1963 CA-78 Left side cover mounting.

[Doddsr]

Probably an easy question however I cannot find any reference to the way the bottom of the the left side (battery/air box) cover connects to the frame to hold it in place. Currently only the thumb screw is holding my side cover on. My bike has the larger battery/tool carrier in it as well (OEM). Also I have the inner bracket connected to the bike that I believe helps to position the battery and hold the aircleaner panel in place. Can someone let me know if there is something missing or maybe I have the wrong year model side cover? Thank you. If anyone has a good picture that would be great.

[48lesco]

Hey D - There should be a long tab on the bottom of that cover that fits into a slot at the outside edge of the battery shelf. It should be fairly obvious how it hooks up which leads me to believe that something is missing in your setup. Can you post a picture or two?
-48

[Doddsr]

That is exactly what I was thinking. The battery tray is a little mangled, I was planning on straightening it. But that led me believe that something is missing. I have located another frame and the owner said I could drill the spot welds and replace the bracket on mine. I don't recall if it has the same size battery tray. Mine is a 63 and the replacement would be from a 65 or later due to a 10 digit frame sn. I will try to get a photo posted tomorrow. Thanks for the reply.

[KellieLyyne]

Hi D, I believe theres a difference in (side covers/battery&tool) when it comes to the 65's and 63's. I have a 63 and some of the side covers I picked up from later models did not fit just right. So when you change the battery holder, it effects the cover too.

[Jims65CA77]

Correct me if I am wrong since I just got into Dreams I many not be 100% right, but... if the whole battery box, hold down and side cover were used from a newer year; and you replace all the parts, it seems to me that it would work AND the newer/cheaper type battery could be used along with it too.

Jim

[Doddsr]

Thanks to all replies. Looks like someone removed the outer portion of the battery tray from my currently attached batt box. It is the part the protrudes from the lower tray and in turn creates the slot that the side cover slips into. My side panel is one with the wider width tab. Looks like it is the correct cover for the batt box I currently have. I plan on taking it with me when I scout the donor bike for the new batt tray and ensure it fits properly before I remove it from that frame. Then i will weld it to my current frame. Gotta love 63's so many little differences from early to late model!

[KellieLyyne]

Jim, I have a 1963 dream, and when I was restoring my dream, I wasn't aware of the different side covers/due to year of the bike. I purchased them, and when I tried to mount them, they didn't line up correctly on the bike. Not just because of the battery box but the actual shape was a tad off, and it didn't follow the body lines on the frame. Im not sure if I just got a warped cover, but it just didn't line up correctly. D, you are correct! I completely restored my 63 and learned the hard way that the hubs are different from early to late, and the top fork bridge plate. If you search my posts you will find lots of information that I found while restoring my bike. If you run into a problem and need a question answered you can IM me. We did a ground up resto on mine and we should be able to answer many of your questions. Here's a picture of my bike. Enjoy your bike....

:)


My finished Dream by bruceandkellie, on Flickr