My virgin venture into bike building last month was half a desire since I was a kid to build a chopper bike, half a desire to keep a happy home life and make good on a promise to clean up a hidden stash of rusty bikes I rescued from the dump, the other half, yes, there are three halves here in the South... just like I have a fridge full of Coke, wanna Sprite flavored Coke? So third half I was about to mention was born out of the need for something to ride around a rod&kustom car show I was hitting last month with a bud. It's a show held in Austin Texas and I'd spent far too much time and money on a failed '51 F1 project that wasn't going to be done in time for the show so a quick bike build would satisfy my desire to have a unique pair of wheels to cruise at the show. Plus a hot rod chopper bicycle would redeem the cheese factor of rollin up in a rental.
I had a week once the decision to build a bike was made and since I'd tested my marriage vows the previous few months bankrollin my '51 Pick-Up project for the show and knowing I had a stash of old frames I popped off a ridiculous pledge to the misses I wouldn't blow more than a President Jackson on the entire job. The stash of rusty donors hadn't cost a dime, all lifted from the trash though rusted through in a spot or two. As good fortune would have it, I uncovered an old West Coast Chopper at a thrift store for a sawbuck. It was minus it's back wheel which was fine with me since I wanted more the Cruiser feel and so the plan was to make it all fit and look old school Stingray instead of kitsch Hollywood Iron cross sad as I think they did from the rack... and oh yeah do it all in less than five days for under a twenty.
Day One...Cut & Mock
Donor One (26" Cruiser)
Holes Galore
Donor Two
Easy Mock-Up Idea, roll it under and weld it up! Only problem was it ain't-pretty-at-tall.
Mock-Up Idea Two, Hack & Weld something a little more like my 66 Stingray I had as a kid.
The West Coast Chopper frame tubes are large and I wasn't digging the contrast of the smaller rear cruiser tubes so I decided to use the thicker front forks and lower the back by welding on the rear forks.
Wanting to get the back as low as possible I used my Jethro Bodine mathematical mind and calculated a ten degree bend with my high falutin 2000 Expedition tube bender.
Day two
Weld it all up, cutting out some donor cantilever tubes to aesthetically give it the old school Stingray vibe I wanted.
Talking over the phone to my Dad who lives a few states away he told me he had one of my old bikes hanging up in his shed, now I was intrigued, I'd forgot I'd held onto my old Stingray ('66) and hung it up in their shed more than thirty years ago. The wallet had a good feeling about this and it would be a kick to borrow a few of the parts for this build and save the dough.
A midnight run to their house back and on Day Three a quick mock-up later I was welding/grinding/sanding till I finally had her nude and ready.
Ala-nudie
Day Four
She needs a dress for the party but this female dog may I remind has been raised up on a Sawbuck so far and I was work'n hard to keep her that way so she'll have to strut her stuff with whats in the closet... Rattle Can Hot Rod Red Primer
Blood, Sweat, Many Cans of Vernors Ginger Ale and Thousands of Miles later me and my buddy made the show and had a ball! And all for a Sawbuck!
I had a week once the decision to build a bike was made and since I'd tested my marriage vows the previous few months bankrollin my '51 Pick-Up project for the show and knowing I had a stash of old frames I popped off a ridiculous pledge to the misses I wouldn't blow more than a President Jackson on the entire job. The stash of rusty donors hadn't cost a dime, all lifted from the trash though rusted through in a spot or two. As good fortune would have it, I uncovered an old West Coast Chopper at a thrift store for a sawbuck. It was minus it's back wheel which was fine with me since I wanted more the Cruiser feel and so the plan was to make it all fit and look old school Stingray instead of kitsch Hollywood Iron cross sad as I think they did from the rack... and oh yeah do it all in less than five days for under a twenty.
Day One...Cut & Mock
Donor One (26" Cruiser)
Holes Galore
Donor Two
Easy Mock-Up Idea, roll it under and weld it up! Only problem was it ain't-pretty-at-tall.
Mock-Up Idea Two, Hack & Weld something a little more like my 66 Stingray I had as a kid.
The West Coast Chopper frame tubes are large and I wasn't digging the contrast of the smaller rear cruiser tubes so I decided to use the thicker front forks and lower the back by welding on the rear forks.
Wanting to get the back as low as possible I used my Jethro Bodine mathematical mind and calculated a ten degree bend with my high falutin 2000 Expedition tube bender.
Day two
Weld it all up, cutting out some donor cantilever tubes to aesthetically give it the old school Stingray vibe I wanted.
Talking over the phone to my Dad who lives a few states away he told me he had one of my old bikes hanging up in his shed, now I was intrigued, I'd forgot I'd held onto my old Stingray ('66) and hung it up in their shed more than thirty years ago. The wallet had a good feeling about this and it would be a kick to borrow a few of the parts for this build and save the dough.
A midnight run to their house back and on Day Three a quick mock-up later I was welding/grinding/sanding till I finally had her nude and ready.
Ala-nudie
Day Four
She needs a dress for the party but this female dog may I remind has been raised up on a Sawbuck so far and I was work'n hard to keep her that way so she'll have to strut her stuff with whats in the closet... Rattle Can Hot Rod Red Primer
Blood, Sweat, Many Cans of Vernors Ginger Ale and Thousands of Miles later me and my buddy made the show and had a ball! And all for a Sawbuck!
