Here's an update on the Shovelhead. I picked up the engine from Phil's Speed Shop in Anaheim. He rebuilt the battered heads and lifter stools, installed new JIMS lifters, S&S roller rockers and CCI Black Diamond Valves. He welded and repaired cracks and exhaust manifold threads. Old used Shovelheads can be fragile.

I installed studs with a mixture of liquid metal and red Loctite. I don't like screwing anything steel in and out of aluminum. It wears on the threads and stresses the weaker material. Besides, from the extreme heat expansion and contraction the threads always feel loose. So I packed 'em with liquid metal to tighten the fit and added the red Loctite to keep them from coming loose. We'll see.

I dug through my junk drawers and discovered another top motormount stud. I treated it the same as the exhaust manifold studs for a tight lasting fit, I hope. I've decided to fab shotgun pipes. The front out the left and the rear out the right and attempt to keep the lengths the same. I would like to work in some shorty mufflers for performance and sound reduction, but a couple of fish-tips caught my eye that sultry morning.

I tinkered with the studs while Layla headed to Home Depot to grab some stainless steel bolts, that I could polish, and use for the motormounts. She was going to call me from the Fastener bin. I didn't hear from here for a half-hour so I dialed her number. She forgot and was rolling up to the Bikernet gate. So I dug around through drawers to find usable bolts for the time being. That's why the spacers show up on the rear mount--it's temporary.

The old code called for bolting the rear motor mounts down first, so that if any spacing was needed to the front, it would show up. It did and I found a piece of almost 1/16-inch aluminum plate that fit perfectly. I cut it, drilled, polished the edges and slipped it into place. We'll see if it works with the BDL inner primary belt drive plate.

That caused another dilemma to surface. The engine is a late '70s Shovel with a early electric start, JIMS four-speed transmission case and plate. According to Kent at Lucky Devil, there's another variable lurking. I'm still having a problem finding the correct chain sprocket. As you can see this CCI job is meant for even earlier transmissions. Then I need a BDL system that will fit the engine, transmission and line up. Hold on for that one.

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