88 CI to 98 CI UPGRADE

Gotta say dam good write up . That's one edamakatid minniso-dah boy . Good grammer to boot and can work a camara I tell ya!

Thanks Pauli. My wife tells me I a dumbasss. :roflmao::roflmao:

Motivated for what Steve, I thought yours was a 95" already?

It is but I need to check cam chain tensioner s and if worn thinking of gear driven cams. Next winter.

I also need to find out what cams are installed

Hey FB, if it aint broke..Don't fix it,

And other times his avatar says it all!! I can't even post anything without lmao looking at that avatar! :roflmao:

Great job,JB...Step by step and pics are done like a Pro...:cheers:

Yep,me too. Also 'learned a LOT.

Not looking to change cam profile but if I have to replace tensioners (which is unavoidable) just considering options for the money (gear drive as opposed to updating to hydraulic tensioner cam plate)

Crank run out will determine your options....Crank run out has to be .003" or less to run gear drive

Thanks!

You'll prbly have a new SG or EG before you need tensioners.

One can always have hope!

Now that the starter clutch and and clutch spring has been addressed, Hot Rider had returned from the blustery blizzard ride to get o-rings, it was time to move on to installing the pistons and then putting on rings and jugs.

I took the jugs into the house and I washed the cylinders out in a warm soapy bath. The obvious reason for this is to ensure that all metal particles are out of the bore so that they don't screw up a perfectly good engine. After I washed the cylinders down with a wash cloth, I took a paper towel and dried the insides off thoroughly with blue shop towels. After that, I took white paper towels and wiped them down some more. One will be really surprised how well that machine boring oil stays in the cylinder. After I cleaned the cylinders I took them into the garage and I blew them down with air, and then coated the cylinders with engine oil really well for the reason that HRK alluded to earlier, so the rings have enough lubrication to move in the cylinder.

Now came the time ti install the lifters and the lifter blocks. I thought that this was a good idea as it was kind of pain in the asss to take the lifter blocks off while the cylinders were still on. I highly suggest to do this whole process while the jugs are removes. Lubricate the lifters and the lifter bores with assembly lube really well and install.

Here are some pictures with the lifters installed. NOTE. It is probably best to find the low spot of the cam when you install these. A second hand is required so one can spin the wheel while in 5th gear.



Lifter blocks installed....



I wanted to point out that a ring pliers was not used to install the rings. If you have patience, you can install them by hand. The risk of breaking them with a pliers is much higher. Do what it is that you are comfortable with. The rings were staggered 180* from each other.

Next it was time to get the pistons set onto the rods. This was a pretty straight forward process but I will have to say that I think that I will invest to get the clip installer tool that is offered by either HD or George’s Garage. I thought that installing them by hand was a PITA, but it got done.

Here is a picture of the rear piston installed. YOu will notice that there are a bunch of rags around the piston. Those rags are serving two purposes. 1. to make sure that the pin clip doesn't fall into the case. 2. to not allow the rod to slap up against the case and ding up the edges.

NOTE!! MAKE SURE THAT YOU COUNT HOW MANY RAGS THAT YOU USED. YOU DON NOT WANT ANY LEFT IN THE CASE!! Sorry Lucifer, I had to make at least one reference.



Now that the rear piston was installed, the return oil line o-ring was installed for each cylinder. Here is a picture of my parts manual that shows what it is that I am talking about. The o-rings that I am talking are designated as Number 8. There is one on the other side cylinder as well.



Now the next step was to get the jug over the piston. I think that this could have been easier if I bought a different ring compressor. I bought one of those expandable and retractable band types and again as HRK alluded to earlier, this is going to require two sets of hands. Once the ring compressor was set, sliding the jug over the piston was actually painless. That is the benefit of having a good machinist who lays a taper on the bottom of the jug. That allows the rings to slide in the bore much easier.

Here is a picture of the with the cylinder installed..



Repeat process for the front piston and front cylinder.. Front piston installed...

doing a great job JB, makes me think I could do mine when the time comes. Lookin forward to the next installment.

I am glad that you are enjoying the pictures and the play by play. I learned so much doing this that I would not hesitate to do another one. More pictures and commentary on the way.

This was an after thought and I just thought of it again. After the install of the pistons rings while the piston was installed on the rod, I asked myself this question. "Why can't a person install the rings while the pistons are off of the rod instead of waiting until they are on the rod," I asked myself? I mean, wouldn't it be much easier to do it that way instead of being in an awkward position trying to do this? I mean, it seems to me that you can see what is happening a lot easier if it is done this way.

What is your guy's and gals thoughts on this?