Hi....Been wet here today so I got some sheet metal out and cut the profiles for the fuel and oil tanks....this bike has two separate tanks....right is fuel and the left is oil...the outside top edges are rolled ..looks like 1 1/2" radius along the edge..this will be a bit of a test to get them right....I will use the left tank to conceal the battery..cdi ignition.. coils..alt regulator and other electrical componets...will probally make the bottom of the tank so it hinges down with the parts attached to it...I will jump that hurdle when I get there.....Have to find some 1 1/2" brass to make a pair of necks and screw caps with a knurled edge...Havent made these for about 30 years so it will be a bit of a test cutting threads again......it will need a couple of baffles in the fuel side tank to stop the gas from sloshing around...I need to machine up about dozen 1/4" blind nuts for the mounting points on the tank and throttle levers that need to be brazed into the frame.....DD
Excelsior V Twin build
- Thread starter DareDevil
- Start date
So than you'll be done with the tanks by tomorrow? haha, can't wait to see what you do with them.
Hi J.T.S......I wish ..wont be surprised if I have to do this several times...rolling the radius edges wont be easy to match them up....I dont have access to a set of sheet metal rollers to this....have to use a piece of pipe and G clamps ...guess it will fill in some time...LOL......DD
Hi...Spent a bit of time this morning folding the tanks...has worked out better than expected...I have over sized the cuts so I could trim it to size when jigged up for welding...probally have to trim 1/4' along longest edges...I haven't studied the front edge of the tanks ..they dont look as if they have a radius edges ..its just square cut to the top edge....I can probally over come this as I have already rolled a radius on this front flap....I used a 30mm pipe to roll the radius on the edges of the tanks...... Have found a piece of round 1 3/4" alloy I will use for the gas tank caps ....will machine up some 1/4" blind nuts for the tank mount... and the tank mounts which are about 2 1/2" long plates .....DD...
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Hi...Can only post 5 attachments at a time so here is a couple more....tank sitting on the frame....the other two are showing removing surface rust from sheet metal ...its a mix of the rust remover about 10% mixed with water and scrub it with course steel wool ..wash off with water..and dry it with a clean piece of towel....you can paint over the top straight away and pays to under coat or it will surface rust again in the next couple of weeks...if this was to happen ...do the same procedure again...DD
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Hi ..Have machined up the weld in threaded buttons for the tanks and frame mounts.... just drill a hole and braze in....needed 4 for the tubes and 4 for the tanks....have another two the the steering head...these will be for the pivots where the throttle and clutch levers operate on the frame......
I now have the lower steering head profiles ..this is going to be a test making front springer forks...have to find a heavy u steel rail 6" wide and 3' long...for a jig to make them...they will need to be held pretty solidly as there will be a fair bit of heat from brazing them together..The main one is 9/16" thick.....this is a bit lighter than an after market set for Harleys....there usually 5/8" but they are about 200 lbs up in weight on the bike I'm building .... its a couple of weeks away before I will get started on them...DD
I now have the lower steering head profiles ..this is going to be a test making front springer forks...have to find a heavy u steel rail 6" wide and 3' long...for a jig to make them...they will need to be held pretty solidly as there will be a fair bit of heat from brazing them together..The main one is 9/16" thick.....this is a bit lighter than an after market set for Harleys....there usually 5/8" but they are about 200 lbs up in weight on the bike I'm building .... its a couple of weeks away before I will get started on them...DD
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I'm feelin really jealous right now...
Those are some awsome skills you've got there! Congratulations!
Those are some awsome skills you've got there! Congratulations!
Hi SS..Thanks.... Hi JTS..I have a friend who has a steel profile cutting business.....they are lazer cut....I provided the profile I wanted and just had to wait till he had a spare minute to cut them for me...I have oxy cutting gear ..but I would never be able to cut them as clean as lazer cutting...save a lot of cleaning up and finishing......DD
Wow you have made quite bait of progress since the last time I looked at your build. The gussets for the forks look fantastic, how did you cut them. I had to cut my dropouts and fork thingies with a angle grinder and a file. The tank is also a very nice design I can't wait to see that all welded up.
Just out of curiosity do you work as a fabricator?
Just out of curiosity do you work as a fabricator?
Hi Lurker...I have never worked as a fabicator...I'm retired....its just a hobby for me...I've just had a lot of years doing it...makeing stuff.....must admit I use a 4" grinder as my third hand...and since 1mm cutting disks are available at a reasonable cost I hardly every use oxy to cut anymore.....I work just like you with the grinder and files....I have a small lathe and milling machine..with a rotary table...self taught with all these tools....the gussets are Lazar cut...the tank is as close as I can get it from photos from the 1919 Excelsior...I like its stumpy look....its what attracted me to this bike
Hi.. have set up the front engine support...just need to make the mounting plates to weld onto the cross tube...just a word about welding..if you are using pipe that has a heavy wall like 1/8" dont use a small mig machine..it wont penetrate the pipe for a good weld....use a stick welder..saw a video recently of a home made bike doing about 40 MPH break in half from poor welding...rider was lucky and wasn't that badly injured...
Made up the rear engine mounts while I was in engine mount plate mode...cut these out of 3/16" plate....cut these out with oxy and used a grinder to finish profile.....the main mount hole's were done in the milling machine with a high speed steel hole saw..I think they are 1 5/8" in diameter...there are a lot of parts to be made...seems never ending!!!......DD
Made up the rear engine mounts while I was in engine mount plate mode...cut these out of 3/16" plate....cut these out with oxy and used a grinder to finish profile.....the main mount hole's were done in the milling machine with a high speed steel hole saw..I think they are 1 5/8" in diameter...there are a lot of parts to be made...seems never ending!!!......DD
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Hi curtisfox..The hole saws I use are Australian made ... Sutton...they are made of high speed steel...they are double the price of the normal hole saw used for woodwork and dont go blunt....they have to be sharpened by a tool maker when they do get a bit dull..I've only ever had one sharpened (3/4") and I must had done 400 cuts with it making a race car frame....the shank they screw up on is very good quality mandrel...I never use them in a drill press as the upright on the drill press is not rigid enough and will cause the machine to chatter under load..the milling machine is a lot more rigid.....its essential to use a flowing lube as well to keep the hole saw cool...as it will expand with heat and start to jam in the hole you are cutting.....this will also cause it to chatter (wabble)..."You could just use a hose from the cold water tap running over it to keep it cool".....the other thing is I dont use a chuck to hold it..I always use collets..this is like a precision size chuck that is the same size as the mandrel..it fits into a taper and has a locking ring ..nothing can slip or move while its cutting....hope the photos explain what I'm talking about...DD
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DD,
I want to commend you on your willingness to share your knowledge and answer questions. Your explanations are clear and the photos excellent. I appreciate feeling like I'm there in your shop looking over your shoulder as you work, methodically making your machine as well as you know how. You are a patient man who doesn't seem to mind stopping now and then to chat with your onlookers. You are a real plus to this forum. Well done, sir.
SB
I want to commend you on your willingness to share your knowledge and answer questions. Your explanations are clear and the photos excellent. I appreciate feeling like I'm there in your shop looking over your shoulder as you work, methodically making your machine as well as you know how. You are a patient man who doesn't seem to mind stopping now and then to chat with your onlookers. You are a real plus to this forum. Well done, sir.
SB
DD, Sometimes I forget that most of the guys on this forum are much older than I. But I find that whenever I take my bikes to a show or what have you, they draw a crowd of all ages. Young kids like them because they look like a super fast bicycle, and the older folks like them because it brings back some nostalgia, the trick is to get the teens to mid twenties to take a interest. At least this is what I have found in my experience.
curtisfox, I used Mikita hole saws on my bike. I found them to be fairly cheap and pretty good. I know there is better out there but they work the best out of the cheap ones.
curtisfox, I used Mikita hole saws on my bike. I found them to be fairly cheap and pretty good. I know there is better out there but they work the best out of the cheap ones.
Hi.. silverbear.....Your most welcome Sir..Thankyou...Shareing our knowledge is a great way to encourage others to have a go...sometimes the method is very simple ..but it has to show for people to grasp the idea...It doesn't matter how old you are ..theres always something to learn....anyone out there if you dont understand what I'm doing please ask...I'm willing to help anyone achieve what they want to build ... even if they dont have specialized tools...there are ways around getting the job done....please enjoy my build......DD