Abner DONE!

[LukeTheJoker]

In other news, this little jewel found its way to me this weekend.

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More distractions.

MBBO entry confirmed?

 

[The Renaissance Man]

MBBO entry confirmed?

Probably not a bad idea. Otherwise I'm not sure how I'm going to move it ahead of so many other projects.

I'm really excited about getting it going but then don't we all get that way when we stumble into the next cool find! lol

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I spent a little more time on the front fender. The braces were everything but strait when I removed them from the fender. (I forgot to take a before picture).

After a little persuasion with the bench vice and some fastidious coercion (thanks google synonyms), they are ready to be reunited with the fender!

 

[Jude Ephesus]

Back to the fork and fender.

The large center hole in the fender is there so that it doesn't interfere with the shock bolt on the fork. After I removed the extra washer from the fender and started to put it on the fork to test it, I noticed that the fork also had another inapt washer placed there by its previous owner.
View attachment 232463

After some research I learned that not only is there not supposed to be a washer there at all, but also there is supposed to be a specific type of nut used (see figure 3).
View attachment 232467

I will probably try to make a correct replacement nut at some point, but for now I drilled out a smaller washer that fits just inside of the cove shaped hole for the flat castle nut to rest on.
View attachment 232470

Now there is no interference between the fender and shock bolt.
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Great find! -did you do a patent search to get that detail? Reall good.

 

[ingola]

In other news, this little jewel found its way to me this weekend.

View attachment 232537
View attachment 232538

More distractions.

@Ingolajr. Check that out

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Great find! -did you do a patent search to get that detail? Reall good.

I did the next best thing and did a google search.

There are lots of cool old patents out there and I love the drawings! I did this one for my Skylark Convertible just for fun back when I was building the Blackbird a few years ago.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

I did the next best thing and did a google search.

There are lots of cool old patents out there and I love the drawings! I did this one for my Skylark Convertible just for fun back when I was building the Blackbird a few years ago.

View attachment 233059

Super cool. I love your product catalog….. one of these days I’ll buy something from you! I just haven’t hit the right bike.

 

[OddJob]

Super cool. I love your product catalog….. one of these days I’ll buy something from you! I just haven’t hit the right bike.

It's a fun challenge Jude. The custom TRM parts are really solid, well built and designed. I used a 'Convertible Tank' on my Spaceliner girl's bike (girl's bikes are the best candidates for these!) for my One-Liner build in BO 11 back in 2016. I highly encourage you to do it!

And now back to Jim's regularly scheduled programming....

 

[Jude Ephesus]

It's a fun challenge Jude. The custom TRM parts are really solid, well built and designed. I used a 'Convertible Tank' on my Spaceliner girl's bike (girl's bikes are the best candidates for these!) for my One-Liner build in BO 11 back in 2016. I highly encourage you to do it!

View attachment 233153View attachment 233154View attachment 233155

And now back to Jim's regularly scheduled programming....

Epic! Those flames on the one bike are over the top! ‘One of these days……’. The list keeps getting longer!!!!!

were the flames a mask job or template? one pic looks like a mechanical adder, the other looks like ghost flames.

 

[OddJob]

Epic! Those flames on the one bike are over the top! ‘One of these days……’. The list keeps getting longer!!!!!

were the flames a mask job or template? one pic looks like a mechanical adder, the other looks like ghost flames.

I made a template from a flames sticker I had, traced onto heavier paper. The I cut outthe openings where I wanted the paint to spray through, sprayed a light mist over the template. I did it in one pass, didn't want too much.

OddJob Rule #1 on paint tech: "Always quit before you think you are done."

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I was hoping to have the tank molds back this weekend but they're not quite ready yet. He got them gel coated & laid one layer of glass so far and should be able to finish building them up sometime early next week.

 

[Funkme]

Fiber glassing = time...
But you have yours all sorted...
I have a few little repairs to do. Dreading it.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Fiber glassing = time...
But you have yours all sorted...
I have a few little repairs to do. Dreading it.

If by sorted you mean having it done at a professional shop, then yes it is. The only glass work that I do is attaching brackets and small things like that.

I'm lucky that I'm friends with a company that not only manufactures world class Cobra kit cars, but also makes fiberglass car parts for Corvettes and other street rod parts sold through Summit Racing. To put it in perspective, they regularly buy resin and acetone in 55 gallon drums, gel coat in 5 gallon buckets and fiberglass cloth in 100' rolls. My line of bicycle parts are just a novelty in their world.

That's a Cobra body mold it the background.

 

[Fv2]

If by sorted you mean having it done at a professional shop, then yes it is. The only glass work that I do is attaching brackets and small things like that.

I'm lucky that I'm friends with a company that not only manufactures world class Cobra kit cars, but also makes fiberglass car parts for Corvettes and other street rod parts sold through Summit Racing. To put it in perspective, they regularly buy resin and acetone in 55 gallon drums, gel coat in 5 gallon buckets and fiberglass cloth in 100' rolls. My line of bicycle parts are just a novelty in their world.

View attachment 233329

That's a Cobra body mold it the background.

I'm pretty sure I want to visit that shop.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I've been looking for this for a while! Patience pays off.

 

[ingola]

I've been looking for this for a while! Patience pays off.

View attachment 233551

I get them off dutch bikes often attached to the rack. Great kick stands

 

[kingfish254]

It's always cool to see the process steps that the fiberglass people have to go through to make the molds for your tank line. Glad to see you expanding your Shelby parts. They did some of the coolest "out there" stuff with their bikes back in the day. Even the Shockease fork. I have to admit, part of the draw to old springers is how cool they look. The Shelby Shockease contradicts their normal outlandish designs. It truly doesn't look any different from a normal truss fork, but all of it's outlandish coolness is the hidden engineering with the steertube. Brilliant.

Looking forward to your Daisy Mae tank to go along with the Lil Abner next year.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

OK, this will be more of a 'how to' post than a progress report although it is both. If you have a Shock-Ease fork this may be of interest to you.


First locate part #20 in the patent drawing to see the rubber bushing.

After looking at the drawing it appears that the bushing is a basic cylinder shape or 'thick washer'. So today I visited my favorite auto parts store with fork in hand to see what I could find.

SIDE NOTE:
I have to point out that this parts store is locally owned and operated by an almost 80 year old man who spent his early years heavily involved with the local drag racing scene. I always patronize his store when I can without regard for 'a better price' at any of the chain stores. You simply cannot replace his years of knowledge. I get frustrated by unqualified counter jockeys at chain stores asking irrelevant questions like "what color is the interior?" when all I want is a distributer cap for my truck (but I digress). I hope that some of you are as lucky as I am to still have an actual owner operated Auto Parts Store or any local service store to visit. Like the old time bike shops, they are a dying breed.

Anyway, After I had asked to see a rubber freeze plug Hugh (the owner) was able to match up in his mind that an engine mount bushing for a 1955 through 1957 Chevy looked like a possible fit. The freeze plug did look just right except for the thickness, but after he walked to the shelf in the back and reemerged with the GM bushing in hand (that also looked like a good fit but for half the price), I handed over the three dollars and change and was on my way!

The only issue was with the thickness of the bushing. I'm sure that somewhere in the world there is a perfect fit sitting on a shelf but for now this would do. Hugh suggested splitting it in half with a band saw and steel mesh gloves but my own wheels began to turn and this is how I approached it:

I first stacked some washers in the space for the bushing on the fork to gauge how thick the bushing should be. Then I marked it on the bushing and pushed a carriage bolt through the center. The square part of the bolt was larger than the hole which gripped the rubber when it was forced in. I then chucked the bolt in my drill press.

Next I took a hack-saw blade and taped it down to two blocks of wood to make it level and placed the blocks on the drill table. The table was then cranked up to the point where the saw blade lined up with the cut line marks.

Stopping several times to add oil to the blade, I slowly pushed the blade against the bushing as it was spinning in the drill press. When it hit the bolt I stopped and ended up with the desired thickness!

When I got the fork, someone in the past had stuck an undersized rubber bushing along with a steel washer on each side to replace the original. It probably worked enough to get by at the time, but years later it too crushed and split becoming useless. Here is what I found compared to the newly modified Chevy bushing.

And finally here is the '55 Chevy bushing on the '37 Shelby fork!

If it turns out to be too thin after the weight of the bike is on it, I still have the thicker half left over that I can use to further dial in the correct size later on down the road. I hope this helps someone else looking to replace their Shock-Ease bushing.

 

[Jude Ephesus]

OK, this will be more of a 'how to' post than a progress report although it is both. If you have a Shock-Ease fork this may be of interest to you.


First locate part #20 in the patent drawing to see the rubber bushing.
View attachment 233628
After looking at the drawing it appears that the bushing is a basic cylinder shape or 'thick washer'. So today I visited my favorite auto parts store with fork in hand to see what I could find.

SIDE NOTE:
I have to point out that this parts store is locally owned and operated by an almost 80 year old man who spent his early years heavily involved with the local drag racing scene. I always patronize his store when I can without regard for 'a better price' at any of the chain stores. You simply cannot replace his years of knowledge. I get frustrated by unqualified counter workers at chain stores asking irrelevant questions like "what color is the interior?" when all I want is a distributer cap for my truck (but I digress). I hope that some of you are as lucky as I am to still have an actual owner opparated Auto Parts Store or any local service store to visit. Like the old time bike shops, they are a dying breed.

Anyway, After I had asked to see a rubber freeze plug Hugh (the owner) was able to match up in his mind that an engine mount bushing for a 1955 through 1957 Chevy looked like a possible fit. The freeze plug did look just right except for the thickness, but after he walked to the shelf in the back and reemerged with the GM bushing in hand (that also looked like a good fit but for half the price), I handed over the four dollars and change and was on my way!

The only issue was with the thickness of the bushing. I'm sure that somewhere in the world there is a perfect fit sitting on a shelf but for now this would do. Hugh suggested splitting it in half with a band saw and steel mesh gloves but my own wheels began to turn and this is how I approached it:

I first stacked some washers in the space for the bushing on the fork to gauge how thick the bushing should be. Then I marked it on the bushing and pushed a carriage bolt through the center. The square part of the bolt was larger than the hole which gripped the rubber when it was forced in. I then chucked the bolt in my drill press.

Next I took a hack-saw blade and taped it down to two blocks of wood to make it level and placed the blocks on the drill table. The table was then cranked up to the point where the saw blade lined up with the cut line marks.
View attachment 233629

Stopping several times to add oil to the blade, I slowly pushed the blade against the bushing as it was spinning in the drill press. When it hit the bolt I stopped and ended up with the desired thickness!
View attachment 233630

When I got the fork, someone in the past had stuck an undersized rubber bushing along with a steel washer on each side to replace the original. It probably worked enough to get by at the time, but years later it too crushed and split becoming useless. Here is what I found compared to the newly modified Chevy bushing.
View attachment 233631

And finally here is the '55 Chevy bushing on the '37 Shelby fork!
View attachment 233637

If it turns out to be too thin after the weight of the bike is on it, I still have the thicker half left over that I can use to further dial in the correct size later on down the road. I hope this helps someone else looking to replace their Shock-Ease bushing.

Great story! ‘What color is the interior!’ Tru dat! I’m surprised these chain auto parts stores don’t just automate the service help with a kiosk that takes you through the same prompts and questions.

 

[Fv2]

OK, this will be more of a 'how to' post than a progress report although it is both. If you have a Shock-Ease fork this may be of interest to you.


First locate part #20 in the patent drawing to see the rubber bushing.
View attachment 233628
After looking at the drawing it appears that the bushing is a basic cylinder shape or 'thick washer'. So today I visited my favorite auto parts store with fork in hand to see what I could find.

SIDE NOTE:
I have to point out that this parts store is locally owned and operated by an almost 80 year old man who spent his early years heavily involved with the local drag racing scene. I always patronize his store when I can without regard for 'a better price' at any of the chain stores. You simply cannot replace his years of knowledge. I get frustrated by unqualified counter workers at chain stores asking irrelevant questions like "what color is the interior?" when all I want is a distributer cap for my truck (but I digress). I hope that some of you are as lucky as I am to still have an actual owner opparated Auto Parts Store or any local service store to visit. Like the old time bike shops, they are a dying breed.

Anyway, After I had asked to see a rubber freeze plug Hugh (the owner) was able to match up in his mind that an engine mount bushing for a 1955 through 1957 Chevy looked like a possible fit. The freeze plug did look just right except for the thickness, but after he walked to the shelf in the back and reemerged with the GM bushing in hand (that also looked like a good fit but for half the price), I handed over the four dollars and change and was on my way!

The only issue was with the thickness of the bushing. I'm sure that somewhere in the world there is a perfect fit sitting on a shelf but for now this would do. Hugh suggested splitting it in half with a band saw and steel mesh gloves but my own wheels began to turn and this is how I approached it:

I first stacked some washers in the space for the bushing on the fork to gauge how thick the bushing should be. Then I marked it on the bushing and pushed a carriage bolt through the center. The square part of the bolt was larger than the hole which gripped the rubber when it was forced in. I then chucked the bolt in my drill press.

Next I took a hack-saw blade and taped it down to two blocks of wood to make it level and placed the blocks on the drill table. The table was then cranked up to the point where the saw blade lined up with the cut line marks.
View attachment 233629

Stopping several times to add oil to the blade, I slowly pushed the blade against the bushing as it was spinning in the drill press. When it hit the bolt I stopped and ended up with the desired thickness!
View attachment 233630

When I got the fork, someone in the past had stuck an undersized rubber bushing along with a steel washer on each side to replace the original. It probably worked enough to get by at the time, but years later it too crushed and split becoming useless. Here is what I found compared to the newly modified Chevy bushing.
View attachment 233631

And finally here is the '55 Chevy bushing on the '37 Shelby fork!
View attachment 233637

If it turns out to be too thin after the weight of the bike is on it, I still have the thicker half left over that I can use to further dial in the correct size later on down the road. I hope this helps someone else looking to replace their Shock-Ease bushing.

Good to know.
Mine was rebuilt before I bought it, but never know when it might need done again.