Ironhead Engine Woes! Rebuild failed and trying to figure out what happened
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- 1985 Harley Davidson Ironhead Chopper engine rebuild has gone wrong! Do NOT take ANy engine parts to Dragonman, watch to find out why! All i wanted was ported heads and figured i would have him step up my cylinders to +0.010 over. He ruined everything he touched. I should have just kept my heads stock and lapped valves and done the cylinders mysef. This is ridiculous!
I take all of the steps to find out why I am burning oil. Removing heads and wasted too much time to find out what the real cause what. I am so mad you guys. Back to square one.
Who the hell is Ironhead Sally? Well here's my channel description:
Old School Bikes and Old School Ways! Ride hard, wrench a lot, and always having a blast.
Bike camping, wrenching, and shenanigans.
My husband and I create motorcycle content for people that are tired of seeing all of the fake insta accounts of sponsored boring yuppies. Here's some realness, we are just broke bikers living the low life and getting by. I ride a 1985 Ironhead Chopper as my daily, my touring bike is a 1984 FXR. We have lots of Ironheads and FXRs and are constantly building more, trying to keep these old neglected scoots on the road instead of rotting away in a garage.
Appreciate all the love & support
Keeping it Real! Keep it Sketchy!
FTW💚Sally
Update to be totally fair: after some back and forth, the shop and I agreed to a partial cash refund amount. Still have alot to fix, but atleast I didnt get totally blown off!
That's good at least... Nothing like getting burned by a shop. I'm still dealing with legal crap after losing my 59 Ford Galaxie to a fire caused by a shop taking shortcuts when replacing the wiring harness for me.
Better than nothing for sure. Hope to see it up soon.
Ah good. Glad to hear.
A partial cash refund is bullshit. You are very forgiving.
It's very hard to trust anyone for any reason! It seems to me that everyone is so greedy. They try to hoard everything for themselves at all cost. And it appears to be getting even worse, if it can be.
You said exactly what my mom used to say...if you want it done right...do it yourself. You say you are not a mechanic. Well you are a mechanic. You tore this thing done and put it back together. You tore it done again and found out what happened. You did great. Being a mechanic for 45 years and counting...I know people that doesnt know a wingnut from a lugnut. Sucks someone fucked up like that. Never trust anyone with anything.
Appreciate it! Thanks!!
Harley Davidson - Turning riders into mechanics for over 100 years.
😂🏁🦅💯💚 aint that the truth!
Yep - and I'm now a new one. Mechanic that is. At one point a few weeks back, I had 4 choppers, and I couldn't ride one of them. I stood there and said, "You've got to be kidding.". I now have a young talented mechanic that practically lives here with his girlfriend - what the hell?
@@DK-pj6le Get used to grease under your fingernails.
@@r1learner178 Just bought my first big pump action orange grit soap - frikkin hilarious.
That's why I own a Honda gold wing, I don't have to keep fucking with it.
I just finished a hammer performance 1275 kit on my 883 06. I was going threw the heads and thought I could lap the valves/new seals and springs. Found out the guides were bad. I looked at local shops for a valve job. I decided to send the heads to Hammer. They are not cheap but the work was perfect. You want quality work you have to go with the best. Hammer/Baxter companys like that.
Niice, u pay for what u get!!
Hammer guys are very good. Sent a set of Buell heads to them for compression releases and os valves.. perfect work
I dont trust Baxter
This is why I do all my own work. You can't trust other so called experts at doing the job right. Sometimes it cost me more in buying the right tools than the parts, but I will always have to tools.
Absolutely true! Having tools pays for themselves in the long run 😁🏁💯🦅💚
So awesome to see a couple working together and building motorcycles
💚😁🦅🏁 thanks for watching!!
All roads upon which the mighty Electra Hog rollith are sanctified by it's passing. Sportys too. Bless you young lady for your noble calling!
😁🦅💚🏁💯 appreciate it!! Ride free
Just found your channel, and your content is a breath of fresh air. I love to see genuine, solid people living normal lives. All power to you, and hope you find all the success you deserve.
Appreciate it! That is us, keeping it real, and trying our best lol! 😁🦅💚🏁💯 ride free
As an Ironhead owner myself its always something. Had exhaust valve lock up on me last year amongst other things. But I've always fixed it myself. Not many people know how to work on these things anymore. Good luck
Thats why so many old bikes just sit and rot, less want to work on them or learn to maintain em, but it sure can be frustrating chasing issues constantly! I agree
No such thing as luck. Ya don't need luck if ya know what yer doin 😉
That’s a damn shame companies don’t care you’re right do it yourself I would never go back to that place ❤
I picked the wrong shop once and it cost me $5500 in stupid tax. Lesson learned.
I'm pretty sure last summers tube blowout and crash was caused by the tire shop just not caring enough to do the job carefully.
I hate changing with spoons so I bit the bullet and sprung for a tire changer. Look forward to trying it out. If a tube gets damaged I'll only have myself to blame.
I guess it's true "if you want it done right you gotta do it yourself".
Oh thats awful! Shops messing up tires is 1. Dumb and 2. Dangerous. I feel u on the spoons, gonna try the zip tie trick next time and see if that works! lol 😜🦅💯🏁💚
@@ironheadsally I went with the Rabaconda tire changer. Lots of good reviews and it looks easy in the video.
I'm glad you guys figured it out. Pretty shitty of that shop to do what they did. Hopefully word of mouth will eventually put them out of business. One can hope anyway. And after watching you take the tension of your torque wrench before putting it away you can borrow my tools anytime lol.
Appreciate it! And wow extra stars for you noticing that on the torque wrench 🤩
@@ironheadsally Oh I noticed. You and and my dentist are the only other chicks that I know that have them. You go Lady!
Ironhead Sally
I have a close friend that sent his panhead engine and transmission up to I believe the same shop as you used about 2 years ago , the panhead he is rebuilding has been a slow process . A few months ago he was ready to start assembling the engine but the ring gap was way off so he measured the cylinders and found they were bored wrong and egg shaped , after taking the cylinders into a local machine shop it was also found they were bored crooked. At this point i believe he is having to go .30 or .40 over to get the cylinders straight and round. My buddy never contacted the original shop that screwed up the work because he was so pissed about it ,I hope the heads, crank and transmission were done better than the cylinders !
I hope you see this message
Brett Young
Farmington NM
Thanks for the message Brett, oh that is a nightmare! I am going to remeasure my cylinders a bunch to make sure mine arent egg shaped! Just wow, too bad ur friend didnt call him, but that didn’t help me get any refund 😫
I feel your pain, but at least you can get new parts at a reasonable price (I have a 79 ironhead). The back cylinder on my Brough Superior SS100 eat something and needed a rebore, whoever did it bored it 7 thou over instead of 4 thou but even worse it was 10 thou at the bottom. Now pistons are sort of a reasonable price but cylinders are only available as unmachined castings, and the castings are $300 alone and I don't have the facilities to machine them, so I'm going to have to run it.
Oof that is rough! Yes atleast the Ironhead parts are more affordable
That really sucks to see how bad they fucked up on your bike Sally 😩 It just goes to show that having a big fancy shop with all kinds of machine tools and a TH-cam channel doesnt mean squat if things are mismatched. I know you guys will get the ole girl ripping in no time without outside help and you’ll be better off for it 🤙🏻 Best of luck to you both , I really dig your channel and what you guys do as I am also an Ironhead owner and hopefully a Shovelhead owner sooner then later lol
Thanks Randy, i appreciate that! Def a learning experience and will be better off doing it ourselves. And yayy soon to be shoveling eh? Gotta love these old scoots, too bad so many cool old bikes have been neglected and we are here to pick up the pieces lol! 😁🦅💯💚🏁
I became a "Dyna Bro" as a result of my older bikes. One being a 57 ironhead chopper. Love the old bikes, love working on them and love making them express who I am and who I can be. Sometimes though I just want to jump on one of my Dynas and just cruise without worry. That being the state of mind I'm in when I'm in it. My old bikes for me are to take a week or two off, do a traveling camping, sightseeing adventure knowing good and well part of the adventure will probably be addressing a problem on the bike, in the middle of no where. In the rain. Gotta be mentally prepared for sure. New subscriber and enjoy the video. Thanks for posting and look forward to more. As always..... keep on keeping on!✌️
Appreciate ya watching! And totally get it, thankfully less work on the fxr so can just get on and ride lol cheers! Ride free 😁🏁💚🦅💯
You better love working on them, or you’re going to miserable.
You guys are totally legit, and I hope you have better encounters in the future. Keep doing what your doing....I dig it.
Appreciate it thanks! Ride free 💚💯🦅😁
You need to put the Name of the Shop on here so no one else gets Screwed by them. I know I would Never Use Them!!! By the way, you’re a Great Mechanic Sally. I’m not sure I would have figured it out. Still learning every chance I get. That’s part of learning, is fixing others mistakes. Great Video, and Great Job figuring it out. You also have a Great Teacher. Best to both of you, Subscribed.😁👍👍❤️
Hey thanks Joey!! And it was Dragonman in Colorado Springs, he has a nice gun range and he should just stick to firearms not engines 🤣 appreciate ya watching! Yes its nonstop learning by fire with these bikes but wouldnt trade it for anything! Cheers and ride freee!
Thanks for the shout out, I appreciate it...
Thank you for the advice!!! 💚🦅😁💯🏁 and for offering to fix it!
prick
Hopefully the shop "DragonMan" will see how many subscribers you have and realize his rep is on the line at this point. Best of luck to all parties involved.
Great video Sally !!! 👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks!!
Damn, that really sucks. Im sorry you guys are dealing with that. When i saw you guys at Dragon Mans, i was thinking, well shes got a 50% chance of getting back a good engine. Im confident you guys can make it right.
Thanks Hippie! Appreciate it, i figured he wouldnt mess up boring, like i didnt ask him for nothing too intricate 🤣🤣🤣 but lesson learned for sure! Cheers man
I've been really considering sending a couple engines to dragon man myself. I've never heard anything bad about the guys work but, I've never heard anything good either. Hippie, have you known of anyone having machine work done from his shop that was not done right ?
@whatyoumakeofit6635 i had buddy ship his shovelhead engine out to him and it took 9 months to get it back. He had zero end play on his pinon shaft and scalded his cam up during break in
I wouldn’t recommend him at all! Reading thru all the comments on this video alone, its almost like a rite of passage to be screwed over by him. The fact that he has soo much going on there too, the machine shop is an afterthought, if i were u i would find a reputable shop that doesnt have the slew of complaints that Dragonman has. Fast talker and quick to take ur money, not a trustworthy businessman.
@@ironheadsally still sucks yall had to go through it, but like your husband said, it's making yall better mechanics yourself
Love the music in the background, nice, sweet, lovely MOTORHEAD!!!
🤘😜
After 2 years of being a regular on TH-cam both watching and putting out content this is the first I have time I have come across your channel. It popped up after watching another video. You now have a new subscriber.
Awesome! Thanks for watching 😁🦅🏁💯💚 ride free
Ironheads are good first HDs. After a while tho, you gotta ask, "Do I wanna ride or wrench?" If you say 'ride', then get an evo.
Thats why i have the Evo FXR as a touring bike. But i never had this much issues with this bike until recently, first 4 years of riding and adventures with no engine issue- it was due for a rebuild
@@ironheadsally Ah...well then. If I had an evo FXR I'd have a damn tri-cycle and not gaf.LOL. A 91(92?) FXR was the sweetest HD I've ever ridden. And an Ironhead makin it that far with no issues is awesome. Good work.
I went EVO because I am just not that good of a mechanic. Lol
The Sporty has been great but I picked up an S&S EVO custom that had some age related leaking issues. Now that I have it running reliably and found a seat/handlebar combo that makes it fit me properly I'm really starting to dig the bike.
Surprisingly the S&S was built with a Sportster stroke so it would rev like a Sporty.
pretty silly comment- doesn't take a genius to be on top of things so you aren't wrenching every day....... but, if you can't you can't. I've got close to 250,000 on my 73 ironhead- how about that evo of yours?
That's amazing that you have so many miles on your bike. My Sportster EVOLUTION motor seems like it will Never wear out.@@stevegappa2959
Oh you're a Mechanic young Lady !!It warms my old Cold Heart to see your enthusiasm .Sorry to hear you got shity service and the dude wouldn't even do you a solid !
😁🦅💯🏁💚 appreciate it! I sure am learning a lot. Thanks for watching!!
Dam sally, bummer!! And speaking from experience. I’ve been down the same road before, with so-called good engine rebuilders!!! the moment I saw your video of you going to that dragon nerd, i had a bad interaction with him in the past, i predicted things would go wrong on your build- i’m sorry I was unfortunately right!!! But you guys will work it out you’ll get it done and you’re correct, Stop taking it to people. 👍🍺 SLICK
Ohh damn no way, seems like a lot of people have been burned by him! Wtf!!
same!
Shitty bore job and the hone didn't look that great on camera
great series of videos. I like you never let anyone work on my bikes. Do everything yourself and try your best if shit happens you can blame yourself and eventually laugh about it.I believe your husband and yourself will finally sort out the problem.In my opinion the dealer that cocked up on the job should at least reimburse you for your losses or lose his reputation ,time will tell.good luck from the UK.
Thank you John! I was hoping it was something we did too, can laugh about it and move on! But u are right, time will tell, cheers and ride freee!
I love the way you talk I've got three EOS add two of them are always in the shop and I'm working on the 3rd lol
Really really good video. I was thinking it was gonna be a piston ring problem. Those sleeves really looked like they could use a good honing or replacing. Nothing worse than paying for professional work and getting half assed work back. I prefer wrenching things myself when I can. I’m not as capable as I was when I was in my 20s and 30s but I was glued to your video from beginning to end thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks man appreciate ya watching, it was hard to edit and rewatch and just keep reliving it! LOL
I still say the Ironhead Sportster engine is the best sounding harley engine. But man it ain't no joke keeping them things running.
Hey Sally, I was watching a vid the other day and your husband had on a motorcycle museum shirt on from Kansas. The wife and I were getting ready to go on vacation to KS so I had her look up the museum to see where it was located. So I can Thank You now cuz we came up from OKC Mon and made a big road trip out of it. We stopped by the little town and visited the museum and I thought it was really cool and had some NICE old bikes. Thank you again and it has been a nice vacation.
>
I also own an ole 83 Roadster custom that I LOVE!!
Oh thats so great! Glad u enjoyed it! Soo many cool moto museums all over the place 😁💚🏁🦅💯 and i bet that roadster is fuuunnnnn!!!
It's sad, Sally. Not standing behind their work for any shop is sad. Save the 0.010 over pistons for the future. I would take the heads back apart and clean them good and take a good look. There might be a crack right down alongside one of those guides. Like you, i think the shop should pay for shipping both ways, buy you 0.020 pistons, finish the cylinders correctly, and throw in the gaskets. That would be the professional way to do things. The only mistake on your part was not checking his work. Learn and move on, girl!!!!
Exactly, thats all i can do is fix it and move on. Lesson learned for sure!
Don’t know if this will help but: I built a shovelhead for a friend (no expense spared) and the new rings blew oil past them like crazy. Put in another new set and all was good. My ‘62 sporty is the same, I need to change out the new rings although not as bad as the shovel. Also, ironheads don’t have valve seals from factory if memory serves me right.
Yeah i wish it was just bad rings, i bought an extra set of 10 over too 😭 gonna hold onto those for another day, and absolutely irons shouldnt NEED valve seals it wasnt oem, chasing chasing lol thanks for watching 😁
I'm not sure if that's an AMF or but she's leaking on the valve seals.It's the rings they could have put the fuqin rings on upside down
I should have watched the whole video first before commenting
Well start with all the basics Sally . Check complete rotation timing then electrical / ignition then valve timing and the gasoline Or Carburetor so if you have oil it's valve guide or seal Or oil ring blowby or ring gap ..
Like a lot of people I have recieved shoddy, incorrect work from shops that don't care and somehow stay in buisness. I don't even want to list the results, bad memories, like a freshly rebuilt kick only 88" engine that I could kick it over with two fingers, shop said it is supposed to be like that. I have heard bad reports about that shop for years, sorry you got involved with them. Like you, I bought more tools and manuals and a lift and all work gets done here. There probably are good indie shops around but I never found them. Good luck on your rebuild, hope you can salvage some of your parts.
I think it is good to expose shops, dealers, whatever that cheat their customers so others don't get caught.
Absolutely!! Consumer warning! How sad is it to bore out cylinders to weird sizes when u have all of the fancy machines? Lesson learned! Thanks for watching
I just discovered this channel and I love it.
The only thing I hate about it is it makes me miss my Sportster so bad.
😜💯🦅💚🏁 well if theres room in ur stable for another… lol! Thanks for watching
@@ironheadsally hopefully my stable will get a few more in the next couple of years. Good luck with the bikes and be safe.
Piston fit can make you or break you. I always say the only way you learn, and remember, is the hard way. Hippie and Slick have talked about your problems so I thought I would check you out. Subed up. Good for you guys doing your own work and looking at this as a learning experience. Always learning.
Appreciate it! Thanks for watching, and totally agree, trying to learn to be self sufficient
Never fails, gotta stop and make supper. I just want to fix it!
😅🦅💯🏁💚
you fit the cylinder to the closest clean up piston size, you don't just bore to a set oversize spec, these engines run pretty loose factory piston tolerances as is, get hypereutectic pistons, they run much tighter, then size them according to instructions, make sure to break it in using gears, no steady paced riding for a couple hundred miles. also make sure to change that oil before starting it again. i recommend high zinc formulated oils like valvoline racing 20/50. i have built hundreds of these machines over my 40 year career. even raced a few iron heads, also check the valve to guide tolerances because the seal shouldn't have failed that way.
I love your style!!!
Cracked ring maybe. Always good to cycle that engine a couple times just to set the rings. Then start your break in rides. Cycling those iron jugs is always a good thing. Hang in there girl youll get it. ❤
I wish it was that simple as a messed up ring 😭 lol thanks! Its a learning process for sure 🦅💚🏁
People just don't take pride in their work like they used to. Sorry for your bad luck! But from your attitude things will work out!! Hope you get it sorted out soon and back on the road!!
Thank u Charles!! It’s too sunny to not be riding her! lol cheers
I am sorry to hear about dragon doing this. I had him do a shovel bottom many years ago and it was good. Since then I have heard horror stories about his work. I know it was an expensive learning step. You have my sympathy. Keep on riding
Thank u, I appreciate that, yup i’ll just take it in stride! Lol cheers and ride free 🦅💚🏁💯😁
That happened to me once and it was an exhaust valve guide.
Not the valve to guide clearance but the guide to head interference fit.
Oof yeah i am worried about that press fit into these heads!
It is sad, now-a-days. I am 74 years old, own 6 bikes. 3 need work, but I will not pay for something that I'll have to go over myself, just to make sure it was done right. I don't even trust the quick oil change places for my car. Filter on tight? stripped drain plug ??? on and on😎
Absolutely agree! See some crazy stuff leaving shops, thanks for watching!!
I too am at the same age.. have more than six that need work but a couple more that are ready to go and I WILL NOT let anyone work on them.. but me!
Excellent video, thanks. I subscribed.
Get your new pistons first, then bore & hone your cylinders to fit THOSE pistons. Don't rely on 'book specs' for .020" over (or whatever other boring size).
Yes, had to punch out the cylinders 2 sizes up!!! barely got 30 over to work to straighten out this mess! Thanks for watching!
keep going ther great bikes
Hay Iron Head that's a real bummer but it's also a learning experience for all who watch and it is the reason why I do all my own work. I am buy no means the best mechanic but I would rather know for sure what and how my work has been done than put faith in someone else who may for some reason known only to themselves not do things to the correct standards and tolerances. I do however believe that was very poor character on behalf of whoever did this work and would not refund in full. Thanks for a great video yours Brendan.
Hi Brendan, It sure is worth the piece of mind to do it yourself! Appreciate ya watching 😁💯🦅🏁💚 ride free
I had a few 900 ironheads.They could be good bikes.Replace the transmission layshaft needle bearing every 15,000 or else .Do not let them run at idle to enjoy that sound.Use the lowest compression possible .Do not use hot cams or carb. Do not ride when it's over 90 degrees. Like that they can be great bikes. 1000 c.c. Ironheads are all drastically out of balance . Those wheels are still half-assed counterweighted for the pre AMF 883 pistons. You want a old school Harley to last the Pistons even after a bore job must be taken down to stock piston weight. My 1967 mag fire did not vibrate anything like every 1000 I ever rode. Then that damn piston with its big dome . You take weight off the skirt. High compression adds a lot of weight and then too much removed from the skirt to get it balanced.Just stick with low compression.
horseshit
That is really sad to hear that you had a bad experience. All Ironheads are I guess you can say unique. We just finished a 1979 XLS that we did everything on. What you will find is that there isn't any valve seals on these engines. If there is any play in the valve guide, you will blow by. As I can see when you showed the head. Get new valve guides put in and new valves and have a valve seat job done. They all blow a little, but what you have is way too much. Once again, I'm truly sorry for your experience. We stand by our work 100% and although at times it hurts, you keep good with the community. God Bless
Thank you! Appreciate ya watching 💚😁💯🦅🏁 quite the valve/head job he did on this, lesson learned lol!
That sucks! Anyone who has built and ridden for any amount of time, unfortunately, has a similar story. I guess at the end of the day, education isn't always cheap. You guys seem to have it nailed down pretty well. Everything you personally work on seems to hold up, so like you said - trust no one ! Ha ha! Good luck with everything, and I'm sure you'll be back on the road in no time with your sporty! Keep up the good work, and more treats for Carl!
Its like a rite of passage getting screwed by a shop 🤣 lol oh carl gets plenty but always could use more!
All these years I thought it was just me being paranoid about a lot of shops not caring or standing by their services, dam shame really. Aside from poor workmanship it's just bad human nature, if he is like that at his place of income more than likely it permeates throughout his personality.
Mistakes get made but with the right attitude they can be corrected in an honorable way, I guess it's just easier to deny the issue.
The point you made about the dangers of riding something some loser has hacked on is one I have subscribed to for years.
Absolutely! I seen too many tires on backwards and wiring disasters! Good on you for doing ur work and not blindly trusting shops! 😁🏁🦅💯💚
Hi 👋, y2 , that very bad news, incorrect work been done on your bike components by what was supposed to be a skilled mechanic,
Could’ve ended up in a fatal accident , They should at least pay for all new components and your downtime as well, The work you’re having to do to dismantle inspect and then rebuild they should really be paying for all this, as they have inappropriately don’t work incorrect,
Keep up the great work , I know it is a big learning curve, who to trust, good luck for the future hope you manage to get it sorted, they are responsible for those parts being incorrectly machined, and they should pay the price , France,
Absolutely learning experience, just wish this happened when it was winter and not in perfect riding season 😫 oh well, back to the shop, cheers and ride freee!
@@ironheadsally I have received my conformity paperwork, so I can now register my bike, I’m trying to build a extensiongarage come workshop,
Which is nearly there, at the same time I’m wrenching on my bike. I need to change the rear drive belt, and ordered a new load of seals and gaskets for the process, Stay safe keep up the great work, ,
What a piss off. I’m sure you’ll sort it. Hard to find someone that you can trust with your ride and then to be let down that sucks you’re lucky you know what you’re doing. Some people have no idea and get burnt even harder. I’m enjoying your content.👍🏻🇦🇺
Appreciate ya watching! Cheers✌️🦅💯💚🏁
I went through the same thing the first time I had to have top end work done on my 85 Evo. Within a day of getting it back on the road it was blowing smoke. Turned out that a wrist pin circlip wasn’t seated and popped loose. It stayed caught in the side of the piston and chewed the hell out of the cylinder wall. Back to the shop..
Oh aint that the worst! Ahhh back to the shop indeed
Man, that sucks that ya'll got burned like that.I too, have heard bad things about that guy. I hope you get your baby back on the road. Take care.
Thanks Big Ed!! 💚 i have heard some bad stuff too, I figured quick honing job wouldnt get messed up but oh was i wrong lol!!
@@ironheadsally there's another channel JCcanU, he talks about getting burned by that guy. I think the video is titled, "you get what you paid for" or something like that, anyways, he had some not-so-kind words to say about Dr*gon guy. I know you will get it figured out. Peace!
@@edZILLA64 omg! Just watched @JCcanU video and what a nightmare! Guaranteed my ass 😂 sounds like he has burned plenty of folks, if u care about engines at all, just RETIRE already and save people’s motors from more destruction! Lol
Sorry you had that trouble . You could take him to small claims court. What is right is right, what is wrong is wrong.
I’m not messing with courts, that’ll cost me more money, sadly gonna eat this and just try to spread the message but sounds like A LOT of people were burned by him!
Send him. A 1 star review @@ironheadsally
What are you talking about ? You're definitely a mechanic. Keep up the good work !
Dragon man got run out of long Island ny many years ago for sloppy work like this, but that was a long time ago and my memory is a bit hazy
Ahhh that sure makes sense, less competition out here, there was only one shop in co springs when he started out here. Unfortunate
Th a asshole has been literally destroying priceless Harley engines for DECADES. I would NOT send that engine back to him. Your beyond lucky that you got partial back. He's notorious for fucking people over. Just punch in Dragonman fucking up Harley engines in ANY search engine.
Valve guides to sloppy or wrong seals piston to cylinder clearance to tight ring gap incorrect blown head gasket.Trying to help I'm a 66 year old retired old school Evo back Harley mechanic. If it were me I would tear the top end down check those things plus see if the heads are warped. Good luck 🤞🍀
There is an old trick to check valve leakage. Remove head and level it on a table. Pour mineral oil in the combustion chamber and let it sit for a while. You'll be able to see if it leaks through the valve seats and stem. Dry and repeat for each valve chamber.
Good idea thanks! 😁
I fill with gasoline.then light a match or lighter in the intake and exhaust port.if flame shoots out you got a leak.note you may want to do this outside.not in shop.dont ask how I think it should be done outside.
Or, just get a leakdown tester for $35.00.
Great to hear Lemmy singing built for speed in the background😀👍
🤘😜 Lemmy is my spirit animal! 💚
@@ironheadsally You've just gone up in my estimation!! Lemmy was an absolute God. Had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times in the late 70's.
Met him in 1987, one of the best days of my life😀👍
@@motorcyclemadhouse371 A really nice guy. Managed to bag myself autographs from the band😀
@@andywalker4599 I live not far from where Philthy is buried, been up to his grave to pay my respects, Motorhead logo on his headstone, he's gone but still badass😀👍
So simple . 1946 pushrod farm machinery engine. I had maybe 40 or so motorcycles. All were Japanese and performed very very well. She couldn’t do 60 miles. I could take the Suzuki 1200 up to about 120mph and do those 60 miles in 30 minutes.
I had zero mechanical issues with that bike. I broke a lot of axles on the the old motocross bikes doing jumps. One day I was fueling up and in pulled Hell’s Angels. We were about 30 miles outside of the main city. They had two support vehicles pulling trailers with spare bikes and stuff. Changed one bike right there.
That freaking blows.. is this dragon man's? I had heard some bad things about him before but never dealt with him. I still think whoever screwed those heads too. Get a magnaflux kit or if a shop near you can do it. They can pay for complete replacement of those. I have heard of a place that specializes in ironhead heads.. if I can get a hold of my buddy I will post it here later. He had his done and they rock..
I am worried about the heads too, might just do that. Already wasted too many gaskets as is! And sweet, appreciate it 😁🦅🏁💯💚
Wooof... I feel your pain. That 82 Ironhead I mentioned getting to use as a Daily shit the bed something fierce the other day when I was riding it home from purchasing it.
Engine blew every gasket, piston kissed the valves on the front cylinder... And to make matters worse, it was bored 6 over and has an S&S Stroker kit in it. So, trying to rebuild it got a whole lot more complicated upon those discoveries. 🤦🏼😑🤦🏼
Ohh noo! What a heartbreaker! Unfortunately all too common when buying ironheads. Do u need some replacements for cheaper? I have miscellaneous engine parts, different cylinders pistons rings valves crank etc. if ur hunting some affordable replacements 😁🦅💚
@@ironheadsally I most definitely will be hunting for good bargains on necessary parts to rebuild it. Veterans Disability income isn't great with the cost of living these days, so I'll be selling almost all of my guitars and guitar gear to get this bike back on the road ASAP!
@@TheLespauladdict ironheadsally@yahoo.com 😁 email me. lemme know what ur needing. Those brand jugs/pistons at the end of the video, i will not end up using them and would be happy to pass em along (if u just cover shipping), got some odds and ends too so let me know what u need and i’m sure we can do some dealing 😁
@@ironheadsally You're awesome. Writing up an email right now!
One of the most accurate statements ive ever heard, " when the bikes want attention, they get it." . Its true in my life anyhow.
Amen! 😁🏁💚🦅💯
I totally agree with the DIY if you want it right.
The guy who rebuilt my Triumph Tr-6 broke the crankshaft no warranty such a downer. Went through 3 different shops to sort it out. Bought my Sportster so l would have lots of choices for engine work. Now my Sportster is 25 years old and no body wants to work on her. Ironic huh.
Ahhhh, of course right, its a constant struggle
just as you, I have the ability to do most wk on my ride. Only, such as heads ported, I would send out. I needed work done so a few shops in the area will work on her. Got guesstamates for work needed and went with not the cheapest but who seemed the most knowledgable. Turns out, upon a visit while bike up on stand; shop was using TH-cam to do the work!
Bike was returned without completion, along with a bill way over agreed price.
Lesson learned. Take the time to do it right. Then, if failure, it's on me!
Oof yup thats a hard lesson to learn, but only happens ONCE lol cheers to learning and wrenching and riding! 😁🦅💚💯🏁
If I may, please be careful with wire wheels on gasket surface. Of course iron is alot harder than aluminum. I'm just a shade tree mechanic. I have seen people damage the surface. I like these videos where people fix it and put it back together.
Oh definitely, i use the soft soft wire wheel. I wont do that on evo heads, they are normally so ate up tooo!
That stinks. I never heard of that guy but he def did you dirty what a rubbah . I sent my 1200 Evo sportster heads to Hammer Performance and they did a beautiful job I got their Impact level head service. I got a Hammer 1275 kit as well. Assembled it all in 2021 in my garage and everything minty mint.
Great video, cool chick. Yep, measure, measure, measure everytime. Good job backing the torque wrench off. Good luck !
Man, I see a few things wrong. First if you go and watch his videos on how he bores cylinders, he uses a Sunnen rod hone with a power stroke attachment. It's not a very accurate way of doing it. Looks like he put in standard size valve guides. Anytime you remove guides from an ironhead head it removes a little metal, which makes an oversize guide necessary. And there also should not be seals on the exhaust valve. It's not an aluminum head that sheds heat well, it's a giant heat sink. With a properly sized guide it allows a little oil to go down into the guide to help lubricate and cool the valve stem, but won't be enough to foul the engine. A little snake on start up is fine, but after that it shouldn't smoke. I know a few people who have had him do work on ironhead engines and it was always bad. Head porting on an ironhead is easy too, you guys should learn it. All your doing is widening the port at the short turn and matching the throat to the valve diameter (90%). That's really all you can do other than a good 3 angle valve job and back cutting the intake valve. Good luck.
It's my experience that all Harleys need synthetic oil with the motorcycle additive in it already. Back in the day we used to put straight 60w aircraft oil in our hogs here in Texas where it's hotter'n hell. Synthetic gave air-cooled engines a new lease on life. Another thing that helps a lot is an oil cooler. Bigger the better even if it's ugly.
Oh yeah all our bikes get oil coolers, thanks for watching!
Well that sucks. Either way 10 or 20 thou old mate was way out of the ballpark.44 years as a Diesel Mechanic 2 of the many things I've learnt the hard way. 1: never take anything for granted, i.e. having trust & faith old matey did his job correctly. 2: Murphy will sometimes bite when you don't listen, i.e. ignoring that little voice in your head telling you that you probably should check old maties work. Bonus #3: she be right mate will always fuck you over🤕
So very true! Lesson learned for sure! Thanks for watching!!
Cool bike and belt.
YOU GUYS ARE AWSOME ,BE NICE TO MEET IN PERSON AND RIDE WITH U GUYS.
ironheads rule👍keep going
Your situation, is the reason, I always did my own work on all scooters. (Except for setting up the Flywheels). A really good bore job and a set of .030 Weisco's should put ya on the road. Mismatched cylinders is sloppy work.
Soo sloppy, tapered and eggshaped. i have to go up 2 sizes of pistons just to get these straight. Such a mess lol! Thanks for watching! Lesson learned
13:12 now I'm convinced Carl was saying "VALVE" in the last video 😹
Gary @ Ironhead cycles is awesome.
Absolutely, he gave me some great advice! 💚
That springer is sweet
I like the mechanics . interesting. tx
In the old days, before Valve Seals, we would grind a 45 degree bevel on the top side of the Valve Guide. It keeps Oil from being able to accumulate on top of the Guide, which is what causes them to smoke or leak Oil down thru the Guide. BTW, them verticle scratches are called Galling. It happens when you dont let the Cylinders get good and warm before you start revving the motor or riding it. Warm-up is VERY important when youve got Aluminum Pistions inside Steel lined Cast Iron Cylinders. The Pistons expand faster, as they warm up, than the Cylinder and it causes Piston Galling. It happens on properly Bored Cylinders too
The pistons are cast. And good info on the bevel valve guide, thanks!
@ironheadsally The Pistons are Cast Aluminum. The Jugs are Cast Iron with Steel Liners. They expand at a slower rate than the Piston, on initial Start and Warm-up. THATS what causes Piston Galling. Warm-up is CRITICAL on Ironheads. It's critical on EVOs too but, not as cuz EVO Jugs are Cast Aluminum. Warm-up is critical, and the MOST overlooked issue, on ALL Air Cooled Engines. I start ALL of mine and let them idle until the Cylinders are too hot to touch. 80% of the Wear and Tear on an Engine occurs during Start and Warm-up 😉
You will only do it once. Many moons ago like 44 years ago I helped a friend build a SBC for his 1968 Camero, block was bored .030 over, speed shop sold him "matching pistons" that were only .010 over. We didn't know enough to check we just slapped it together.
Ooof yup, definitely a hard lesson to learn and only gonna happen once! loo
Not a good look for the Dragon Scam Man, should have been an easy refund. I learned the hard way as well now I just ask a million questions and still get shit that is not done right.
Keep your Stream Strong
Exactly, could have been easy but he chose to not take care of it, so last time. Thanks for watching! More rebuild vids to come!
He's been doing it for years. I know personally of THREE Knucks and TWO Pans he's destroyed. The word is, he employs tweakers that don't know shit. I'm surprised he hasn't met an unfortunate accident by now.
+10 for the Master of Puppets flag in the garage! Cheers from Aurora. Stay safe out there.
🤘😁🦅🏁💚 cheers! Ride free! Thanks for watching
Yep I feel your pain. I had a 4 cylinder crankshaft over hauled by an "expert." 40k later the engine developed mysterious rattle. Cost me two complete tear downs at around $300 for each strip before I found the problem. Turned out an incorrect thrust washer had be fitted to one crank throw. The hole in the centre was for a larger crankshaft. It eventually flogged out until the washer was just contacting the crankcase with every rotation of the crankshaft. Of course the expert wouldn't fix it so my local bike shop helped me out. Do you know the definition of an expert? Someone educated above their intelligence level. Stay strong and thanks for the update. Cheers from down under 🇦🇺 Stan.
Oh nooo! Thats the scary part is digging and trying to find the issue! Cranks need to be done right, good thing u found out! Cheers stan!!
That's proper dog s**t. Any shop worth their salt would stand by their work. Clearly they don't give a toss. I could tell that it's been a kick in the guts for you both. Such a shame. Take care
Big ol kick in the pants for sure! But lesson learned, that shop aint worth spit unfortunately he does sell the cheapest guns in Colorado so he has a big following. Thanks for watching! Ride freee
I feel sorry for you Sally, great 👍 detective work. So these were done by that Dragonman
Man guy? One of the few times you and your husband trust somebody to do work on your bike you get burned. The video quality was really good on this video 😎Dave H
Thanks Dave! Yes last time taking anything anywhere! lol and thanks for noticing, i got a new cam that shoots 4k video, glad its coming out clearer! Cheers Dave! 😁
Hate that you got screwed by a shop that obviously shouldn't have never touched the thing in the first place. Plus side, you now know more about your bike than you did before, and you can say you did it yourself. One way to learn is to dig into and figure it out.
Very true! Learning alot by necessity lol! Thanks for watching 💚🦅🏁😁
Micrometer is your friend.
Check your valve guides. I don't even run seals. Also head gaskets do come in different thickness. I run .040. I'm not concerned with the miniscule lose of compression. It's not a race bike, you'll never notice the difference.
Damn Sally that sucks. I'm glad ya'll are set up to do it yourself though. It sucks cause ya paid to have it done right.
Yeah, middle of summer now too 😩 definitely lesson learned. Thanks for watching!!
Looks like a Ring Job -
Technically ya lol cylinders bored too far
The ironhead is an old dinosaur of a design. They get hot. Keep it as mildly modified as possible if you want it to hold together.
Yes trying to get her to last! Keeping stock compression pistons, just wanted the port to flow better with our CO air, but that sure bit me! Shouldnt have messed with it and just kept it all stock when i rebuilt it! lol thanks for watching!
Take a compression ring fit it in the cylinder at the top, middle and bottom of the bore and check for difference,if any in end gap. Cylinder may have a "barrel" bore or taper
Oh yeah cylinder has taper!! Have to go to +0.030 over just to get em straight. Sucks
Give Mike Baxter a call. He also does youtube videos about all types of harley's. Been in business for years and really knows his sh$t.
Love and understand your situation Ben there
Thanks!! Seems like a rite of passage, ahhh we live and learn right 😅 thanks for watching
It amazes me how you can ride a bike with no suspension!😮
The blow by from pistons can force oil past valve seals even blow out.