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98" Upgrade

dolt

dolt

Well-Known Member
OK, no one has broken anything or is building anything; nothing posted lately has caught my attention. So I t thought I would share my latest motor work.

I have been collecting parts for a while now and finally have everything I need to upgrade my current 95" motor which is a garden variety configuration with typical 104TQ/96HP numbers. SE pistons and cylinders, TW44G cams, Woods Directional lifters, BigBoyz "street" ported heads set for 9.8 static, stock throttle body, Zippers Mo Flo air filter and Bassani Pro Street exhaust. Got the bug for more power but, JMHO, anything much larger than 98" in a softail with the balancer assembly just won't have the longevity as a smaller displacement motor and this will be the last motor work for this bike.

Anyway, new build configuration is 98", CP forged 6cc domed pistons, Don Dorfman's Pro Street ported heads setup for 10.7 static, Crane 296-2G cams with .620" lift, S&S roller rockers and Kuryakyn 57mm throttle body, a straight forward top end rebuild, right.;)

Well, to my dismay, when I opened the cam chest and checked crank run out, I discovered that it had grown from .0025" when I build the 95" motor 25K miles ago to .0045" now; not part of the plan.:eek: So, the cost of the 98" build has just doubled. The crank has to go to Hoban Brothers for service and T/B/W, cam plate and pump were both scored so they will be replaced with the S&S TC3 plate and pump combination.

The crank must have shifted recently as the motor has shown no signs of damage and no degrading of the performance. Perhaps my timing was spot on and saved me from a catastrophic failure on a lesser traveled two land black top in the Texas hill country; who knows.:confused:

I just thought I would let the forum know that even when you are anal and meticulous about building and maintaining a performance motor, bad things can happen; it comes with the territory. If anyone is interested, I will provide updates as I move forward with the build.;)
 
Ya just never know what your gonna find when you open things up, hope that's the last of the bad news for this build.

Keep us updated on the new build.
 
For sure I want to read about the build progress. Sorry about the crank, but better now than after the new 98" build.
 
I'm not happy that it is an issue for you. I am happy that I am not the only one who tries do things the "right" way and it turns out no good.As stated before, I am completely interested in the Crane cam build.
 
Yikes...there always seems to be a hidden bummer factor in even the best laid plans... Best of luck! Keep us posted...but at least I can honestly say that I think you have the best man on the job for the repair. :).
 
“........" If anyone is interested, I will provide updates as I move forward with the build.”


You’re kidding, right?
Would love to hear about your new project.
Pretty sure I’m not alone in that.
 
What is the money difference in buying a crank vs repairing yours? I would ask myself at this point would I want to stroke it as well. You've heard the old saying "no replacement for displacement. Of course with today's technology, power adders are a good option, maybe not for the Harley engine. Just a thought!
 
I understand your pain whenever i have a project on the go there is almost always an unforseen problem that holds up whatever i am doing
i just sit back and consider all the options then go for whichever option becomes the clear winner in my head
I always get there in the end
I do hope it all works out in the end

Brian
 
D.Bradfield said:
What is the money difference in buying a crank vs repairing yours? I would ask myself at this point would I want to stroke it as well. You've heard the old saying "no replacement for displacement. Of course with today's technology, power adders are a good option, maybe not for the Harley engine. Just a thought!
Click to expand...

No disrespect intended but if you don't think I haven't considered ever option at this point, you haven't followed most of my posts.

I subscribe to the "no replacement for displacement" philosophy and have considered a everything from a 107" up to a 124" build and cost, which of course is a consideration, is secondary. As I mentioned in my OP, a big inch motor in a softail with the balancers hanging off the crank, IMHO, will not have the longevity as the smaller displacement 98"; a 107" would be a big as I would go. However, going the 107" route would affects compression, I.e., head work and the pistons/cylinders would have to be replaced; you can do the math but basically, I would have to start over with a new top end; $1495 for the crank, $300 for the pistons and $300 for a set of take off cylinders and bore/hone.

Aside from the fact that I planned this build around the Crane cams that are no longer available, I just want to build this motor. So, I will send the crank to Hoban for service and to be trued, balanced and welded; will retain OEM rods unless Hoban finds something wrong with them. The cam plate and pump will be replaced with the S$S (the $ is not a typo) TC3 plate and pump; the cams, lifters, pushrods, cylinders/pistons, heads and throttle body will go on as planned.

But to answer your question, to go to a 107" motor (as big as I would go on a softail) would cost at least $2000 more and I would be stuck with an $800 set of heads and $420 set of pistons and cylinders that I could probably sell for $0.50 on the dollar. So, there you have it; after considering every option, I decided to stick with my original build plan.;)
 
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