I used the harley stuff which initially I believed was absolute cow dung but once it cured it was great and I would use it again.

I bead blasted the cases then washed them etc then paint and BBQ. Ive used VHT before as well on car parts then used the BBQ to get a tighter grain. The Harley stuff isn't as coarse as the VHT.

 

Well the direction changes again. We all make mistakes and I made one at the beginning of this thread by taking a cool bike and deciding to make it something it never was. After restoring the 66 FLH and the 62FL and now the 48EL I decided I didn't want a one off of a bike that was kinda cool to begin with. I reached out to the guy I sold some of the original parts to and he still had them so I bartered some parts I had kicking around and gave some cash. I'll never track down the original tanks and rear fender so I'll just get some oem replacements, (I would even consider 3.5 gallon tanks because I prefer them to the 5 gallon ones.) Im not aiming for an AMCA level bike here and I know it's not a big dollar bike but to make it an honest 82 wideglide with a few deviations from stock I'll feel like I redeemed myself. Glad I never sanitized the frame! Im keeping the ratchet top trans, no cowpie is going back in.

Here's what I picked up today. The bars that came off of it Im told are not original but are a little taller? Im okay with that if thats the case, they look true to the original design.

 

Oh boy its going to look cool with that corvette exhaust and the one pan head - head - it will almost be a Twinkie less the well you know

 

365 Ferrari boxer exhaust you fool!

And I want to make a real pan-shovel, I heard it was the cool thing to do before I was born.

 

Stock would be taller risers and shorter bars.
I have original paint fenders and tanks I just tooks off a 1980 FXWG. Left tank is beat up but probably repairable.

 

I was just trying to help with choosing USA parts instead of more import stuff on the return from AMF bike

 

Well I ended up with two tin sets. I bought a pair of fenders from PJB here and some repop tanks that were readily available for $200 Canadian (shipped and tax, in other words $3 American) and after commiting to Paul on the fenders another tin set was offered through a local ad I placed. An OEM complete set from an 82 with screw-in caps which I didnt want to turn down.

What I really want is the black with flame tanks from 1980-82. Need to think about how to proceed.

 

I've come full circle, it looks like a wide glide again. With this covid thing going on there are a few hurdles with hardware that ended up being colony chrome rather than zinc. It's getting harder to get stuff at least up here at the North Pole. Im sticking with the ratchet top trans but have the correct oem primary parts waiting, Tins are oem, signals, sissybar I had rechromed, seat is original, console and so on.

My bike originally had the speedo drive from the gearbox rather then the front wheel, anyone know when that change happened? For the record Im not going for amca level here so dont be too hard on me (John).

 

Looks great!
Here's one of my FXWGs.

 

I am shocked you would have thought my critique with have been - corse

i actually like what you have done of course my guess the hockey stick by the door is so no one forgets your in Ellesmere Island and its mostly tropical white beaches