BO15 ‘MeriCruiser

[Toeslider]

I guess I’m back!

Was going to skip this year, but got an idea for a pretty basic Bomber (for now), so I raided the junk pile for a starting point. Expect it to be a red-blooded salute to lethargy, and it’ll probably have at least 1 cup holder.

This is all you get for now:

 

[kingfish254]

Welcome back. I think you're the 77th entry.

 

[Toeslider]

First things first, naturally this bike has chrome hubs and black rims, and I’m really seeing it the other way around, so time to get to buildin’...

Got a set of all black wheels hanging around, and a tasty set of Araya hoops for just such an occasion, so time to do my typical swap trick.

Something about the zen of lacing and trueing wheels tends to ease me into these builds. It’s not too hard to do and makes you feel like you accomplished something.

All trued up and ready to go:

 

[Fv2]

I still have to figure out the wheel building thing.

 

[Toeslider]

I still have to figure out the wheel building thing.

It’s a little tougher when you’re just starting from scratch with a hub and a pile of spokes, but I’ve done a lot of wheels this way when I just want a different rim. You just lay the old wheel on top of the new rim and start transferring spokes one by one. That way you don’t have to worry about cross patterns or anything, as long as the rims are the same diameter and have the same number of spokes. Width isn’t as much of a concern, and that’s usually why I do it, to get a wider rim on a hub.

Trueing a wheel after it is put together isn’t that hard. If it wobbles one way, tighten the spokes on the opposite side. Repeat until straight.

 

[Toeslider]

Here’s a little teaser for tomorrow.

Just because this swingarm is on the back doesn’t mean it ALWAYS has to be on the back, does it? Hmmmm...

 

[horsefarmer]

I'm in the same bucket as Falstaff, and I am just freaked about messing up the spokes. I will try your method as it looks do-able.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

You just lay the old wheel on top of the new rim and start transferring spokes one by one. That way you don’t have to worry about cross patterns or anything, as long as the rims are the same diameter and have the same number of spokes.

To add to that, if you are scared of messing up the x pattern, tape the spokes together where they cross each other. Make it impossible to screw up, and you won't screw up!

 

[Captain Awesome]

Here’s a little teaser for tomorrow.

Just because this swingarm is on the back doesn’t mean it ALWAYS has to be on the back, does it? Hmmmm...


View attachment 121203

You have my interest

 

[Toeslider]

So, from the “here’s an update on why there hasn’t been an update” department (otherwise known as the “I hate this already” department):



The struggle was real trying to get this swingarm apart. Initially I thought it would make good use of my hex wrench set I got for Christmas, but the fitting inside of the pivot point didn’t seem to be any standard size that I had. Good thing I got the metric set too, because none of them fit either. After trying a bunch of them it appeared the fitting was 11/32, but just as I was going to file a 3/8 wrench down I realized it was an optical illusion and the fitting was even bigger than 3/8”.



Found a hex wrench that fit, then discovered I didn’t need one anyway because all the fitting would do was spin in the frame. Turns out the whole thing is pressure fit, and is installed by tightening a bolt on one side into threads in the other side. The trick to getting it out is to remove the bolt, thread it in from the other side, then find a socket that fits the hole and beat the ever-loving snot out of it until it comes out. It’s all sorted now, but knowing how it went in would have helped the removal process.

(Pictures 2 posts below)

 

[Toeslider]

Not sure where I'm going with this, maybe nowhere? Front suspension wasn't part of my original plan, but you know how that goes. Going to need at least one more pivot point. I think I have it figured out, but I need to find a few more parts...

 

[Rat Rod]

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Nice BTDT, Rat Rod.

 

[Toeslider]

Steve was helping me with some posting issues. Neither one of us knows exactly what happened, but it appears to have fixed itself.

Got a couple packages in the mail today:

 

[kingfish254]

Looking forward to seeing more of your fork experiment.

 

[Toeslider]

Got rid of her unnecessities (is that a word? Guess it is now) today, and got her new shoes on. These tires were weird, usually tires are too tight and you have to fight to get them on, these were too loose and I had to go slow inflating them to get the bead to seat even all the way around.

Still want to do a cool front suspension, but my original plan has some flaws in it after transferring from head to paper. Still thinking... BMX fork was my original idea, so it’s a place holder for now.

 

[Rat Rod]

The tires and the shirt look great!

Thanks again for the sale.

 

[Toeslider]

Not much of an update. I’m struggling with my suspension idea, so in the meantime I decided to strip the bike down for paint. The paint is really what got me to jump in with a build this year.

This is the bike that inspired me, specifically the paint. I’ve been riding it around at work, and I was looking at it one day and I got the idea to do one in red white and blue.

Looking around the forum a little, it appears I’m not the first one to have this idea, but I plan to put my own little spin on it.

I have to give Pacific a little credit...these new Schwinn bikes don’t compare to the old Chicago ones, but at least they put the graphics under the paint. Makes my job a little harder, but a nice touch if you’re just buying a bike and leaving it alone.

 

[kingfish254]

@The Renaissance Man did a sweet ratina red white and blue bike (or was it bikes) many years ago.

 

[Toeslider]

Not much of an update, but I finally got the old logos off and the frame prepped for the first stage of paint:

These stickers are just for paint masks, they’re not going to stay on there:

I’ve got some vacation time coming up, so hopefully I’ll make some more progress.

If I do another build off bike I need to make a point of securing parts further in advance. Seems like every time I get a cool idea it either doesn’t exist, or it’s sold out. Still a lot of time in this build but it seems like I always end up changing the order of operations waiting for parts.