True... loved your "how to" on the copper tank BTW. I'm pretty sure that also "translates" to other metals (steel, etc) without any difficulty.
mebbe... *shrug*
...but I did do a lot of test fitting while the panels were being made, a comfortable width is also a consideration...
Scored a Higgins!!!
- Thread starter Allen_Wrench
- Start date
FYI - bairdco's the one famed for his copper tanks, my DIY thread was with a steel one... but yea - it wouldn't matter the material as the process is about the same
But hey - I'll take a complement & thanks
Oops... thought I was talking to the same guy... my bad! I like the steel tank write-up too. I think a combination of the 2 different write ups would yield really good results.FYI - bairdco's the one famed for his copper tanks, my DIY thread was with a steel one... but yea - it wouldn't matter the material as the process is about the same
But hey - I'll take a complement & thanks
I'm going to throw my own suggestion in here too. What if one were to "flange" the sides of the tank to make silver soldering work better? Due to the curved outline (some "Board Trackers" like the Harley for example have little to no curves) there are areas where "fluting pliers" would be helpful. (You can buy those from places like "Aircraft Spuce and Specialty.") Pilot Supplies, Avionics, and Homebuilt Aircraft Parts from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co.
Those are used when building experimental (homebuilt) aircraft with aluminum wing ribs for example. When forming the flange around the rib, you "flute" areas to take up the excess metal due to the curved surface.
There are other ways to do it, like forming over a wooden form, with notches for the flutes built in... but those are quick and easy to use, and a relatively inexpensive tool.
p.s. here is a link to a search that shows several options, from inexpensive to more costly...
Pilot Supplies, Avionics, and Homebuilt Aircraft Parts from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co.
Pilot Supplies, Avionics, and Homebuilt Aircraft Parts from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co.
Well. I'm still working out the exact logistics of how to make the tank, but I have decided that I do want it to be more rounded than slab sided. I've started to really like the look of the very early Indian singles and the first few twins (but then who, in this section of the forum, doesn't). So although this will be a slow and careful project, eventually it will closely resemble a mid-teens Indian, a street bike with the long, swept back handlebars and somewhat high-mounted headlight, etc.
For now: I have taken it entirely apart, and have been painstakingly hand-sanding the rust from each piece. Nuts and bolts as well. (This probably should be in the Rustoration category.) I then go over them with one of my all-time favorite things: the Rust Eraser. Whoever you may be - if you don't have one, get one. You'll use it.
I will then be treating it with a couple coats of "Rust Fixer". If there is any light rust left down in a pit someplace, this stuff will convert it to a primer.
Then it'll get a few coats of real primer, with sanding in between. Then bright, screaming, Fire Engine Red. Then the toughest clearcoat I can find.
Oh yeah. I got plans.
For now: I have taken it entirely apart, and have been painstakingly hand-sanding the rust from each piece. Nuts and bolts as well. (This probably should be in the Rustoration category.) I then go over them with one of my all-time favorite things: the Rust Eraser. Whoever you may be - if you don't have one, get one. You'll use it.
I will then be treating it with a couple coats of "Rust Fixer". If there is any light rust left down in a pit someplace, this stuff will convert it to a primer.
Then it'll get a few coats of real primer, with sanding in between. Then bright, screaming, Fire Engine Red. Then the toughest clearcoat I can find.
Oh yeah. I got plans.
Last edited:
I like your plan. It must be in the ethers or something, this attraction to the early Indians and other early motorcycles. In another thread there was a statement recently that in the early years there were some 300 motorcycle companies in the U.S. Besides the usual ones we know the names of like Indian and Harley Davidson, Excelsior... there was Lake, Shaw and Emblem. I would love to see a pictorial catalog of all of them. We should make a repository here on the forum of photos of any we run across for reference and a visit to the candy shop. While I like the board track tribute bikes, what really rings my bells are the bikes people bought and rode for transportation and fun... street and road bikes, cruisers which looked half motorcycle and half bicycle. That's us, after all, so why wouldn't it ring our bells? Like you, my intentions with my Worksman are to make somethings which feels like an early Indian, is in the spirit of. We don't have to go crazy with trying to make them look just like a particular model, but to have the feel and general look of. Can't wait to get mine done and be riding it and I very much look forward to seeing your project progress. On my thread I may be posting too many photos for some people, I don't know. And I certainly don't want to come off as an expert, which I am not, but I want to share the process with photos for those who are doing the same, even sharing my blunders and wrong turns which are part of the process. I would encourage you to take the time as you go to post lots of pictures and explain what you're doing. Someone new to this will thank you and someone not new to this will thank you, too (me). Too many pictures is way better than too few. It kills me when I see one before picture of a rusted frame and then one after of an amazing transformation. I wanna know about what happened in between. We have so much to learn from each other here on the forum. I'll be following your build for sure. Have fun!
SB
SB
I appreciate you interest, SB. I think I can safely say that I've been bitten by the bike-building bug. (Don't tell my wife.)
As far as posting more pics: I will be when I can. Rest assured, they'll trickle in. One thing slowing me down right now is that I have a new little daughter on the way!!!!!!!! So some things get set aside more often than others.
But pretty soon I'll be posting pics of a pile of sanded down bike parts for anybody who wants to see. And I'll do what I can to explain the process, simple though it seems.
I would do sand or media blasting but, for one thing - too rich for my blood, for another - the rust it has is entirely on the surface. No holes, no deep pits. The worst rust pits it has are pin-pricks. So not much hard to do here, just time consuming.
Either way, I'll be in touch here. I'll see if I can show the old Higgins as it evolves into an old-school cruiser.
As far as posting more pics: I will be when I can. Rest assured, they'll trickle in. One thing slowing me down right now is that I have a new little daughter on the way!!!!!!!!
So some things get set aside more often than others.But pretty soon I'll be posting pics of a pile of sanded down bike parts for anybody who wants to see. And I'll do what I can to explain the process, simple though it seems.
I would do sand or media blasting but, for one thing - too rich for my blood, for another - the rust it has is entirely on the surface. No holes, no deep pits. The worst rust pits it has are pin-pricks. So not much hard to do here, just time consuming.
Either way, I'll be in touch here. I'll see if I can show the old Higgins as it evolves into an old-school cruiser.
Excellent! You'll have some friends here kind of looking over your shoulder as you go, cheering you on. There is no one way to do things, no best color, no best seat or handlebars, no best engine. It is your bike, absolutely custom. I love it. Such fun.I appreciate you interest, SB. I think I can safely say that I've been bitten by the bike-building bug. (Don't tell my wife.)
As far as posting more pics: I will be when I can. Rest assured, they'll trickle in. One thing slowing me down right now is that I have a new little daughter on the way!!!!!!!!
But pretty soon I'll be posting pics of a pile of sanded down bike parts for anybody who wants to see. And I'll do what I can to explain the process, simple though it seems.
I would do sand or media blasting but, for one thing - too rich for my blood, for another - the rust it has is entirely on the surface. No holes, no deep pits. The worst rust pits it has are pin-pricks. So not much hard to do here, just time consuming.
Either way, I'll be in touch here. I'll see if I can show the old Higgins as it evolves into an old-school cruiser.
Congratulations on the little one coming. I guess it isn't too soon to start thinking about a trailer or maybe a cool sidecar for little girl to ride in alongside Dad in a few years. Lucky girl!
SB
My friend returned my Dremel recently so, not only will my sanding go a bit faster with the Dremel and the sanding drum attachment, but I took a look at the old BMX handlebars in the corner and had an idea. The following pictures are not the greatest, but they tell a story.
Attachments
I loaded a cutting wheel into the Dremel and made a couple careful, well-planned cuts. Tried the piece o' pipe in the seat tube of the Higgins, and it was nice and snug. I was looking to get a lay-back seatpost. This BMX handlebar is like a rock. The new seatpost goes deeper that it looks. It's a nice fit.
Attachments
I haven't had time to do much work on the Higgins in a while. My wife and I were joined by our fourth child. Catherine Ava Victoria came into the world at 10 pounds 5 ounces and as healthy as any dad could wish for, and even cuter than I could have expected. But I could talk all night about her. Below is how this looks with the comfy Troxel seat mounted on.
Attachments
Allen,
Congratulations on your new daughter's arrival! Babies are the best. I have four kids all grown now and some grandchildren. They'd be even better if they came with mufflers on them. Ha! I have nice memories of walking little ones back to sleep in the middle of the night... humming and singing mindless love songs about how beautiful they were, how glad I was to be their dad. They change fast as you know, so keep your eyes open and watch the show. Congrats to Mrs. Wrench, too... Allen and Ellen Wrench, if I remember right. I think we met at the auto show. Maybe NAPA. Somewhere. I know the name is familiar.
The seat post looks good and I kind of like the interesting photos. They remind me of French impressionist paintings.. Seurat I think, with his pointillism. Wow, I remembered something from artsy class forty some years ago! Pretty good. The Higgins is coming along. Baridco's handlebar seat post idea lives on. I have a shorty BMX type handlebar I was going to toss... but I think I'll keep that... two seat posts are hidden there, waiting to be made.
SB
Congratulations on your new daughter's arrival! Babies are the best. I have four kids all grown now and some grandchildren. They'd be even better if they came with mufflers on them. Ha! I have nice memories of walking little ones back to sleep in the middle of the night... humming and singing mindless love songs about how beautiful they were, how glad I was to be their dad. They change fast as you know, so keep your eyes open and watch the show. Congrats to Mrs. Wrench, too... Allen and Ellen Wrench, if I remember right. I think we met at the auto show. Maybe NAPA. Somewhere. I know the name is familiar.
The seat post looks good and I kind of like the interesting photos. They remind me of French impressionist paintings.. Seurat I think, with his pointillism. Wow, I remembered something from artsy class forty some years ago! Pretty good. The Higgins is coming along. Baridco's handlebar seat post idea lives on. I have a shorty BMX type handlebar I was going to toss... but I think I'll keep that... two seat posts are hidden there, waiting to be made.
SB
Well...I'm back at it. I was out in the shed tonight beginning the early stages of tearing things off the wrecked bike and getting ideas of what all I'd need to start building the new Tempus - reincarnated - onto this old JC Higgins frame.
The final look I'm going for is somewhere between an old Evans Power Cycle and an early teens Indian single. (Yes, I know the pic is an Indian twin. I had a bit of trouble finding a pic of a single, but the screaming red paint - that's my plan.)
The final look I'm going for is somewhere between an old Evans Power Cycle and an early teens Indian single. (Yes, I know the pic is an Indian twin. I had a bit of trouble finding a pic of a single, but the screaming red paint - that's my plan.)
Attachments
Last edited:
Allen Wrench,
Congratulations on the birth of your daughter! Looking at those vintage bike pictures will give you plenty of ideas. It's funny but I always think of old motorcycles as being kind of drab in color. Gray, black, dark green. Then I see a fire engine red Indian and realize they liked bright colors back then, too.
Congratulations on the birth of your daughter! Looking at those vintage bike pictures will give you plenty of ideas. It's funny but I always think of old motorcycles as being kind of drab in color. Gray, black, dark green. Then I see a fire engine red Indian and realize they liked bright colors back then, too.
I've seen many restored, brightly colored vintage motorcycles. I like to think that the restoration to the paint is faithful on most. Look at this bright blue Thor. Ain't it pretty?
Attachments
Allen,
Good to see you're back to work on the Higgens. Using the old motorcycle classics as an inspiration will lead you to something special on your build. Glad you're healing up.
SB
Good to see you're back to work on the Higgens. Using the old motorcycle classics as an inspiration will lead you to something special on your build. Glad you're healing up.
SB
Well, it warmed up a bit for the weekend here. It's up to 12 deg. F outside now. Though I admit that's still pretty cold. But I went out anyway to work on the bike. I find I'll need motor mount spacers front and back, a 36T pedal sprocket, probably wider crank arms, the list grows a little each time.
I'll miss the old black Tempus, too. She was an awesome ride while she was around. But I gave this a lot of thought. I can't justify (to my wife) having more than one MB. So I could either get a new Micargi Huntington and start over, or try out the Higgins frame. I decided I wanted to go as vintage-looking as I could, just for the heck of it. But, still, the original Tempus was a blast.
I'll miss the old black Tempus, too. She was an awesome ride while she was around. But I gave this a lot of thought. I can't justify (to my wife) having more than one MB. So I could either get a new Micargi Huntington and start over, or try out the Higgins frame. I decided I wanted to go as vintage-looking as I could, just for the heck of it. But, still, the original Tempus was a blast.
As I mentioned above, I'm going for as vintage a look as I can manage. I've been pondering whether I can do something about the headlight. You know, build a housing that bears a strong resemblance to some of the later big-lensed carbide headlamps they were using right before electric ones.
Cruising in Wally-world tonight, I passed the bath-stuff section - almost. There on a shelf was a stainless steel toilet brush holder. BUT... here's what I saw: a cheap steel housing with a large flange that would easily hold a plexiglass lens, I'd have to cut the barrel of it down to about 5 inches, and it has a pretty cap that would make a good opening back on the thing. I can build in electric guts and a mount, fabricate a little vent at the top, and it will look for all the world like an old carbide headlamp. And, most importantly, it will look awesome.
So of course, I bought the toilet brush holder. It can sit in the shed next to the softball bat I'm going to turn into a gas tank. Now then, about that Rube Goldberg thread...
Cruising in Wally-world tonight, I passed the bath-stuff section - almost. There on a shelf was a stainless steel toilet brush holder. BUT... here's what I saw: a cheap steel housing with a large flange that would easily hold a plexiglass lens, I'd have to cut the barrel of it down to about 5 inches, and it has a pretty cap that would make a good opening back on the thing. I can build in electric guts and a mount, fabricate a little vent at the top, and it will look for all the world like an old carbide headlamp. And, most importantly, it will look awesome.
So of course, I bought the toilet brush holder. It can sit in the shed next to the softball bat I'm going to turn into a gas tank. Now then, about that Rube Goldberg thread...
Glad to hear you getting around good again Allen! I had not ever thought about using a Baseball bat for a tank lol. That's gonna be interesting to see. I am picturing a nice in frame mount job?