76 LTD-#5961-period correct resto-refurb. H

[guitardave]

good question!....almost everything but the carbs ( lookout Moose!)..then the motor goes in, and the biggie; paint and stripe the bags and faring...then just little stuff....should be done before spring..( though it felt like it was already here today)

the motor(sans carbs) will be done tomorrow...I'll put up some nice close ups of the current state of affairs.

[Brant]

[BigSherm]

Man, few bikes are more handsome than a brown '76 LTD!

Looks beautiful now that you've freed it from al that extra crap!

Scott

[guitardave]

hey sherm, the bags and fairing are going back on....so its not gonna be naked...i guess it won't qualify for BOTM ( i don't expect a place called Naked Gold Wings to put a dressed bike on the cover shot, especially when there's so many nice naked ones to choose from around here)...but i don't care. This thread is mostly about documenting the build in case i sell her....

...which brings up a question for Brant; I was wondering if i do sell it, is it possible to unlock the "5 posts till you can see the pic's" thing for just this thread?....then i could put a link to this thread in the ad...if not no big deal.

So... I'm about done here for a few weeks...gotta scrape up some cash for Pete and Moose to do the carbs...I'll polish the intake runners and carb tops before i send them off, so i can start the final assembly as soon as there back...after that, a few pieces.. the air box, front motor mount, and a few small bits need paint...after that its sand and prep the fairing and bags for paint....get a Pro to touch up the original paint ...though i don't think the sunburn on the shelter lid can be fixed, i guess I'll just let it alone...call it "patina".

[guitardave]

One more thing...my muffler, like so many, has been circumcised.... the beads at the end of the pipe were chopped, but otherwise it cleaned up real nice....since I am putting the bags on I'll just put some extensions on...problem is it didn't have any on it when i bought it.

So if anyone out there has a NICE set...aftermarket NOS even...I'll give you a fair price for them. PM me if you got something decent.

[guitardave]

...and a couple more. See ya all later.

[Brant]

I would never count it out for BOTM. Good pics, good thread, good story, all taken into consideration.

[Brant]

...which brings up a question for Brant; I was wondering if i do sell it, is it possible to unlock the "5 posts till you can see the pic's" thing for just this thread?....then i could put a link to this thread in the ad...if not no big deal.

I think thats 5 posts before you can post pics.

[flyin900]

If it is the front of the OEM mufflers that connect to the headers then you can buy the 4-5" exhaust adaptors from an automotive shop that are one size on one end and a slightly different size on the other. I found two that were the perfect size to slip over the broken/rotted stubs on the muffler and slightly larger on the front side for the exhaust headers and the packing gasket to fit. I just welded these adaptors around the old stubs and they look pretty much stock.

[guitardave]

If it is the front of the OEM mufflers that connect to the headers then you can buy the 4-5" exhaust adaptors from an automotive shop that are one size on one end and a slightly different size on the other. I found two that were the perfect size to slip over the broken/rotted stubs on the muffler and slightly larger on the front side for the exhaust headers and the packing gasket to fit. I just welded these adaptors around the old stubs and they look pretty much stock.

No....but thanks for the suggestion...i already straightened that out...the inlets were badly bent ( no gaskets between head pipe and muffler inlet flange) ,,but i "massaged" them back in shape with an expander and my favorite Harley wrench...( a hammer ) I need extensions....for the pipe...at the end ....where the beautiful music comes out.

Brant; so you can't turn off the 5 post restriction on one isolated thread?...OK. i don't know anything about how the forum software is designed....it may not even allow it by design, so no big.

I didn't think a "dresser" would qualify for BOTM....but, cool ! I guess when you compare a dressed old wing to some of the battleships they make now its still a bit naked...and it did start out naked....thanks, Dave.

[robin1731]

snip.......................
Brant; so you can't turn off the 5 post restriction on one isolated thread?...OK. i don't know anything about how the forum software is designed....it may not even allow it by design, so no big.

No, what he said was you can't "post" pics until you have 5 or more posts. You could put a link or pics in and anyone can "see" them.

.

[guitardave]

No, what he said was you can't "post" pics until you have 5 or more posts. You could put a link or pics in and anyone can "see" them.

Hi Robin, Yeah, I Know that...i can read...(kinda ) I now realize that I was asking the wrong question...i mistakenly thought that you had to register as a member and post 5 times till you could see pic's....which I now realize was totally wrong...sorry, I think i confused it with some other forum i was on that was set up where you could not see pic's or certain sections of the forum till you had five posts....but it wasn't a forum like this where photos are indispensable...it was about ideas so pic's were secondary to text.....so again, my bad.

What I wanted to ask was this...can you open a singular thread so that a potential buyer could look at the thread, pic's and all, without registering as a member of the club? I know it don't take much effort to join, but i was thinking about that from a "path of least resistance" standpoint for the potential buyer...so when they click the link on CL, the thread pops up, pic's and all....if its really quick and easy for a mod to do this, i think it would be a useful tool to help members sell a bike...but if its not, forget about it.

...and ya know...the more i think about it, I'm not sure if making it real easy for the casual shopper to see the thread is even gonna help...if your not interested enough to take a minute and register to see the pic's, your probably just a tire kicker.

I haven't sold enough bikes to know which method works best....easy access/maximum exposure, or small CL add with a link...the former could create more "noise", the later would filter it out, leading to more serious buyers..... and maybe it don't matter either way ....maybe i'm just splitting hairs and over-thinking it. ( like i so often do )..so , no worries either way.
....I think I'll go clean some parts and slow down this coffee fueled, hamster wheel brain of mine. Thanks, Dave

[robin1731]

"...and ya know...the more i think about it, I'm not sure if making it real easy for the casual shopper to see the thread is even gonna help...if your not interested enough to take a minute and register to see the pic's, your probably just a tire kicker. "

I think you answered your own question.
It is also good for keeping people out that just join to sell things. Have to have 5 posts to put start a thread in the for sale section.

.

[flyin900]

I sent you a PM which you may not have seen in the messages section regarding the engine guards that were on the bike originally. I was wondering if you are going to reuse them on the restoration or if you are considering selling them off?

[guitardave]

OK....worked on her off and on for the last few months. Randakked the carbs myself( look! a new verb!)..they were rebuilt by the PO a few years back, with the wrong kit, of course, but no troubles( striped screws, etc.)
Found out some fun things..like the muffler that i restored when i took it off was a "rebuild"... by some one that, apparently, couldn't read a ruler...the inlets are a bit more than a half an inch too short..( I measured a untouched stock one to compare)...when assembled, the slots in the flange were visible past the end of the head pipe...so, 4 nice little exhaust leaks per pipe ...wonderful.

look at the pipe/muffler joint in the pic...you can see one of the holes...