1928 Harley JH Two Cam Engine - Rebuilt & Running

Here is an incredibly rare opportunity to buy one of the rarest and most desirable Harley engines ever produced. Not only that, but this one is 100% rebuilt and ready to go on the inside with beautiful preserved patina on the outside. To top it all off: this engine is in running condition!

This is a real 1928 61” JH engine. Not a 74” JDH like you normally see, but the less common 61” JH. It is about as close as you can get to a factory race engine from HD without the FH VIN! I only personally know of about 6-8 JH engines in the world - Almost all of them have been hotrodded with 74” cylinders and/or longer stroke. This engine is probably one of very few “stock-presenting” JH’s anywhere in the world.

The 61” JH has some special features including tapered fin non-Ricardo cylinders. These cylinders use 61” standard bore, but they also use the big 74” intake manifold nipples, exhaust ports, and larger diameter valves. With the 18mm spark plug hole and the tapered fins, I would say these cylinders were probably produced one or two years only. 

 The cylinders are in phenomenal condition. They were standard bore when I started with them - I honed them out about 0.006” to fit new aluminum EL Knucklehead pistons. There are a few small repaired fins on the cylinders, but it takes a close inspection just to see which ones were fixed. No damage otherwise.

While rebuilding the cylinders, I upgraded to valves with larger stem sizes, and accommodated with new valve guides as well.

The valves are brand new Ferrea Stainless valves I finished with a 3 angle valve job and fit to the freshly ground seats.

The intake manifold, cylinders, and valve pockets have been meticulously ported and smoothed for better flow.

The rocker arms and towers are special for the 2 cam as well. There are a couple different variations of rocker towers that were made - I believe this style might be specific to the JH, but I’m not entirely sure. Like all two cams though, these intake pockets are specially equipped with dual valve springs. This is one of the secrets the 2 cams used to make snappier, higher rpm power.

The carburetor is either an odd original or very old reproduction Schebler AMX barrel racing carb. I rebuilt the carb and installed a new rubber ducky float. This carb definitely prefers higher rpm’s! 

The spark plugs are (*were*) NOS Harley Davidson Champion #3 plugs gapped at 0.030”

The plug wires are brand new.

The bottom end was in immaculate condition when I started with this engine. It has it’s original ’28-only bronze cam shafts. They are in beautiful condition. There is one steel end sleeve pressed into the cam cover for the front shaft, but zero slop in either. They fit tight into the cam cover.

The cams and gears are all in absolutely mint condition.

Tolerances were all checked and recorded and are all perfect.

The lifter blocks were the most time consuming part of this entire rebuild. I had to design and 3D printer fixtures to hold these blocks for machining. The inside guide walls of the blocks were worn, so I silver soldered them and machined them to fit each lifter perfectly. I also machined out the bores & pressed in new single piece (full length) sleeves with oiling weep holes cross drilled in the proper positions. I reamed each sleeve to fit the lifters perfectly.

The lifters might be new. They were in mint condition when I got the engine.

The flywheels are new Truett & Osborn standard 3.5” stroke for 61”. The special 2 cam pinion shaft is near mint and original. The crank pin, sprocket shaft, and sprocket are all new from Jim’s. New bearings and bushings throughout.

The rods are original drilled style rods in minot condition - trueness checked with new bearing races on the big end and new bushings on the wrist pin end.

The rotating/reciprocating assembly was balanced at 60%.

The cases and timing cover are in mint condition with no damage or repairs.  Matching belly numbers.

The magneto is a rebuilt Bosch ZEV.

I can guarantee you will not get an opportunity to buy an engine like this again for a very, very long time - if ever!

Price: $43k USD

Can be sold with or without carburetor.

Location: North Dakota, USA

Shipping is possible anywhere in the world at buyer’s expense.