Nostalgia Drag Bike? part II

Just to add a little more info on the blower I "won" on eBay. The gentleman I purchased the blower from tells me that it was on a Knucklehead drag bike named "The Gorilla" owned by Don Jones of California. I understand that there are pictures existing of the bike, but whether I will be able to obtain copies of them is still up in the air. That's about all the information I have so far.

As it turns out, when it arrived, I found some lettering stamped into the front bearing housing. S.CO.T. and under that the number 101. This is all stamped on a slightly raised "boss" that looks to have held a "serial number" type plate at one time. If there was indeed a plate there at one time, it would have covered these stamped letters. I am guessing that the 101 is a reference to the size of the blower.

The little that I know about S.Co.T. blowers is that they were a company that built supercharger kits for various engines in years gone by. I have seen them mounted on high end vintage style hot rods with Flathead Ford V-8s. The initials stand for "Supercharger Company of Turin"

Fabricated carb to blower manifold

One manifold (carb to blower) is obviously fabricated from steel, and I must say rather ingeniously at that. I doubt that I would have thought to make it out of sheet metal in a rectangular shape instead of struggling to get round tubing bent to fit.

The other manifold is cast aluminum, and though the center to center distance on the ports is in the ballpark for use on a set of dual carb Knuck heads, it likely was built by the supercharger manufacturer as a bolt on kit for a different application. The ports on this manifold are too small to match up with a Knuckle, being approximately 1.060" wide by 1.200" tall. A Knuckle port is round and 1.565" diameter stock.

Blower with both manifolds

Still, I might have concluded that the manifold was used on a Knuckle despite the size discrepancy were it not for the fact that the flange bolting the manifold to the blower is rectangular which limits the direction the blower could be mounted to facing forward or backward, but not sideways. That means that the pulley on the front of the blower would be at a right angle to crankshaft. Not very likely it would have been mounted in that orientation given the complications to driving the blower it would entail.

Another clue, is the fact that the gentleman I bought this blower from tells me that he also has a 2 speed racing transmission from the same dragbike. He told me that the trans case doubled as an oil tank. Very interesting! The size of the blower makes me think that a guy could tuck it in about the same space as a horseshoe oil tank would occupy. That would put the pulley on the blower in the same plane as the engine sprocket, making the drive comparatively simple. It would also explain the "S" shape of the carb to blower manifold. My guess is that there was originally a similarly fabricated manifold going from the blower to the heads.

More to come!

Nostalgia Drag Bike?

Nostalgia. Nearly everyone is infected with it to a certain degree. Whether it is a passion for the things from their childhood, or just antiques in general, the sense of nostalgia seems to spring from a yearning for the good old days. Those of us who are involved with motorcycles are no different. Now if you take a guy that has been riding motorcycles for 35+ years and drag raced for nearly a third of those years, then I guess it shouldn't be too hard to figure out where his nostalgic urges might lead.

Now when I was active in drag racing, beginning in 1986 I raced a Knucklehead. Guess that means that I had a head start on the nostalgia thing, what with heads on my drag bike leaving the factory prior to 1947. Yep, that means I was working with equipment 40 years out of date. This self imposed handicap had way more to do with the "cool factor" and my ongoing love affair with Knuckleheads than any kind of common sense. Still, I was lucky enough to start racing at just the right moment in history to win national championships in '85 and '86 in two different classes. Had I started later, the potential of the Evolution cylinder head would have made it impossible. Earlier and I would have had to compete against an earlier generation that seemed to get amazing results despite the comparative lack of technology.

I have been toying with the idea of building a nostalgia Knucklehead drag bike for quite a few years now. Something to mimic the bikes raced in the '50s or '60s would be just about right. Somehow I managed to hang on to a set of dual carb Knuck heads that appear to have been built "back in the day." The holes drilled in the cooling fins along with the big intake valves and porting work make me think that they have seen some drag strip action sometime in the distant past.






Vintage Dual Carb Knuck Head









So you can only imagine how intrigued I was a couple weeks back when an auction for an "Antique Harley Knucklehead Blower and Manifold" came up on eBay. From the pictures it looked as though it might even be a S.C.oT. blower. While I am far from an expert on them, I have seen them in magazines on vintage style hot rods. Though the seller said he saw no name on the blower, its age was pretty evident. Still, I likely would have passed on it, had it not been for the fact that I sold a top end on eBay at the same time. Fittingly, what I sold to pay for the blower were the heads, cylinders and pistons from our son Joey's drag bike. We had upgraded to aftermarket heads and big bore cylinders long ago which left these parts in need of a home.







eBay Blower Find









I am happy to say that I was successful in "winning" the auction despite several other bids. Best of all, I paid less than what I sold the top end for. Stay tuned for more on the blower, the history I am learning about it, and my tentative plans for it.

The Measure of Faith

(This past Monday my pastor contacted me with the thought that it might be good to have some other perspectives on our ongoing study of the Book of Romans. With that in mind he asked if I would care to take a look at Romans chapter 12 and see if something caught my attention that I could give a short 5 to 8 minute message on. He would then cover the rest of the chapter in a full length sermon. The following is the message I presented)


Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.


The measure of faith. Interesting term. If I read this correctly, God deals out, or measures out a specific amount of faith to each person. And by that I mean that each person may not receive the same amount of faith.


That faith is a gift of God is shown several places is scripture. For instance:


1 Corinthians 12:8-9 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;


Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:


We tend to look at faith as something that is ours in that it comes from within us. Sometimes this has the potential of being a source of false pride. In fact, if we add Ephesians 2: 9 to verse 8 it reads "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." It is true. If your faith came from somewhere inside yourself, then you would have something to boast of.


But that God gives this gift of faith in differing amounts is a thought that may be even more foreign to many of us but is made quite clear in the Bible. Have you ever noticed how often Jesus used the phrase "Oh ye of little faith"? Often he was speaking to his apostles and he said it many times.


Luke 17:6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.


We read that verse and see great faith, though Jesus calls it as small as a mustard seed. Then there is the story of the centurion:


Luke 7:9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.


Have you ever looked upon another Christian (perhaps a pastor or a missionary) in awe, thinking they have such great faith. That may explain why we tend to assume that faith is something we generate; seeing someone with more faith shows us our own lack. So we blame ourselves. But maybe the truth is we were not dealt the the same measure of faith.


So if God deals out the faith to us and he gives each person a differing amount does that mean we are "off the hook" so to speak? After all, if God only gave us so much faith, then isn't it natural for us to only act in accordance with that faith. Maybe.... But on the other hand we also see from scripture that the amount of faith we have is not a constant, unchanging amount.


Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.


The apostles obviously knew where the faith came from, and who to ask for more. And that it is possible to get more is also shown in scriptures.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;

"Faith that groweth exceedingly". Wow, I want some of that!

It is pretty clear that faith is extremely important.

1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Yes, that makes faith extremely important. Scary important in fact. But there is one more verse that gives me a lot of comfort when I contemplate these things.

Romans 11:29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

That means God will not change his mind or take his gifts back. Some Bible versions use the word irrevocable in place of "without repentance". That means that this faith that Romans 12: 3 tells us is a gift, this faith which 1 Peter 1: 5 says God will use to keep you unto salvation, is something he will not change his mind about. Whatever the measure he has dealt you.

Knuckle Head Leaks

There are a lot of places for a Knuckle to leak oil. Here is a pretty easy and basic tip for assembling Knuckle heads that may help eliminate one.

One thing I see a lot when I dissasemble Knuck heads is that once you remove the rocker boxes, often the lower spring covers (cups) will be loose. Since said cups are held in place by the valve guides, it is an indication that the guide has moved slightly. Obviously if that cup is loose there is nothing to keep oil from running out the bottom.









Lip on guide






What is not so apparent is that the replacement parts available today can be part of the problem! A stock OEM valve guide had a shoulder that measured approximatley .103". The stock OEM lower spring collar had a counterbore in the bottom of it that was approximately .093" deep. That means (if my math skills are still intact) the valve spring would put full spring pressure on the guide, holding it tight down on the cup, and in turn the cup tight down on the head.








Counterbore on lower collar







Unfortunatley, the likelyhood of finding a stock OEM guide is about the same as you stumbling on Elvis' personal Harley (signed under the seat: with love, Prissila). Besides, even if you found the guides, they wouldn't really be the ideal material for use with todays fuels. So it is a given that you will be using reproduction guides.

Here's the problem, though. A typical reproduction valve guide will have a lip that measures only approximately .092". Those of you with higher math skills (or a calculator handy) already see the problem. That's right. The lower collar will no longer hold the guide down, so if the guide moves at all there is nothing to keep the oil from seeping under the lip of the guide and through the guide hole in the cup. True there is still spring pressure on the cup (since the lower collar is now setting on the cup instead of the guide) but that presssure is not concentrated as it should be.

My solution is to machine abut .010" off the bottom of the lower collar. I also use aircraft grade Permatex on both sides of the gaskets that go under the cups, as well as Three-Bond sealer under the lip of the guide itself. While it may be next to impossible to prevent every bit of oil seepage from your Knuckle top end, everything you can do to prevent it is a step in the right direction!

Whose Slave are You?

This Sunday morning our pastor continued his series in the book of Romans. The subject was that of being a slave. The text was Romans chapters 6 and 7. One of the most profound statements found in this section of scripture is that every one of us is a slave. Either a slave of God, or a slave of sin.

Romans 6:16-18 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Another point was about the "benifits package" that comes with being the property of either of these owners. Romans 6: 20-22 spells this out; For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

If the matter of who one would choose to serve was simply a matter weighing the benifits, then there is little doubt that everyone would choose to serve God. Holiness in this life, and everlasting life at the end. Pretty much a "no brainer" compared to the alternative of continueing in sin with death as the end. Unfortunatley the unbeliever has little desire for holiness in this life and no real faith that there is anything after death.

The last point Pastor Voigt had (among other points that I have not mentioned) was that of of the saved being more than slaves in God's eyes. In John 15:15 Jesus said: Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

And again in 1 John 3: 1 the bible says: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

For myself, I feel unbeleivably blessed to be a slave of God, unprofitable though I am. To be called a friend? That is overpowering. And to be called a son? There just are no words! What a wonderful, kind, merciful God of grace we have!

Two America's

With the recent departure from the presidential race of John Edwards, this may not be as timely as it could be, but I still think the observations are pertinent . One of Senator Edwards main themes has been that of "Two America's". Of course John Edwards view is that there is a rich America and a poor America. A priveleged America and a downtrodden America. Most of the commentators that I hear and read vehemently deny this. I do believe that Mr. Edwards does have a point. However, I would paint the picture of Two Americas slightly differently.


I beleive that there are Two Americas that stand in stark contrast to each other, and they can be found in the minds of the people.


One group of people see an America that was founded by men of faith, with high ideals, and was a great force for good in the world. They see an America that was a Christian nation with Christian morals. They see our present nation as one that is at a crossroads, facing a crisis of societal decline. They can't help but see the fight over abortion rights, illegal immigration, gay marriage (and all the rest of it) as a sign of this country coming to the end of its greatness. They worry that the future of America is bleak, and yet they love what it once was and the remants of that grand republic that remain. They hate what they are afraid America may turn into.


Another group of people see an America that was founded by greedy white men that stole the land and enslaved and oppressed anyone not of their creed or color. They see an America that used the Bible and religeon to justify that theft, slavery and oppression. They see our present nation as one that is at a crossroads, facing a crisis of these "fundamentalist" Christians standing in the way of human and humane progress. They can't help but see the fight over abortion rights, illegal immigration, gay marriage (and all the rest of it) as the last stand of the backward "puritan" oligarchy that is afraid of losing its power over the oppressed. They know that the history of America is disgraceful, and yet they love what it can be in the future, and the parts they have managed to change so far. They hate what they are convinced America once was.


Of course the truth of the matter is somewhere in between the Two Americas that lie in the minds of these two groups. The true America of the past was neither so moral and just as the one group sees her, nor as dispicable and evil as the other does. The America of the future is surely not going to be the man made utopia that the one group envisions, and hopefully it will never be the moral wasteland that the other group foresees.

Book of Shame

This will be a bit of a rant, I am afraid.

About a week ago I decided to start keeping a record of parts made for Harley Davidson motorcycles that don't fit, don't work and or are just plain shoddy. Believe me (and I am sure you do if you have ever worked on Harleys for a living) this is a constant, ongoing problem in this business. Lately I have had an absolute rash of junk parts to deal with.

I have dedicated a 3 ring binder to this purpose and intend to keep a record of every part I come across that is manufactured incorrectly with the part number, application and manufacturer of the "junk part."

It was really easy to fill up about 3 pages without going very far back in time. I am sure more of the parts I have "beat my head against the wall" about over the years will come to mind and be added as time goes on.

Yesterday I had a four new entries for the book which cost me about a half a day of labor. These were parts that I paid good money for, which were incorrectly manufactured. And this was all just in one section of one motor. Usually the problem does not become evident until you are in the middle of an operation. Did I mention how frustrating this can be? Then to top it off, there are always the added problems. How many hoops will I have to jump through to return the part? Is every one of this particular part from this manufacturer defective? Is there any other source for the part? Can I make the part work with modification? How much time will I waste trying to get any kind of answer from the manufacturer? Does the manufacturer care even a little bit that they are selling junk?

Yeah, a bit of a rant, but you should hear me when the circumstances are fresh. By the way, I titled the 3 ring binder "Book of Shame"