hello Long time reader first time poster....

I have just purchased a 1979 FXEF 80 ci. It has a regular super glide tank and I am looking for an original. Drag, Dennis Kirk, show but not sure if would really be same as original. Also I am considering converting it to a belt drive instead of chain. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
LRC

 

First welcome to the forums and second photobucket and some pics of your ride please we can help much better with a good look , lots of knowledgeable guys in here and congrats on the Shovel !!

Should be an 80" but you won't know for sure till you open her , harley was some goofy stupid stuff with the 78 & 79 models there was a lot parts mixing & matching at the factory during those days and lot of bikes that are marked as 80" ended up with 74" guts , I've seen more than a few over the years .

What do you mean by superglide tank ? the single piece unit or the 3 1/2 gal. fat bobs ? the 79 FXEF was the first yr for 3 1/2gal bob tanks so ?????? If you want the bob's check the frame and make sure it still has the mounting tabs intact on the backbone above the upper motor mount . I would look around for a factory set of tanks there are a lot out there and they will fit up & look much better than any aftermarket stuff , your local swap meets or craigslist would be a start toss an ad and ask for what you want I've got some good good deals that way on old forgotten stuff people had .

You want a primary belt or rear belt ? primary is easy several kits out under $400 . Rear can be a big job with modding the hell out of your parts , lots of cutting and stuff or dropping $$$$ finding all the parts from a later 83 or 84 FXWG . Includes the inner primary , starter system all the primary guts , longer trans. mainshaft or complete tranny swap , swingarm is a bit different , and bunch of little stuff to find . Looking at $1200 to 1500 from the prices I've been seeing easy that route .

I went the old fashion way and modified everything , cheaper and you need to know what your doing , No kits that I know of .

Check this thread toward the bottom there's a very good run down on models & years for shovels that will give you an idea of what stock was .

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...softail-4.html

 

Thanks for the welcome and I appreciate the input. It has the single tank on it,not the fat bob. I was thinking belt final drive a the wheel. But... May stear away from that if it is going to be a money grubbing *****. Numbers are correct, frame, trans and motor. However not looking to tear it down to prove it's an 80". At least not anytime to soon. Was not aware of the interchanging but oh well, looks good on paper. Needs paint and some tires, but feel it was a good move. Going to pick up bike next week will deffinetly post some pictures. Thanks again for your insite. By the way riding a '74 Ironhead right now. Honey doesn't like the hardtail so had to invest in some shocks thought the '79 shovel would be the good way to go.

 

TwiZted gives you good advise ... especially on the rear belt drive ... been there and done that ... wouldn't do it again with the quality of chains out there today! I did mine with some parts from an 81 FXSB and while it came out fine, it was a lot of work ( although I had it down to a bare frame when I started ). Welcome to the Forum!

 

top fins on 74" and "80 should be different

 

Assembling a rear belt drive from factory parts gets more expensive every day...and a few of the parts are getting hard to find. If you just want the ease of a belt drive ...check out these folks: http://www.supermax.net/

 

Installed a couple of those over the years and they are not bolt ones , you still have to modify the same things and actually some stuff more extensively depending on the the year bike and tranny style and they are dedicated so any parts must be theirs .

OEM harley tranny pulley was $119 or BDL for $150 32t stock
Rear OEM pulley from $30 used to $$$ for a fancy one 70t stock
Belt 125t $150 average
Bearing support plate to replace the chunk of inner primary you'll need to cut out can be found from $30 on ebay to $150 new
Aftermarket swingarm $150 + or modify yours if you have the tools & skill

This stuff is the easy part , gathering the info about what else needs tweaking and the necessarily odd parts needed to make it all work plus the minor frame hacking & welding , tranny case clearancing , starter mods and some other odd little but important stuff will take some time and skills .

I'm in the middle of re doing my rear belt setup on my 72 shovel as we talk , I'll get the camera out and do a little thing just for the hell of it and post . Some of you may find it interesting and may scare others .

Took a bit get right the first time but the end results where way above what I expected and have been trouble free even with a high HP motor .

 

V twins mentions that the fins on the 80" are different from the 74". How would I tell? The bike I am picking up is, according to the numbers an 80". My son has a 74" as do a couple of my frineds that I can compare too. If there is a picture some where I have not been able to find it. As for the belt drive I think I am going to put that on the back burner. I would ask if any one can recomend a good, durable chain though. The one that is on there seams to be in good running order but that will tell in ride time.

 

I'm a personal fan of Tbubaki oring chains , they are expensive but they are also a put it on adjust twice and forget chain for the most part . I've got 20,000 + out of them easy , I'd just change mine at that interval because of how hard I tended to ride not because they needed it .

 

I converted a ‘79 FXEF from chain to dual belt drives. As stated above the rear is a big job with cutting, machining and welding….that’s just the swing arm…LOL. My rear kit was a SuperMax, the front a Phase 3 enclosed primary belt. Getting the tranny sorted was important with that tall rear pulley. 1st & 3rd gears from an FLH tranny went into my super glide box to regain some low end. Too much involved in the rear conversion. The bike had legs tho - 1st - 3rd gear only in town. Slipped into fourth ONLY at highway speeds.
Welcome & Good Luck!