Finding Waldo...
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Russ,
Congratulations! I know well that it is irresistible to do stem to stern restos but I personally think it would be a more interesting bike if you left it pretty much as is. You'd still have to take it completely apart and repair or replace just about all the internals but you could leave all the rust and scabs. It's called a crust-oration and it's pretty popular with car guys. I think Eastwood even sells Patina in a Can. You've already got a nice Commando so it wouldn't be a reflection on your character and you could tell people that you found it in a shed, changed the oil, put gas in it, started on the first kick
Congratulations! I know well that it is irresistible to do stem to stern restos but I personally think it would be a more interesting bike if you left it pretty much as is. You'd still have to take it completely apart and repair or replace just about all the internals but you could leave all the rust and scabs. It's called a crust-oration and it's pretty popular with car guys. I think Eastwood even sells Patina in a Can. You've already got a nice Commando so it wouldn't be a reflection on your character and you could tell people that you found it in a shed, changed the oil, put gas in it, started on the first kick
rvich
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Crust-oration? I kinda like that idea but I am afraid that a lot of the patina will come off as part of the process of getting the bike apart! The trailer was covered with large chunks of blue paint just from getting it loaded. I still have not met the PO. He is out of state and negotiations took place by phone. I paid his father for the bike per his instructions. When he saw that we had to drag the bike to the trailer he tried to give me my money back! It was pretty comical as a brother of the PO was helping with the dragging, all the while carrying on about how I stole his project from him. "I was just about ready to start fixin' it up! Then you stole it right out from under my nose!" This while the father was trying to give me back my money. I wondered if they were fans of Abbott and Costello.
Russ
Russ
grandpaul
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Front wheel: one well-placed pop with a rubber mallet on the brake caliper's outer face. Rear wheel: WD-40 on chain, or remove it.
It's a roller!
Look out, if he hasn't already PM'ed you, SwooshDave will be offering $300 for that Red kill button.
It's a roller!
Look out, if he hasn't already PM'ed you, SwooshDave will be offering $300 for that Red kill button.
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grandpaul said:
Yeah, but the rest of the bike comes with the button!
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I was being polite not to bring up the cost element directly Paul
not to break the mood of the barn fresh find.
Rims can't be salvaged, fenders or chain guard either if nice chrome
desired. Foot supports and levers can't be painted silver to look
nice up close. Brake piston and pucks and likely master cylinder
rusted up and pitted for total over haul with new parts.
Lots of fastereners and Lucas good stuff will need renewal.
Wheel bearings, especially the rear likely rusted for fast
wear and loose hold on rear axle.
Chains for sure as well as cables and bar controls look too swollen
decayed to depend on or gaze at.
My respects as its way more project than I could take on in a decade.
hobot
not to break the mood of the barn fresh find.
Rims can't be salvaged, fenders or chain guard either if nice chrome
desired. Foot supports and levers can't be painted silver to look
nice up close. Brake piston and pucks and likely master cylinder
rusted up and pitted for total over haul with new parts.
Lots of fastereners and Lucas good stuff will need renewal.
Wheel bearings, especially the rear likely rusted for fast
wear and loose hold on rear axle.
Chains for sure as well as cables and bar controls look too swollen
decayed to depend on or gaze at.
My respects as its way more project than I could take on in a decade.
hobot
grandpaul
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hobot said:
BAH!
Piece of cake.
Stick a battery in it, dump some gas in the tank and start kicking!
hee hee
Look, I believe he knows what he's getting into. I think he's one of us (well, I used to be when I had $$) that aren't into it for a return on investment, but for the fun he's going to get out of the build challenge and the enjoyable ride.
As far as that goes, there's no bike too far gone, if you have the play money to back up your desire.
Now, as to the last part of your statement, it might take a decade!
grandpaul
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pelican said:
If you are talking about the top one of the three "before and after" shots, you are right.
It had about 40 pounds of red Oklahoma dirt caked EVERYWHERE, although about half of it was turned black from the massive oil leaks. The 2-piece HD gas tank was welded to the frame with massive chunks of 1/4" thick plate steel. Many parts were held on with hose clamps and U-bolts, or simply welded on, including the sissy bar and two chunks of pipe with the coils slipped into them (duct tape for extra security & electrical insulating qualities). One retangular, one round headlight, held in place with the inner framework from some car's front grille. One pipe made from stainless, the other one not-so-stainless, bent with an electrician's tubing bender. 1" handlebars and HD controls, Honda tail light, kickstarter welded to the kicker shaft, and a foot-long ratchet extension welded to the shifter clamp on the tranny for hand shifting! At least 10 lbs. of Bondo to hide the cobby welds...
A real rat bike if there ever was one!
(It did have matching mirrors, and he threw in the real leather saddlebags free)
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DogT said:
Inspections are rare East, er I meant West of the Mississippi.
grandpaul
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I don't think that chopper had been on the road since the early 80s. I'm sure the basics required were just lights and a horn, which it had.
Texas has had about the same, plug you kinda needed to be able to see the grooves in the tire tread, up till the 90s. After that, they added the insurance requirement, everything has to work (not just be on the bike), and the tire tread has to be a minimum depth.
One wierd deal here: if a bike HAS turn signals, they have to work; if it DOESN'T have them installed, it's not an issue at all.
Oops, end of thread hijack.
The point of posting the pix is, it doesn't matter what you START with, just how deep your pockets are.
Texas has had about the same, plug you kinda needed to be able to see the grooves in the tire tread, up till the 90s. After that, they added the insurance requirement, everything has to work (not just be on the bike), and the tire tread has to be a minimum depth.
One wierd deal here: if a bike HAS turn signals, they have to work; if it DOESN'T have them installed, it's not an issue at all.
Oops, end of thread hijack.
The point of posting the pix is, it doesn't matter what you START with, just how deep your pockets are.
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DogT said:
I did.
rvich
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Started digging in. My basic plan is to open up the cylinders via spark plug holes, the primary via the inspection cap and the gearbox via the inspection cap. Then start flooding the engine with oil/diesel/ATF/penetrating-magic via these opening and via the breather and oil tank. My goal is to get as much pickling fluid inside and leave as little air as possible. Then to let it soak until about September when I will really have time to start.
So I took off the tank, removed the plugs and inspection ports. Look at what I found!
These are hard spots to get decent pictures, but I think you will get the idea. No, I didn't try to take a picture looking down the spark plug hole, but I was able to see that the pistons are near the bottom of the stroke and I couldn't see anything scary in there. The gearbox still has oil in it. Woohoo!
So I took off the tank, removed the plugs and inspection ports. Look at what I found!
These are hard spots to get decent pictures, but I think you will get the idea. No, I didn't try to take a picture looking down the spark plug hole, but I was able to see that the pistons are near the bottom of the stroke and I couldn't see anything scary in there. The gearbox still has oil in it. Woohoo!
rvich
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I might be involved in the slowest rebuild on the planet. But since posting this I have completely torn down the bike. The frame and associated pieces were stripped bare and painted, the tins are painted and various bits collected. Motor was torn down, head sent out to Jim Comstock and the motor has been reassembled with new rings and bearings but the head is not torqued. Wheels have been rebuilt, the gearbox is in bits on my workbench waiting for me to get my act together. Here are some photos from "the paint shop". I need to get all my other projects pushed aside. Soon, I hope to have most of the pieces I want collected up and once our weather turns (it could be any day now) get busy putting all of it together.
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