Built In a Day: PanShovel Chopper

Swap Goal

Custom bike projects usually take months, even years to complete. In a bid to do the impossible, Jake Hines of Prism Supply had the zany idea to compress that process into one full day. His goal was to build a running 1961 PanShovel chopper from swap meet finds and parts produced in-house at the Charlotte, North Carolina shop.

Photos courtesy of Prism Supply.

Marathon Prep

Did the Hines and the Prism Supply crew succeed in completing their mission? The short answer is yes, but as one can only imagine, it was not without tribulations and an almost project-ending issue with the untested PanShovel motor. Transparently, Hines did admit that there was some prep work done before launching into the marathon build.

Show Producer

Brothers Jake and Zach Hines started Prism Supply in their home garage in 2012. Their initial focus was to build parts for themselves, while also making them available for sale. At the time, the shop's main output was customer builds and show bikes. Now, with a half-dozen employees, Prism Supply is a top producer of American-made aftermarket parts directed at vintage Harley-Davidsons.

Time Move

Hines satirically dubbed the project 'No Chance.' Prep for the one-day build consisted of making a list of jobs and pulling together the parts that might be required—many of which were discards from other builds. In a time-saving move, Hines stated, “We mounted tires to the wheels beforehand. But, other than that, no work was done ahead of time.”

Resident Duties

The No Chance build started early in the morning, with the added pressure of riding the completed chopper to a local bike night the following evening. Key to success was Mitch Johnson, described as Prism Supply's “resident fabricator, engineer, machinist, and overall Swiss Army Knife.” Build duties were loosely divided, with Johnson handling the rolling stock and Hines the powertrain.

Alignment Problem

Calling the one-day build No Chance, might have been a joke, but it was also a jinx. Almost immediately issues arose trying to install the narrow Triumph frontend that had been converted to fit a Harley-Davidson straight leg Panhead frame. That problem was followed by a miss-matched drum for the rear, something that could potentially affect chain alignment and more importantly, rideability.

Gamble Resolve

As the day wore on, most of the serious fitment issues were resolved. Attention then turned to the 'running when parked' PanShovel engine that Hines had purchased at a swap meet about two years prior. Problematically, the hybrid motor had no compression. On a gamble, Hines decided to install the engine into the frame, hoping that the issue would somehow resolve itself.

Stuck Mission

Late into the night the bike was assembled and off the lift. Getting it running was the last hurdle. After umpteen sweaty kicks, the PanShovel roared to life. The motor ran fine, mission was accomplished. Hines guessed that the rings must have been stuck down, but then came loose. An overview of this cool one-day chopper is available through Prism Supply's YouTube channel.

>>Join in the conversation about this PanShovel Chopper right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

For help with your do-it-yourself maintenance and repair projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.