To do the cams you dont need any special tools but if you decide to change the inner bearing (highly recommended) you will need a puller you can use a blind hole bearing puller and tap the new bearing in. Todd

 

Would put a drop of blue loctite on the push rod threads - read of some of them loosening up.

 

You are more than welcome! Thank YOU for the excellent write-up.

This is exactly what its all about and what make my time worth while!

Congrats on a job well done!

 

The new 96" is much stronger than the 88's and doesn't need gear driven cams.

 

I got to do some more extensive riding with the new cams and I wanted to give a short update.

Everything seems tight in the motor.

That is, no rattles or strange noises.

I do not intend to have it dyno’ed, so I’m just going by a seat of the pants feel.

Plain and simple, it’s just more fun to ride.

It pulls really strong and has much better acceleration.

This is particularly pronounced through 3000 RPMs.

The bottom line:

I am very pleased with the results.

Is it worth the money?

I definitely think it is.

I wound up with less than $600 in parts and a load of fun installing them.

Only you can judge your own skill level, but I say go for it.

Performance wise, this is the biggest bang for the buck I’ve got so far.

I hope you enjoyed the write-up.

This is the last performance upgrade I plan for the upcoming riding season.

I most probably will attempt a big build next winter.

I’ll keep you posted.

 

Very informative, enjoyed the read. Thanks.

 

No to the loctite on the pushrods. Once you loosen the jam nut you want to be able to spinn the rods by hand to adjust, or to remove and the loctitie residue will make your life miserable doing this A properly tightened jam nut will not come loose.

 

Rahall: Thanks for an excellent write-up and pics. Glad you're enjoying the cam change. Ride safe.

 

Thanks for the encouragement. I too have purused the manual and decided I could easily handle the job, although I still have a few questions:

1. Do the inner cam bearings need upgrading?

2. Did you give any attention to the oil pump during this procedure?

3. Did you buy any of HD's special tools for the job, like the "cam installer," specified in the manual.

4. What brand of adjustable pushrods did you select?

I may think of more tomorrow, as it's late and my brain isn't working well.

 

Fantastic. I thought I was doing good things, just by adding Chrome myself without dealership involvement. Not sure I could handle the adjustable rod setting as you did, but that is very cool that you did it yourself. Makes it so much more... your ride.

Congrats and a great write up.