Rotten Orange build - Gary Fisher Aquila shifter buildup!

Man this is a thread worth staying up for!!

The journey alone is worth it. AND I can't wait for the finish.
 
The finished tank:
gastank16.jpg


Here is the 2-3 oz sump. This sump is welded to the surface of the tank, so it forms the lowest point in the tank. Welds arent pretty, but it'll hold gas once the tank is sealed internally:
gastank18.jpg


The filler cap is pretty nice billet aluminum:
gastank17.jpg


Another view of the tank:
The finished tank:
gastank19.jpg
 
Here it is mocked up on the bike. Once I sat on the bike, I realized I forgot about the suspension seat post, so the tank might need to be moved an inch rearwards. For now, a Zip tie holds it in place, but I need to come up with a better mounting scheme to secure it to the rack, preferably involving bolts... The filler sits just rear of and to the left of the seat. Perfect position for filling.
gastank21.jpg


You can see the sump in this view. I built the filler and sump offset on purpose. The sump is on the right side and offset forwards a hair.
gastank22.jpg


here's a good view of the filler position:
gastank25.jpg


View from the front of the bike:
gastank26.jpg

http://www.piratepathy.com/misc/gastank27.jpg
 
Other items I managed to get done today...

Got the new rear derailleur installed along with the new chain. had to take 1 link out of the chain. May need to take more out later depending on how small of a secondary chainring I go with up front.
gastank23.jpg


Closeup of the new derailleur & shiny silver chain:
gastank24.jpg


Got the brakes all hooked up finally. Need to order a new 90 degree elbow for the linear pull on the front brake, as the one that is on there is broken.
gastank28.jpg


New dual pull brake lever with the billet twist throttle:
gastank29.jpg
 
Front brakes:
gastank30.jpg


Rear brakes. I'll be running MTB fenders front and rear. I had to clearance the mount for the rear fender to allow the linear pull brake line to clear:
gastank31.jpg


The whole bike. Also got the new double kickstand somewhat installed. Still a bit loose though, as i need to find a better bolt that can be tightened easily.
gastank32.jpg


Another shot of the seat and fuel tank:
gastank33.jpg
 
And one more photo from the rear of the bike of the fuel tank. Its going to get a nice Dellorto sticker on the back.
gastank34.jpg
 
Also found this solid aluminum fuel pump:

I'm tempted to pick this one up just because it is rebuildable:
4eb4_1_b.JPG
 
Will the sticker on the rear double the 4 hp advantage the front sticker alone gives? I can see you made the most of the day i slept away. All this work has made me tired and sore so I think I'll get some more sleep. Great job, and my only hope of keeping up with you is your light touch on the throttle. Oh yes, just get 2 of that pump, you know the routine... I'll buy one off you to try to keep up with the Jameses.
 
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Will do. just ordered the aluminum one for $40. The other pump I'm getting, I'll sell you for $20, exactly what i have in it. I'll test it and make sure it works properly first.

Oh, and Ive only had a half day to work on the bike. I woke up at noon today, so most of the work was done late this afternoon after running errands most the day.
 
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Hi datz, if I may be so presumptuous, have you thought of using a couple of large diameter stainless steel screw (band) clamps to mount that tank to the nice rack on the bike? Using strips of rubber between the clamps would make good vibration insulators as well. I have been thinking of getting another tank (or fabricating one) and installing a couple of ¼” 90 degree barb fittings. One near the bottom of the tank and another near the top and connect them with opaque or clear tubing. This would in effect give you a “sight gauge” so you could see the fuel level at a glance. Where is the breather vent on your tank?
 
That sounds like a good way to mount the tank if an existing cross member of the rack is placed properly. Another possibility is a tab welded on the tank bottom or side that lines up with a place on the rack to bolt it on. I will be building an integral rack as part of the frame of Cro Moly and it will be easy to make the tabs go where I want to for mounting.
 
Hi datz, if I may be so presumptuous, have you thought of using a couple of large diameter stainless steel screw (band) clamps to mount that tank to the nice rack on the bike? Using strips of rubber between the clamps would make good vibration insulators as well. I have been thinking of getting another tank (or fabricating one) and installing a couple of ¼” 90 degree barb fittings. One near the bottom of the tank and another near the top and connect them with opaque or clear tubing. This would in effect give you a “sight gauge” so you could see the fuel level at a glance. Where is the breather vent on your tank?

I had thought about using a stainless clamp. Looking at my rack, the only problem is that there is only room for one clamp. (When I move the tank back, I might be able to use two).

The sight gauge is a fantastic idea.. I've seen that on other tanks, but didnt think of putting it on mine. I could easily install one on this tank.

The breather vent was something I was thinking about last night. I figured I would just drill a tiny hole in the fill cap.

If I did a sight gauge though, I could integrate a one way valve at the top of the gauge to allow vacuum to be relieved.

Thanks for the ideas!!
 
Headed to home depot to see what I can find to make a sight gauge for this tank. Also need a few fittings to get it ready for tank sealer (and then fuel). :)
 
You could weld a small piece of flat stock across that rear rack and then clamp the tank. Let us see what you come up with for the sight gauge. Before I started this bike-building thing, I salvaged a copper tank from an old medical autoclave and made a coolant recovery tank for my Studebaker truck radiator. I was able to use a couple of existing fittings for a sight gauge. The old truck is about as original as they come and I wanted the tank to look like it was an early factory experimental proto-type. Now I am thinking it would’ve made one heck of a motorized bike gas tank!
 
Got the bottom bracket today and its gonna work!!! Like we thought, the only caveat is that you must remove the chain guide off the rear of the sick bike parts chainring and install a fixed chain guide on the seat tube.

So, for other 73'ers out there, this bottom bracket works great for the kit:
Bike Tools Etc. - 1000's of bicycle tools and parts for the home mechanic!

I'm in the middle of painting the chainrings right now. Gotta run down and get some shorter bolts (just for aesthetics) inbetween coats.

Should have the chainring portion and pedal set together tonight at least. That means I could actually pedal the bike for once with all the new goodies on it.

I also have a few secret ideas I'm working on that may get put on this bike in the next few weeks. If it works, its gonna be REALLY wild and add a whole new spark to the build.
 
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Photos from today:

Pulled apart the bottom bracket again:
shifter62.jpg


Here is the HT bottom bracket cassette that I got from this link: Bike Tools Etc. - 1000's of bicycle tools and parts for the home mechanic!
I'm actually VERY impressed with how well it is put together, for a $23 part. It has sealed bearings and very nice fit and finish. This model is the all aluminum one. They apparently make a steel one in the same dimensions, but I could not find anyone that sells it.
shifter63.jpg

shifter64.jpg


Here it is installed in the bike... Very nice looking. It'll be full of grime in no time at all.
shifter65.jpg
 
Here is the bike with chainrings, pedals, and chains installed, finally!
shifter66.jpg


Chain tolerances are a little tight in 9th gear. I reckon I'll probably end up using 8th instead, just in case.
shifter68.jpg


Closeup of the engine with chain. I used my chain tool to break and reassemble the BMX chain so it has no master link.
shifter70.jpg


And the shiny new bike tools this adventure gave me an excuse to buy:
shifter72.jpg
 
Wait till you see the tuned pipe that is going on it.. :) I'm going to have to cut and reweld it in about 10-15 places to get it to work, but its going to be cool.
 
A note on your pipe, just make sure you give yourself room for length adjustment. You should give yourself the ability to shorten or lengthen the header to tune it to your engine, gearing, riding style etc. The critical dimension is the distance from your exhaust port to where the expansion chamber starts.
 
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