Where did the fork boots come from on the green chopper? I'd like to have a pair of those on my West Coast Chopper, installed under the bottom triple tree. Forks for rear stays are a great idea!
Build #2: Rat Rod Chopper/Bobber
- Thread starter gumby_mac
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Thanks. Got the triple tree guards from Choppers U.S.. They were dirt cheap ($4.99) and really keep the frame from getting dinged up, especially when you have a lot of rake and the fork wants to flop alot.
I highly recommend Choppers U.S. They're very helpful and stock high quality stuff.
I highly recommend Choppers U.S. They're very helpful and stock high quality stuff.
Thanks for the reply gumby, U.S. Choppers does have really nice stuff, don't know how I overlooked those guards, my chopper forks are 1 + 1/2", don't know if those guards would want to stretch 3/8", whats your opinion? Would that much stretch distort the pleats?
elvis51 said:
No news at the moment. Taking some scrap tube to the shop tonight to try my hand at brazing them together. When we built the green chopper, there was a lot of blow-thru during the welding and the welds were kinda large. I want some smooth seams for a clean look.
Anyone have any advice/experience/suggestions for brazing? We've got some flux-coated brass rods and we'll be using an oxy-acetylene rig. I'll try to take some pics tonight and get them up soon.
I did order some more goodies from BicycleDesigner.com. Ordered a chrome seat post, some 24x2.125" whitewalls, handgrips, and I decided to try a set of 5.5" crank arms. I know they'll be shorter than the 7" cranks I'm used to but they'll give better ground clearance and be easier to pedal.
In contrast to the masterlowrider folks I got the rear 24" wheel from, I got a set of tracking #'s about an hour or two after placing my order. Should be here on Tuesday (hopefully not wrapped in Saran Wrap or stuffed in a graham cracker box!) :mrgreen:
Quanah said:
Well, their description says they can be stretched from 6 5/8 to 8" in length. That would definitely flatten out the pleats a bit. I don't know if I have any 1.5" tube lying around, but if I do, I could slide one of those boots on there and see what they look like.
The brazing didn't go so well last night. We got the tube red hot, but the brass rod didn't want to flow into the joing. We were just using simple brass brazing rods, but we did put flux on the tube joint. So my buddy broke out the MIG and within a few seconds laid down some sweet welds. I think we're just going to go that route this time and practice the brazing on the side.
Hope to start welding next week provided I can get the frame cleaned and the last joint behind the bottom bracket fish mouthed and tight. Getting excited! Last order has all the parts I need to put on the frame once it's welded and I can take it out for a spin! I want to have it painted by the beginning of March so I can start riding. I love getting off work everyday now and there's more and more daylight out. Bike season is coming!!! :mrgreen:
Hope to start welding next week provided I can get the frame cleaned and the last joint behind the bottom bracket fish mouthed and tight. Getting excited! Last order has all the parts I need to put on the frame once it's welded and I can take it out for a spin! I want to have it painted by the beginning of March so I can start riding. I love getting off work everyday now and there's more and more daylight out. Bike season is coming!!! :mrgreen:
Got my latest box of goodies in today: chrome headlight, 5.5" crank arms, white walls, chrome seat post, chrome/leather grips, and black dice valve caps. I also finally had some time tonight to play around with the frame mockup.
I found (read: stole) a different set of handlebars from my Giant Suede bike. These will let me sit back a little further and I think they kinda fit the old school chopper/bobber look I'm going for.
With the actual rear wheel here now, I realized I had to change out the bottom rear fork since the original fork was too narrow for the coaster hub. I swapped in a much thinner tubed fork and even had to pull it wider for it to fit on the axle. I think it makes the rear end look a lot better since both forks look almost the same.
I guess now that I have both wheels in hand, it's time to get them painted. I was just going to slowly loosen all the spokes until the rims were free and then take them somewhere to be blasted and powdercoated. Anyone have any other suggestions or advice?
I found (read: stole) a different set of handlebars from my Giant Suede bike. These will let me sit back a little further and I think they kinda fit the old school chopper/bobber look I'm going for.
With the actual rear wheel here now, I realized I had to change out the bottom rear fork since the original fork was too narrow for the coaster hub. I swapped in a much thinner tubed fork and even had to pull it wider for it to fit on the axle. I think it makes the rear end look a lot better since both forks look almost the same.
I guess now that I have both wheels in hand, it's time to get them painted. I was just going to slowly loosen all the spokes until the rims were free and then take them somewhere to be blasted and powdercoated. Anyone have any other suggestions or advice?
elvis51 said:
Check the first couple posts of this thread. I attached a render of what I think I want. I've also got a similar thread going on Freak Bikes and they're suggesting I keep the rims chrome. It would sure save me a lot of work: removing the rims (loosening 140 spokes!), getting them powdercoated, and reassembling them. I'll probably finish the frame and paint it gloss black and roll it with the wheels like they are. I really like the red rim rat-rod look though, so I may end doing it anyway!
I was able to spend a little more time on my bike this weekend, mostly playing with the layout of the frame. I bought some 1" EMT conduit at Lowes and lacking a proper conduit or tubing bender, proceeded to the front yard and wedged it in the Y of a large tree and started yanking.
I managed to get some good bends and so I went into the garage and chopped up the conduit into smaller pieces. I swapped out these curved pieces for the straight tube that was there before, and I gotta say, I really like the look!
I was stepping through the garage this morning to take my pups out and the sun was shining in through blinds and falling across my bike frame. The sunbeams were gleaming off the chrome forks and headlight and it looked really cool. So I ran back into the house (given how fast the sun sets this time of year) and snapped a few photos. Check 'em out:
And here's one I took into Photoshop to "rati-ize":
I managed to get some good bends and so I went into the garage and chopped up the conduit into smaller pieces. I swapped out these curved pieces for the straight tube that was there before, and I gotta say, I really like the look!
I was stepping through the garage this morning to take my pups out and the sun was shining in through blinds and falling across my bike frame. The sunbeams were gleaming off the chrome forks and headlight and it looked really cool. So I ran back into the house (given how fast the sun sets this time of year) and snapped a few photos. Check 'em out:
And here's one I took into Photoshop to "rati-ize":
I, too, really like the curved tubing! Nice lines!
The only thing I would change, would MAYBE be to put a curve in the seat tube... It just looks a little outta place with all the other sweet curves...
BrigmasterA said:
I 2nd the opinion, swap out the straight seat tube for a wheel matching curved tube. As far as painting the rims, theres a few threads here about using straws and tape to mask off the spokes. As long as you're not using caliper brakes, regular paint will do on properly prepped chrome.
Rick
That thought crossed my mind a few times when I was bending the tubes. I came really close to buying a Nirve Switchblade but I thought I would end up switching out so many parts on it that it wouldn't be worth the $500-600! So I decided to build my own, but I think the seat tube from a Switchblade would look great on my frame:
Sigh... such a beautiful bike.
Sigh... such a beautiful bike.
Well, it's been a long while, but I've finally gotten "unbusy" enough to get some work down on my chopper bike! The weather is warming up down here in 'Bama and I'm ready to hit the street on my chopper!
Here's what's happened since I last posted.
1. I found a local supplier of steel tubing and I bought some 1.125" mild steel. Using the conduit I bent as a template, I bent the steel tubing (cut into 10ft pieces) using the He-Man and tree trunk method. The pieces were then cut to match the conduit.
2. I disassembled the bike rims and took them to my friend's shop and had them blasted and put into sealer. When they came back, I primed them and sprayed a couple coats of Rustoleum Professional red on them. Once those were dry, I sat down one night and laced them back up. I'm glad I went with 68-spoke wheels because all of the spokes radiate from the hub straight to the rim... no criss-crossing. I still need to true the rims, but they're pretty close.
BTW, the power went out at home when I started my first wheel! :shock: I laced my first wheel ever by candle light!
These are going to look super hot when I skin 'em with some fat white wall tires!
3. I took the frame pieces and two dummy wheels up to the shop and my buddy welded everything together for me. He's a much better welder than I am and I don't really want to go through a lot of trial and error on this project.
4. Now that the frame is welded, I spent tonight mocking up all the parts, i.e. various handlebars, crank and pedals, make sure the fork still fits and has all it's parts. I still need to trim down the seat tube and figure out some kind of clamp for the seat post. Here's the part where I need some of your thoughts and opinions. I can't decide which handlebars I want to use. I have a set of mini-ape hangers and a set of "cruiser" style bars from a comfort bike I had. Take a look at the pics below and let me know which ya'll like best. Personally, I'm leaning towards the apes.
Here's all the photos so far of this bike buildup.
Here's what's happened since I last posted.
1. I found a local supplier of steel tubing and I bought some 1.125" mild steel. Using the conduit I bent as a template, I bent the steel tubing (cut into 10ft pieces) using the He-Man and tree trunk method. The pieces were then cut to match the conduit.
2. I disassembled the bike rims and took them to my friend's shop and had them blasted and put into sealer. When they came back, I primed them and sprayed a couple coats of Rustoleum Professional red on them. Once those were dry, I sat down one night and laced them back up. I'm glad I went with 68-spoke wheels because all of the spokes radiate from the hub straight to the rim... no criss-crossing. I still need to true the rims, but they're pretty close.
BTW, the power went out at home when I started my first wheel! :shock: I laced my first wheel ever by candle light!
These are going to look super hot when I skin 'em with some fat white wall tires!
3. I took the frame pieces and two dummy wheels up to the shop and my buddy welded everything together for me. He's a much better welder than I am and I don't really want to go through a lot of trial and error on this project.
4. Now that the frame is welded, I spent tonight mocking up all the parts, i.e. various handlebars, crank and pedals, make sure the fork still fits and has all it's parts. I still need to trim down the seat tube and figure out some kind of clamp for the seat post. Here's the part where I need some of your thoughts and opinions. I can't decide which handlebars I want to use. I have a set of mini-ape hangers and a set of "cruiser" style bars from a comfort bike I had. Take a look at the pics below and let me know which ya'll like best. Personally, I'm leaning towards the apes.
Here's all the photos so far of this bike buildup.
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