Established 2003

Specializing In Sportsters

FULL REBUILDS - HARDENED VALVE SEATS - CYLINDER BORING - HELIARC/CASE REPAIR - MACHINE SHOP
CASE BEARING RACE LINE LAPPING - ROD RACES LAPPED TO SIZE - MAGNETO TESTING AND REPAIR

57 XLCH

Owner/Builder Wade Repik

I didn't build this bike, but I did save the increasingly rare 57 crankcases from the junk heap. The case had busted out in the area of the counter shaft, a fairly common occurrence, and the previous owner had attempted a somewhat creative, if not ill advised repair. I was able to machine a new support boss for the counter shaft. By using a dummy counter shaft I had machined and bolted to the trans trap door I was able to weld the machined boss into the right side of the crankcase and keep it lined up with the left side. To provide an extra measure of strength, there is a steel bushing press fit into the machined aluminum bushing into which the needle bearing is pressed. There is no standard procedure or price for repairs like this. The only thing you can be sure of is that it will be expensive. Is it worth it? Well look at the finished bike and be the judge...

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57XLCH 1

Before Repair

At some point in the past the counter shaft bearing blew out and took the case boss with it. A previous owner attempted a somewhat ingenious, if not ill-advised, repair. He milled out the damaged case, machined a new bearing support boss and bolted it to the case with four 10-32 screws. The four 10-32 screws were not capable of carrying the load and the repair failed.
57XLCH 2

After Repair

I milled out all the damage to just past the four drilled holes, machined a new boss for the counter shaft bearing, aligned it with the trap door using a fixture I made. The case and the boss were deeply chamfered all the way around to allow for deep weld penetration. The boss was welded internally to the case.
57XLCH 3

After Repair

I also machined a steel reinforcement for the bearing that was pressed into the case. The external weld was milled flat to make sure it cleared the chain and sprocket.
57XLCH 4

After Repair

There was a spiderweb of cracks emanating from the broken out counter shaft boss, all those cracks were welded. The shifter fork shaft which is usually plugged with a welch plug was also welded shut. The cracked out sprocket cover bolt hole and alignment dowel hole were also welded shut. A filler plug for the speedo drive was also fabricated and the speedo drive welded shut. This whole area is greatly reinforced over the original.
57XLCH 5

Finished!!!

57XLCH 6

After IronHeadCycle Crankcase Repair

57XLCH 7

Worth the Effort???

As stated, this type of repair can be expensive. In this particular instance the cases and trans were probably test fit a dozen times, there was a fair amount of machining and a lot of other welding of additional cracks located in other areas. Was it worth it? How many sets of matching belly number 57 cases are left? I'm betting not too many...

SERVICES

Buy and Sell Ironheads - Buy and Sell Ironhead Parts - Rebuild Ironheads - Specialty Work - Wheel Building and Lacing - Wiring - Engine Rebuilding - Transmission Rebuilding - Flywheel Trueing - Line Lap Case Bearing Races - Lap Rod Races - Valve Jobs - Install Hardened Seats - Cylinder Boring - Heliarc Welding - Lathe and Mill Work - Powder Coating

All work is performed in house in a fully equipped shop.

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IronHeadCycle LLC
North Texas
United States of America
Phone: 940-297-5009
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