Motorcycle Repair: harleys, glyde, pan head

Question
i bought a 1982 shovell wide glide and i am running into some probs. i dont  think it is the right frame. there is no vin number, i called harley they said some time on shovel and pan head they put two number on the engine wich there is, but i dont know what kind of frame it is. fxr or wide glideit looks like a 1970s fxr but a 1980s wide glyde and i dont know how to go about to make sure what it is before i start buying parts

Answer
Harley didnt use vin numbers on the frames before 1970, only the motor, so you probably have a pre 1970 frame. About theonly thing you can do is take it to a shop who has the specs for frames to check it or try the parts you need and see if they fit.
Good luck and happy riding
Mike