Is this stuff the same as you see the "old hotrod guys" use.... i.e flame and wax board or something like that, ive seen hot rod builder Bill Hines use this technique..... or is this just applied like body filler (known as bog here in OZ)
Moto-Guzzi "Neva-Lost" Board Track Racer
- Thread starter Toofat2fly
- Start date
Yep, you got it. Molten lead, beeswax-coated wooden paddles, and goggles, maybe gloves, and a respirator mask. Can be tricky to handle. Don't drop it on your foot.
What happens if you dont wear a mask? It doesnt stunt your growth does it? Because Bill Hines never wears a respirator mask, but he always is smartly dressed with a cigar in his mouth 
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=b...=146&tbnw=105&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=0CGYQrQMwCQ
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=b...=146&tbnw=105&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=0CGYQrQMwCQ
You turn grey and fingers start falling from your hands... Cigar is always a good idea, I like them too. It works just like a good quality respirator mask.What happens if you dont wear a mask? It doesnt stunt your growth does it? Because Bill Hines never wears a respirator mask, but he always is smartly dressed with a cigar in his mouth
Leading is not difficult at all, except on vertical applications since it prefers to stick on the floor rather than the fenders..., but a gastank you can roll from one side to another and beat gravity!
You need tinning butter, this is spread on top of cleaned surface of gas tank with brush, mild heat applied to it. Then use steel wool to spead it evenly on surface. This provide a good surface for the actual lead to grab on. Without it, the lead will not stick, consider it as "flux".
After this application you must wash the surface with baking powder to remove acid residue from the tinning butter. I used Dawn and baking powder, since the surface is "oily". If you dont do this, the acid may ruin your paintjob later.
Then get your wooden paddles out and a jar of tallow, heat paddle and stick it into tallow. The "wet and waxy" surface prevents lead burning and sticking into your wooden paddle. Heat tank surface with propane and apply lead (which is made of 30% tin and 70 lead). Use paddles to control lead.
Once done, its cleaning time again to get acid off surface. Dont expect your wife to bake anything nice for you, unless you let her know that the baking soda was wiped out..
Finally the wide and VERY coarse files are used to file areas smooth. It is relatively easy and files off much cleaner than bondo. Just dont eat any Buffalo Wings or potato chips while working on lead. Not really a good idea...
If you are expert, you dont need any bondo. I'm not, so I had to use some. I did lead work on my chopped car, so I am familiar with it, however this was 30 years ago. Inspite of that, I managed to melt the lead and best of all, most of the lead was found on the tank, not on my toes.
Here's a pic of my old Mini (RIP) which was chopped 3" in front and 2" in rear. This picture was taken before I put fiberglass flip front on it, shaved all roof lists off it and sectioned it another 2". Thats when the state inspection told me to take a hike. I complied and later moved to USA....
This is how the Mini was supposed to look like, gull wing doors (they were THE thing in Europe, during 80's), flip front, widened body, chopped and sectioned, shaved lists, V-6, rear wheel drive etc... Well, I almost got there, until the darn goverment inspection told me it would never be approved on road due to too extreme modifications. it was one of the first chopped cars in Finland...
looks like my drawings have not changed too much in 30 years either? Still nuts about anything that spins around makes makes a lot of noise...
This was in 1983, but we're getting off track here from the 2 wheelers, I just got a bit exited about lead work... If I lived another 30 years, how bad can it be? I most definately did not use any respirators in 80' and often crawled out of the smoke filled garage all messed up. Other than that the 80's seemed to be just a blurry image and not much memories left, it's OK. That could have something to do with excessive beer drinking, but we dont want to go there...
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Staying off topic for a second.... what V6 is in the mini? I have a Holden Torana GTR that we installed a Holden 3.8L EFI V6 (rebadged Buick V6) around 15 years ago. Toranas arent as small as a mini but still quite small.
Back to the bikes.......So glad you found our site as you are bringing a lot of new (actually old) ideas/techniques that we havent seen here, at least i havent seen them used here.... Im really looking forward to seeing more
Back to the bikes.......So glad you found our site as you are bringing a lot of new (actually old) ideas/techniques that we havent seen here, at least i havent seen them used here.... Im really looking forward to seeing more
The V-6, I was looking for a small displacement and light motor. German Ford Taunus 20M had one. It was a 2 litre motor, a mere 90HP or so. I could have the same HP from my 970 Cooper motor, but rear wheel drive would have been fun. and the exhaust note... and different, that was the point. I've pretty much customized everything I've own, with an exeption of older Vette and old Galaxie Station Wagon. they were too cool to hack.
Holden V-6, 3.8. Hmm... Sounds like my old 1987 Buick Grand national motor?? was yours with or without turbo?
I like the board a lot! I lurked for a LOOONG time and read as much as possible, including 20 some pages of how to get a Pedal bike legal in PA, hah, Haa....
Most of these ideas come from YOUR guys bikes, thanks!!!. Seat there and wheel colors here, mix and match, blended with whatever sticks in my head. I have a strong vision of where I will be going with this bike, its the time and $$ that slows me down. Well, and the rusty skills...but it"s getting there, slooowly.
the frame is just a test mule for me at this point. Once I figure out what works and how 9or should I say, what does not...), the frame will be dublicated using better quality steel and thicker material. I will also change many dimensions on it. There are some gaps in the frame that I visually dont care, but hey... it' OK for now.
Only thing I'm torn inbetween right now i that I want "authentic looking" bike, in other words, dirty, scratched, dull paint etc... and the other side of me tells me to make paint shiny with lot of shiny copper. Crap....
I believe my rebadged V6 is the same bottom end as the Buick Grand National engine but has EFI, no turbo.... I wish it had a turbo. Mine was just a low KM engine out of the (at the time) new Holden Commodore, I think we did the first conversion in the country but now everyone uses these engines here in everything.
I would have loved a turbo, but i was only around 20 at the time so budget was an issue, and as many of you know from my posts we have fairly strict road laws here in Australia, and at the time you could only put an engine with a 10% increase in engine capacity and/or HP in Queensland. The car only came out with a 202ci engine. So at the time believe it or not I was pushing the envelope (around 1995) since then the laws have changed and people now can legally install up to a 308ci engine but people get away with bigger Chevs and say they are a 304ci.
I actually wished I had left the car alone. At the time a Holden GTR wasn't all that collectible and Aussie muscle cars weren't pulling good money, now it's exploded and my car would be quite valuable. Oh well, I still have it and don't plan on selling it. I have a Holden 304ci engine in my garage for it but haven't got round to doing it and lost interest now a little.
I'm all for a dirty "authentic" looking bike but I think yours looks cool as is, nice and shiny.
I love this web site also. I can't get enough and constantly amazed by what people are doing in their garages with minimal tools. I'm not trained in any trades but am learning via the web and sites like this, but your hand beaten tank and leadwork make me wanna try different techniques. Great work
I would have loved a turbo, but i was only around 20 at the time so budget was an issue, and as many of you know from my posts we have fairly strict road laws here in Australia, and at the time you could only put an engine with a 10% increase in engine capacity and/or HP in Queensland. The car only came out with a 202ci engine. So at the time believe it or not I was pushing the envelope (around 1995) since then the laws have changed and people now can legally install up to a 308ci engine but people get away with bigger Chevs and say they are a 304ci.
I actually wished I had left the car alone. At the time a Holden GTR wasn't all that collectible and Aussie muscle cars weren't pulling good money, now it's exploded and my car would be quite valuable. Oh well, I still have it and don't plan on selling it. I have a Holden 304ci engine in my garage for it but haven't got round to doing it and lost interest now a little.
I'm all for a dirty "authentic" looking bike but I think yours looks cool as is, nice and shiny.
I love this web site also. I can't get enough and constantly amazed by what people are doing in their garages with minimal tools. I'm not trained in any trades but am learning via the web and sites like this, but your hand beaten tank and leadwork make me wanna try different techniques. Great work
Swapping that mini to read wheel drive must have been a TON of work. Must be a blast to drive. I never thought much of minis, until I got into my friends one. WOW they are like a little go cart and just handle like they are on rails. So cool
Bikes and cars go together! Some people have made fun of my "wimpy motorcycle" (grubee bike) or yelled "THATS CHEATING" as I pass on my friction drive dad bike, but I laugh because they are motorists, but not motorheads! It's not a wimpy motorcycle, its a badass bicycle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLIlqY6SwxA
turbo mopar minivan drag race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLIlqY6SwxA
turbo mopar minivan drag race
hello "flying finn"! really nice bike and i must say i like the idea with the moped hardware,my first moped must be the spawn of the Guzzi,a piaggio Ciao. Had some fun with that,the friends had a big laugh but when i polished the internals and changed the clutch and gearing it went like crazy.The thing with minis must be a nordic thing i see,my first car project was a austin mk2,bought it for 1750$ and when i finished the restore 10 years later i sold it for 7500$ (classic rally,full cage,all cooper s conversion).im eagerly waiting for some pictures when finished but really nice job so far! Monark "the swede"
Tjanare Monark! Var bor du, syd, nord??? Jag var 3 ar i Stockholm...(med en Mini;-)naturlightvis...
Vasteras men jobbar mycket i stockholm.trevligt att möta på en fd nordman så här.Har en stor moppeklubb i hallstahammar,inte med men man har ju gjort sina moppevändor.Jakligt poppis med veteranare i sverige numera.
Tft2fly used to live in stockholm sweden so he just asked me where im from and i replayed: vasteras but work a lot in stockholm and its nice to meet a fellow northener like this.there is a large mopedclub in hallstahammar,not a member but done my mopedturns.damn popular with veteran mopeds in sweden nowadays.
I don't understand them either, but they make awesome cars, and have beautiful women. I bet they make the most badass snowplows ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WtlmpOKMG4
From Swedish language and women back to Italy and the wonderful world of Board Trackers.... (not that the Swedish women would not be wonderful However being married to a Finnish woman, I am not going to comment any further for the sake of my own well being.
Since I did not want to bolt the lights on, a bracket for front light was modified and welded on the Monark forks. I molded the braket in, so it looks cleaner. Fork was black, which needed to be scraped off and painted maroon. I love the fork, it has a classic look and with some gold pinstriping, it will look great. I've never done pinstriping, but how difficult that can be, I should be able to pull straight line? For wiggly pinstripes, just add beer.Next to order is few Mack brushes and 1-shot gold paint.
The ugly original wires will be removed, some wiring is already done. All will be "old style" cloth wrapped wires, like these...
This is how the bike looks right now, frame welding for wires going on. You can see the "pancake" exhaust too. I routed all cables today, made clamps, tubes, filed motor cases to have moother curves on few of them.
The idea is to run all electrical wires outside the frame, visible. For that tubes were made, welded together and welded on bike. Only thing left is your imagination to see wires running through these loops... I molded the tubes 15 minutes ago, so tomorrow they should look better than now, in raw format. More cleaning to do also with inside of the tubes.
However being married to a Finnish woman, I am not going to comment any further for the sake of my own well being. Since I did not want to bolt the lights on, a bracket for front light was modified and welded on the Monark forks. I molded the braket in, so it looks cleaner. Fork was black, which needed to be scraped off and painted maroon. I love the fork, it has a classic look and with some gold pinstriping, it will look great. I've never done pinstriping, but how difficult that can be, I should be able to pull straight line? For wiggly pinstripes, just add beer.Next to order is few Mack brushes and 1-shot gold paint.
The ugly original wires will be removed, some wiring is already done. All will be "old style" cloth wrapped wires, like these...
This is how the bike looks right now, frame welding for wires going on. You can see the "pancake" exhaust too. I routed all cables today, made clamps, tubes, filed motor cases to have moother curves on few of them.
The idea is to run all electrical wires outside the frame, visible. For that tubes were made, welded together and welded on bike. Only thing left is your imagination to see wires running through these loops... I molded the tubes 15 minutes ago, so tomorrow they should look better than now, in raw format. More cleaning to do also with inside of the tubes.
THE TANK IS FINISHED!!!
Nice $3 (actually it may have been a $6 paint job, using 2 cans) Moto-Guzzi Maroon rattle can paint, straight from Home Depot. I sanded the whole thing multiple times with 1000 grit to make sure it is as smooth as a Swedish babe's butt.. It was, dont ask how I know, I will not tell.
Few Guzzi stickers were added to separate "Luigi" it from it's American Board Track cousins.
How it is mounted, well..... The exact same way as my pants. With a leather belt. This works together with the leather seat too. Other than that I'm running around with pants in my ankles, the arrangement makes perfect sense. I can always use bungee cord as a belt, but a bungee cord would look ugly on a bike. Priorities first.
I think I have now deserved a cold BEER!!!
Nice $3 (actually it may have been a $6 paint job, using 2 cans) Moto-Guzzi Maroon rattle can paint, straight from Home Depot. I sanded the whole thing multiple times with 1000 grit to make sure it is as smooth as a Swedish babe's butt.. It was, dont ask how I know, I will not tell.
Few Guzzi stickers were added to separate "Luigi" it from it's American Board Track cousins.
How it is mounted, well..... The exact same way as my pants. With a leather belt. This works together with the leather seat too. Other than that I'm running around with pants in my ankles, the arrangement makes perfect sense. I can always use bungee cord as a belt, but a bungee cord would look ugly on a bike. Priorities first.
I think I have now deserved a cold BEER!!!
