Tanking it

I've gone with a traditional Frisco tank fitting using a flat bottom King Sportster tank. There's room for enough fuel for around 80 miles-ish I reckon - OK for most local runs but I may have to invest in a 'just in case' top-up fuel bottle at some point for longer journeys.
The square backbone of a Softail doesn't make this an easy fit so there was some fettling to do. Now on, the tank hides the modern backbone so the traditional look is achieved. 
Although the modern mid-frame rail is unattractive compared to older machines, having the tank sit high does mean the aftermarket Panhead-style covers will get a proper showing.
The covers are very realistic - even down to the oil leaks! (hopefully now fixed with a new set of gaskets and goo)
The tank has been fitted with a Lowbrow external fuel line - old tech but will mean I can keep an eye on the juice level.
The 'gap' between the front of the seat and the back of the tank was worrying me a little - so I popped down to Leeds HD to see how Harley do it. There's a nice "speed hole" link across the backbone of the latest Sportsters which looked like it could be fix. Problem is you can't get the link as a separate piece as it is an integral part of the tank, so a one-off copy would have to be scratch made.
However, turns out the Biltwell seat hinge hides the gap in style. Even neater than the stock solution - though I do like that stock HD seat!

Reachin' for the Sky

The sissy-bar is now smooth as Kim Kardashian's rear - and a lot more attractive. Mounts onto the swing arm have been cleaned up & painted and neat grub screws inserted on the inner side of the mounts to fix it in place yet leave it removable when necessary.
So now off to chroming...
Big thanks to welding genius Carl for this amazing job.

Hot stuff

Great to get the opportunity to see the sissy-bar being created. I envy skills like this.

A little less top angle? Certainly. A little more taper to the top end? No problem.

And after all this, there's a need to fill every tiny nook & cranny so the chroming doesn't show any blemishes.

Tail end tinkering

Popped down to T-city to talk rear muddy lopping and sissy-bar angles. Most US bobbers have very short rear ends and I can only presume that's cuz they don't get the rain we get here. 
I'm no big fan of soaking wet sprays of rainwater and road crud up my back so have opted for a less extreme bob. 
Some of the look - but hopefully none of the water cannon effect.
Also talked sissy-bar height & angle. One of the probs of a softail, rather than hardtail, is that its far harder to get the angle onto the frame right. 
In addition, fitting the rear muddy as an integral part of the rear swing-arm leaves a yawning gap between the seat area & the fender which can never replicate the flowing line seen on a hardtail when the frame line runs straight down from steering head to rear axle and the seat can sit tight back against the rear mudguard.
In this case, I know I'm gonna have a gap - just need to ensure the eye isn't drawn to it.
The sissybar angle is part of that. Too upright or too laid back and it will jar. 
And because this is a softie and the bar's hard welded to the moving swing arm, it can't be too high or smacks in the back of the head may be the new reminder every time I've ridden over a speed hump.

Twin Pan makeover in progress

First pix of the Fat Boy makeover.  FX Springer front end sourced from the States. Pricey as fuck even before the import charges - but totally connected with the moniker of this blog.
Came with claims of 'fully checked' but the front damper was rusted so a new Harley shock is on the way.
So far, looks like no headstock mods needed as original fork stops look like they are gonna work so here's hoping the shocker is the only shock.
The new King Sportster tank looks like it will sit very nicely. Swapping the tank out has required a new mini speedo, yet to be mounted, on the bars and a new way of checking when I'm outta gas.
Still unsure about seating. Bates style seats seem kinda small and sprung seats can look awkward on a Twinkie softail. Maybe RSD solo mount welded low is the way to go. We shall see.
Big thanks to Andy & the Leeds Thundercity team for all their work & advice so far. Lookin' good guys.