'53 Bel Airflow Shelby: The 7th Annual OddJob Awards! Pg 22!

[Captain Awesome]

And our humidity hovered between 85 - 100% all day. Just a nasty one.

Welcome to my southern life

 

[KJV]

Yup, idea temp for such job is 70 to 75.
It should be ready for next round : after wekend.

 

[OddJob]

Checked the fleece / resin guard this morning. It's stiffening up a bit, still not fully cured yet. Temps are supposed to slowly come back to normal. Predicted 73 and sunny by Monday. Maybe we'll have a 'Memorial Day Miracle'....

Does that chain guard look long to you, or what?!?

 

[kingfish254]

Does that chain guard look long to you, or what?!?

If it doesn't work out as a chainguard, you can always use it on the halfpipe.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

View attachment 159195

Does that chain guard look long to you, or what?!?

Is BIG DADDY the chain guard's name? Not the first time that has appeared in one of your pictures...

 

[OddJob]

Is BIG DADDY the chain guard's name? Not the first time that has appeared in one of your pictures...

Matti, I made that plaque for my dad in 1968, in 7th grade shop class. He was a big man, in many ways, and he proudly displayed it on his desk till 2012 .

So, thanks for tying that piece in with this 'tribute build'.

 

[OddJob]

The opening weekend of our camp up north is going well. A little lake time, outdoor cooking, and ATV ride into the local watering hole for some live music yesterday afternoon.

We started the day by waking up to a 30° F temp, but full sun gave way to 64° by midday.

Hope your weekend is a good one!
RaT oN~!

 

[tanksalot]

Nice work on the tank. Another good tool for that work is a rubber head mallet, Each side is a different density for smoother work. Sometimes a metal head can leave creases. The broader head helps not leave smaller dimples.
View attachment 156543

I use hammers but I always use a screwdriver backwards to strike on the spots that need attention I prefer wood handle screwdrivers but will use a plastic handle when needed I use this method for fender dents and tank issues. It takes time to have a feel for it so you don’t go to far . You can also use the method backwards in the event you go to far . If you have a rounded fence post cap that is also very helpful as a backing plate.

 

[OddJob]

'53 Bel Airflow Shelby Video Update #5 ..." bottom of the 5th, bass player is loaded, here's the pitch..."

 

[OddJob]

Couple photos from last night's gig. Fun night!

 

[KJV]

I still like the style of the original chain guard. Maybe: airbrushed to resemble the quarter trim on the 53 Bel-Air. Chevrolet..


Like the Bass player is loaded.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

"All right, on to bike related business: I completed the reconstruction of the Back40 deck"

Man, I miss live music

 

[KJV]

this is a 54 but anyway it's kool.

 

[Captain Awesome]

this is a 54 but anyway it's kool.View attachment 159755

If it had steelies and a silver roof it would look like my old mans

 

[OddJob]

In the last video I mentioned the Schwinn Racer bike I had picked off the top of a dumpster pile. I pulled the bars from that bike and mocked them up on the '53 Bel Airflow.

I like how they mimic the 'forward' look of the tank and the Durant springer fork. But the 'reach' part of the bars doesn't reach back very far, especially with my Chop Shop Customz laid back seat post in play.
* Note where the ends of the bars come to, about even with the fridge edge in the photo.

So I grabbed another sundry set of handlebars from the bar rack and performed a little angle grinder surgery on them.

These ends are 5" long, and the O.D. on the two handle bars matched up well. Now I had to find a way to connect them together. After a few thoughts, and a few minutes standing in the aisles of my local Ace Hardware (a common site during RRB BO season) , I found this 3/4" wood dowel that fit nearly perfectly to the I.D. of the handlebars. I applied some Goop adhesive to the inside of the bar and the wood dowel, spread it as thin as I could, and joined the two together.

I like the look of the long pull back bars, and I think once I get my chain guard on there, it will tie in nicely with that long profile as well.
*Note where the end of the bars are now in respect to the fridge in the background.

I will test the glue strength today, and then if it's solid, put on the shifter and grips and take it for a spin before I head to the bike shop.

RaT oN~!

 

[Captain Awesome]

In the last video I mentioned the Schwinn Racer bike I had picked off the top of a dumpster pile. I pulled the bars from that bike and mocked them up on the '53 Bel Airflow.
View attachment 159782

I like how they mimic the 'forward' look of the tank and the Durant springer fork. But the 'reach' part of the bars doesn't reach back very far, especially with my Chop Shop Customz laid back seat post in play.
* Note where the ends of the bars come to, about even with the fridge edge in the photo.

So I grabbed another sundry set of handlebars from the bar rack and performed a little angle grinder surgery on them.

View attachment 159783

View attachment 159784


These ends are 5" long, and the O.D. on the two handle bars matched up well. Now I had to find a way to connect them together. After a few thoughts, and a few minutes standing in the aisles of my local Ace Hardware (a common site during RRB BO season) , I found this 3/4" wood dowel that fit nearly perfectly to the I.D. of the handlebars. I applied some Goop adhesive to the inside of the bar and the wood dowel, spread it as thin as I could, and joined the two together.
View attachment 159785


View attachment 159786

I like the look of the long pull back bars, and I think once I get my chain guard on there, it will tie in nicely with that long profile as well.
*Note where the end of the bars are now in respect to the fridge in the background.

View attachment 159787

View attachment 159788

I will test the glue strength today, and then if it's solid, put on the shifter and grips and take it for a spin before I head to the bike shop.

RaT oN~!

OJ and Ace hardware at it again!!

Nice job on that work around

 

[OddJob]

Thanks Capt! I have seen others do similar extensions on bars, and this was the perfect candidate for that application.

 

[kingfish254]

I like the look of the bars on BelAir. How wide are they tip to tip? They look super comfy.
Nice work on the extensions

 

[OddJob]

Thanks KF! I just went out and measured the long reach bars on the '53, center to center of the bar tips is 25". For comparison, the big rounders I had on there to start are 27". I measured the bars tip to tip on Faded Glory, Old Manse Hawthorne, and Trans-Mig-RaT and they are all 25" as well; so I should be good to go! There is a slight flare out on the Schwinn Racer bars, so when you add 5" of length the bars get significantly wider than your traditional 3 spd style handlebar.

 

[OddJob]

The saddle is under construction, so no test rides today. But I did get the bars and grips / shifter swapped onto the '53 and here are a few photos before the rain drops fell this morning.

Standing in the normal seated position behind the bars, I really like the positioning!