproduction parts are not exactly correct and lots of places don't give a damn. It is sells, they are happy. And Mustang originality is fairly documented. Sure, there's always small details up for argument, but 99.9% is published facts by now. I don't see the same information with these bikes Thats why I ask the guys that have them and have been around them for many years. I trust them much more than a parts house trying to make a buck.

keeno · #4 2nd February 2011

+1, glossy parts like the cataloge.

geraldxlch · #5 2nd February 2011

Pete you are correct in that most catalogs show parts that may fit a range of year models, not necessarily the exact part as produced by the manufacturer for a specific year. Since many of the later year parts can be exchanged for the earlier ones (in some cases they are better), many of the early bikes have been modified with these later parts so it is hard to know if what you are looking at is indeed original.
There are people here that know any part made for these machines and they will chime in to answer your questions.

. . same question for the chain guard ????
early chain guards have rivets holding the bracket.

. . re: generator . can a 12V Gen look the same as an original style 6V?
regulator too??
mine does except reg has been relocated

. . what type of horn was used? up to what year was the same etc?? I know it
had the trumpet, but does that make it totally different otherwise ??
totally different from what?

. . Were the brake and shifter levers plated? I have seen some black and some
silver colored? Which is right and what would the plating be then?
I have seen both as well

PetesPonies · #6 2nd February 2011

Thanks Gerald !! As for the horn, I mean would an early horn ( from say a CH ) be the same horn, only with no Trumpet? I obviously don't know exactly what a full Trumpet horn looks like compared to one that isn't

Thanks again.

Moon Wolf · #7 2nd February 2011

The early Chain guard is quite rare. It has a unique triangular bracket in the rear. Other than that, it looks like the early 70s CH guard.

The generator can look and mount the same--the -52K -58, -61, and -65A (12v) will all bold right up, but the 6 volt regulator mounts directly to the generator. The 57 -52K generator had the square regulator mounted directly to the generator end cap. With the -58 generator they went to a bracket which put the regulator in almost the same place

The Jubilee horn that will fit your bike was used on XLs from 57 t0 64. Panhead and K model horns of a similar style won't work. The powerpack mounts off your top motor mount on the left side. The bell goes between the cylinders and mounts with an L bracket on the top generator bolt.

The correct finish for both the brake pedal and the shift lever is cad.

The clips are listed in your part manual. I'm not sure of all the exact locations, but you need the big clip, at least, that holds the main harness to the frame tube under the tank.

If you need pictures of the these parts, let me know.

PetesPonies · #8 2nd February 2011

I ordered an early parts manual, albeit on CD. But at least it will be something. I have not been able to find a paper copy anywhere.

As for the lever finishes . . . possibly the Ks had black and some early bikes used old inventory? I too have seen bikes both ways, but I'll take your word for it; cad.

The horn seems to be getting more expensive as I learn more. Wow, a power source . yikes. I saw someone "try" and get $150 for just a "bell", wonder what an entire assembly is worth??

I figured for ridability I would rather have 12V and running a 12V Gen is easy enough. Obviously we're not talking a trophy bike here, but wanted it to look correct as a casual observer would see. So its mainly the regulator that makes it look a bit different??

And the chain gaurd . sounds like I may be fabbing a triangular bracket. I like doing work like that. So yes . . pictures are worth a thousand words. Thanks again.

Magneto Sportster · #9 2nd February 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by PetesPonies

As for the lever finishes . . . possibly the Ks had black and some early bikes used old inventory? I too have seen bikes both ways, but I'll take your word for it; cad.

No, Moon Wolf was 100% correct. Cadmium plating on both the rear brake pedal and shift lever. I have never seen a factory photo of any K model or Sportster showing them in black, but it sounds like you want yours to be black so just go with it. It's your bike, so give it the look you want.

Moon Wolf · #10 2nd February 2011

The early kickstand is "black" or dark gray--actually a parkerized finish, as is the rear brake rod and a number of other small parts, including the front motor mount bolts, spacers, and washers.