Lets see some Truss Rods!
- Thread starter Flying Zombie
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These are CWC trussrods on my Snyder made 1942 V50 Hawthorne. I'm still looking for the right ones.
Flying Zombie
~:Undead Forever:~
DEOR! Whats up my Dude!
Its been a ROCKIN busy time on again, off again..etc..etc..
All my stuff prior to last week is toast too -.-
Im glad I brought this back to get you started on posting the old fashioned way now!
Its been a ROCKIN busy time on again, off again..etc..etc..
All my stuff prior to last week is toast too -.-
Im glad I brought this back to get you started on posting the old fashioned way now!
Been trying to figure a way to "bubba engineer" me a set for my project bike. LOL
Been putting my bubba engineering skills to work today. After many different ideas I hit upon 1/2" copper pipe. Granted it's a lot heavier visually than 5/16" or 3/8" tubing or rods. Kinda gives it more of a springer fork look than truss rods. Top is mounted to the stem with a grounding wire clamp. Got to trim the long bolts and cap them with acorn nuts. Thinking of adding non-functional springs on it, but concerned that may be too dorky! It's already a fake boys bike with a fake tank. Would a fake springer be too much? LOL
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Not the best pic, but it's what I had on my phone. Hawthorn truss rods on my Rollie frame n worksman forks
Trussed Issues? I got'em... Here's a few examples (starting with 20" ones):
And then 24":
26" Welterweight:
26" Middleweights:
And the Ballooners:
Among these are several that are original bikes which would be the yellow '49 Autocycle Tourist, the red & crème '39 DX, Red 24" Tornado, Red Flying Star, and the second B-10. Original paint ones are the 35 Double Diamond frame, '37 C model with the straight rear stays, and the Welterweight (frame).
A couple more to come!
Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere
And then 24":
26" Welterweight:
26" Middleweights:
And the Ballooners:
Among these are several that are original bikes which would be the yellow '49 Autocycle Tourist, the red & crème '39 DX, Red 24" Tornado, Red Flying Star, and the second B-10. Original paint ones are the 35 Double Diamond frame, '37 C model with the straight rear stays, and the Welterweight (frame).
A couple more to come!
Rat Royale
REC Elsewhere
First attempt: too big and loopy
I will be taking another crack at them. They were super easy to make after checking out what some other folks here have done. Top mount is just a standard Schwinn headset piece:
Bottom mounts are battery terminal lugs:
The rods themselves are just fuel/brake line from the auto parts store. At $3.50 for a 5-foot length, I won't feel too bad if I can't salvage these.
I will be taking another crack at them. They were super easy to make after checking out what some other folks here have done. Top mount is just a standard Schwinn headset piece:
Bottom mounts are battery terminal lugs:
The rods themselves are just fuel/brake line from the auto parts store. At $3.50 for a 5-foot length, I won't feel too bad if I can't salvage these.
What diameter tubing? What size battery terminal lugs?
Thanks.
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Tubing is 5/16 OD. I asked for fuel line, what the guy dug out looked like fuel line to me but said "BRAKE LINE" on the little tag. Guess it doesn't matter if yer not using it for either...
Battery lugs have 2 measurements: the size of the stud that they are bolting to and the gauge of the wire they are crimping/soldering to. I needed mine to fit a 3/8 axle, which is a common size stud. The ones I am using, I think, are for 2 gauge wire, and the fit is a little loose on the tubing, but the 4 gauge ones are just a hair too small for the tubing to fit in them. If you either crimp down the tubing a little or ream out the lug, they would probably work.
This is one I bought when I was hunting parts. It is actually stamped 4-3/8 if you look close. Fits perfect on the axle, but the tubing is a little too big for it, plus it's copper colored. I could have made it work, but the next stop had what I needed.
What I actually ended up with was a type that the guy at the battery store said they don't use anymore, so he gave me the two of them for a dollar. The stud holes were originally too small, but he had a drill/reamer there that he used to drill them out for me.
Looking online I saw this too. It's called a "flag type" lug and it looked like it would have been perfect if I could get the right size, but I couldn't find them locally and I didn't want to order them online because I couldn't test fit them (and because I'm impatient and I wanted to work on the bike NOW
).
By the way, I spent 15 minutes putzing with the rods and I was able to straighten and re-bend them to more like what I wanted. The first time, I bent them around a 20" rim, which was way too big a radius. This time I bent them around my kids' basketball pole out in the driveway and it was pretty much perfect.
Nice looking struts. Been trying battery lugs and 3/8" tubing and had to enlarge the lugs out with a steel rod and hammer to get them to fit.Tubing is 5/16 OD. I asked for fuel line, what the guy dug out looked like fuel line to me but said "BRAKE LINE" on the little tag. Guess it doesn't matter if yer not using it for either...
Battery lugs have 2 measurements: the size of the stud that they are bolting to and the gauge of the wire they are crimping/soldering to. I needed mine to fit a 3/8 axle, which is a common size stud. The ones I am using, I think, are for 2 gauge wire, and the fit is a little loose on the tubing, but the 4 gauge ones are just a hair too small for the tubing to fit in them. If you either crimp down the tubing a little or ream out the lug, they would probably work.
This is one I bought when I was hunting parts. It is actually stamped 4-3/8 if you look close. Fits perfect on the axle, but the tubing is a little too big for it, plus it's copper colored. I could have made it work, but the next stop had what I needed.
View attachment 99742 View attachment 99743
What I actually ended up with was a type that the guy at the battery store said they don't use anymore, so he gave me the two of them for a dollar. The stud holes were originally too small, but he had a drill/reamer there that he used to drill them out for me.
Looking online I saw this too. It's called a "flag type" lug and it looked like it would have been perfect if I could get the right size, but I couldn't find them locally and I didn't want to order them online because I couldn't test fit them (and because I'm impatient and I wanted to work on the bike NOW
View attachment 99744
By the way, I spent 15 minutes putzing with the rods and I was able to straighten and re-bend them to more like what I wanted. The first time, I bent them around a 20" rim, which was way too big a radius. This time I bent them around my kids' basketball pole out in the driveway and it was pretty much perfect.
View attachment 99745 View attachment 99746 View attachment 99747 View attachment 99748
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Oh, so you've done this kind of stuff already. Sorry for the drawn-out explanation up there... 
Built this truss setup to mimic the rat trap springer originally on the bike. Figured it would be easier to do this than fix the springer. [emoji16]
Chrome plated copper tubing (toilet supply line), copper battery terminals and some aluminum stock.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Chrome plated copper tubing (toilet supply line), copper battery terminals and some aluminum stock.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Last edited:
Wow. That's a nice-looking fix... and definitely much easier than putzing with the springer.
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