95 build idea underway

Okay... I got the brilliant idea instead of using my already engine I am going to use parts. I got a whole crank/rod etc from one of my family's ol' friend. So now I get a block and the heads I can pick up at the next swap meet or from a buddy that deals in used parts. bore out, order what I need and see what it costs out. I can take my time and money getting parts and build it on the table in the basement, as the parts come, in end of season here I'll pop it in and set the other to the side less a few parts
One question how about shaving some off the to get a lighter and quicker rev and all. How far can ya go tolerance wise never did that before.


Later
Voo1

Re: 95 build idea underway(HEY HRK)

thanks it is gonna have to hold up to trips to ther usual trips to FLA and maybe a long one next year. I'll keep the metal on. then maybe next year build yet another and make it a bar hoppin' beast for part of the year. Gotta be a sleeper though. Always love that.

Later
Voo1

I've seen stock flywheels over @ ECS Engineering which have been lightened significantly - specifically to make the engine rev quicker, but I couldn't tell you how much weight was removed & it will certainly vary from one application to another. (One example is lightening Sportster flywheels to those in an XB Buell). However I can tell you that it's not a Saturday afternoon in the garage with a 6-pack project - balance has to be perfect & you need a machine shop to do it right.

thanks for the information I really appreciate it very much. The Automotive Machine shop is our family owned business over 30 years.Everything there I need to do it completely. My plan is, the flywheel would go next door to a fab.machine shop, my close buddy's uncle owns it, and the fella turning and balancing the flywheel, has raced cars with my family for years.That is what they do. Heck about 15 minutes up the road I can get the pistons and rods,train balanced and heads cc'd by one of my dad's ol' buddies that builds trannys and nitro race engines in his shop. I kinda got it good when it comes to getting the work done or doing it. You all should seen my ol minibikes and go-carts. Always something special long-long before they ever had mini rails for kids.
Some of the reason I tend to leave things well enough alone sometimes anymore. Seems like ya go to far and ya end up chasing and fixing things for a good long time. This would be a mild/mid cam, bigger bore
stay together "rider".
thanks again!!!!
Later
Voo1

Great that you have all those resources available !! There's a fabricator's shop not 5 minutes away from where I live ("semi-retired" owner built top NASCAR cars for years) & ECS Engineering (independent H-D shop, Pro Nitro drag bikes, etc.) is about 45 minutes away - makes it real nice when you have access to lathe, milling machine, etc. - I can run 'em, but can't afford to buy 'em. But, most automotive engines are "even-fire" & the balance that works in a V-8 engine does NOT work on the flywheel / crankpin setup in an "odd-fire" Harley.

It takes an engineer to get the balance right, calculating the total weight of the pistons (rings installed), wrist-pins, rods, crankpin & flywheels, then adding the 315-405 firing order to the mix. If the odd-fire nature of the H-D engine is not taken into consideration, lightening the flywheels will cause so much vibration the engine will soon shake itself apart & the bike will vibrate so bad you won't want to ride it. Not to say it can't be done because it has been done many times, but my point is that the engine-builder has to think odd-fire Harley, not even-fire Chrysler Hemi. The uneven firing pulses dramatically affect the balance.

thank you so much ART and HRK. That was interesting reading and very informative !!! I understand the balancing and fire order issue, what I did not know was alot of the information on why their way would apply much better than "traditional". I'll ask the fella out here if ever heard of darkhorse. I know he can do it for bikes, but looks like Darkhorse has all the readily available goodies for bikes and specific expertise. Just don't let anybody know what I am building.
Sleepers... ya know.
If I ever get a good camera I will take pics along the way. I really like what I did to the current engine but right now I got the "slippery slope sydrome" after helping everybody put theirs toghether the past month or two. I am slipping into maybe I will do this or that.... gotta finish the GMC Jimmy first.

Later
Voo1

I'd like to see the step by step process of statically and dynamically balancing a HD crank and what the rig looks like. This doesn't sound like something I could do in my garage with a couple of specialized HD hand tools.

I'd be careful getting everything that balanced Dam thing might not vibrate at all!

You can use the factory service manual for your particular bike & make a fairly simple "knife-edge" static balance setup for stock parts. But the original question referred to removing weight to make the engine rev quicker (it will) & that's an engineering exercise which requires numerous precise measurements / calculations & a machine shop.

way out of my league!!! God stuffto read and know.Glad there are people that can do it.

The guy who rebuilt my lower end said that he could static balance it better than the factory. I've never been happy with it. I know it vibrates more than before the rebuild. I think his knives are dull

I always thought the extra vibration came from shaving the heads but I don't think so any more. I think I need to rebuild the bottom end again. I 'm thinking about buying a S&S case and crank set up and put the same top end part back on.

Hey Voodoo1, How's your rebuild going? What parts combo did you end up with?

Hey Voodoo1,

How are you making out with this