The Rustoration Build Off

Barely,
Yeah, roommates are the pits. I had them in military school and college, then three wives. I was looking around in my trailer/humble/home/abode/work place the other day and had to laugh a bit wondering what my Xs would think of my decor. I should write an article for guy magazine on tastefully decorating with motorbicycling stuff. The Xs would be appalled, but I consider it an improvement over their frim frams, do dahs, ceramic leaners, lacey what'sits, and other goil stuff which if moved a millimeter was noticed. Everything had to be just so. And it was almost totally their stuff. This is my stuff... wheels, tools, fenders, gas tanks finished and a couple partly done, a roll of harness leather, a box of elk hide scraps, a complete 39 Elgin in the tiny living room. wiring, light parts and other accessories in just about every possible place. I share the little kitchen dinette with a spare china girl along with her accessories (every girl needs spark and a gas line) and we get along fine. No complaints from the dog either, although she would like to have her bicycle trailer inside for napping in. It suits me having no two legged room mates.
Your project proceeds, Bairdco is riding around on his spiffy Colson, Weekend fun is having fun on an extended weekend, Steve is making his sidecar shine and I'm putzing along on my project. Bitter cold, lots of snow, then rain and ice have dampened progress here, but the sun has made a rare appearance and things are looking up. I'm hoping to get out in the wood shed to do some sanding on the chain guard and front fender which have some bondo (JB Weld) filling in low spots. I have the rear fender mostly pounded out and need to do some silver solder repair work at the front mounting point where the metal is bent/broken/torn. I think I'm going to use a section cut out of a 50 Schwinn donor fender... the same section and see if I can use the Schwinnn part inside (behind) the section needing repair. I'll solder them together if possible and if not then will use either very small bolts and nuts or rivets. That repaired I can fill in low spots with epoxy and proceed. I've put off these fenders and the skirt guards as long as possible, and even made leather grips as a delaying tactic. I like and need comfortable hand grips as I have a partial paralysis in my hands and they tingle like crazy after a long ride if there's much vibration. So, comfortable grips are a continuing quest. I recently bought a set of gel grips on eBay which were a waste of money. I find that Schwinn grips from ten speeds are very comfortable and easy to come by. I took apart the kit throttle, bored out one of the grips a bit with a 3/4" grinding cone and slipped it on there. Then I covered it and the matching grip in black Elk hide, nicely stitched up. They look good and feel good, match the seat and gas tank. Anyway, there are no more delaying things to fool with, so guards and fenders, here I come... (More pictures of the Roll Fast, please.)
SB
 
silverbear said:
As has been suggested elsewhere on this forum, Dupli-Color engine enamel is a really good pain to use both for your engine and for your gas tank. Google the company and you'll see what colors are available. You can buy it at Napa, but you might need to order the color you want. I use this paint for my whole bike. It has ceramic in it and is resistant to gasoline. Of course they also sell the primer. Get the crank loose yet?
SB
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One caveat. Engine enamel, as you pointed out contains ceramic. This makes it an excellent insulator. As an old ACVW wrench, I would never recommend painting a surface such as a cylinder or head with anything that would impede the dissipation of heat. It is, of course,your project. You are the engineer in charge, so feel free to do as you wish. I just thought I would point out what is long known as bad practice in my other hobby. All standard disclaimers in a litigious society apply....and your mileage may vary.
 
*shrug* yeah well... housemates do help keep the rent reasonable lol A friend's mom stopped by to give me a Christmas dinner, which was ossum 'cause I was nommin' some stale potato chips at the time - and was flat-out horrified at the scattered tools, bike parts and assorted bits all o'er the place. I think it was the engine on the bed that did it...

Well... It was a safe place and it's clean so WTF? :p

I too have been somewhat procrastinating in the fenders lol, I did do a lil soldering to two small tears in the steel, but I'm just havin' a hard time gettin' around to them heh It's good in many ways you've not gotten to the sanding - by "putting off" that task you've spent time makin' "accessories" that you may not have otherwise. Retasking in that way keeps me from havin' an aneurysm when other things don't work out as planned or get tedious, like when I dressed and painted the HT cylinder 'cause I didn't feel like tinkerin' the bike ;)

Yer gonna hafta wait on pics... the Rollfast is still in a zillion pieces from painting the frame. I was hoping to get it back together today but I had a clever plan that turned out to be not so clever after all lol, but I gotta say - where's yer pics then eh? EH? laff
 
Here are some update photos. First two are of the grips. Kit throttle was stripped of the stinky rubber so that it was down to the plastic throttle tube. Hand grips are from an older multi speed Schwinn, covered in elk hide. The grip used to cover the throttle was bored out a bit with a cone shaped grinder drill attachment to accomodate the throttle tube. They feel good and the price is right!
Next photos are of the 39 elgin front fender with JB weld spread over low spots real and imagined. Last photo is of it sanded down for the first time. Some of the low spots need more fill, so it will get sanded again in those spots later, then primed... then I go, uhoh... that doesn't look so good and try to fix what is still wrong. Then I stop squinting and pretend I'm doing work for the government and say, "good enough". Also pictured is the pedal chain guard from the Elgin and (might as well do it at the same time) the 1950 "feather" chain guard for a 1950 Schwinn panther/hornet/motorbike straight bar waiting for a few finishing touches back home in Minnesota, like say wheels and an engine.
SB
 

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Below is a photo of the attachment end of the elgin rear fender. Second picture shows the 50 Schwinn donor rear fender. Third picture is a close shot of the damaged portion of the elgin fender and fourth shows the inside of the Schwinn fender. I intend to cut off the end of the donor fender, trim it do some and fit it to the inside of the elgin fender. Notice how the Schwinn fender has a reinforcement piece of steel at the spot where the elgin is damaged. Good idea. I intend to join the two pieces together with silver solder, magic dust, or rivets or bolts. I'll know how I should have done this when I'm done. Ha. That's how we learn. I have removed the fender stays and one will replace a mangled one on the elgin
SB.
 

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silverbear said:
Below is a photo of the attachment end of the elgin rear fender. Second picture shows the 50 Schwinn donor rear fender. Third picture is a close shot of the damaged portion of the elgin fender and fourth shows the inside of the Schwinn fender. I intend to cut off the end of the donor fender, trim it do some and fit it to the inside of the elgin fender. Notice how the Schwinn fender has a reinforcement piece of steel at the spot where the elgin is damaged. Good idea. Overall the elgin fender is heavier gauge metal, but is obviously weak at that damaged point. I intend to join the two pieces together with silver solder, magic dust, or rivets or bolts. I'll know how I should have done this when I'm done. Ha. That's how we learn. I have removed the fender stays and one will replace a mangled stay on the elgin.
SB.
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The fourth photo didn't load or something, so here it is. This is the Schwinn fender.
 

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a quick and dirty fix for the broken off fender tab:

JB weld a washer on the inside, over the cracked surface. then you can fill in the outside so the crack's not visible. it gets rid of the slotted action on the fender, but i usually have mine bolted as close to the fender as possible, so the slots useless to me. usually makes the fender fit snug-er to the tire anyway.

might save you a lot of work.

that works for rear carrier racks, too. those tabs always get eaten by the seat clamp bolt.
 
Sitting here over a glass of Baileys Irish Cream trying to figure out if I should do the interior of the side car in one of the brown cow hides I brought back from NY or to go with the nagahyde.

Silver Bear has raised the stakes to a whole new level with Elk hide and to keep up my end is a quandry. Think it's going to be the nagahyde due to the wear and tear plus the weather.

Will have photos of the side car towards the end of the week when it is completed. Coming out very nice and I have found a whole new idea for one that is a real challenge.

I'm thinking side car wardrobe. One for every reason and a couple just because.

Steve.
 
lazieboy,
That's a nice bike you've got there. Very sharp paint job... how's it ride? Where are you in Minnesota? Ever get up to the Boundary Waters? I'm near Ely. Bring your fishing rod, and bring your bike. I live at Eagles Nest Lakes at the edge of Bearhead State Park... great riding there. I'm thinking about trying to put a ride together sometime next summer.
SB
 
bairdco said:
a quick and dirty fix for the broken off fender tab:

JB weld a washer on the inside, over the cracked surface. then you can fill in the outside so the crack's not visible. it gets rid of the slotted action on the fender, but i usually have mine bolted as close to the fender as possible, so the slots useless to me. usually makes the fender fit snug-er to the tire anyway.

might save you a lot of work.

that works for rear carrier racks, too. those tabs always get eaten by the seat clamp bolt.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a quick and easy fix, but it is too late as the deed is done. Pictures later, but I cut off the back six inches or so of the donor fender with the dremel cut off wheel (love that thing) and trimmed it down so that it set well inside the Elgin fender. I followed a suggestion from Rockenstein to drill holes in the donor section to give more points of contact for the silver solder. So I drilled holes after putting the target areas on both fenders under the wire wheel to clean everything to shiney bare metal. I held the donor piece in place with vice grips and soldered it up. It worked very well and is now solid, so once again I thank Rockenstein for his expertise and encouragement. When others said I should dump the fenders, he said I could fix them. And he was right. I also have him to thank for my V8 gas tank... his original Apple Juice gas tank was a great idea. So, the soldering repair work I put off for so long is done and wasn't such a big deal. If I can do this, anybody can. Bairdco, I like your fix idea and will remember it. JB Weld is great stuff.
So, I'm inspired and will keep at those fenders, filling low spots and sanding as I can fit it in over the next week or so. I really want to see them on that bike... and the skirts as the final touch. Then it's done, all dressed up and no place to go until winter lets up some.
SB
 
fasteddy said:
Sitting here over a glass of Baileys Irish Cream trying to figure out if I should do the interior of the side car in one of the brown cow hides I brought back from NY or to go with the nagahyde.

Silver Bear has raised the stakes to a whole new level with Elk hide and to keep up my end is a quandry. Think it's going to be the nagahyde due to the wear and tear plus the weather.

Will have photos of the side car towards the end of the week when it is completed. Coming out very nice and I have found a whole new idea for one that is a real challenge.

I'm thinking side car wardrobe. One for every reason and a couple just because.

Steve.
Click to expand...
Well, that's why you need a convertible top, so your leather upholstery is protected from sudden rain showers. Or snow. Is there a little bar planned in the side car? A Place for the Irish Cream and drinking horns or silver sippy cups? This sounds like a ride for a distinguished gentleman. Well, it is a Monarch with attendant sidecar, after all, so I guess it deserves royal treatment. It's gonna be a classy ride, for sure. You'll need a leather helmet and goggles, maybe a long coat... scarf and all. Can't wait for the pictures.
SB
 
Bairdco, were did you get that seat from the thread "great finds" or whatever???

I am trying to find a new seat for my bike, but am having no luck lol
 
i got that seat off ebay. i basically lucked out. a new Brooks saddle goes for around $130 to $300 depending on style, and used ones in good shape go for $60+. the one i found was coming from the netherlands, and shipping was 25 bucks, so it was $26.25 total.

it's a B66S. it's a ladies cruiser seat, so it's fatter than the B66. it's smaller than a regular fat cruiser seat, but it's super comfortable. most comfortable seat i've ever owned.

when you first get one (especially vintage, dried out ones) they seem really hard, but they break in after awhile. i used "neatsfoot" oil on it, the same stuff for softening baseball gloves. it darkened the leather quite a bit, but i don't care about that, and it really softened it up.

if you do find a seat like mine, i suggest getting a cable lock, and running it through the seat springs, too. people that know what they're worth like to steal them. and by taking your seatpost off, it takes two seconds. then, not only are you out a seat, but you've got a very uncomfortable ride home.
 
bairdco said:
i got that seat off ebay. i basically lucked out. a new Brooks saddle goes for around $130 to $300 depending on style, and used ones in good shape go for $60+. the one i found was coming from the netherlands, and shipping was 25 bucks, so it was $26.25 total.

it's a B66S. it's a ladies cruiser seat, so it's fatter than the B66. it's smaller than a regular fat cruiser seat, but it's super comfortable. most comfortable seat i've ever owned.

when you first get one (especially vintage, dried out ones) they seem really hard, but they break in after awhile. i used "neatsfoot" oil on it, the same stuff for softening baseball gloves. it darkened the leather quite a bit, but i don't care about that, and it really softened it up.

if you do find a seat like mine, i suggest getting a cable lock, and running it through the seat springs, too. people that know what they're worth like to steal them. and by taking your seatpost off, it takes two seconds. then, not only are you out a seat, but you've got a very uncomfortable ride home.
Click to expand...

Thanks and yes that would me quite uncomfortable if it got stolen :D
 
V.V

I should be ashamed... but I'm not lol - I just hadta take the Rollfast out for a pedal under the pretext of findin' some "solutions" to a coupla lil problems by bringin' it to work (that and it was a really nice day heh). It's FAR from finished, there's 'bout a million things I still need do - not least of which the tank... but as a bicycle it's back to operable again, 'cept rear brakes which I still need to make a bracket for.

Even without a seat cover (or any padding on the steel for that matter) it's the epitome of comfort, the Sturmey Archer 3 speed shifts beautifully, the brakes work great (at least the front one does lol), the springer is everything I'd hoped, and the bike just glides along forever.

Takin' it out for a pedal turned out to be a far wiser thing than I'd thought, my determination renewed - I was reminded why I like this bike ;)

IMG_0346resized.jpg


...but as you can see - there are more than a few problems still :p
 
Silver Bear, I am going to add a small cover over the wind shield and seating area. Still kicking the leather idea around.
I lived in Johnstown/Gloversville NY for eight years and at one time it was a center for the leather industry. I drove by the factory that at one time produced all the hides used to cover the base balls made around the world.

There were still a few tannerys and leather mills in business but most went over seas.

Bought all the leather I got fron the auction that I worked at. People saw me buy it and offered me more.

Hadn't thought about a small bar but I believe it could be arranged. Perhaps velvet lined with indirect lighting. Drinking horns? What a grand touch. I would never have thought of it. Thank you.

Long coat,scarf,leather helmet with goggles? Shall most certainly be looked into.
Thank you.

Steve.
 
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