Those bars look great with the extensions. I have a Shelf full of those handlebars. 
'53 Bel Airflow Shelby: The 7th Annual OddJob Awards! Pg 22!
- Thread starter OddJob
- Start date
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That is a good width. I find that 25-27" are a sweet spot for comfortable cruiser bars.
It's Thursday, so that means ol' OJ is out in the BACK40 clubhouse holding court.
Today's project is upholstery. I have a couple large faux leather pieces in my queue and this tan / beige piece should be just right for my '53 Bel Airflow ' interior'.
I have half of my second old school camping sleeping pad left, and that makes a superb cushion for the pedal pushin'. I use 3M Super 77 Adhesive to adhere the pad to the pan, and then the cover to the pad. I use some 3M 240 grit sandpaper on a soft sanding sponge to round the edge of the pad so it has a better contour. Clamp small areas at a time after applying said spray adhesive.
I pulled the seat rail off the woman's Troxel saddle that I had in my stash, as the men's seat had the holes already pre-drilled to accept that rail. I just made a quick trip to Ace Hardware for the two bolts, washers, and nuts; and while I was there I grabbed a sealer for my new old deck boards on the back deck.
I'll let the pictures do the rest...
RaT oN~!
Today's project is upholstery. I have a couple large faux leather pieces in my queue and this tan / beige piece should be just right for my '53 Bel Airflow ' interior'.
I have half of my second old school camping sleeping pad left, and that makes a superb cushion for the pedal pushin'. I use 3M Super 77 Adhesive to adhere the pad to the pan, and then the cover to the pad. I use some 3M 240 grit sandpaper on a soft sanding sponge to round the edge of the pad so it has a better contour. Clamp small areas at a time after applying said spray adhesive.
I pulled the seat rail off the woman's Troxel saddle that I had in my stash, as the men's seat had the holes already pre-drilled to accept that rail. I just made a quick trip to Ace Hardware for the two bolts, washers, and nuts; and while I was there I grabbed a sealer for my new old deck boards on the back deck.
I'll let the pictures do the rest...
RaT oN~!
Seat came out nice.
I like the faux paint shadow the crash rail causes on the fender.
I like the faux paint shadow the crash rail causes on the fender.
OddJob wouldn't, woody?
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
OddJob, you are definitely listening to the bike, it wants that guard. You are on to something, the way it's length and the curve at the top go with the extended bars. The videos are great too, I rarely watch vids, but never miss yours.
Thanks man! Yeah, another image that keeps popping into my mind is "worn look". Like a bike that has been fairly well kept, but ridden, and wears the years well.
So, whatever that means.
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Here is some more BelAir inspiration. This was posted by a local hot rod friend.
Yesterday I exercised my 'freedom to piece-ful disassembly'. 
The '53 Bel Airflow is all taken apart now, and ready for whatever prep I need to do for the 'finish' on the frame, fork , cranks, bars, tank, fenders, etc. After all, it is June now, and I'm usually well on my way a decisive end to my build. Not this year.
I'm still vacillating between the overall look of the bike. Honestly, before the brainstorm of my dad's '53 and that photo that I had in my Family Photo file, I had first thought of a 'dark and dirty', kind of sinister looking build. Then, when I came to the realization of my '53 and Dad's '53 having the same birth year, I thought 'shiny and chrome-y' was the way to go. Now I'm somewhere in between. I know for sure that it won't be showroom shiny, this is not a complete restoration, more of a RaTs-toration.
Nonetheless, I am going to work on removing the big chunks of rust and paint from the frame and fork, and see if any plan 'reveals itself' underneath.
The '53 Bel Airflow is all taken apart now, and ready for whatever prep I need to do for the 'finish' on the frame, fork , cranks, bars, tank, fenders, etc. After all, it is June now, and I'm usually well on my way a decisive end to my build. Not this year.
I'm still vacillating between the overall look of the bike. Honestly, before the brainstorm of my dad's '53 and that photo that I had in my Family Photo file, I had first thought of a 'dark and dirty', kind of sinister looking build. Then, when I came to the realization of my '53 and Dad's '53 having the same birth year, I thought 'shiny and chrome-y' was the way to go. Now I'm somewhere in between. I know for sure that it won't be showroom shiny, this is not a complete restoration, more of a RaTs-toration.
Nonetheless, I am going to work on removing the big chunks of rust and paint from the frame and fork, and see if any plan 'reveals itself' underneath.
Time to get to the bottom of this.....
Since my dad was a house painter for 20+ years after he "retired", I always knew that tool as a 3-in-1. You'll never see a painter without one . It's crazy that marketing has gotten them up to 14 or even 19-in-1's. I'll stick to calling it a 3-in-1. It's a must have tool for any home improvement dude and an awesome multi-use tool for any RRBer too.
That crescent gap that you are using to scrape with is meant to push the paint out of a roller when cleaning it. The flat side just past it is the best tool for quickly going around a paint can lid and opening it.
That crescent gap that you are using to scrape with is meant to push the paint out of a roller when cleaning it. The flat side just past it is the best tool for quickly going around a paint can lid and opening it.
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Paint removal is going well. There's def signs of brazing on this frame, and the BB is a lugged connection for the down and seat tubes, and the chain stays.
I knew the blue paint on the fenders was house paint, and that there was a cream color underneath. I didn't know there was a bright green right under the light blue, and a dark blue besides. The original was cream with a red pinstripe on the edge yhat went into a dart on the fender tip.
I knew the blue paint on the fenders was house paint, and that there was a cream color underneath. I didn't know there was a bright green right under the light blue, and a dark blue besides. The original was cream with a red pinstripe on the edge yhat went into a dart on the fender tip.
MattiThundrrr
Rattus All Terrainus
Kingfish beat me to it, that's a painter's tool. OJ, yours must be a newer evolution than mine, think mine is only 11 in 1.
