Sportster engine cases.

Timing marks should be in the nose cone where the pick up coil is. In this area.

Do you see that aluminum plate where the pick up coil is attached to? That plate is where your timing marks should be, that is what they are steering you to. Also see that the copper colored thing with the bolt going through the middle? That is where and how your rear intake cam connects and is fastened to keep timing.

Cam box cover on '04 up Sporties is filled in, timing cover is now just for looks. I do appreciate the pic you posted, just mine is different.

Yes, I'll be pulling the plugs before I turn over motor by hand or the wheel method.
So here is where I'm at right now: Primary and cam covers are off, rocker boxes are off. All these parts are now exchanged for chrome ones. As mentioned earlier, I pulled my cam cover off without removing rocker boxes first and my engine is not at TDC compression #1. So, I am thinking I will temporarily install the cam cover to support the cams and keep them in place, rotate the engine by hand to TDC #1 compression, remove cam cover and verify cams are all in alignment, and if all is good replace the cam bushings in cover with my original ones and begin to reassemble the motor PROPERLY for a change.

On the primary side, the new 2007 cover has too large a diameter shaft hole (JB, stop laughing at my small shaft!), so I am thinking of ordering a complete chrome primary cover for a 2004 from H-D along with the forward controls I have been putting off ordering, hopefully getting myself a discount from my local dealer. I will then keep this one for a wall display to piss off the wife, or sell it if someone needs it.
Then I can start to think about new exhaust...
And taking pics of the new parts to post.

http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?t=1419015

Read this. May help.

Thanks for the post, papadads comment seems to be kind of where I am at with this. I think the mark shown was just crank weight balancing as mentioned it article.
It is good to see you guys are showing interest in this, I know I have learned a fair bit already with this bike.

The cams are numbered and lettered to identify which cam it is in case you mix them up. I will show you an example from my Sm when I get home.

So you're looking to get TDC on compression stroke on front cylinder to see if your cams are lined up correctly??

4 Stroke engine....Suck, Squeeze,Bang, Blow...You can do this with a straw in the spark plug hole and watch the rocker arms,or push rods...Suck, intake valve opens,intake rocker arm goes down on valve side,pushrod is coming up(valve is opening) straw in cylinder goes down....Squeeze(Comp Stroke) Straw comes up in Spark plug hole and both intake and exhaust rockers are up too on valve side(valves closed)or push rods will be at lowest point, both valves are closed and piston is approaching TDC,you can feel the resistance...Bang, Piston is ATDC going down,you'll feel pressure release and see straw dropping in the hole and Blow,piston is coming back up and exhaust valve rocker arm is going down opening exhaust valve or exhaust rod is coming up...
Forgot you have rocker arms off....So at TDC comp stroke,your piston is at the highest point and both pushrods are at their lowest....Roll it through the cycle a couple of times then check your cam dots....

Pulled plugs, put on cam cover loosely to stabilize cams, rotated engine to TDC compression judging by pushrod position. Removed cam cover to find timing marks almost perfect. Fine tuned timing by adjusting crank with cover off, all seems well. Tomorrow I will remove cam bushings for original owner, and install my cam bushings. The new bushing will need reaming at the dealer, I guess. Here's some pics of my mess, including my small shaft to make JB laugh.

Forgot to mention, the other guy now stuck with my small diameter shifter shaft hole primary cover on his large shaft equipped '07 is looking into having it drilled to fit once I send him measurement of the bore of the shifter bushing in the chrome case. Should this be OK? I would imagine if his machinist is good, he should be able to make my old case same as the updated one as he just has to remove material.

Lmfao. Reaming the bushing! ROTFLMFAO!

The reaming at the dealer will likely be in my wallet.

Wrong side to ream.

But wallet is close to the borehole...

Ok. So I get the cam bushings removed from the new chrome cover, and I marked and bagged to return to previous owner. I install my cam bushings, at proper orientation for oil flow as recorded before they were removed. I install the cam cover onto my engine, and install the rocker boxes after rotating motor to put pushrods at lowest positions first, and tighten bolts slowly to reduce oil pressure on oil filled lifters.
Now, why are the rocker boxes lower housings from 86-06 one style and from 07 up different? Local H-D master tech says breathers are only difference, and since the breathers were left on rocker boxes we swapped, these 07 lower rocker boxes will work fine with my pushrods and oil galleries. Is this true, or do I need to call HammerPerf before I go further? Gaskets for lowers appear to prove him right.
Rotated engine by hand, all seems fine.

Ordered in new engine case for the primary side, and a set of forward controls I've been wanting but too cheap to get. New case will rectify the shifter shaft diameter issue and the forward controls should help my knees and let me stretch out a bit.
Been too cold to think about motorcycles lately, and bike money going into home renos. Only 16-20 weeks 'till ride season!

Naaaah, don't forget Junebug attack season for June, followed by monsoon July, I'd say I have a 19 hour riding season some years.