ConTENtious

Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I found the spacer that came with it. I guess it’s original, but the way I did the measurements and the fact I used cones I could find, lead me to making my own spacer… which turned out to be too narrow. The original was too wide. So I used my Mark-1 Eyeball to measure how much I’d need to take off and…

51EBDC2F-0234-40D9-BC31-1F1AC5F84FB8.jpeg


Set it up, installed it, and…

58403E9C-B4AC-406A-9EAC-6796366EAF9D.jpeg


Right up the middle. So, time to figure out the fender height. I installed the tire… looks good!
10D0A6F9-4E31-4C7C-8814-F1FC3C29F4AE.jpeg


And used another precision measuring tool to judge the height and marked the low spot.
BCF424A0-F961-42D6-9E18-4FF6EF4BDC3E.jpeg


So now I’m going to find some thin scrap something or other at work. I’m thinking a tube cut and shaped and welded. We’ll see what I can find.
 
I took the hub pad cover off because it needs some work. First I can’t find a cable clamp that will fit. The hole on the arm is too small. Easy fix, just drill it out a bit. So I did…. And the bit caught the inside edge and the torque snapped off the whole thing!!!

FE484D11-F77E-4623-BBD5-B9B24947D8EA.jpeg


Weld it back on (after I open it up) seems like the best option. It’s getting plated anyway.

I was going to remove the pads. In order to do so I need to get this tiny clamp out. (What are these things called?) for the life of me I can’t get it out. It’s tiny. Any tips?

77F121BE-AEFC-4079-B0CF-647CC89060AF.jpeg
 
Any tips?
I got a cheapo snap ring pliers set that works good for stuff like this. Similar to these:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3947277604...nEChXKSKup9f0OAdmNoehEZ81yk=|tkp:BFBMusaxudJi
Amazon and Harbor Freight probably have stuff like this too.

Yep, it is a snap ring, so you either need a pair of snap ring pliers, the right kind of long nosed pliers that will fit, or a couple of small screwdrivers and a tub of luck :)
These methods work in a pinch (it's all I had for years) but snap ring pliers make life so much easier.

And don't forget

Those snap rings go flying!
 
Do they make snap ring piers for a snap ring so small? It's only like 5mm in diameter.
I'll measure mine tomorrow. You might be stuck prying it out with a small screwdriver (I have some tiny screwdrivers meant for working on eye glasses) or awl. That works though. If you have 2 small prying devices use one to lift the end and put the other under the exposed part as a lever then work your way around. Sometimes it's a real PITA, sometimes it pops right out, but it can get the job done. It can be done with 1 small screwdriver but can be tedious and challenging. If it gets real tough I can drive down to watch you suffer while sipping an iced mocha-ccino (or something equally insipid). That usually helps.
 
I'm not sure what tools you have available, but could you try coiling the tape measure into a tight bundle, then holding that against a belt sander or other abrasive surface? Perhaps secure the bundle with a zip tie so it doesn't unwind during the process.

Opera Snapshot_2023-09-15_085928_encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com.png


THERE'S a surface you can work with!
 
Last edited:
I'll measure mine tomorrow. You might be stuck prying it out with a small screwdriver (I have some tiny screwdrivers meant for working on eye glasses) or awl. That works though. If you have 2 small prying devices use one to lift the end and put the other under the exposed part as a lever then work your way around. Sometimes it's a real PITA, sometimes it pops right out, but it can get the job done. It can be done with 1 small screwdriver but can be tedious and challenging. If it gets real tough I can drive down to watch you suffer while sipping an iced mocha-ccino (or something equally insipid). That usually helps.
Yes, I have two jeweler flatheads, but I wasn't successful. It keeps spinning around. Like you said, a real PITA.
 
I'm not sure what tools you have available, but could you try coiling the tape measure into a tight bundle, then holding that against a belt sander or other abrasive surface? Perhaps secure the bundle with a zip tie so it doesn't unwind during the process.

View attachment 248204

THERE'S a surface you can work with!
That was essentially my idea, but I envisioned it uncoiling and cutting me to shreds, or some other disaster. But maybe I'll push forward with that.
 
Got the snap ring off. Of course, it wasn’t a snap ring, just a ring.

9446FF54-F83F-450B-866E-9D2366359F9F.jpeg


So we welded on the broken arm end.

1A32FE33-9761-4563-AA30-7543112E9081.jpeg


And this is a problem… I don’t have a housing tension adjuster that fits into this smaller hole. And you can see some of it was shaved off and the hole is too close to the edge.

36C76AFF-CA2B-40ED-A48F-CB35BCD30456.jpeg


So… I cut that off. And I cut off the strap “arm”. That was used to attach a safety strap to the fork, but this bike can’t use it, so it’s superfluous. Off it comes.

62048D1C-C295-4726-87F0-1F03009ECCF1.jpeg


So I made a little tab out of scrap and had it welded on, then we tapped it.

A1B53F2B-4777-4758-AB1A-F370A6CD289D.jpeg


And now it fits a housing tension stop.

6EC39206-86EA-42CB-8674-AC20E59CB07E.jpeg


So now I have to shape and smooth all that out so it’ll look good once plated.
 
The rat trap was missing a bolt, so I was on the hunt to find one. It’s very specific, so I didn’t think I’d find one. So I talked to my fab shop about modifying an existing bolt. They told me it would be easier to run some 5/16” hex stock through the machine and make one.

From this
65E5D289-52CF-49E0-B34E-B001E062F4B8.jpeg


To this… which one is the original??
501C5910-E850-4671-A7FE-B24CBD0A41B6.jpeg
 
This frame was a 3-speed frame, so the rear dropouts weren’t wide enough for a 5-speed hub.
1B92CFB2-7B8B-4D61-8B0F-86F06030CD7B.jpeg


So I broke out the trusty frame stretcher.

279EF22B-8D71-4DF7-B652-49DED702B9DE.jpeg


And I wrenched on it with a BFW. Aaaaaand… I way overshot the mark. This Murray frame is less springy than the last one I had to stretch open.
3F334321-4201-465A-AF3F-FBFF18ECD4D6.jpeg


Do I put the squeezer on it and set it where it should be.
9CB1B12A-7EF0-4897-9514-86E7785ED1C1.jpeg


Then I put on my homemade dropout alignment tool to set it all straight.
85782D0D-5939-49A7-A05D-0DA642793A97.jpeg


Then I noticed a screw had broken off in the rear fender mounting hole. I wasn’t able to back it out, so I had to drill through it and make a hole, so I’ll install the fender with a nut and bolt.
ECAFA133-CCA7-41B9-B157-3CFFE824C394.jpeg

DE3D7248-6F53-4BFF-A9DF-32B1507E52F3.jpeg


And I tried out a few rear fenders. I think this is going to be the one I make work.
8F894C28-1C75-4141-9351-F73C33329229.jpeg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top