beastern 1970 sears spyder hotrod/rat finished

[kingfish254]

I'm digging the velvet Elvis seat, but the tank just doesn't seem to fit.
Just my opinion. Maybe find something a little more streamlined to cover for the tank.

 

[heartlandcruisers]

I'm digging the velvet Elvis seat, but the tank just doesn't seem to fit.
Just my opinion. Maybe find something a little more streamlined to cover for the tank.

yes i am glad someone else noticed that!!!!!t that tank is killing me! i am definitely going to have to do something else with the tank. every time i do mockup i am happy then i mount the tank and it looks horrible might just run without one or thin this one out i am also thinking of making a teardrop tank form some sheet metal and covering it in the red velvet . i am happy with the seat but it still needs some work first time i ever re covered a seat so it's kinda trial and error while learning how to do it the good part is if i screw it up i can still just Peel it the adhesive i used is not very strong which is why a bottom pan is necessary i will get her done though

 

[heartlandcruisers]

well she is in pieces again! this time i am working on paint and details. first step is sand down the godawful paint job i did already and see if i can salvage it since i will be doing a secondary coat i will just smooth out the bubbles and runs and make it smooth so the secondary coat applies nicely the plan with paint is candle wax dripped on the black primer/flat paint, then shoot the frame and fork with red chrome over the wax, and then peel off the wax then clear coat the entire bike i am hoping for a faux patina/ paint chipped type of result. again something i have been wanting to try and this is the perfect opportunity. i also saw a post on the ratrodbikes Facebook page where a member used the same rear rack i have as a back rest so i think i am going to try something like that with the rear rack and mount it to the extension on the sissy bar also i will be changing the tank and making some adjustments to make it fit the bike better it is too bulky and i cannot get it to mount properly plus it throws the bike off so something else i need to adjust and then the chain grips need some finishing and then i gotta paint those so lots of paint and bodywork getting done this week more updates soon

 

[heartlandcruisers]

also like to add the flame tread will be on the front with the eastern squealer tire on the back however, i found use for those 100 psi v monsters built a litte side project out of that crappy mongoose now you want to laugh till you wet yourself should see a guy my size trying to ride this thing i jumped it dumped scraped myself up and put it away so it was a success lol this was my tire donor for the flame tread tires

 

[heartlandcruisers]

bodywork and paint has begun! i managed to salvage the horrid paint job it still looks like crap but i will be fixing that once i do the candle wax paint job that is the next project once i lay down the red chrome paint i will be painting the chain grips to match then i will begin final assembly and alas the seat getting drilled and mounted probably going to ditch the tank it is not working right and it throws the bike off but i am considering cutting up some roofing tin to make some inserts in the frame and cover it with the velvet material i just have to figure out how i will mount the insert on it shes coming along but i am sure i will find hiccups along the way i always seem to more updates once the paint is dry

 

[heartlandcruisers]

well tire hit a snafu and without it it really throws my vision of this build off i tried to order the tire and their out of stock and my lbs said he can get one but im talking a good 8-10 week wait UGH!!!!!!!! now i have to apologize for my cussing in a public place next time i go there because i was not happy to discover this tire is such a pain to find my only option is run the v monsters i have or the flame treads but one of the flame treads has significant wear so i am gearing towards the v monsters i may try to wheel and deal with some local skater/ trick bikers in my area for the tire i need offer them both my v treads for one squealer if they have it im even willing to balance and mount it for them for free this is beyond a hiccup this is major without that tire this whole builds screwed i will check and see what i can do but man what a hiccup well guess moving on and worry about the tire issue later

 

[KOTA]

Hope you get your tire! But remember, tires are PART of the build, they don't always make the build. Keep trying. Yup, made me chuckle about your BMX escapade....UH, I'm a pretty good "size" guy...You ain't ever catching me on a 20" BMX bike! Muscle bike, maybe.... BMX

 

[heartlandcruisers]

Hope you get your tire! But remember, tires are PART of the build, they don't always make the build. Keep trying. Yup, made me chuckle about your BMX escapade....UH, I'm a pretty good "size" guy...You ain't ever catching me on a 20" BMX bike! Muscle bike, maybe.... BMX

lol yeah it was interesting i think i fell off it more then i rode it but that bike is now been parted out due to everything breaking and not worth my time to fix it. but i will stick to cruisers my 5 11 435 lb carriage is not built for 20 inchers which should be interesting when this 20 inch build is done but to the build he name of the build is from that tire i have posted so i will have to figure something else out i think i can get them off feebay but their expensive on there we shall see if not i will paint beastern on the side of it somewhere

 

[heartlandcruisers]

when you need your paint to cure but don't have a paintbooth? fields make great makeshift paint curing areas i decided to leave the frame fork and chain guard out in the 100 degree sun to cure it since the paint feels like t might be a little flaky i am hooping this works if not then i am leaving it paint has turned out to be a big hiccup on this thing and ido not have the funds to strip this frame own and repaint the entire thing again so moving on when tis cured and been in the sun for awhile i will begin the process for the red chrome top coat and the wax alas here she is as of an hour ago today for some reason john denvers thank god im a country boy is playing in my head btw the paint is dry before i did this so nthing will stick to it and if it does i will just clean it

 

[heartlandcruisers]

 

[heartlandcruisers]

well tire crisis averted! they are all over eBay and beginning at a lot cheaper then my lbs quoted me so i think i am in the clear on this one there is a creme colored one i am kind of liking gives the build a 60's look form th grasshopper slicks like were available for the krates if they had a red one i would be all over it but still undecided most likely it will be the black with white lettering but enough stressing about the tire there is so much more to do with this build so moving on i am going to check on the paint and see if it looks any better then today's project is cleaning the hardware and getting everything ready for final assembly then if i got time i will go and get the red chrome paint i want for this build then off to the candle wax method i never done this before so i am hoping it comes out the way i see it in my head i will be sure to post how to pictures in the event i actually am onto something here but first i need to figure out how to do it without peeling off the black base coat since there is 3 coats of black i think i am good i will most likely do several coats of red chrome before i remove the wax to make the paint look good my awesome wife will have to help me with this since it was her idea and i have no clue what i am doing but she says she has seen it and knows how to do it so that will be up to her will psot progress pics once i check on the frame more updates soon

 

[heartlandcruisers]

well my method worked!!! the paint is much more stable now and does not feel like it is going to flake off!! still looks like crap but once i lay the red chrome top coat it should look better plus th candlewax method will be giving it a rough look anyways so some imperfections are ok ( or alot in this case but meh walk a mile run a mile you still sweat the same either way). so while the frame is put aside for final paint and prep, i got to the details, cleaning all the innards since these things were bone dry and look like they were never greased they came out relatively good the bearings are not perfect but since they will be smeared in grease im OK with how they look. i have decided i am going to paint the cup races red chrome to accent the bike the sissy bar will also be being painted and an extension is going to be added to it for the rear rack and if i can figure it out in time, a sissy bar pad but no promise fenders look great and wit a little more elbow grease should come out fantastic. i may use some reflectors i have mounted to the rear fender to give the bike kind of a bobbed look but not sure if it will fit the bike i will have to try them and see if i like it. but enough singing it already allow me to bring it here is my progress for today first off the hardware dirty ugly but not too bad everything still intact and not chipped broken or marred to the point of no recognition

after a little steel wool and water and scrubbing....da dada da still crap lol but i can work with this so i am ok the fenders came out great and will buff out nicely with some wax and spot remover the sissybar is no good so i will be sanding it and paintit i also have to extend it still

gave the chain grips a bath and some cleaning they look better but still a repaint is in order again red chrome or them

and last and yes most likely the very least my craptacular paintjob!!!!!!!! remind me to never use rustoleum paint again or at least not wal marts rustoleum the red chrome will be a cheaper brand and watch the results. i swear it's like night and day the box on the floor is the steel wool i cleaned the hardware with great results i think it was at dollar tree if i recall right works great but don't lasttoo long i used 4 on the bright work on this bike already and on my space liner so yeah not very long lasting but great results

the chain guard and forks is where the paint looks the worse but these parts were kinda rough rusty and heavily scratched so it may be a combination of the two nonetheless these will most likely stay flat black so i may have to clean them up and make them look better might try to letter the word beastern on the chain guard as well or line it with bicycle chain another project i been wanting to try again no promises

that's it for now more cleaning of hardware and cleaning the front chainring and crank arms is next on the list then front wheel work will begin final paint will not be awhile de to funds but it will get done within a couple weeks i decided to ditch the tank i was hating it so no tank on this one

 

[heartlandcruisers]

well i came up with a little trickery for the sissy bar since the original sissy bar is got bad chrome i have decided to add an extension to it and then i came up with this idea take 1 ugly free spirit rear rack add bolt cutters and sissy bar extension trim off braces zip tie rack to sissy bar add extension and viola a cool sissy bar back sorry i forgot to take a before pic before i hacked the rear rack still got some hacking and attaching to do on it but here is the concept

take 1 rear rack cut off the braces like so...

add extension and place cut up rack on extension and zip tie for mockup like so.....

and bam that's all she wrote right there i like this look and am going to mount it properly and probably going to use jbweld for it since this will mainly be for show and have little effect to the bikes functionality however the sissy bar will still be able to mount to the banana seat still have to hack some of it up and make it all work but i like this sissy idea i do realize the sissy bar is backwards and i will fix that prior to final assembly this was just to get a look. another idea is flip it upside down and use the seat post mount to mount a cross or some kind of decoration to the top of the sissybar, we shall see but nonetheless this is the look i want for the sissybar more updates soon as i figure this all out

 

[heartlandcruisers]

well not a lot of work done today on beastern. i did manage to rebuild the caliper for the front brake i decided to use i took an old caliper for a rear brake and a newer caliper with the longer axle and ripped both apart and used the long axle on the old rusty calipers they work and they fit
here is the beginning of the project these calipers

sorry i did not take a tear down picture but believe em they were completely ripped apart and rebuilt with new grease and any worn parts replaced here is the end result

front view

all mounted on the front end pre final paint and bodywork they will work with a little adjusting f the pads and some tweaking i had to add a couple spacers so they did not scratch against the fork which led to the repaint

the complete brake setup i will be using cable housing will be getting cleaned and wrapped in chrome wrap if i can find such athing if not i will leave it as is and clean it the lever will be painted red chrome so i have to sand it and clean it.

alas final paintwork for the forks they will be staying black i may clearcoat them but not sure yet

i decided i liek the v monster so i am going to run it on the front that's about ti for now more updates soon

 

[heartlandcruisers]

little more pre mock up with the new ideas here is what i got so far since that brake cable is s long i will be replacing it with a better one. the sissy bar is just zip tied together for the look. somethings off on it any ideas? something is not quite saying whoa look at this to me on this? other then the crank set bearings and all the hardware not in place the whole thing feels kind of off maybe you guys can tell me what is wrong? i welcome constructive critisism in fact i need it there is definitely something afoul on this setup sorry for the bad pic my tablet sux lately

also decided to mount the rear fender as such

front view

 

[heartlandcruisers]

well today basically consisted of cleaning and working on the crank set/ front chain ring not alto of work due to the fact i was doing some other projects mainly and most importantly cleaning up my shop and organizing it but alas here is the work i did today. first off was removving the sprocket off the crank arms simple enough right?

off with her chainring!!!!!!

next step some simple steel wool and some water and a little scrubbing she looks fantastic shiny and good enough for the build once i buff it out it will be fine

the backside.... not so much going to need a little more work on the backside

this comfounded pedal is going to be the death of me killed 3 wrenches trying to get it off hopefully a good soak in pb blaster will remove it if not i will just buy another set of 4 inch cranks i will most likely be using different pedals on this then these cheap a$$ no frills plastic pedals

i swear it will be a bike someday!!!! i have to put some fire under my lbs butt to get my back wheel done its bene over a month and i kinda need it i think i m going to paint the sissybar handlebars and seatpost flat black and polish out the rest of the chrome kinda give it a dirty rat look

that' all for now more updates soon

 

[heartlandcruisers]

got the back wheel back from my lbs i have not mounted it yet but slight change in plans since i will probably end up not even riding this one and it will just either sit in my shop or be sold dirt cheap i decided to just build it up and call it done long story short im losing interest in it and have a few other builds to do so basically i am going to build it up grease everything bolt on whats there wash it detail it air up tires and take t for a ride then be done with it, it was a fun build that really tested my abilities and gave me ideas for future builds but it is a girls sears after all and not a very valuable one most of the parts will be cannibalized after the build off most likely and the frame junked so not gonna waste money on this one we shall see what it ends up looking like when done more updates soon who knows maybe it will stay but no promises it is just taking up space in my shop i need for other projects

 

[kingfish254]

Cool sissy bar

 

[heartlandcruisers]

well almost finished i am about 95 percent finished all i have to do is find the other pedal or add a new set i have not decided yet im gearing towards swapping them with one of my junkyard bikes but most likely will use the originals then i have to make some final adjustments and wash and detail her and she is done here is the current stage of the build not exactly what i planned but what i could do on a very very limited budget the chain grips are going to be tightened and i am going to heat up the metal and force them into the grips on the bike but they work nonetheless even though they hang a bit on the ends

my wife did this freehand with nail polish the picture is blurry but it looks cool and since i could not get my tire i wanted i had to put the name on it so voila!

seat and sissybar all done up and mounted better pics of this soon

back view the rear fender has 1 mount on one side i did that on purpose but am now regretting it

still need some work done to the grips maybe later for now this thing is getting finished today i might be bale to tweak them a bit
more updates soon as i find the pedal or add a new set then off for the maiden voyage and make sure everything works as it should which i am very confident it will more updates soon

 

[heartlandcruisers]

wel she is done!!! finally got her al assembled and riding i even got to take her for a ride everything works great but i am not built for 20 inch bikes felt kinda like fat guy with a little bike on it but nonetheless here is the final pictures after this post i will move it to the finished bikes section

alas off on her maiden voyage the chain grips ar actually holding together quite well it rids great looks could be alot better though but it was done with what i had alying around i spent about 8 bucks on the bike and paint everything else was from my junk pile seat was recovered by me from a scrap peice of velvet tires were a freebie from the cowley county humane society yard sale front brake is off a scooter i snapped trying to be a kid again front wheel is off a huffy rockit rar wheel is stock frame fork bars seat pan seat post sissy bar seat post clamp fenders ect. are all stock just modified rear fender mount is off a Schwinn meridian trike and of course the chain grips are junk chains i had laying around i have tons of old chain so i will be perfecting these chain grips for future use oh and rear rack extension is a old free spirit rear rack i chopped up anything else i missed feel free to ask me now that this heap of nonsense is done i will move onto my next heap of nonsense my wrecked next powerclimber/urban bomber buildup already started

thats all folks its been real and fun but not real fun nah i kid it's been ablast cannot wait to see what everyone else brings have fun guys i will be watching form now on