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I picked up my first Harley, 1949 Panhead

32K views 90 replies 40 participants last post by  38speedtwin 
#1 · (Edited)
I'm pretty excited to have been able to get this. I never thought I'd land one. It belonged to a friend of mine who passed away and I was asked if I wanted it, I made an offer, and now it's mine. It's '49 motor, I assume 49 frame. Mousetrap, later non-tank shift tank, aftermarket dash, I think later forks, and some other stuff. I'm going to get it checked out at some point to figure out what's what. Last registered 1986, 354 miles on the odo, probably restored late 70's, early 80's. I brought it home and it sparks, would love for some advice on how I should go through all the systems before I hopefully fire it.


doesn't appear to be right bags, but I kinda like the look.






some extras. I think the buddy seat is after market but the rail is original.
 
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#2 ·
you should remove any rust in the gas tanks - drain oils motor and trans - remove and over haul the carb < have it sonic cleaned is best - adjust the valves - replace the sparkplugs and the points and condenser - the engine block is full of oil as the system is gravity feed - and sitting that long all the oil from the tank is in the block

BTW - its going to make a mess when you get it started center srand it and drain pan the bottom

Sometimes the block plug comes in and out easy - but most times it does not - i would leave it alone if i were you and deal with the oil with drain pans

you will need the factory books the service and the parts books as asking questions with the correct names and part numbers will help the guys who help out, to be on the same page so to speak

sweet ride good luck
 
#6 ·
Congrats ,that's a beauty. Had to build mine from parts...HD's Panhead Service Manual 1948-47 is a must (got mine for 15 bucks off ebay- reprints are expensive), Rick Schunks 'How to Rebuild and Restore Classic Harley Davidson Big Twins 1936-1964' has been useful too.BTW -I think only 1948 m.y. had springers- those could be the original forks.
 
#10 ·
Along with what John said about draining the oils and the lower end being full and draining it, as long as she has set, this is almost like firing a fresh motor.

I'd pull the plugs and squirt some lube in the cylinders, I was taught to use dot3 but some people don't like that idea but, use something to lube it and hopefully eat some of the surface rust and it should drain past the rings so the piston skirts arn't dry.

With the plugs still out after it has set for a while, I'd pull the cap on the oil pump and the spring and check ball then slowly kick it over until oil comes out, then replace everything and button it back up. If everything else is all right, now you have fresh oil ready to lube.

The next thing I'd be concerned with would be the wiring system. I'm sure someone has replaced it by now but, I'd at least run every wire down looking for brittleness and corrosion. I would think the voltage regulator would need to be phased also.

Congrats on a beautiful piece of machinery,
D
 
#12 ·
Congrats on the Pan, good on you.
Fresh Oils, fuel carb cleaning and battery and I'm sure it will start
Let us know how things work out.

Lester
 
#19 ·
Thanks for the advice fellas! I think she is smiling for a couple reasons. She's happy it's going to someone who will appreciate it. In her words, it would have made her hubby very happy. Also the fact that she never got to see the thing actually ride and that I promised her that her son would get to ride it someday. It was an emotional day.

I think they are later forks because the 49, first year of the telescopic fork, had sandcast lower fork legs painted black. And the headlight shroud didn't say "HydraGlide" which this one does (1950-1959).

Could anyone tell me what the heck the spring connected to the fender (by the seat) does?

The wiring looks brand new. It probably was redone back when. It's converted to 12V. After getting her running replacing the dash with a non-repop will probably be first on my list.




 
#25 ·
That's exactly what they are, buddy seat springs.
They just pivot forward and are fastened to bottom rear of the buddy seat with the proper clips. In the mean time (with a solo seat) they just sit snugly in the bracket. Nice score on the pan!

edit: while I was tying the pics went up - pretty much self explanatory.
Geo.
 
#26 ·
vorhese,
A few of the most valuable accessories for your pan will be the factory repair manual (the standard "Panhead Service Manual 1948 to 1957 Rigid" is a good one), the factory parts manual ("Spare parts 1941 to 1954" would be a good one), and a copy of Palmers book. Palmers 2nd edition has so much info about your bike - all the way down to the small details like photos of correct routing for the wiring and control cables etc. It has general info on the pans and also year specific information about what makes your bike a 1949 Panhead. Good Luck with it!!

Geo.
 
#27 ·
Congratulations buddy! That looks nice!!!
 
#30 ·
I pulled the air filter off. It's a center screw cover attached with a 3-screw adaptor onto a Zenith carb. It should be a Linkert, correct? What do I need to know about these? The little I've read seems conflicting on if they are good carbs or not.



 
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