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78 iron head build

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270K views 1.3K replies 81 participants last post by  little d  
#1 · (Edited)
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*UPDATE: I DID PURCHASE IT FOR $1500!!! *
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hey,

i got a line on 78 iron head, looks real nice in the pic but the guy said he took it to a shop to have the motor and tranny re-built. shop had it about 6 mos. wehn he got it back he said it worked 3 days then got stuck in 4th gear and clutch will not disengauge

I can get it for 1500, what do you all think...

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*UPDATE: I DID PURCHASE IT FOR $1500!!! *
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M
#2 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

I bought an 83 Ironhead from a board member for cheap cause it had engine prob.'s-----only wound up costing me a few hundred bucks to have a good running Ironhead a couple weeks later----I was happier than a pig in shit, and still am --love the bike. Go for it---what's the worst that happens? You have to spend a lil more than you want?
 
#6 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

Both were common problems back then. I worked in the HD shops back then and we saw this all the time. It sounds like the clutch adjuster lock nut backed off, allowing the adjuster screw to back out, making it hard to shift. That cased the rider shift too hard poping the shifter shaft ball out of the shift unit in the trans. This clutch set-up also stuck when it sat for a month or more due to it's Wet clutch design. You will need a clutch pak compressor (easy to make) to pull the clutch, maybe/maybe not a trap door puller and a manual, to fix it. Unless the shift fork got bent (be sure to check them) it should only cost you a primary gasket?, oil, your time and your mind!
 
#8 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

As long as you can do the mechanical stuff and the price is right, It's a good deal. All the AMF crap that gave these years of Harleys such a Bad rap has been delt with by now and overall they were good bikes. Now the bike will only be as good as the mechanic thats working on it..
 
#9 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

Buy it. Those four speed gear boxes are easy to work on. I think its a Kawasaki clutch setup for that year. I made a tool out of a piece of 1/4" steel & some 1/4" all thread, nuts and washers to compress the spring.
 
#15 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

i know it's Easter and all... but I had to rip that cover off!
guy I bought it from said the clutch would not engage, but it seems to be working fine to me... there was a little slop in the lever so i took it up with the adjuster at the engine case end (no adjuster on the lever itself) and it works fine. just stuck in 4th.... pull in clucth rock bike and it frees up, leave out clutch and its in 4th... Shifter shaft just flops up and down like it is not hooked up to anything.... just click click no resistance like its just clicking against the case...

Tore the cover off with no problems, cover did have a new gasket with permatex over it...

Guess I need to figure out how to make the clutch puller you all are talking about...

Happy Easter!
 

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#17 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

Take some 3/16" x 1 1/2" flat stock long enough to cross over the plug in the pressure plate and two cover bolt holes 180* apart. Use bolts with spacers long enough to locate the flat stock aprox. 2" above the pressure plate plug. Use a 5/16" bolt with a nut on the plate side and screw the bolt in depressing the pressure plate enough to remove the nuts on the studs. Best I can remember this year had a non adtustable pressure plate, achived with spacers on the studs. Pay attention to the number of threads showing on the studs just in case.
 
#19 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

PONY said:
Take some 3/16" x 1 1/2" flat stock long enough to cross over the plug in the pressure plate and two cover bolt holes 180* apart. Use bolts with spacers long enough to locate the flat stock aprox. 2" above the pressure plate plug. Use a 5/16" bolt with a nut on the plate side and screw the bolt in depressing the pressure plate enough to remove the nuts on the studs. Best I can remember this year had a non adtustable pressure plate, achived with spacers on the studs. Pay attention to the number of threads showing on the studs just in case.
Click to expand...
thanks! that will be my project this week... I found this picture online looks really easy... what do you think? (I'm a little slow sometimes and pics always help me out...)
I could make that real quick....
 

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#20 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

It looks like the flat stock wasn't thick enough and started to bend so they stuck the wood in there and used the case studs to depress the pressure plate. It would work but minght be a bit close to some of the studs and be a bit of a pain.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

thanks for the info! I found one on ebay for 10.99 + shipping..

"Clutch Puller Tool for 1971 to earley 84 Harley Davidson Sportster. This tool is made out of 1" x 1" x 1/8" wall steel tubing. This tool is for releasing the presssure of the clutch springs, so you can take the clutch apart to replace plates,ect. I will include instructions for use with tool. Thank you for looking."

price seems reasonable and I'm sure I will use it again sometime down the road so I ordered it...
 

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#23 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

since I have to wait for it to come in I ordered a primary lock tool to lock up the chain so i can take off the comp nut... guess i could have made one out of a plastic cutting board or used a rag or 2 * 4 but what the hell.... Never go wrong buying a new tool as far as I am concerned...
 

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#25 ·
Re: 78 iron head stuck in 4th gear thinking of buying

What sounds like what happend is the shifter rod is out of the ratchet pawl, if you try and jam the shiffter to hard, this will happen, so when ya pull the trans and watch out for all the output shaft bearings, they will fall out, use vasalean or grease to hold them in, you will see two steel flaps on ether side of the shifter shaft ball end, one might be bent, just adjust it back to the up right position and reinstall the trans and you should be good to go.....................Roach.
 
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