Changing the Cam Cover on my 87' 1100.

[Jenius]

Does anybody have any advice. I ordered a new cam cover and points cover because the cam cover on my 87 have chrome or whatever the coating was chipping off. Is the an easy remove the bolts change or is there anything to be cautious of??

Thanks,

Joe

[pittsjock]

It is a project.

There are a couple of nice pictorials I referenced - not finding the link, sorry.

1. The cam cover supports one end of the camshafts and supporting gearing for your motor.

2. There is load from the push rods on the cam lobes that must be relieved before you remove the cam cover or you may screw up a cam bushing or worse.

3. If you have aftermarket adjustable pushrods, you may be able to loosen them and then do the change.

4. With factory push rods, you need to remove the rocker cover and rocker boxes. This is the suggested method and takes the spring tension off the lifters/cam lobes etc., although some claim you can find a sweet spot and replace without this step.

5. Make sure to mark your timing or you will get to learn how to time your Sportster as well.

6. You are going to need i) rocker box gasket set, ii) cam cover gasket and iii) you might as well replace all of the o-rings associated with the pushrod tubes while you are there.

7. You need to watch to make sure you don't pull the cams out with the cover. It is not the end of the world if they come out, but there are shims on each cam that set end-play and you don't want to mix them up. Work slowly and push the gears into the motor side with your fingers as you remove.

It is a fun project and you will learn a lot, but I would give myself a solid day to get it done the first time. My bike was quite dirty, so I spent a lot of time cleaning parts, which added to the time it took to finish the project.

[Jenius]

Awesome response! This is why I love xlforum! Thank you!!

[Bob F]

IMO, for this job the Harley Service Manual is a must. http://www.harley-davidson.com/gma/g...bmLocale=en_US

[Jenius]

I have a manual for my bike and will def use it. Was just checking for any personal exp with the job.

[NRHS Sales]

Also make sure your new cam cover is for a 4 speed. the 5 speed covers look almost identical but they will not work. It must be for a 1986-1990.

[tmack-1]

Originally Posted by Jenius

Does anybody have any advice. I ordered a new cam cover and points cover because the cam cover on my 87 have chrome or whatever the coating was chipping off. Is the an easy remove the bolts change or is there anything to be cautious of??

Thanks,

Joe

Just re-read this.

My 86 1100 had a pitted and corroded cam cover. I took the clear coat off, then a bunch of elbow grease and the cover looks brand new.

- Started with 800 grit sand paper to get the pitting out.
- then went to 1200 to get the sandpaper scratches out.
- then used auto rubbing compound to get it less dull.
- then auto polishing compound to get it fairly shiny.
- then Mother's Mag wheel polish which made it too shiny for the "stock" look I was going for, so I went over it slightly with the polishing compound again.
- Coated with Laquer clear coat (Dupli-color).

Took about a full day to do, start to finish.