Indian Tadpole

I thought I should add that it wasn't possible to just join the new tubing to the seat stay that was already there. Mr. Fix It when he first started to build the bike thought it was a wonderful idea to run a length of smaller tubing inside the tubing already there. It appears it wasn't and now he is going to pay the price for not leaving it the way it was.

Steve.

I spent a pleasant few hours today working on the tri car. It eventually became evident that I will have to make my own seat and chain stay to fit what I need so everything clears the sprocket and chain.

I'm off to Home Depot tomorrow to pick up what I need and hopefully by tomorrow night I'll have it done and ready to weld when the weather clears up.

I thought I was backed into a tight corner but then again I've been to my favorite store and equipped myself so I never have to worry because I can get out of it.

Steve.

http://images.tshirts-cases-stickers.com/images/44/image.14288019.5944.jpg

I think Silverbear has hung his paddles up for the summer, as he might of had snow by now ( or close to it ). Because his creek will soon suffer from hard water problem, LOL

Were there is a will there is a way....................Curt

Steve S***creek is only a smelly tributary & eventually joins the beautiful stream of Success, where tadpoles flourish. Rick C.

indian22 said:

Steve S***creek is only a smelly tributary & eventually joins the beautiful stream of Success, where tadpoles flourish. Rick C.

Click to expand...

AMEN!..........Curt

It is indeed Rick but I don't mind telling you that here on the creek even the tadpoles have teeth. Looking forward to paddling in sweeter water tomorrow night,

Curt, I think the old Bear's going to have so easy sledding pretty soon.

Home Depot was it's usual disappointment so I was forced against my will to travel to Princess Auto. Princess Auto started in our Mid West in 1933 on Princess St. so they have the name. Nothing Nancy Boy about this place. Think upscale Harbor Freight with Canadian pricing to match but for the most part top quality tools with their own brand and their motto is "No sale is final until your satisfied." and they mean it.

The store just went through a major overhaul and they have vastly increased their stock. Spent so much time in there walking around that both my wallet and I were limping badly. The worst thing is that the shopping carts are twice the size they were and I was up to the challenge.

You've heard about the drop in the bucket. Well I bought a bucket to put the scrap metal in and they managed to drop the $178 worth of purchases in to it without it overflowing.

I have a go at bending the tubing tomorrow.

Steve.

Sweet water on the River of Success and tall cotton on both sides. Photos as always with the description on the bottom but after trying to figure out just how big the radius should be I saw my first attempt at making the sprockets for the jack shaft sitting on the shelf and gave it a try.

Locked the smaller sprocket into the vise and put a 12" bar clamp through the shaft hole in the sprockets like I was clamping something down. The clamp was there just to act as a stop and keep the tubing in place. Worked perfectly. The larger sprocket has a shoulder which is 3-1/4" across and about 3/4" high and this is what I bent the tubing on.

Taped one end of the tubing up with masking tape and filled the tubing with worn out sand blasting material. We use 30/60 crushed glass and when it's done it's a fine powder for the most part. Used a funnel to fill it and tapped the tubing with a small hammer to compact it. Taped off the other end and slid it into the sprocket and clamp. Guessed about where the middle would be and slid a length of tubing over the smaller tubing for leverage and with a steady pull it went around the sprocket as smoothly as you could ask for.

I was off center a couple of inches with one leg longer than the other but the tubing was longer than I needed on purpose so that I could cut it down to size.

If I was going to bend more than one or two lengths of tubing I would go to a muffler shop and see what they had for cut off pieces. You wouldn't need any more than 3" or 4" in length I wouldn't think. Weld square plates on either end to keep the tube from crushing. Weld two pieces of angle iron on the bottom back to back so it can be held in a vice. Weld a very short piece of tubing to the middle of the larger tubing so you can slide the tubing being bent into it and it acts as a stop to hold the piece being bent.

If we get a dry day or two over the next week I'll have it welded up.

Steve.

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab228/speedydick/Indian Tri-car Build/DSC_0021_zpskbepxenb.jpg

No half measures being used on your rear triangle Steve. I've used the sand in many a tube bend with success. It will work with the cheap Harbor Freight "pipe bender" as well, but you've demonstrated that cast offs of a proper diameter will also fill in as a good die for one off bends without kinks. Not having access to an expensive mandrel bender shouldn't stop a bike build...you bend metal with your mind and your will & not with excuses. Keep building Steve & have a happy day! Rick C.

Hi Rick,

I'm always a little skeptical of You Tube videos where they show you how but this time they were 100% correct. Dad used to say when something went wrong that the "Operation was a success, too bad the patient died." The bend on the tubing looks exactly as if it had been bent in a high end tubing bender,

Mother on the other hand after I said it wouldn't work would ask how I knew since I hadn't tried it. When it didn't work it was because I hadn't tried the correct method. Try it again. In the end I always seemed to get it done properly.

As much as I'd like to short cut a lot of things, everyone has been with me on this ride and some for years and they deserve the very best. It's up to me to provide it.

I was thrilled to see the sprockets when I was looking for a way out of the corner I was in. As the old fella that owned the service station where I worked when I was a kid would have said "A cornered rat will take any available way out." This was usually when he'd found a way out of a problem.

Steve.

A dry day or two? Ya right. Thirty one days in the month and it rained 28 of them. A new record with apologies to those that are begging to be so lucky. Today started out OK but it turned bad as soon as I got outside.

I have the seat stays lined up and they will be welded up as soon as there is a break in the weather. November is the traditional wettest month here on the Wet coast. Remember you don't tan on the Wet Coast, you rust.

Steve.

Still no good days to weld.

I've been looking for a nice brass horn for the tri car for quite a while and anything unusual has been bringing some really stiff money. In the hundreds of dollars and I have to add $40 or $50 U.S. shipping and usually 30% for the exchange rate to Canadian dollars.
Any like I bought have been in the $150 U.S. range and double that if they are coiled up.

I bought this one for $125 Canadian delivered. Long way from cheap but the best for the money I've seen.

Steve.

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab228/speedydick/Indian Tri-car Build/DSC_0010_zps0mjsjcnk.jpg

Steve you now have a "brass gator" tadpole & SB got it right...no one else has one. $$ well spent! Rick C.

That's a god find Steve!
Dan

LOL. AWESOME find, need a bulb can get parts here. https://www.modeltford.com/model-t-parts/horn-and-whistles/ ..............Curt

That is cool!

DUDE! YOU SCORED BIG TIME! I've seen horns like that on mid- to late-'teens automobiles in museums; big old serpent-headed or crocodile-headed horns twisting down and up along the fender. If I had a nice old phaeton to put one on, I'd like one myself. That Indian of yours is going to totally rock!

Hi Silverbear,

That is true.

Steve.

Hi Rick,

Thank you. I hadn't thought of a "brass gator" tri car but it just could be on it's way there.

Steve.

Thanks Dan. I was more than pleased to get it.

Steve.