'83 Heritage chopper top-end rebuild

bikerbass15

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Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster, with, yes, yet another top end rebuild thread! All kidding aside, I've been reading quite a bit here in the past few weeks since my engine decided to suddenly be less than cooperative during my last shakedown run of my newly finished build. It's great to see how willing everyone is to offer tons of helpful advice and information. I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring and document my rebuild. I've tried to gather some data beforehand in the form of pics, video and measurements of the "before" - might be helpful for some folks, and I'd like to keep it organized for myself as well.

The backstory: I've owned my 1983 Heritage Special for 22 years. Bought it with about 4,700 miles in 1998 and rode it for about 15,000 miles until the end of the 2002 riding season, after which I bought a new Harley, which I still own and love. I then stored the bike for 11 years, knowing it would make a great project build one day. Got married and bought a house with a garage and started chopping the bike in 2014. I started it before the teardown to make sure it still ran and it did - though not well, as I believe the intake boots were cracked and sucking air. Spent 2 years building (with long slow spots when life got in the way), and stalled for about 3 years when my wife and I had our son in 2016. Got off my ass and got the bike running last year and started test riding it in raw form to suss out the bugs.

It had always been a strong running, reliable bike - almost completely stock (originally), it should have been. During the build, I built a new exhaust system, using a Lowbrow Customs exhaust builder kit and a set of Emgo (!) mufflers. Swap meet velocity stacks with drain screens and filter media on the stock BS34s, which I rejetted using a kit from Mike's. I replaced the intake boots with Tourmax repops of the stock ones. Stock CDI ignition. Started in June 2019 for the first time since 2014 and it lit up on the second kick and ran really well. Plugs were a nice light chocolate brown. Finished putting the rest of the running gear together, and I was able to ride it in November around my neighborhood before the snow came.

I'm still learning some of the in and outs of posting, so I added a couple short vids of the first ride last November in the Choppers section. I'll try to figure out how to connect it to this thread...
 
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+6 forks from Frank’s. The wheel is a chrome 21” rim from a late ‘70s DT175, laced with stainless spokes from Buchanan’s to a hub/drum from a mid-‘70s Kawasaki Bighorn. I had it bored out 2mm to fit with the stock axle and got some spacers cut. Cut a brake stop out of aluminum and had that welded to the fork (don’t have a aluminum setup on my mig). Probably the most expensive and time consuming part of the build!
 
View attachment 169324 View attachment 169325 Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster, with, yes, yet another top end rebuild thread! All kidding aside, I've been reading quite a bit here in the past few weeks since my engine decided to suddenly be less than cooperative during my last shakedown run of my newly finished build. It's great to see how willing everyone is to offer tons of helpful advice and information. I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring and document my rebuild. I've tried to gather some data beforehand in the form of pics, video and measurements of the "before" - might be helpful for some folks, and I'd like to keep it organized for myself as well.

The backstory: I've owned my 1983 Heritage Special for 22 years. Bought it with about 4,700 miles in 1998 and rode it for about 15,000 miles until the end of the 2002 riding season, after which I bought a new Harley, which I still own and love. I then stored the bike for 11 years, knowing it would make a great project build one day. Got married and bought a house with a garage and started chopping the bike in 2014. I started it before the teardown to make sure it still ran and it did - though not well, as I believe the intake boots were cracked and sucking air. Spent 2 years building (with long slow spots when life got in the way), and stalled for about 3 years when my wife and I had our son in 2016. Got off my ass and got the bike running last year and started test riding it in raw form to suss out the bugs.

It had always been a strong running, reliable bike - almost completely stock (originally), it should have been. During the build, I built a new exhaust system, using a Lowbrow Customs exhaust builder kit and a set of Emgo (!) mufflers. Swap meet velocity stacks with drain screens and filter media on the stock BS34s, which I rejetted using a kit from Mike's. I replaced the intake boots with Tourmax repops of the stock ones. Stock CDI ignition. Started in June 2019 for the first time since 2014 and it lit up on the second kick and ran really well. Plugs were a nice light chocolate brown. Finished putting the rest of the running gear together, and I was able to ride it in November around my neighborhood before the snow came.

I'm still learning some of the in and outs of posting, so I added a couple short vids of the first ride last November in the Choppers section. I'll try to figure out how to connect it to this thread...

So, on to the present... I had noticed the head gasket weeping before all this started, but as the bike was running so well, I was not in a hurry to pull it off the road. I figured I’d address the issue when the bike came apart for paint/final finishes over the coming winter. Well, a few weeks ago, I was riding with a buddy on a local back road. A car in front of us was doing about 35MPH and my buddy signaled that he was going to pass the guy, and did so. I checked the road, it looked clear, so I ripped around the guy, probably winding it up to about 65-70 briefly (no speedo, so just a guess). I had just got around the car when the exhaust/engine note changed dramatically, and the bike began to slow down. Throttle response was really soft. We pulled over about a mile down the road, and I noticed that the right exhaust pipe had oil all over it, at the same level as the head gasket (pictured). We headed for home (maybe 10 miles) away, and the bike still ran, but it was tough to do more than maybe 30-35MPH.
 

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I wanted to gather some “data” before I took everything apart just to have - never know when it might be useful. I picked up a cheap compression tester to get some readings. Before warming it up, I checked the cam chain tension/valve adjustment, which I probably should have done before I started all the riding. I don’t think it was out much, maybe a little tight on the intakes. Anyway, I reset them and warmed it up, then pulled the plugs and performed the compression test. Bike started up pretty easy, but obviously ran terribly. In addition to seeing oil spatter the exhaust pipe, it also spattered the right side of the engine and I have oil coming out of the right pipe itself (pictured). I have video of the warm-up; anyone know if videos can be posted to a thread, or do they only go in another section?

Left hand cylinder got to 145ish PSI after about five kicks (tester said to turn the engine over about 5 times), which I know is pretty good between info here and in the manual. No surprise, the right cylinder never made it above 120psi. I added a little oil to the cylinders and did the test again. Left cylinder stayed the same, right cylinder went up to 145ish as well. I’ve also included shots of the plugs; obviously the rings are letting oil past them in addition to the head gaskets. Right plug is very oily, left plug is too rich. Again before this happened, both plugs had a good color, so I’m not completely sure what effect the problem with the right cylinder may be causing with the left - if any; it may be that I’ve got more jetting work in front of me at some point, and the mileage I did was revealing that before the breakdown.

So, here we are. Engine is out and I’m beginning the tear down. I tried to read every rebuild thread I could find here, especially the “leakless” rebuild, and I’m going to reread them again. I’m lucky enough to still have a job during the pandemic, and my wife and I have a very active 4-year-old, so there will probably be some time elapsed between posts. Nevertheless, I’ll try to keep things moving along as much as possible.

I’m open to any comments/suggestions as I post. I have some ideas about my next steps (parts list, necessary machine work), but I’d love any feedback from the group. Right now, the first question I have (and I apologize if I missed this being discussed somewhere), is if there’s any special technique for pulling the rubber washers off of the outermost cylinders studs so I can pull the rocker cover (aside from
destroying them)?

***EDIT*** Just found an old post where 5twins recommends removing the outermost nuts and washers BEFORE the rest, as the rocker box/head rising up can bind the washers. Looks like I jumped the gun... gonna see if going back and snugging down the inner head nuts will allow me to do what I should have done in the first place. Stand by... and thanks, 5twins!
 

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Yes, pulling the rubber washers first is easiest but you won't (or shouldn't be) reusing them anyway. You should switch to copper or brass washers on those 4 outer studs.
 
Yes, pulling the rubber washers first is easiest but you won't (or shouldn't be) reusing them anyway. You should switch to copper or brass washers on those 4 outer studs.
I figured as much; that is the plan. I got them off right after my last post; put the inner 4 nuts back on, and a wrench turn or two past finger tight and they came off with the help of a small visegrip set loosely. Thanks for the confirmation; onward!
 

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You may need to clean some rubber shards out of the stud threads. Those washers often leave bits of rubber behind.
 
View attachment 169324 View attachment 169325 Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster, with, yes, yet another top end rebuild thread! All kidding aside, I've been reading quite a bit here in the past few weeks since my engine decided to suddenly be less than cooperative during my last shakedown run of my newly finished build. It's great to see how willing everyone is to offer tons of helpful advice and information. I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring and document my rebuild. I've tried to gather some data beforehand in the form of pics, video and measurements of the "before" - might be helpful for some folks, and I'd like to keep it organized for myself as well.

The backstory: I've owned my 1983 Heritage Special for 22 years. Bought it with about 4,700 miles in 1998 and rode it for about 15,000 miles until the end of the 2002 riding season, after which I bought a new Harley, which I still own and love. I then stored the bike for 11 years, knowing it would make a great project build one day. Got married and bought a house with a garage and started chopping the bike in 2014. I started it before the teardown to make sure it still ran and it did - though not well, as I believe the intake boots were cracked and sucking air. Spent 2 years building (with long slow spots when life got in the way), and stalled for about 3 years when my wife and I had our son in 2016. Got off my ass and got the bike running last year and started test riding it in raw form to suss out the bugs.

It had always been a strong running, reliable bike - almost completely stock (originally), it should have been. During the build, I built a new exhaust system, using a Lowbrow Customs exhaust builder kit and a set of Emgo (!) mufflers. Swap meet velocity stacks with drain screens and filter media on the stock BS34s, which I rejetted using a kit from Mike's. I replaced the intake boots with Tourmax repops of the stock ones. Stock CDI ignition. Started in June 2019 for the first time since 2014 and it lit up on the second kick and ran really well. Plugs were a nice light chocolate brown. Finished putting the rest of the running gear together, and I was able to ride it in November around my neighborhood before the snow came.

I'm still learning some of the in and outs of posting, so I added a couple short vids of the first ride last November in the Choppers section. I'll try to figure out how to connect it to this thread...

Man! It’s got the right look.....looks straight outa the 70’s. What little I remember of of those years! :cool:
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You may need to clean some rubber shards out of the stud threads. Those washers often leave bits of rubber behind.
Absolutely. I’m seeing that cleaning is paramount to a leak-free assembly. Gonna have time on my hands between ordering parts and machine shop time.
 
Rocker box is off. All seems normal in there. Any thoughts on the rocker arm pad surfaces? They’re smooth to the touch, no fingernails caught, and the wear marks look about the same on all four.

I’m using this project as an excuse to get a good chain tool, obviously one that’ll handle both cam and final drive. Mike’s seems to have his house brand that claims to handle cam chains, and he also offers one from Motion Pro (more $$, understandably) that claims to handle “some” cam chains. I’m probably overthinking this because both kits have an approx. 2mm driver included, which seems to be about the size of the rivet pins, but has anybody measured these, or have a kit that they like best? I can certainly grind the rivets with strategically placed rags stuffed in the head, but I’ll need the rivet tool anyway, and the more dust I can keep away from this build, the better.
 

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View attachment 169324 View attachment 169325 Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster, with, yes, yet another top end rebuild thread! All kidding aside, I've been reading quite a bit here in the past few weeks since my engine decided to suddenly be less than cooperative during my last shakedown run of my newly finished build. It's great to see how willing everyone is to offer tons of helpful advice and information. I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring and document my rebuild. I've tried to gather some data beforehand in the form of pics, video and measurements of the "before" - might be helpful for some folks, and I'd like to keep it organized for myself as well.

The backstory: I've owned my 1983 Heritage Special for 22 years. Bought it with about 4,700 miles in 1998 and rode it for about 15,000 miles until the end of the 2002 riding season, after which I bought a new Harley, which I still own and love. I then stored the bike for 11 years, knowing it would make a great project build one day. Got married and bought a house with a garage and started chopping the bike in 2014. I started it before the teardown to make sure it still ran and it did - though not well, as I believe the intake boots were cracked and sucking air. Spent 2 years building (with long slow spots when life got in the way), and stalled for about 3 years when my wife and I had our son in 2016. Got off my ass and got the bike running last year and started test riding it in raw form to suss out the bugs.

It had always been a strong running, reliable bike - almost completely stock (originally), it should have been. During the build, I built a new exhaust system, using a Lowbrow Customs exhaust builder kit and a set of Emgo (!) mufflers. Swap meet velocity stacks with drain screens and filter media on the stock BS34s, which I rejetted using a kit from Mike's. I replaced the intake boots with Tourmax repops of the stock ones. Stock CDI ignition. Started in June 2019 for the first time since 2014 and it lit up on the second kick and ran really well. Plugs were a nice light chocolate brown. Finished putting the rest of the running gear together, and I was able to ride it in November around my neighborhood before the snow came.

I'm still learning some of the in and outs of posting, so I added a couple short vids of the first ride last November in the Choppers section. I'll try to figure out how to connect it to this thread...

***EDIT*** Video link to the first ride late last year:
http://www.xs650.com/media/first-ride-back.28623/
http://www.xs650.com/media/first-ride-out.28622/
 
+6 forks from Frank’s. The wheel is a chrome 21” rim from a late ‘70s DT175, laced with stainless spokes from Buchanan’s to a hub/drum from a mid-‘70s Kawasaki Bighorn. I had it bored out 2mm to fit with the stock axle and got some spacers cut. Cut a brake stop out of aluminum and had that welded to the fork (don’t have a aluminum setup on my mig). Probably the most expensive and time consuming part of the build!

That's a very creative setup! Love it. Super slick. Good alternative to the larger xs1 front drum.

As for your engine stuff I like to use this stuff on almost all of the paper gaskets. Just an extra piece of mind for me. Head Gasket I like to use the copper spray stuff.

https://www.permatex.com/products/g...uel-resistant-gasket-dressing-flange-sealant/
 
Thanks! I really got lucky with it - I just bought it thinking it would look cool, and provide the legal requirement for a front brake. It actually has some bite and stops OK. Had a car make a left in front of me sooner than I would have liked and it hauled it down better than I expected. The bike’s also lighter, so that helps.

Thanks for the heads up on the Permatex and Kopperkote - just about everyone seems to be using some type of adhesive sealer, and these are popular. I definitely plan on pick some up. How’s the working time with both of these, meaning how long do you have to torque everything down once you’ve applied it? My concern right now is getting hung up on the cam chain install and having the sealer dry out before I can button that up.
 
Ehhh for the permatex stuff its pretty lenient. I usually lightly slather it on the gasket by hand wait, 5 minutes or so till its just slightly tacky, install and snug that part up, wait a few minutes then final torque it. I believe its an anaerobic hylomar-esque sealer.

The primary benefit that I like is it prevents gaskets from sticking when you take things apart.

The copper coat I can't remember if you let it totally dry or just till its tacky. The permatex stuff all has pretty detailed directions.
 
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