It's generally a bad idea to change 1/2 of the case due to alignment issues. You might be OK, but if your cam bushings are of 1-2 degrees, the cam won't turn, if the crank is off it will probably seem OK but not be, and so on. I would find a matching set and use those.
I have read that commando crankcases were never line bored at the factory
I wouldn't shocked but then they are numbered on the bottom which would seem to indicate otherwise.
Yep I agreeI wouldn't shocked but then they are numbered on the bottom which would seem to indicate otherwise.
I can't imagine how they would get the holes in the right places and the cylinder surface flat if not bolted together and machined.
The dowels hold the cases close, but certainly not perfect - you always must bump the cases to get the cylinder mating surface flat. There is the one machined surface on the timing side case, but none that I can think of on the drive side.
Just changing the timing side cam bushing can be a PITA on "matched" cases as the cam won't turn or won't turned correctly if very slightly miss-aligned so hard to figure how that would be done without the cases together.
Of course, me not imagining it does not mean that a machinist could not find a way
I agree, would never use a single side of crankcases.
For what it's worth, older Harleys have belly numbers that should match on each side, since they are bolted together and line bored from the factory. One of the main things to look for when shopping for one. I would imagine any engine with bolt together halves would be the same.
True.
