The AMF FXS Rebuild Project Video Series

[jcrubin]

We continue with the sixth and final chapter of the transmission restoration. All of the required shims have arrived and I will be combining them together based on my notes so that the fork placement will be moved to center. The forks, cleaned in the last video and reassembled with new locking clips from the rebuild kit, though the locking tabs will not be bent down until final testing is complete. 120in/lbs Tightens the fork assembly and it is re-introduced into the transmission.

Reassembled, everything is re staged with the alignment tool to conduct testing for the adjustments. It turned out it was almost perfect but I went one more round of adjustment to get it perfect. Setting up again for testing, with everything centered nicely. I take it all out one last time to bend down the locking tabs and re-assemble with a new shaft and o-ring.

The new sprocket will be installed onto the shaft with the new lock washer. The whole unit is mounted on the bike to torque correctly. Sadly for left hand torque I bought the AC-DELCO ARM602-4A digital torque wrench adapter. This was the only video this piece of garbage work in, it never worked again.

Back on the bench more pieces are prepared, as the oil slinger and clutch throw-out are disassembled, cleaned, inspected and reassembled. The side cover positions are then specifically addressed in the video, since the workshop book is , well, confusing. Once the positions are understood, the nut on the starter shaft bolt is tightened to 30-35 ft/lbs. As my case is older, the gasket surfaces are covered with a thin coat of Hylomar. All studs are pre-chased with a nut before this installation. Pulling out the oil slinger a bit makes it easier to negotiate the cover on, rolling the inside to the 9 oclock position just off-cam as its assembled for less resistance.

Keeping in mind, i'm using Nord-lock washers, my torque computation will be slightly different than stock. Conducted in a star configuration. The kicker arm can be used to rotate and bring the kicker shaft so that the arm is in the 12o'clock position, then the spring can be installed. Then secured with the kick arm bolt and nut.

On top of the transmission. New rollers are provided with the kit and added to the forks, I add some oil to them during installation. Conducting a final inspection as I roll through the gears, removing any dirt found. The top gasket is then laid down in position. A bit of anti seize is added to where the steel pins go through for alignment. The forks are moved to the neutral position, as the shifter is also brought to neutral. The cover is then laid down onto the transmission. Each screw receives blue locktite. Then 100 in/lbs. Star pattern.

Transmission oil is then added to the unit, not full but enough for storage and testing. The clutch lever is then added and then tightened down. An inspection of the cover weeks later shown no oil leak. We roll through all of the gears to test functionality, everything seems to be just fine. All I need to do now is finish the engine and the bike.

[jcrubin]

With part 15 behind us, we move to a new chapter in this project with the reassembly of the Shovelhead engine. I have this bottom end, just rebuilt returned and on the stand for this task. This episode, part 16 focuses specifically on the Oil pump rebuild and installation. The pump has been stored since the breakdown and is now opened on the bench for further disassembly.

Starting with the front of the pump, Fully disassembled, all parts are washed , de-greased and then blown out with air. All passages are checked. The mating surfaces are carefully cleared with a new razor. I do not use the chain oiler so it is fully seated and capped off. The low pressure switch, which was cleaned out, receives teflon tape before re-installation.

The other half of the pump is then disassembled, all parts and pieces cleaned and inspected, de-greased and blown out. For the rebuild, i'm using James kit 89403-7306. The new seal was installed with a 10mm socket.

The oil hose fittings need to be removed for installing the oil pump so they are removed now.. The tube for the shaft on the engine is inspected for dirt before the process is started, this is followed by cleaning the face of the engine case where the pump site. The shaft is then prepared with oil and inserted into the tube a few times to distribute oil.

The gear and shaft are installed in a manner allowing for the woodruffs key to go in as easily as possible.

The bolts are progressively tightened in a star pattern from 40 , 80 to 120 in/lbs. I decided to cosmetically clean up the brass elbows before re-installation by wet-sanding them to remove all of the tool marks. They are reinstalled into the pump with teflon tape. With that the oil pump is installed, ready for the next project to get this engine back together.

[jcrubin]

Part 17 brings us to the second video in the engine build series which includes the gearcase Lifters cam and other associated parts. As each section of parts is re-introduced they are cleaned from their storage oil and then re-oiled. The first will be the cam and spacer. This is a J grind. The inner bearing of the engine receives extra 60W oil and the spacer installed the the correct direction as the cam is installed paying attention to the notch markings. I use a good amount of assembly lube between the gear surfaces as well.

This is followed by the breather and washer, same cleaning and oiling procedure. Also, observing the notches lining up on re-installation. Again, a bit more assembly lube is worked between the gears. At this point the notches should all match up in the right position.

Over at the bug ranch to press in a new seal, we start with a proper cleaning though I find a significant amount of bronze was still inside the unit, so several rounds of cleaning was done until the cam cover was completely clean. The press was set up for this task to put in this one seal, i used 1 1/16 socket to do the job. The next day, just to be sure I cleaned out the cover one last time but drained it into a coffee filter just to be sure it was clean of metal flakes.

The cover is then completely cleaned with spirits. as well as the mating surface of the case. The new gasket is installed over the set pins. he cover is them placed over the cam through the bushing, followed by pin alignment, and pressed to full seat. The bolts are now reintroduced, loose fit and then torqued in star pattern to 80in/lbs this is followed by 120in/lbs.

The rotor and nut for the ignition are cleaned and installed. That small screw is installed with about 24in/lbs only. I use blue 243 for this nut. The two inner plate screws are then installed, and temporarily the cover is installed as a dust cap.

Cam end-play check is .010 so we can proceed to the lifters which has been stored in oil. Each one is removed one at a time, marked in their original position of the engine. Cleaned , de-greased and re-oiled. After re-oiling, the hydraulics are inspected through a few methods to ensure the lifters are still good. The parts are submerged in mew oil , especially the roller portion. Once two are done the lifter block is serviced. cleaned and lightly oiled. All passages should be checked for obstruction.

This is the last opportunity to apply assembly lube to the cam lobes so that is done, then all mating surfaces are cleaned on both the block and lifter block. Everything is assembled in the lifter block, exerting slight pressure against both lifters holds everything together as the whole assembly is lowered into the engine.

Using the centering tool to align the tappet blocks I get them in the middle as I install the opposing screws, followed by the ones in the center tool position. With Blue 243 the bolts are torques to 120in/lbs. Before I do the second tappet block I pour 4oz of oil directly in the gear case.

Finishing off I added some last pieces for the oil screen and parts for the oil pressure gauge to bring us to the next chapter.

[drivermark]

Your transmission videos are coming in handy.
Thank you very much for the effort.
You're doin' the Lord's work

[jcrubin]

Continuing onward to part 18 in the series, we reach the point where work will be conducted with the cylinders, pistons and rings. As such all Items will need to be measured to ensure proper fitment. First however, the missing base stud will need to be addressed, giving adequate time to dry in the block.


I was able to order the base stud from my local Harley dealership PN: 16837-78, it is an interference fit, so installation will not be too pleasant, or, shouldn't be, anyway. I went to Lowes to pick up some 7/16-20 nuts for this task at Lowes. Lowes does not carry 7/16-20 nuts. Home Depot does....


A double nut technique was employed to tighten the stud into the block after measuring the existing studs to determine depth. Also, Ive oiled the flywheel and cut some paper that was oiled and allowed to be rolled a bit into the engine just to cover the hole for the stud to catch any crap from the process. Loctite 271 is used in this process, turning and rechecking with the calipers until the depth is reached. Then the paper pulled out, the nuts removed from the stud, and one final caliper check before its left to dry.


Back inside the house, the cylinder bore will be measured. starting with the calibration of the micrometer. 3.498 + .020 = 3.518 Will be our measurement value. With this set up the bore gauge is then referenced against it. A diagram of how the measurements will be taken is drawn recording the data as taken. Prepping the bore by cleaning it out with a light oil.


Next will be the pistons to cylinder clearance. The manual calls out .002 to .0025 clearance. I used two different methods at the skirt as the vendor provided no info, one comparative, and the other using a feeler gauge method.


After this the ring gap is checked to their respective cylinder, one at a time, as its manually compressed into the cylinder and guided by the piston into the measuring position. With gaps of .017 and around .0025 clearance with accurate bore sized it looks like everything sizes good for the next steps of the project.

[jcrubin]

In this the 19th chapter in the series, the casting on the pistons will be corrected along with a few measurement before we finally mount everything onto the engine. I took exception to the raised numbers on the face of the piston as well as the shotty ends of the valve reliefs. A dremel with polishing paste made quick work to soften these jagged edges that could cause hot spots in the combustion chamber. This was followed by a quick wrist pin measurement, by request and significant washing.

Funny thing, these pistons have no indication as to placement, though not entirely symmetrical on the underside, having addressed this years ago, I reviewed older footage to make this determination. As the pistons are marked, I use the pins to check the wrist pin bushings with oil, pre staging the keepers on one side. All surfaces lubed, the pistons are mounted onto the rods followed by the second keeper.

The rings are pre oiled and loaded onto the pistons. I take a moment to prepare a few dowels with supper 88 that will be used to steady the pistons during the loading of the cylinder. The dowels are set up under the pistons providing a secure platform. Correct cylinder, gasket and the placement is checked and rechecked. A process of cleaning is done to ensure the cylinder is perfectly clean inside and out. Dried and oiled as to not flash rust.

The oil rings are checked for no overlap, sliding freely. Side clearance is checked and the correct opening skew between the rings is checked. Ive washed a rubber mallet and a ring compressor. oiled everything completely as the compressor is staged, the cylinder is lowered onto the chamfered margin, light taps with the mallet drop the cylinder over the rings, before the cylinder is completely lowered, the one bolt on each side for the heads is pre-loaded. The cylinder is then lowered down to the studs. A dust cap is assembled with newspaper and oil. The triangular washers and new base nuts are placed on.

Once both cylinders are at this point torquing is begin. Front pullie components are re added temporarily so that the engine can be rotated. A flathead driver keeps the triangle washers centered as the base nuts are torqued. Using a cross pattern, 20, then 36 on both cylinders. Completing this chapter.

[jcrubin]

With this the twentieth episode the heads are revisited from the very beginning of the project where they were quickly re-assembled after inspection. They deserve the same attention as the rest of the bike and as the heads were thoroughly checked, the rocker boxes deserve a rebuild.

A quick tear-down separates the heads from the rocker boxes and though while a visual appearance shows everything ok, it will need to be completely taken apart to be sure. The cracked glass on the ends of the nuts is an indicator that I should probably go chrome this time.

As the pieces are disassembled they are put in there own areas as to not mix parts. Re-assembled outside the unit you can hear some deflection in the bushing on the first one. So onto the second one, not as bad but still mild wear. I decide to break down the other head and see if it has the same wear indication and see what needs to be purchased.

The other rocker box had mild wear on both. It was that first one tapping on the box that had the most damage. A measurement of the shafts with the micrometers showed them within tolerance. Broken shaft and bushings would have meant a whole new set. Next all of the pads will be checked, if they are damaged the rocker cant be salvaged. All of the pads are shown to be good as well.

After seeing that only the bushings were the issue , someone on the forum was kind enough to send me the special tools, so all i needed was to procure the new bushings to refresh this unit. A 9/16 tap and a drift is used to extract the old bushings from the rockers. It did look as if some of the bushings in my bike were previously replaced at some point.

With the bushings arrived, Jims kit 17428-57K, I start with the oil port side, chamfered side in first matching the oil port hole in the bushing to the inside oil port hole. The tool brings the bushing flush into position. An inspection confirms that the oil hole lines up. On one of them the oil hole was slightly off, so id chased the hole with a small drill bit to ensure adequate oil flow. At this point everything will need to be set up for reaming, that will be in the next video.

[jcrubin]

Continuing with Part 21 the bushings have all been pressed in the the rocker arms and the must now be reamed to size. Ive leaded the rocker arms into a vice with soft jaws. The reamer in a T-bar with light oil is turned into the bushing cutting into the first and then the second one.


This reamer being a bit worn I found going in both directions was helpful , also finishing off with polish and a drill for final fitment. The test is with the fitment, which shows to fit nice without binding nor deflection.


With all of them done, I move onto the washing and polishing of the rocker boxes with jewelers rouge. once polishing is completed, assembly begins, the face of the spacers are cleaned op on sand paper and oil, then all pieces assembled in the rocker box. Old nuts, bolts and washers will ne used for the test assembly.


Once torqued, binding is checked and endplay is checked. .08 / .13 and .14 / .10 initially I tried to disassemble the boxes and install appropriate shims. I did NOT like how the shims fit and decided since everything was in specification I would forego the shims and keep the end-play. Everything was re-assembled with new hardware.


Now with the rocker boxes assembled, the mating surfaces are cleaned as well as on the heads, and the gaskets inspected. the head is then lowered onto the rocker box, flipping everything over the washers and nuts are installed. The slack drawn out begins the torquing sequence. In a star patters 145in/lbs to 175 in/lbs brings everything together.


The heads are ready to be installed onto the motor.

[jcrubin]

In part 22 we have the bike on the on the new lift, having assembled our engine and transmission from smaller projects. All of these are brought together as preparations are done, and the rest of the oil system is removed so that the engine can be properly installed.

The review of this new Kendon fold away lift can be seen here on my channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnrNQPh5Moo

With the bike on the lift I have some things I'd finally like to do, this includes some rear brake work, decking the engine mounts, removing all oil system components. This work has to be done while the frame is empty. Since the oil components were removed i just cleaned everything out with kerosene and stored it away.

The front and rear engine mounts need to be prepped with a file carefully to remove any raises and deformities, generally directly around the holes. All paint is removed too.

Once everything was ready, Jason stopped by to assist in bringing the engine over from the bench to the frame. We get to see the new jack in action, and a few quirks. At the right height it slid over from the motorcycle jack right into the bike. Then it was immediately secured with one bolt for safety.

With the engine now in the frame the rear bolts and front were inserted but the fronts were used only for alignment checking for resistance to center them. Only the rear bolts are tightened. They are tightened to 24 then 38 ft/lbs. The front bolts should come out with no issue at all if the engine is straight. The shift assembly/kick-stand is removed for further work.

Feeler gauges are used on the front to check clearance on each mount. Checking both front and side of each mount. 2.5 and 3 thou on one mount was sufficient. Once the shims were set the skid plate was added to the bottom of the chassis.

Now the front mounting bolts can be snugged with the rear shield mounts, Then the front mounts are torqued to 25 then 38 ft/lbs. a sharp boxcutter is then used to cut the protruding shim material, bending them back and forth to crack them. This area is finally cleaned and painted over with the paint used for the frame bringing this chapter to a close.

[jcrubin]

Continuing on with chapter 23, the engine now mounted and shimmed into the frame, the top end can now be assembled.Previously the heads have been redone as well as the rocker boxes so they are ready to go right back on. All of the bolts are prepared and inspected. A 9/16 torque adapter is necessary for this job. An important note, If the one bolt was not placed in when the cylinder was mounted, it will become evident now.

The head gasket came with the kit, and it only goes on one way. Each bolt had the threads lightly oiled. All mating surfaces were re-cleaned. The head was loaded into position, and all bolts loosely fitted so that the head can still rotate. The intake manifold is used to set the proper angle between the two heads before lightly tightening them down to stop rotation.

Now all of the slack is removed from all bolts and they are tighten just a few ft/lbs. Using the accepted shovelhead torquing sequence, each head is torqued beginning at 25 then 50, then finally 65 ft/lbs.

With the heads torques the top mount can be re-attached. I had bought a new one, but it was garbage, the angle was wrong as demonstrated, and I opted to stay with my old one. The VOES is installed with the bracket mount. Also the rigid oil lines are installed as well. The top mounts are torques to 40 ft/lbs. Finally the pushrods, still taped to identify are cleaned and reassembled. Installed into the engine they are adjusted with an adjustment gauge. All new seals were provided in the top end rebuild kit. With the pushrods completed, the engine assembly and final mounting is done.

[jcrubin]

Now at Chapter 24 there are several projects underway as well as a main project which is the installation of the transmission. Firstly, the battery tray mount was falling off and it appeared that the hole was oval and deeded to be welded and re-tapped so I started off with this, as well as clearing out any unnecessary parts in the area. Paint repair on the frame was also done around the transmission area. The rear brake Tee also needed some work before the tranny could go in.

With that work out of the way the transmission mounting hardware was cleaned and inspected before assembling so the tranny could be loaded in. All bolts were loosely fit in. The stator cover was then disassembled so that the new stator could be installed. While this was going on the chain was soaked in kerosene and regularly agitated.

The chain is then loaded onto the sprocket after the rear bearing is inspected, seating through the transmission sprocket around and locked.

Moving onto the inner primary, the bearing was swapped out as it was end of life and replaced with a high quality bearing. The race required some peening to fix up but it was a minor issue.

One issue was an unfinished lip repair by the machinist that required unexpected work that was a long setback also requiring spacers to align the primary to the engine. Upon assembly Id found a thread the machinist was supposed to fix but did not. I had to stop and heli-coil that.

All new bolts were used from a kit from colony after the repair. Once repairs it became evident that there was more bad news, my tranny mount was not true and had to be replaced. I went with an upgraded mount that could allow for proper shimming against the frame.

This was complimented with all new nylocks and washers to tie down the transmission.

[jcrubin]

Chapter 25 is a departure from the bike itself to focus specifically on the starter. Its never operated correctly relegating the bike to kick only. I'd like to have a go at it, before my knee gives out. This is brought into the house for work. The project kicks off with the removal of the two main housing studs. Immediately, things aren't looking good.

It would seem that the main bearing is just floating in the cover. So the armature is removed, followed by the end cap, and a look at the brushes show it to be so so.... Parts cleanup begins with kerosene. The outer housing is cleaned and inspected as a separate unit. The top cover is cleaned but it looks like the bushing has been eaten away somehow.

I was also finding inconsistencies with the thrust washers and not able to find a source for them.. The commutators were cleaned and inspected to see if the armature could be kept.

The old bushing is removed with a 1/2in tap, The cap was then sandblasted and powder-coated. the new bushing then pressed in.The old brushes were pulled out of the holder and then the unit cleaned, the old brushes de-soldered. The kit also came with a new isolation block.

A 50cal bore brush is used to bring texture to the bushing for the grease to provide a barrier. The cap was peaned for the new bearing, Timken 6004-ZZ to remove all of the slop.

[jcrubin]

Now in chapter 26 having completed the starter rebuild in the last chapter the next logical step will be starter installation. While sadly a new starter was ultimately used for the build, every effort was made to restore the old one.

Looking back in chapter 24 we remember that spacers were added to accommodate too much taken off by the machinist on the side of the engine. Everything had to be reassembled just to check clearance in the inner primary. The belt is used to determine everything is parallel. Rotating the engine a few times sets the offset, this was about dead on. At this time the first of two chain tensioners is now replaced, this was the broken one on the high side as the chain is now reconnected.

Now the forward controls are cleaned and re-installed. Then the linkage to the shifter is reconnected. All of the hardware within the inner primary is tightened down, the nylocks replaced with new. The two safety bolts are then tied off with safety wire.

The clutch hub nut comes to the shop to press out the seal, there was only one in it, ive replaced it with two seals, a more modern setup. The surface of the clutch hub and woodruff key mounting area on the shaft for the transmission receives a light coat of anti seize. This is also applied to the mating surface of the clutch hub before pressing it in, lining it up with the key using the new provided lock washer.

At this time the starter is mated to the housing and installed into the inner primary. New gaskets and deflectors were purchased, a bracket is removed from the transmission for mounting. The oil tank is fit quickly just to test for obstruction. Once the starter is completed it is followed by the solenoid.

Now the basket and belt are re-added, followed by the clutch hub nut, shifting through to 4th gear rotating the tyre. The rear is then dropped , and with the wife holding the rear brake the clutch hub nut is torqued down. A primary locking bar is used to lock up the the sprockets allowing the sprocket on the engine.

Finally the clutch basket is cleaned, along with new clutch plates and cleaned friction plates I repack the basket in order. Finishing off with the releasing disk. The clutch will be setup n the next video.

[jcrubin]

Chapter 27 continues with the setup of the clutch, installed in the last chapter. This is a five finger basket. Some prefer 3 some 5, both have their advantages and drawbacks. The locking tool placed in so long ago is safely removed. I use the standard procedure for setting up the clutch adjustment, nothing fancy.

Once the clutch adjustment is completed and tested the project progresses to the oil pan. Cleaned and inspected, repaired by Jason long ago. The bottom hose is pre-connected. also the ignition switch is cleaned up and resealed. With that the pan is easily negotiated back in from the high side and then sent in straight on the low side. With the rubber mounts installed followed by the ignition switch, everything is buckled down.

All of the pieces that attach to the oil tank are thoroughly cleaned and then re-attached. Electrical connections for the starter are now connected up before the battery tray would obstruct it. Other electrical connections are also made as necessary. Oil lines are also added from the tank to the bike at this time. As the hose connections progress, the thermostat is added off of the oil cooler.

The battery tray was disassembled and sandblasted at the bug ranch followed by a good satin powder coat. Reassembled the battery tray is mounted onto the bike which also finalizes the oil pan mount completing the tasks for this chapter.

[KnuckleShove]

Well, as a Shovelhead lover- I know what I will be doing this weekend. Checking out this entire thread. Thank you for doing this. Better than any stinkin reality show for sure.