twice as nice (last update before the deadline)

[theVULTURE]

had this huffy tandem donated to me, and the wife was pretty excited about it too. i saw some chopped down tandem turned burritos on this site and was getting ready to go that route, but my wife convinced me to keep it a tandem for the two of us, and if we can't stay upright on it once it's built, then chop away. :mrgreen:
i'll paint everything i can, there'll be a few wood pannels, 12 volt lights and kaooga horn...... you know, a little this and that untill i get this reaction at the park ---> :shock:
it's my first build on the site!
oh, and thanks for the reminder e-mail too 8)

 

[blackphantom]

Re: twice as nice

Huffy builders unite :!:

Best wishes on your RRBBO4 build.

 

[xddorox]

Re: twice as nice

Good luck on your first build. I don't think I've seen a tandem done in a build off before, very cool.

 

[JoeyMac]

Re: twice as nice

Awesome to see a tandem in the build-off! Can't wait to see this done.

 

[olschbp]

Re: twice as nice

this is great, tandem, trike, english, all differant kinds of bikes, glad you jumped in with a tandem, will be watching this

 

[Wildcat]

Re: twice as nice

Good luck on your build. I see the back seat rider has a brake also.

My wife can't balance a bike by herself, but we never had a problem staying up when we rode our walmart tandem a couple years ago. She was the stoker of course, but I would catch her with her feet up. The only downside was shifting gears, she would lose her footing most of the time. That's why I decided to go single speed with our tandem, and Florida is mostly flat anyway.

 

[karfer67]

Re: twice as nice

wonder if that counts as a ladie's bike? outlaw should be happy :lol:

 

[OUTLAW]

Re: twice as nice

yep, thats a Lady's bike, cause a Lady will be riding on it. i think the capt better wear a long wig.lol

Outlaw

 

[ej599]

Re: twice as nice

Cool! My wife and I have a tandem. It's not a ladies bike, it's a love machine!

 

[Wildcat]

Re: twice as nice

Looks like they never used the chain tensioner, it's not hooked up.

 

[theVULTURE]

Re: twice as nice (06-29 update)

okay, well, sanding a tandem isn't as fun as i had thought :shock: but i did get the frame, fenders, rims and rear rack (blackburn) sanded and painted. pretty pleased with the gloss red on the wheels and the gloss white rear rack. the rack will be all but hidden after i attach all the other accesories back there. i just figured the white and red gloss finish was always my favorite compliment to the flat black. (okay, that's ONE of my favorite combos)

and, while sanding the fenders and seeing that HUFFY actually took the time to hand paint the white stripes on the fenders, i kinda liked how the fenders looked scuffed down and dull. sanded through some of the stripes to the red paint, and sanded through some of the red paint to the metal...... i don't know, i guess i can always paint it later if i change my mind.... :?

this is a bit of a mock-up. it will be some work to get it done by the deadline, but i sure am having a blast!
i'm having a GREAT time joining in this build-off and i'm humbled by the talent that cruises this web site.
i'll post more pics as soon as i make more progress! i'm still in this!!

 

[theVULTURE]

Re: twice as nice (06-29 update)

it's been a week and i found some nice short bmx style brake levers. found a pair of tall bars for the front, and not quite as tall for the back. and picked up a pair of matching wide saddles. had to re-drill the bolt hole for the front seat so the springs would clear the bars. looking for a bmx stem in the parts yard to clamp down on the front apes (don't want to use one of those shimms) it's about 1/3 done. gotta get moving!
thinking about hunting down some white brake cable housing for the three brake cables, and maybe red for the shifter cable.... :?

 

[OUTLAW]

Re: twice as nice (new pic 07-03)

that is one sweet Lady's rat tandem. nice.

Outlaw

 

[theVULTURE]

Re: twice as nice (new pic 07-03)

got the chain guard disks painted, and the sprockets and chains installed with some old school pedals i robbed from some low-riders in back. chains needed extra links to work properly. (what a puzzle! :roll: )

found some scrap tin at work in the trash. this should be what i need to construct the cooler, the front rack, and the board caddy.
hope i can snip this stuff and prep it without loosing a diget! :wink:

bent up a piece of threaded rod and set it in the shifter thumb lever with some epoxy. seems pretty sturdy, should hold up fine if i use a lightweight shifter knob. (no pineapple grenades.... )

my parents' attic yielded this pair of sweet throw-back wall utensils! i'm gonna hack the handles off and use one for hood ornament or possibly a shift knob. (yea..... i got some Phillipino blood in me, just not enough to know how to spell it :lol: )

went to visit my in-laws last weekend and found these old rusted headlights in the shed!
they were off of my brother in laws' sand rail..... sitting on a shelf next to his old FreeAgent (with all the fixin's!!!!) and i'll be bringing that home next trip to the bay-area!

still plugging along.... might not make the deadline, but i'm having a blast tryin'!
no races this weekend, so i'll have a solid 2 days to work!

 

[karfer67]

Re: twice as nice (new pic 07-03)

wow those lines you laid down on the sprocket are impressive i know how hard those are to pull off

 

[theVULTURE]

Re: twice as nice (new pic 07-03)

wow those lines you laid down on the sprocket are impressive i know how hard those are to pull off

coming from you, that's a HUGE compliment. thanks! :mrgreen:
should have seen me try to walk slowly backwards in a circle...... barely pulled it off... guess why there's only one in the picture? the better one :wink:
your build is looking sweet! see ya around town.

 

[BlsdEsq]

Re: twice as nice (new pics July 15th)

Really diggin this build!!! I can't wait to see it finished!

 

[theVULTURE]

Re: twice as nice (new pics July 15th)

today i cut out the wood panels for the frame. picked up some flex straps at the hardware store. and more importantly, i learned something new......
cut and sand the wood. then sponge on some natural stain. then hang in the back yard and seal.......
i used the sealer in the spray can (why not?).... it was 108deg in the backyard :shock: with a slight breeze....
it was dry before i could re-cap the can :shock: well, the pieces were ready to handle allot sooner than the can said :wink:
got them put on the bike, and had time to move on to the cooler project.

started the cooler.... it will hang off the rear/chain side of the bike rack. the bottom will hold a 12volt 32amp-hour battery, and then have a cooler just above the battery. the ice in the cooler will hide the battery.
was thinking about adding more wood to box in the framework of the cooler, but now i'm leaning toward a red "skin" with a white bottom so it will look like the old cooler my parents used to lug around on the weekends

 

[theVULTURE]

Re: twice as nice (new pics July 18th)

did some striping, and rounded up all the electrical pieces.

found these cool little lights in Reno @ HotAugustNights about 13 years ago :shock: had them tucked away until now. two red, and two purple. one of the purple lights didn't make it, and i know i'll never find another light bulb to match so i'll just use one in the front as a marker light.

and now....... amature hour :?

it's gonna be close, but i think i'm gonna make the deadline!!! (fingers crossed)

 

[theVULTURE]

Re: twice as nice (new pics July 18th)

also making a caddy to hold one of my old skate-boards in the rear of the bike (opposite the cooler/battery box)