(WBO) Winter/Spring Marriage '48 Murray/ '78 Western Flyer; FINISHED!!!

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Missing Link

Missing Link

Joined
Jul 26, 2011
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San Antonio, TX
So I've already got one bike in this build off, but it's a fairly simple build, I just recently started welding and figured, what the heck I want to cut something up and make something totally different with it, so here we go.
I've got a 24" '78 Western Flyer girl's frame I originally bought for my wife, before she decided she doesn't like the feel of girl's frames and had me build her something different.

I also have a '48 Murray that I bought for the missing X-53 type springer parts I needed for my other build off bike. It has an ice blowout in the top tube about an inch and a half from the head tube and a seized seat post.

So they're getting chopped up and combined into some sort of monstrosity that may end up being cool, or may just be sold for scrap we'll see. As you can tell from the pics I've already started cutting, when the time comes to join these two, I'm taking some influence from deven_science's "Shelgin" build, but I'm going a slightly different direction. I'll be doing this one fast and "ratty" so in the spirit of true "Rat Rods" this one won't be too pretty but what it lacks in flash it'll make up for in panache.
 
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So, after the first few cuts I thought this was the direction it was headed in;

But I may take this route and add a second bottom bracket to the Western Flyer top tube allowing me to run double chain rings, which I think would just look cool;

I've got some fit issues as the post-war Murray is made of much thinner tubing than the girls frame, so the usual, "cut some tubing down the center to make a bung" method will be a bit more complicated and once I fish mouth the top bars on the Murray, I'll have to figure out how to attach them w/out burning through, but this is a rat build and it's gonna get really ratty before it's through. If nothing else, it's a testament on what can be achieved when beer and an angle grinder come together, the jury's still out on that one;)
 
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Had a little time to get a bit more done, I scrounged up a tank and some matching chain rings, and managed to get everything mocked up;

The upside down seat tube will be trimmed and notched to fit into the lower frame tube but aside from that, this is probably what the finished product will look like, with the addition of paint, fenders, etc.
 
I got a bit more done today, got some bungs cut and fit in place, dug up an old Huffy fork I had stripped bare and clear coated a while back, a seat I may or may not use, likewise, a stem and bars and some junk wheels to get the whole thing upright.

With any luck tomorrow will be final fitting and welding. I'm shooting for, start to finish, 1 week, 2 tops and then back to my first build, after all, this one's just something to occupy my hands while I figure out how I want to finish the other one.
 
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So, I'm right on schedule with this one, got the frame welded after work yesterday, not my best work, but not bad considering I've only been welding for 4 months. I got all the welds ground down, and after work today I got the primer, which will also serve as paint shot. I originally had planned on red oxide, but it showed off the flaws in my craftsmanship a bit too well, so after two coats of that, on went the black.

While waiting for the paint to dry I took an old crank that I had cut at one point due to a rust welded pedal and cut the other side off as well, rounded it on a belt sander and welded on the chain ring for the upper bottom bracket. I'll have to grind off the splatter so that it turns but that's something for tomorrow.


I also was able to get these pics in daylight with an actual camera, sorry about the previous low light cell phone pics, hope these do this build a bit more justice.
 
On Fridays I get off work at 2:00, so I had plenty of daylight hours to actually finish this build!!! I'm completely blown away, I set out to do it in a week and I managed to finish a day early. I pulled an alligator upholstered banana seat off a Schwinn Fiesta I built last spring and still haven't managed to sell, pulled some wheels off another project, dug up a Schwinn razor stem and some ridiculous Phat Cycles bars I bought at a swap meet for $2, vintage floor buffer grips, two chains, and some grease. The finished product;





Unfortunately due to chain clearance and the chance to finish this a day earlier than my projected goal, I had to use 26x1.75's on it (they were already on the wheel set) and I decided not to run fenders, aside from that I'm really happy with the end results, even if my welding has a ways to go.
With this finished and my head cleared a bit I'll return to my other build and hopefully do it some justice.
 
Any plans on making a chain guard? I'll bet that would look cool... I can see it in my minds eye.
:crazy:
 

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