Another OCC Stingray build starts...

I've been thinking about doing another build now for a while and couldn't really decide which way to go with it, and I also got a new engine I'm building but no bike to put it in so I got the idea about a week ago to look for an OCC Stingray... I'm not sure how quickly this build will progress since I'm really busy at the shop this part of the year, but I can buy parts now and work the buiild later or go to the shop on Sundays and work my projects when I got the shop closed...
Sooo... anyway... here's the start of my Stingray build and I'll keep all my updates in this thread as I go...

Right now I'm thinking up a cool color scheme and debating on doing some cool airbrush work on the frame or just pinstriping it out in the color scheme I think up...

Cool... I'm not a big fan of 4 strokers but that's one of the better built ones... good choice there...
I got a few engine options I'm looking at...
1. my new GT5 Super Rat... I'm still in the buildup phase on this one... lots being done to it.
2. My old Morini ew50 engine with built in CVT trans... Gotta see if this one will fit...
3. I'm also thinking about that KTM clone that Dax sells... Might be a bit overkill but it sure would be fun...

Ok... Quick Update... After considering my options for this build I've decided to go with option #1 for the engine... it's a GT5 Super rat type engine and I should be able to get some good power out of it once I'm done setting up the port timing and all. I also got a KX65 pipe I can modify and re bend as well as a new Mikuni VM18 carb and onf of those new heads that looks like a Fred head with rounded top fins, I also got a 6cc Fred head I can use or may go with one of Jake's Diamond heads if the round heads look too out of place on it. I'm doing this one up right so it's gonna get all the good stuff and I just ordered the billet mounts from pedalchopper as well as the Manic rear hub adapter. I hadn't decided on sprocket size yet because I want to measure how tall the rear wheel is first and then set it up so it'll act the same as a 26" wheel with a 40 tooth rear...

For the most part, my progress has been kinda slow on this because of time limitations but i've also got a lot of the small parts stripped and powder coated, mainly the tripletree parts and bar clamps etc... still working the pedal cranks getting all the rust off these parts as well as the fork legs, which are also pretty rusty. Luckily nothing is pitted but the parts did have a good amount of surface rust. I got most of it off with an angle grinder and a wire wheel, but some of it will need sand blasting to get the remaining chrome off, then these parts will get powder coated as well.

Also still deciding on what seat to use since the stock seat does look really cool, but I've seen some on pedalchopper's site that looked cool with other seats like the Cloud9 type etc...

Yeah... I saw the Jesse James chopper too but after I already got a Stingray frame and all the parts needed to put it back on the road... I will be going over this frame with a fine tooth comb and beefing up the areas that are prone to failure since this one is going to be at least as quick as my mountainbike or quicker.
My riding is mostly on smooth pavement and there's not a lot of obstacles like sharp turns or bumps to really worry about, but I'll be sure the frame is up to the task. After seeing what happened to my mountainbike's frame I'm definitely gonna do things different on this one and I'm not in a hurry to get this one on the road...
I'll have the mountainbike back on the road way before this one is built, and I'm doing major frame repairs, and beefing up on that one right now so the same thing don't happen again.
As for the Jesse James Chopper tho... If I find one and the price is right, I may make a third project after one of the other 2 I got are on the road... I do like the layout and the amount of space that frame offers...

Very nice!!
yeah I had to look on ebay for one after your last post... I definitely want to build one of these too... the front end looks a lot tougher too with the same fat tire up front... they don't seem to be too expensive either... just a bit harder to find all the parts if I was to buy one that wasn't complete... there were only a handful of frames on ebay and only one complete bike but it was in very nice condition.
I'm gonna keep my eyes out for one tho so I can start gathering parts for a winter build.

So far this weekend I got the billet mounts, manic hub and 39 tooth sprocket, and a decent seat for this build... I think I got a rear fender for it too...
so basically I got all the major parts except the handlebars and now its more about prepping the frame, deciding on a paint scheme, and putting it all together. After looking on pedalchopper's site, it looks like a few mods are in order if I want to use ape hangers but I may make a set of risers that'll hold the longer bars.
I'm also looking at using disc brakes so I'll need to see if I can get the hydraulic line in a long enough length to make it from the bars to the back of the bike. After switching to a hydraulic disc setup on the other bike I definitely want to do the same on this one... the difference in both feel and stopping power is huge.

I need to take some more progress pics when I get to the shop too since I've already stripped all the small parts and powder coated them black... I'm really liking the results of the powder coating, its easy to do and the parts look great.
Also gotta get some clear powder and see if I can airbrush my parts then clear powder coat the parts without ruining the artwork or burning the house of kolor paints I use for airbrushing... we were going to test that when I was airbrushing for a friend who powder coats, but the customer didn't want to risk the artwork getting messed up and me having to redo it.... but now that I can powder coat I will test this out, if it works like I think it should, I will be able to powder coat everything black, airbrush in the graphics, then powder coat everything with the clear gloss powder coat for a very durable finish.

Anyway... enough rambling for now... I will experiment with that and post pics whether it works or melts the paint...
I got a lot of work to do before I get that far tho...

Yeah, I noticed that the WCC bikes are a little less expensive... harder to find, but definitely less expensive... I really like the way that one looks too...

As for the Stingray tho I've heard the frames' weak spot is at the bottom of the seat post tube and where the seat post meets the top tube, and that the stock OCC seat needs to be beefed up to hold an adult so I'm definitely going to strengthen up these areas as well as add in gussets everywhere else it loooks like it could use more strength...

Not much going on today, but while ordering parts for my customer's cars, I slipped in a few cans of paint stripper and at the end of the day I got the frame mostly stripped free of paint... I need it bare so I can do the necessary welding in the more stress critical areas on these frames since I weigh about 225 and plan on making this one capable of doing 40+ as well. I want to beef up the bottom tube, especially at the seat post area and I want to add some gussets at the rear of the frame where the bottom and top tube connect to the rear forks, and I also want to add some extra metal to the head tube area. the factory welds do look nice and strong but it never hurts to add a doubler here, a gusset there, and then smooth everything out by filling the voids with brass then grinding flush. I got a few other tricks up my sleeve as far as a fuel tank goes for this but I want to first make sure this frame is strong enough to withstand the rigors of 40+ mph riding with a 225 lb rider on board...
i'll take pics and post some tomorrow since my phone was too dead to use the camera most of today since I left it on the desk without plugging it in to charge...

Very cool... if you still got it, post it because I got the frame stripped and free of paint so now's the time to start beefing up the areas that are prone to stress cracking... .from the looks of it I would say the top and especially the bottom tube at the seat post area and also where the frame tubes are welded to the rear forks, these areas will definitely get beefed up and gusseted.

I also got my blast cabinet assembled and tested today after I closed up shop so now I got a way to get the chrome off the fork legs and pedal cranks, I've also got all the smaller parts stripped and powder coated but the bigger parts I'm going to paint and clear with an automotive clear for better durability. And I'm waiting for my billet mounts to get here before I do any welding to the bottom tube so I can still beef it up without interfering with the mounts.

Thanks for that link!! ... Yeah, that's the same areas I was planning on beefing up the most but I was also reading thru the thread and saw crazy Horse's frame jig pic as well as the rest of the pics in his album... That guy does do some top notch work on these and i like the idea of replacing the whole bottom tube with the rectangle tubing like he did on that stretched stingray he built. I got a set of billet mounts from Pedalchopper's site and they came in today so in order to use them I'll have to keep the bottom tube there, but that won't stop me from putting a section of rectangular tubing inside the stock tube then stitch welding it into place to keep the original cross section intact, but twice as strong. the rear lower fork can be gusseted with rectangular tubing or plate steel cut to fit and welded in... I'll have to see what size rectangle tubing I got at the shop then decide which way to do it, but I can see that area needs to be able to handle a lot of extra stress since the bike wasn't designed to hold a 225 lb rider and go 40+ mph... I'll most likely be cruising it around 30 to 35mph, but I do want it to be capable of much more like my other bike...

I got the frame almost completely stripped to bare metal today so I'm getting close to ready to start cutting out the gussets and get things ready for welding... Just gotta make time to get my argon bottle purged and refilled sometime tomorrow too since last time I used the TIG on something the hose going from the regulator to the welder blew and leaked out all my gas, but that's just a minor setback since I needed to replace that hose with something a little more durable anyway...