Starter shaft alignment 75 Shovel

[autotec]

Allright guys, I think I need help. Mental help mostly, but when I get this figured out, that will take care of my mental issues. As some of you know, I'm rebuilding a 75 Shovelhead for my brother-in-law. I'm almost at the point of starting it, but I can't seem to get the starter shaft aligned properly. The way it sits right now, the starter drive gear will only be engaging the ring gear about halfway. The way it is looking, I need the shaft to be out another quarter inch in order to have the drive gear come out enough to fully engage the ring gear. Looking through all of the exploded diagrams, I know I didn't miss anything, but you never know. The factory manual has missed a few things already in this build. The solenoid pulls the gear all the way out to the screw in spacer that fits in the bearing in the outer primary, but the gear just runs out of room. Any ideas?

[MrMarty51]

Could the starter drive fork be turned around the wrong way???
It has been a lot of years since I have worked on a shovelhead so I do`nt rightly remember if the fork is the same whichever way it is installed.
Also here is a website that is dedicated to the Shovelheads,You might want to do a search in there as I think there was someone that had the same problem and I do`nt remember what the remedy was.

This website is best viewd using Firefox,most pics. ca`nt be seen using IE
http://www.shovelhead.us/
Click on Technical forum,sign up,do an introduction then ask away.
B ut please do keep posting Your progress on the shovelhead in here too.
I suffer severely from C.R.S.:):):)

[autotec]

I'm pretty sure the fork can only go in one way, but I'll still check tomorrow. I'm telling you, every part on this bike is brand new, and nothing has gone the way it was supposed to. I have 3 days in just the starter kit install, just plain stressful. I just signed up on the shovelhead site. I just have to wait for the mods to approve me. Thanks for the info.

[MrMarty51]

Ya man,anything to help out a Herdooorite and a fellow Shovel repairman.
I do have a Shovelhead,66 engine and a 76 FX frame,no money to buy parts so I will leterset until I dooo.

[autotec]

After the assembly on this bike, I'm not sure I want to do another one. It's not the bike's fault, it's all of the made it China crappy aftermarket parts. NOTHING fits'. Even the turn signals are being a PITA. LOL.

[Ironhead]

don't that just suck, new parts marketed to fit, and never do. Seems Asians tolorences aren't the same as American

[autotec]

don't that just suck, new parts marketed to fit, and never do. Seems Asians tolorences aren't the same as American

They must get thousanth and mm mixed up. I'm in a better mood today after a good night's sleep, so I'm going to try and figure it out when I get home from work. I stopped at the hardware store on the way to work and pick up a big bag of shims/bushings. I think I have a game plan drawn up.

[autotec]

Well, I think I finally figured it out. I installed two 1/8 inch spacers on the shaft to space it out the 1/4 inch I needed. I Also pressed the bearing on the reduction housing in another 1/8 inch to make sure the shaft was fully seated in the bearing. I think this should work, I really don't have a choice.

[MrMarty51]

After You started tlking shims I remembers they suppose to be a flat bar shim with two holes in it that mounts between the solenoid and the primary chaincase,I do`nt remembers but I do`nt think that shim is a 1/4"thick,maby more like 3/16ths,I`ll go to the garuge and see if I have one and lets ya know.

[MrMarty51]

1/4" thick X 9/16ths wide by two inches long and two holes in it that match the solenoid and inner primary chaincase.

[autotec]

1/4" thick X 9/16ths wide by two inches long and two holes in it that match the solenoid and inner primary chaincase.

I have that shim in place. I just shimmed the actual starter shaft with one 1/8 inch shim between the shaft and housing bearing, then I placed a shim between the large reduction gear and the shaft to bring the pinion gear back into alignment. With those two in place, the alignment is perfect.

[MrMarty51]

I have never herd of anyone having to add shims in there but good You got it figured out.

[autotec]

I have never herd of anyone having to add shims in there but good You got it figured out.

I havn't either. But I figure all of the aftermarket parts caused issue. I'm still not sure it will work, but I have to finish the wiring to test it. It looks like it will though.