Upgrading Shovelheads - Putting A Six In A Shovel -Tech

This is the time to replace the chain, before the inner primary was installed. Sometimes feeding a chain over the sprocket can be a pain in the ass.

Then he installed the 1/2-inch engine to inner primary plate adapter, then the inner primary. At this point the transmission was left loose to allow it to align with the engine using the Rivera/Primo massive billet inner primary to pull the engine and trans into perfect alignment.

This is the new inner primary showing the mid controls plug on the bottom and the oil filter fitting on the top. We didn't use either one at this point, hence the plug.

This is where we noted one of those little annoying tech secrets to making the install a smooth operation. The top front Allen had to be in place in the inner primary as it's slipped into place, or we couldn't get it in without removing the shifter control plate. Larry used a pinch of Red Loctite on all of the Allen fasteners and tightened them to 24 pounds of torque.

These outer primary stands are massive and set into the inner primary.

Next, we attempted to install the new Rivera/Primo starter and ran into the rear fender. Rivera modified the standard starter to allow the solenoid lead to clear the oil bag and battery box. Unfortunately, the bike's owner, at some time in its long history, replaced the rear fender with a stock replacement aftermarket job. It fit slightly different than a H-D factory fender, and we had to relieve the lower area behind the starter.

Larry installed the starter jackshaft and began to install the pulleys.

The engine driveshaft nut from Rivera/Primo was chromed, so Larry wrapped it with Duct-tape to protect the finish. Larry used a straight edge to check pulley alignment. "The front pulley should run 1/8-inch off the inner primary," Ben commented. We weren't in alignment. Bad alignment can be caused by several factors, including the alternator rotor. Larry made some precise measurements and determined that the back of the engine pulley needed to be machined .064 for proper alignment. He has machine shop capabilities and did the number to the pulley in 5 minutes.

With the back of the engine pulley machined, the belt could slip into place. Generally alignment falls in the other direction, and Rivera/Primo has a PX-1 shim kit to modify the engine pulley spacing. Rivera/Primo also has a clutch-locking tool to hold the clutch during torquing. Larry used an air wrench to pull the pulleys in place and tighten them.