Ok, ready to do the cam thingy... Reading and watching tutorial vids seems the adjusting the push rods could be a PITA.. So, at this point i have the tank off doing other stuff.. Would it be easier to go thru the top to remove the push rods and save me 164.00 on adjustable rods ets etc? I would save time by cutting the rods but I think i would save time by not having to adjust and maybe with the money I save replace the tappets? What u say?

 

Seen them done both ways Joe. Did adjustables on mine, but a buddy left his stockers in there. As long as the base circle of the new cams are the same as harley your fine. However adjustables are a piece of cake to actually adjust. You need new push rod tube with them as well.

 

Lundee, i think that base circle is what freaks me out if I dont get it right.. I figured that if go thru the top do I still worry about that?

 

Just ask whoevers cam your buying. As long as it is the same a harleys your good. Most are but, I couldn't tell you which ones. Alot of adjustables you still have to go in from the top anyway.

 

If you're not on the base circle you'll bend a pushrod when you start the bike. Just roll the motor over by hand using the rear wheel before you start it. Its really pretty easy to find base circle if you take your time

 

I'm sure technology has got it down pat but something about adjustable push rods has never set right with me, guess I'm just old school.

 

I just did this.. the cam/bearing install was super easy (I bought the Jims tools) but I'll admit, the adj pushrods were not easy to me.. it wasn't so much finding the base circle as how hard it was to adjust the pushrods the correct way with such a small window to work in.. I just saw some crane adj pushrods in a mag, they were for a shovel so I don't know if they are the same design in a TC.. but they looked much easier than the ones I used.

Let me try to explain what made it hard.

I have the 3 piece ones. The long upper rod, the middle threaded rod, and the small lower piece that you drop into the lifter. On the threaded rod you have 2 jam nuts.

The instructions state that once you have them in place you screw the lower portion up onto the threaded middle rod until the threads bottom out. The problem is, to even get them in place to start with (making them short enough) you have to screw the threaded rod up into the UPPER rod so much that there isn't enough of the threaded rod left (with the 2 jam nuts) to then screw back down into the bottom piece and actually bottom out.

So what you wind up doing is making the threaded rod too short to get everything in place. Then running the lower piece up the threaded rod a little, tighten the lower jam nut against it so you can then unscrew the lower piece and threaded rod as one unit. Loosen the lower jam nut so you can run the lower piece back up the threaded rod some more.. then it's still not enough to bottom out so you gotta tighten the jam nut down against it again.. unscrew some more as one unit.. loosen jam nut, run the lower back up the threaded rod and hopefully then it bottoms out..

All that just to get the lower piece in place.. sound bad? yep and what makes it damn near impossible is that you're suppose to have started with red loctite on the inside of the lower piece threads AND you've only got like a 2 inch window to be working in with your fingers and wrenches.. no way in hell to get all that done exactly right before the loctite starts setting up.

After all that then you actually adjust the pushrods.. and you gotta wait for the lifter to bleed down before you can go on to the next one.. which was actually a good thing because by the time I finished one I was so pissed off I needed a break.

Probably took me 4-5 hours to do the pushrods... I apologize if the above didn't make sense, it's kinda hard to explain in words.

 

rrambo, Those rods do seem to complicate the situation. It seems it all worked out for you. Im, still waiting on parts so I think I am going in from the top since it wont take much more.

 

Rambo, did you get the proper push rods tubes? They have tubes "adjustable" push rods & for "easy install". Adjustable you still have to go in from the top.

 

Phewwww, rrambe, wore me out just reading that..

With my bad back, I can't stay bent over very long any more so I was glad I when I had my done.

All new Cams, lifters, bearings, oil change and even a dyno after all done for $914. winter special couple Yr ago.
I was happy cause my DR bills and meds would have cost me more than what I paid for the labor if I'd done it....

Yrs ago I'd tear into about anything..just can't do it anymore.


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