[capt.logs]

I am in Tennessee, and the development and power work on the heads is done here. We have a shop in NJ were we do cranks and  bearing work, and some rebuilds.
Most of our builds are done by the owners, with our tech support.  None have failed.

Anyway, we know that we are not as high profile as Hitchcock, so we are not surprised that some people don't know about us. We often end up troubleshooting Hitchcock kits for inexperienced builders. They are basically a catalog house, and we are performance specialists. There is a difference.

The Hitchcock kit will work well enough if you build it right. It's just that there are some things that we have worked out that help the build to succeed that they don't seem to know about or understand. We have participated in several 612 successful projects, even though we prefer tbe 535 for our own Ace kits.
You won't find much that we don't know about Bullets, and we engineer all our stuff, and have created some new designs and methods for Bullet performance., such as high-lift roller rocker heads, new bearing designs, breather mods, air filters, etc.

Wish you were closer, I'd consider bringing the engine over for you to rebuild it.  I'd love to hear your tips on making the build easier, the search function seems to be lacking on this forum.

Well got the cases split, was pretty easy.  A little too easy I was thinking.  Here's a couple pics of the inside.  You can see the damage on the crank.  Also looks like the previous builder punch dents around the bearing.  I hope this isn't going to be an issue.  Opinions?

[ace.cafe]

The bearings were "staked" with those little punch marks. This is a technique used to hold the bearings from moving. It might be just there because the owner thought it could help, or it could mean that the bearings had been driven out cold, and may have a loose bearing seat. Probably/hopefully, that is not the situation, and it was just an extra safety measure he did.
Those are some top grade brass caged bearings in there now. They are the best you can get. We always use brass caged bearings for mains.

Heat that case to about 250-300 degrees F to release the hold of the case on the bearings, and then drive them out with a punch or a wooden dowel. When the case is hot, they come out pretty easily. Never drive them out cold, and never try to press them in with the cases cold. Always heat the cases for bearing changes.

So, what happened to this engine that it has damage and needs rebuilding, after it was obviously rebuilt by someone previously?

[capt.logs]

It developed a knocking sounds shortly after being rebuilt which ended in the piston failing.  Upon taking the head off, you can move the rod side to side about a third an inch.  I would love to keep the case bearings that are in it, less work to do.  Any good way to check to see if they're still good or would it be worth it just to put fresh ones in.  The rebuild has less than 1000 miles on it.

[ace.cafe]

It developed a knocking sounds shortly after being rebuilt which ended in the piston failing.  Upon taking the head off, you can move the rod side to side about a third an inch.  I would love to keep the case bearings that are in it, less work to do.  Any good way to check to see if they're still good or would it be worth it just to put fresh ones in.  The rebuild has less than 1000 miles on it.

A nice as those bearings are, it is not likely that you will be able to re-use them. If the inner races are a proper fit in the crankshaft, you won't be able to get them off without destroying them. The inner races are heat-shrunk on to the shafts.

[High On Octane]

It developed a knocking sounds shortly after being rebuilt which ended in the piston failing.  Upon taking the head off, you can move the rod side to side about a third an inch.  I would love to keep the case bearings that are in it, less work to do.  Any good way to check to see if they're still good or would it be worth it just to put fresh ones in.  The rebuild has less than 1000 miles on it.

Did you use any compression spacers under the cylinder?  It is common for Hitchcock's kits to produce too much compression for pump fuel, resulting in almost immediate failure.  One of the problems with Hitchcock's not providing any tech support what so ever.

[capt.logs]

Did you use any compression spacers under the cylinder?  It is common for Hitchcock's kits to produce too much compression for pump fuel, resulting in almost immediate failure.  One of the problems with Hitchcock's not providing any tech support what so ever.

No this is from an Indian rebuild.  I worked in India and brought my bike back to the states with me.  Here's a pic.

For clutch options do you recommend the barnett discs or the improved clutch kit from hitchcocks which replaces the 4 discs with 5?

=Jason-

[ace.cafe]

No this is from an Indian rebuild.  I worked in India and brought my bike back to the states with me.  Here's a pic.

For clutch options do you recommend the barnett discs or the improved clutch kit from hitchcocks which replaces the 4 discs with 5?

=Jason-

The "Indian build" explains it all. There is no telling what you will find in there.

As for the clutch, the Barnett plates work as well as anything.

[Blltrdr]

How did you get that bike titled in Cali? I know that most Bullet owners had to buy there Bullets (before the UCE models) out of state. How would you be able to bring in a non-US model and get it titled in the only state in the union not to allow the older Bullets to be sold because of stringent emission standards. A bike from India wouldn't have a VIN # stamped on the frame and I would find it hard to believe that the Cal DMV would assign a VIN for that bike.

Inquiring minds want to know.....how you did it.

[capt.logs]

How did you get that bike titled in Cali? I know that most Bullet owners had to buy there Bullets (before the UCE models) out of state. How would you be able to bring in a non-US model and get it titled in the only state in the union not to allow the older Bullets to be sold because of stringent emission standards. A bike from India wouldn't have a VIN # stamped on the frame and I would find it hard to believe that the Cal DMV would assign a VIN for that bike.

Inquiring minds want to know.....how you did it.

It currently is not registered in CA but in MN.  The MN DMV gave it a VIN and a new title.  I have imported 2 Indian bullets to the US, this one which was my personal one, and one I had built for my father.  No problems at all as long as it's 30 years old.  We shall see how it goes in Cali since I just moved here.  I doubt there will be any problem since it already has a US title but if so, I'll just renew my MN registration.

=J-

[Blltrdr]

I don't think you can register the iron barrel Bullet in Cali. Californians had to go to Arizona and Nevada to buy and register. Hopefully you will figure it out. If you have any problems call Guy at Sun Valley Service Center in Nevada, he is listed in the dealer section on the home page. He has helped many Californians achieve their dream of riding an iron head in their home state.

[capt.logs]

Case is apart, had it cleaned last week.  I've been so back up with work I really haven't had any time for this rebuild but slowly I'm getting it done.  Popped the cases in the oven, timing side came right now, drive side took a couple light taps to get out.  Not too bad of scorching, I included pics to get some opinions.  Need to get a decent pair of ring lock pliers to do the last one.  Noticed though on the timing side that while I was grinding for the new cams, I might have taken a little too much off.  You can see from the picture there's a tiny hole.  Is this going to be a serious issue?  Anything I can do about this or finding a new case is in order?   

[ace.cafe]

While the crank is out, you can weld up the hole that you ground too deep. Then carefully grind the clearance for the cams again. There is a little bit of room around the crank there, but you should check that the crank does not touch the repair when installed. I have also seen epoxy like JB Weld Bond used to repair that hole.
The hole happens fairly commonly when grinding clearance for the higher lift cams.

[capt.logs]

Glad I'm not the only one that has made that dumb mistake lol.  Do I need to lube the bearings after they're in?  Also is assembly lube a good idea with these?  Any important spots to look out for while I reassemble the case?  I'm take extra care on making sure the bearings are flush.  Also thinking of using a little orange silcon when I put this sucker back together since the surfaces aren't that great.  Any problem with that?

I'm kinda disappointed the 612 kit didn't come with the same brass bearings.  I'm hoping the ones they included are still decent.  Is there any clearance issues with the crank I should be worried about?  I was under the impression that only the cams are what required some case shaving but since there's no instructions/guide I'm kinda in the dark here.  Thanks

=Jason-

[ace.cafe]

Glad I'm not the only one that has made that dumb mistake lol.  Do I need to lube the bearings after they're in?  Also is assembly lube a good idea with these?  Any important spots to look out for while I reassemble the case?  I'm take extra care on making sure the bearings are flush.  Also thinking of using a little orange silcon when I put this sucker back together since the surfaces aren't that great.  Any problem with that?

I'm kinda disappointed the 612 kit didn't come with the same brass bearings.  I'm hoping the ones they included are still decent.  Is there any clearance issues with the crank I should be worried about?  I was under the impression that only the cams are what required some case shaving but since there's no instructions/guide I'm kinda in the dark here.  Thanks

=Jason-

Jason,
Everything that moves should be pre-lubed. Assembly lube is fine, or even something like STP from a bottle will work. On the bore and rings, just use Automatic transmission fluid for a pre-lube.

You can use silicone seal, but you have to be very sparing with it. When you torque things together, it can squish out and cause little bits of silicone to fall down and clog things up.

The crank can sometimes hit the bottom of the case with the 612 long stroke. You should do a test assembly to see if you need to grind out some of the bottom of the engine case inside. This was once a common need, but maybe they have done some impovements. Anyway, you should check it.

Don't forget to put the crank thrust washers in place before you put the inner races of the bearings on to the crank!
And don't forget to put BOTH the outer and inner distance pieces on the drive side between the main roller and the 6305 ball bearing. It is easy to forget these things.

[capt.logs]

Did a quick fit today, looks like it will clear everything but I'll do another one before I put it back together.  Have the thrust washers (mine came out with 2 on the drive side, one on the timing side) and have the distance pieces sorted out.  Looks like there's three in total on the drive side, two large and one smaller.

Something that I discovered that concerns me is there's a big different on width on the timing bearing that came out of the case and what was provided from hitchcock.  Included a pic, the left is hitchcocks and right is what was in there.  Problem?

Again really appreciate your help and advice on this stuff.  It's been huge so thank you.