1958 Panhead Build

[VonWegener]

All this reminded me of my first encounter with the DMV. Having moved here from Germany I was hip to government regulations and the Dodge Dart I bought from a gas station lot with liensale papers in 4 different names was a challenge. I got nowhere.
A friend suggested AAA and there a nice lady in her 60s looked at all my paperwork and said I see that Mr. brown lost his title and you bought the car from him. I understand he is handicapped and waiting in the car for you. Here is a pen and the form he needs to sign and when you come back in you don't need to wait in line just come to my station......
Nowhere on the paperwork was a Mr. Brown mentioned and he certainly wasn't in the car with me. The Lady was just nice that way.......

[58Panhead]

I'm going in there like a nerd lol

[JOCK E SHIFT]

Originally Posted by 58Panhead

Does anyone know how to get in touch with Steve Mcbath from NJ?? I was reading that he is a great engine rebuilder?

where the fuck did you read that

[58Panhead]

I saw richiepan post it on his page awhile back

[snatchleeka]

Originally Posted by 58Panhead

I know the vin is only on the motor on it.. I also have the original frame... And front end... I would like to run the numbers...I'm looking to go with a 57 rigid frame.. How would it work if I buy a santee rigid frame with a mso?? Would I be able to title it from the frame?

I know in CT even with an aftermarket frame you still go by the engine numbers. I definitely would not buy an aftermarket frame if I meant I had to make the bike a composite!!!! \

[snatchleeka]

Originally Posted by 58Panhead

I'm going in there like a nerd lol

everyone on here is a nerd. except our thing is motorcycles instead of dungeons and dragons

[JAWS]

Originally Posted by snatchleeka

everyone on here is a nerd. except our thing is motorcycles instead of dungeons and dragons

Amen

[panhead_pete]

Just a heads up, finding a 57 frame at a reasonable cost will be most likely impossible and if you do it will most likely need a lot of work. Perhaps consider getting Mike47 to hard tail yours. I think its about the same price or thereabouts as buying an aftermarket one but much better looking as the castings etc are all OEM in the front and look to be in the rear.

[VonWegener]

Mike47 does nice work or if you want to do it yourself I have these hardtails for sale in the swapmeet section of our board. Forged axle plates and rigid frame correct seatpost forging and a rigid correct rear trans crossmember. Basically half a replica rigid frame

[58Panhead]

Any pictures of the finished product?? I'm not sure if I want to chop up the original frame..

[58Panhead]

I ended up going to the Dmv this morning, the lady looked at me like I had 2 heads. I explained my situation to her she got on the phone when she came back she told me to call Trenton and gave me the number.. I called and the next lady ran the vin number and told me she was very surprised there was a lien on it and there is no way it is still valid. She then told me I would have to get a letter of no interest from the lien holder.. I asked if I could have the information and she said she could not release the information to me, she would have to transfer me to they're public records office. I was transferred to the records office and they told me they had to send me a form to fill out and return to them so they could release the information to me. Did the original owner not pay the motorcycle off and never recieve the title??? Or is it a Mechanic's lien?? I also read that a lien is only good for 20 years in NJ? I guess I just have to wait and pray lol

[JAWS]

It will all be worth it. To KNOW its yours and can legally be built and enjoyed without pause, is a great feeling. You are saving one.

Plus its a pan...

[HD48FL]

[QUOTE=58Panhead;1702210] I was transferred to the records office and they told me they had to send me a form to fill out and return to them so they could release the information to me. Did the original owner not pay the motorcycle off and never recieve the title??? Or is it a Mechanic's lien? /QUOTE]

The problem is going to come when they ask for proof of ownership, which you do not have. Is there anyway to track down the last owner? Do not put any money or time into this project until you get some answers.

[[email protected]]

so now you are pretty sure the bike has not been stolen ?
when you get tired of waiting in nj
call vermont dmv - they are easy to deal with

[58Panhead]

Eh I'll try to stick it out in NJ for now I think

[58Panhead]

What would be the best way to clean my cases and heads?

[JAWS]

I used to use the "dishwasher" at my shop. It was a water closet that had a turn table and used hot water and a caustic solution sprayed from jets as the objects turned. Worked great, just didn't leave them in there very long.

I think engine degreaser and an oven would work? Don't let yer wife find out...

[58Panhead]

That sounds pretty crazy lol

[ralphiejantz]

Don't take this as a negative comment its meant in the nicest way and its meant as some good advise.

Listen to what the guys on here are telling you.

You sound like you don't know a damn thing about old Harleys, there are a lot of little specifics about these bikes and accessories especially Vin numbers and stampings and fonts that can be the difference between having something that is worth putting time and effort into and having something you put a lot of money into and is not worth squat in the end.
The guys on this forum have a lot of experience and knowledge.

First things first.
Post a picture of the VIN of the number so some of us that know what we are looking at can check it out for you and tell you if its legit or not. This alone will determine if you have something worth fixing and going further with, or if you have something you should consider selling and getting out of.

Next thing - square away the titling and registration deal. NJ is a total pain in the ass. Do not listen to what people can do in other states with their DMV's etc etc. Here in NY its super easy to get transferable registrations (titles for pre 1973 vehicles in our state) NJ is nothing like our state and nothing like a lot of other states when it comes to DMV particulars. I have friends in that state and I cringe at the stuff they tell me they need for their vehicles.
Like HD48FL said, you will need some type of proof of ownership.
If you can not obtain that somehow your going to have a tough time in NJ getting anything done.
The Vermont registration process is a lot easier but costs a decent amount of money. Do some research on it and make some phone calls to the Vermont DMV. Ive heard of people having great success using them.
Its not worth investing any time or any money into the project if you can not title it properly.
Do not get it titled as a special construction title, that defeats the purpose of having an OEM motor with OEM engine cases etc.

Next thing -
DO NOT cut that 1958 frame if its really a 1958-1964 OEM factory frame. Those frames are starting to be worth a good amount of money to the right people. If you want a rigid frame that is in good condition and has most of the desired pieces intact be prepared to spend upwards of $3000 on one. Whether your getting a $1200 frame that needs repair work or just straight out buying an original frame that's in really nice shape. The market has gone through the roof on OEM rigid frames in the last few years, and very rarely can you get around this particular obstacle unless you have the skills and tooling to do all the work yourself and save on the labor. It is very labor intensive to do proper frame work. Being you are in NJ you have a very reputable frame repair place in Raritan, NJ at 47 Industries. Mike does excellent work there and a lot of us will highly recommend him especially that you are in the same state he is.
He is also capable of fixing that engine case for you (if those VIN numbers are proper on there)
If you want to hardtail a factory swingarm frame look for a 1965-1969 swingarm frame. They have no Vin number on the neck and are not that desirable of a frame compared to the earlier swingarm frame so the price on them is relatively cheap at the current time.

If you are looking for a good engine builder and don't mind taking a ride to Long Island, Dennis at East Coast Superbikes in Babylon, NY does phenomenal work at a great price. He has been building Harley motors for over 40 years now and is excellent at it. His prices are also very reasonable and hes a pleasure to work with.
I hope some other guys chime in with some more recommendations on engine builders for you also. My advise with that is go with someone who has a good reputation from someone whos opinion you trust. There are a lot of guys out there (especially lately) that are doing subpar engine rebuilds. I've personally had a few nightmare rebuilds show up at my place from customers who have engine work done by supposedly "professional shops"

Next piece of business is plan on spending money on the bike, I don't care how you cut and slice it if this is your first bike and it looks like you have a complete basket case you will be spending money. DO NOT cut corners on the parts and items you buy. That will absolutely come back to bite you in the ass at some point.
Stay away from Vtwin Mfg. products (Tedds cycle) at all costs. Their quality control is awful. Their products are not in anyway shape or form high quality and they usually have fitment issues. (this right there can be a total disaster for someone that is new to this and doesn't have the proper tooling or knowledge to modify those products to fit properly)
I cant tell you how many customers bring me stuff from them because they cant seem to get it to fit or install properly and I have to spend hours modifying it to work proper.
Always try and buy an good condition OEM part vs. anything from Vtwin
At some point you will absolutely have to buy something from them to get the bike together and when you get it just plan on it not fitting properly so you don't have a melt down when it shows up and doesn't fit. (Many of us have this experience quite often with them)
This also goes for most products manufactured cheaply in Taiwan and China. Some are okay others are absolutely awful.

Lastly take the advise of the members of this forum
we have all been down the road you are starting on many times
Have an open mind to peoples advise and experience.

Best of luck to you with the project

[JAWS]

Well said Carmine.