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There was a time not so long ago where if you wanted a chopper, you found a stock Harley-Davidson and used most of the parts to make your vision come true. Well, I’m glad to say this fine Shovelhead was built along those lines.

Scott Peck had been kicking around the idea of having Rhett Holley (The Butcher Chop) build him a bike for a few years when finally, he sold his bike and made the call to Rhett. It was time. With that call, the search for a titled Shovelhead got put in motion. As luck would have it, a neighbor told them about a friend of his who had a ‘75 Super Glide sitting in a barn behind his house that he was willing to sell. I know it sounds like a dream come true! Scott drove up from Wilmington NC to Dry Fork VA in a snowstorm to take a look at it. When they got there, they saw the front tire sticking out of the barn where there was a missing plank and covered by a foot of snow.  The owner, Bubba Reynolds, was pretty laid back so a deal was struck pretty quick and the Glide was loaded up and on its way to its new home!

A week later, Scott had the entire bike stripped down and dropped off the parts to Rhett so they could start building his dream bike. Even though he was miles away, Scott played a major role in the bike’s design with a lot of good input. He spent several days just going through pictures and old magazines to make sure the style he chose was one that he would want for years to come. The project started when they placed the frame on the floor and rolled a front end with a 21″ wheel up to it to get measurements.  The frame was then put in the jig and the rear section was cut off so it could be hardtailed. Tubing was bent and axle plates were cut out and welded into place.

Next up was the gas tank and oil bag. The gas tank was first and after getting the shape they were after, the tunnel was made with hidden mounts and mounted on the backbone. The oil tank is one of my favorite pieces on this bike; it was cut out of 16-gauge steel and bead rolled for looks as well as extra strength. Once the oil tank was mounted, the rear fender was shaped up and mounted using a custom one-off stainless Trident sissy bar. The foot controls were also fabbed out of stainless and fit the lines of the bike perfectly. The rear brake is fed by a Wagner style master cylinder that stops a Harley juice rear brake assembly. Some people don’t care for this setup but when it’s set up properly, it works beautifully. The jockey lever is another custom piece that is a bit longer than an aftermarket arm and it definitely looks a lot better. The bars not only have an aggressive look but feel as well. The motor was placed in the frame to make that unbelievable over and under shotgun style exhaust, the hidden mount for the engine to transmission plate, the top motor mount and the mount for the rear master cylinder. The last time-consuming piece was the seat pan, which once finished, was sent to Jordan Dickinson at Union Speed and Style for some excellent leatherwork.

After all the fab work was done everything was broken down and all of the parts and pieces were sent to Atlantic Coast Plating in Tennessee for chrome. The stainless and aluminum pieces were sent to Darrel’s Polishing in Winston Salem NC. Jason Hancock at 33 Kustom Kolor was tapped to lay down some flake and candy treatment on the sheet metal. While everything was out the motor was pulled out and given a good once over to make sure it was good to go. While it was down Big Will was enlisted to help convert everything from the cam to the rocker arms over to Evo components. The external oil line holes in the rocker boxes were welded up and the boxes were split in the middle. After everything was bolted back together, it was bolted back into the frame.

Thankfully, all the goodies that were out for treatment pretty much came back at the same time and it was game on for assembly. It took about a week to get everything assembled, wired and plumbed up but at last, it was complete. The bike was finished at 9 o’clock on a Friday night. Rhett’s good friend John Hyatt took it straight to Raleigh for the Ray Price Motorsports Expo Invited show, where it took 1st place in it ‘s class. It was an awesome moment to say the least but seeing the look on Scott’s face when he walked in at the show and saw it for the first time in its completed state was way better than any award.

This bike was built with riding in mind, and even though a lot of work went into the appearance, even more went into making it dependable and functional. Rhett sends his thanks to Scott for the opportunity and a special thanks to his wife, daughters, friends and family that played such a huge role in making it happen!

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