Cobrafreak's board track racer project, has ended

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Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

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Here is a shot of the side of the tank before I welded on the sides. Notice the holes in the nut inside the tank? If these holes were not here you would only be able to fill the fuel to the bottom of the nut due to air trapped in the upper tank.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

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Lots of clamping! I have had this really long clamp that can clamp things up to four feet in diameter for years. I found it on the side of the road and never really used it before this project. But it is very handy. Almost every single weld needs the metal to to be pushed, pulled, lowered, or raised to get it to line up strait. If I didn't have this long clamp it would not have turned out as well. Good tool.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

There is a rough welded tank in the house!!!
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I didn't think I could ever have the do a fuel tank from scratch. It just shows what determination and a harbor freight flux wire feed welder, clamps, magnets, and a die grinder can do for you. Seriously, I am NOT a mechanic. I am a bus driver. If I can do this, anyone can do this.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

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I am proud of this! Of all the things I know I needed to do, this is the one part that was giving me the willies. Now everything else is going to be easy! Till next time.....
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

A couple of things about your tank, just in case you (or others doing this) aren't aware. It needs to be vented to allow for free flow of fuel and heat expansion. Avoid filling 100%, especially in warm weather, unless burning some off immediately, as it will expand, either running out the vent if you have one, or flooding or damaging the fuel system somewhere, if you don't. :|
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

deorman said:
A couple of things about your tank, just in case you (or others doing this) aren't aware. It needs to be vented to allow for free flow of fuel and heat expansion. Avoid filling 100%, especially in warm weather, unless burning some off immediately, as it will expand, either running out the vent if you have one, or flooding or damaging the fuel system somewhere, if you don't. :|
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Yes, I know about the vent. Have not put it on yet. Thanks though! First I was just going to take a tiny jewelers drill and put a hole in the top of the cap, but I think I am going to put a small barbed brass fitting on the top highest part of the tank, which would be in front of the cap area and put a small hose or maybe even a small copper line into the fitting to the front steering neck area, sort of like a dirt bike has.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

Thank you for the bigger pics! Now it is easier to steal ideas :lol: :lol:
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

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I couldn't make the seat post mount look good and be low enough to the top frame tube so I disassembled the bottom frame of the Brooks seat and welded a bolt to the top tube and made a set of supports for the rear springs. This works great because it doesn't have a seat post to get in the way, is cleaner looking, and as low as possible while still being comfortable. The seat is so low now that I can straddle the seat off the center stand and have both my feet on the ground flat. Now this is what a motorcycle is supposed to feel like!
brooksleft.jpg
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

I had my fender arrive so I decided to put it on after the seat. Now I have a base that i can attach a center stand catch to. The fender is chrome in the picture and hard to make out, but it will eventually be red like the rest of the bike. My Father has an old 1943 Schwinn Wizzer and the rear fender of it used to have a catch for the center stand, so I made a catch that is similar to it.
rearfenderandcenterstandcatch.jpg
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

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this has been a great weekend! My bikeshop, patriot bicycles of sacramento, had my wheels ready. I went over and put them on the bike. One thing I found out is that 26X2.35 is actually taller than a 700C wheel. So I had to redo my rear fender, but everything is good. I am really amped on the bike now. The tires look great. The wheel builder did his homework. He used downhill racing rims that are double walled, 14 gauge stainless steel spokes, and did a cross 4 spoke pattern, which is the strongest spoke lace. These wheels will last.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

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Ok, my bud Bob is over and we had a couple of vodka martinis and I am totally amped at the bike getting into shape, so we did a couple of old school pics just having fun. Lol!

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Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

marodavo said:
That bike is rad, but I think I'd rather have the Cobra! :lol:
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The Cobra is cool , but it's kind of like dating a supermodel. It's great that you are dating a supermodel, but you have to put up with all the junk that goes along with it. When it's hot outside, you are hot. When it's cold outside, you are cold. When it rains, you get wet, even with the soft top and side windows up. You can't lock it so you try to get a table with a window that you can keep an eye on it. I love the car, but if I really did not, it would be gone. It is a hard car to live with. But for me the pay back is good. I wanted one since I was 12 and got it when I was 39 years old. Total form over function. A sport bike can't pass me until I shift from 2nd to 3rd. Freaking quick! After all that they better bury me in it when I die. To me, bicycles are equally as much fun, but a lot more therapeutic.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

Yeah, i hear what you mean, but i still miss my high school 67 camaro. I am just starting to get into the board track bikes and im looking forward to a build similar to yours real soon.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

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Check out my old school gas tank vent. I was lurking around the internet and spotted a bike build from a while ago and he did this to his gas cap. I thought it was really clever and kind of cool looking. Sort of like the water temperature regulator on the radiator of a Ford model T. Easy to do and it works. It will also serve as a fuse if I want to self destruct! Lol! I learned something today. The 415 chain on these Chinese engine kits is really hard if not impossible to find locally. I tried several bike shops and all the lawn mower repair shops. I'll just have to get it online. No biggie. I did waste about 4 hours trying to look for it though. I made a mistake by not getting the wheels all ready first thing. I found I have chain alignment issues up the wazoo. The tilt of the engine was not great enough for the drive chain to clear the engine case. The chain was too close to the tire. I had to redo my motor mounts and change the stance of the motor. At the end of the day the bike will be better, but I wish I didn't need to redo so many things. I feel like I had to take two steps backwards before taking one forward. Lesson learned. I did get new brake levers. Old school aluminum Di Compes. They are only $8 for a pair and they look the part. These will be my front and rear brake controls. My clutch is going to be old school Indian motorcycle stick shift on the left side of the tank. The throttle control is going to be an ATV thumb throttle set up. Little by little. I ordered fuel tank sealant. From what I read on the internet the very best is this stuff called Caswell. It's a two part epoxy based sealant the you mix before you slosh around the tank for a few minutes and it coats everything with a thick white epoxy base that will never get off. It also will fill any tiny pinholes that I missed when welding. They say you need to clean the tank with acetone as a prep before hand, so I need to buy some of that. Oh, I also had to play around with the rear band brake. The only way I could get proper chain clearance with the tire is by running the drive sprocket backwards with the dish away from the tire, and this causes rubbing of the brake drum assembly with the sprocket. In the end I needed to modify the band brake by removing a bolt and nut and use an aircraft grade steel rivet. This is stronger than stock and gives me the clearance I need to run the inverted sprocket. Like they say in the film Galaxy Quest," Never give up, Never surrender!" Hahaha.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

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The tank is fully welded! It holds 1.5 gallons, not too much, not too little. I hooked the brakes up and rode the bike around the block under peddle power. Rides nice. I'm just waiting for the throttle, tank sealant, kill switch, and little stuff to arrive.
 
Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

Remember the original angle of the engine in the frame? I had to cant it forward, make new motor mounts that are adjustable, and make all new faux engine plates. It set me back about two days. Oh well, live and learn. The chain now clears the tire on both sides and the engine sprocket cover. Whew, lots of work!

New engine plates, mounts, and cylinder angle:
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Re: Cobrafreak's board track racer project

Your bike looks great! The best thing about this site is that there are so many great builds and so much inspiration to draw from them.. I love the engine plates, if i'm doing i another BTR i might borrow that.. :D
To bad about the setbacks though, sounds a bit like the trouble i had with mine, tyre clearence issues, the chain not clearing the crankcase etc ..
 

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