'38 Special ------ Update July 2nd

[mitchelangelo]

this is just a cRazY cool build!! LOOking AweSomE!!!

[Road Master]

this is just a cRazY cool build!! LOOking AweSomE!!!

Thanks alot! Robert

[Peatbog]

There is a lot of cool stuff going on here, but I especially like the oil tank. That is really well made.

[Road Master]

There is a lot of cool stuff going on here, but I especially like the oil tank. That is really well made.

Hi! Glad you like the oil tank - that simply came from not being able to think of any other way to build it with the materials, tools and skill level that I possess. Thanks alot. Robert

[Road Master]

Hi! Here it is finally - my first day of retirement!!! This past 2 months I had a smile on my face that would not go away. This is the start of a new chapter in my life and what better way to celebrate it than by doing something Fun Fun Fun! Yes, building bikes!

I haven't finished the crash grill for my head light yet - I'm looking for a bottle of goo that I know I have stashed somewhere. In the meantime I went ahead and made a spout & cap for the Gas Tank. From my collection of bottles I saved for this buildoff I selected a pill bottle that I thought would look about the right size for this tank. I whittled the bottle down with a utility knife until it fit about like I wanted and glued it on with rubber base cament and then applied an additional bead of cement on the inside of the spout to hold it good. One of the reasons I like rubber base cement is that it holds things in place really well but you can also pull it back off. The down side is you can't paint it like silicone so you have to be careful. The cap was one of those you have to push down and turn to open - both child proof AND adult proof at times. I glued that solid also otherwise it would rattle. I'm going to do a little bondo work on the joint and sand all the lettering off the cap before I paint it. Now it's time to start painting. TBC! Robert

[kingfish254]

Congrats!
And welcome back. I was just about to sick the hungry update ***** on you!!!!

[Ape Stanger]

So cool. I like all the creative fabrication you've done. The filler caps are a nice touch. All of your work on the extra mile bits is making the whole bike cohesive. Nice work.

[Road Master]

So cool. I like all the creative fabrication you've done. The filler caps are a nice touch. All of your work on the extra mile bits is making the whole bike cohesive. Nice work.

Thanks! I've been trying to make this look as close as I can to a real Board Track Racer. I've been watching boardtracker builds for a few years and everybody captures a certain essence of what it was so I'm trying to pull a bunch of those ideas together in one build. I like using this frame because the top bars are so low where they meet the seat tube which puts the saddle lower than usual also. A Zep Frame is even lower at the seat tube. Thanks again for the compliment! Robert

[Circa Cycles]

Finally had a chance to check out builds I've been missing.Up to speed on this one.As usual,you are bringin' it

[Saverio]

Agreed, I'm definitely following this one. Excellent work.

[Circa Cycles]

Agreed, I'm definitely following this one. Excellent work.

Cool Another Denver bike enthusiast Welcome

[Saverio]

Agreed, I'm definitely following this one. Excellent work.

Cool Another Denver bike enthusiast Welcome

Thanks! =)

[Road Master]

I've been painting a bunch of the small parts because there are so many I don't want to end up trying to finish all of them at once. Today I tackled the frame for the first time - had to test out this great "Aircraft Paint Remover" I keep hearing so much about. I found out how many coats of paint were on it - many! And thick - all house paint. The last color was cream, under that was blue, under that was red and finally the original burgundy. The first two pics were after the first coat of A.P.R. that revealed the original color and darts that traveled over half way across the top tube. The last pic was after the second coat of remover and a bunch of scraping. The paint was so thick it wouldn't fall off even with the house water pressure but the Paint Remover Softened it up enough that I was able to scrape all the layers of house paint right down to the original.

Hopefully one more coat will get me there. One thing I found out about this frame that I was extremely pleased with - there are no holes, dents, bends or deep rust pitting on the entire frame. When I first looked at the frame and saw all the bare rust spots I figured I was in for a lot of work to make it look good but I got a feeling a palm sander is all I'm going to need. Hard to believe a frame that is 74 years old is in such great shape. Looks like a few people took care of this one. One other thing I like about working with 1930s frames is since they came with drop stands a lot of the chain stays are not crushed or damaged on the bottom.

We've been hit w/ a heat wave but working in the shade with a nice breeze going constantly makes it more than bearable. I'm not sure of what temp we topped out at today but when I came in the house at about 4 PM my computer said is was 103 - they were calling for 101 and over 100 for the next 2 days. It bakes the finish on real good - I leave the parts sit in the sun for that faux baked finish (I was reading one of the threads yesterday where everyone kept going on & on w/ faux filled quips). Welp - TBC! Robert

[kingfish254]

Nice frame and paint on the other parts!!!
What color for the frame???

[kcjim78]

WOW I just wan to say... I like the way you think