FRANKENSHELBY ! - a little newer that I first thought..

[OddJob]

That long spring saddle is cool. Will give you a comfy ride for sure.
Did you use a thick leather like Beardsandbikes in the tutorial? How did it go with the clamping and forming since you added the pan pad and he just went with no pad?

 

[horsefarmer]

Thanks OJ.
The leather is not real thick, it was in an assortment of leather scraps from Goodwill.
I liked the color as the other scraps are grey or white. I thought the thinner leather might be more stretchy after soaking in water.
I also thought I had spray can contact cement on the shelf but it was rust converter!
So the hide is not glued to the foam. I'm letting it set in the sun as I believe it must dry out now, and this will help it set up in position. First time trying to cover a seat.

 

[OddJob]

Looking forward to hear how it all turns out.

 

[Scribble]

Love the RED !!

 

[SoulGarageOH]

Nice work on that seat. It’s a good-lookin’ ride.


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[MazdaFlyer]

Was given this ratty seat by Yooperman, and bought the seat post for $5 at a swap...

The angle was wrong so I took the funky curves out by heating it with s torch, and turned it into a lucky 7.
Ran old air hose around the ragged seat pan edge to prevent ripping the leather.
Used an old yoga mat for padding and used this method to form leather to pan.
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index....seat-or-not-how-to-recover.33484/#post-326757
View attachment 99696 View attachment 99695 View attachment 99694

Nice looking bike! I’d ride that proudly.


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[horsefarmer]

Getting back into the build. Photobombed by our cat - Simon.
Soaked all the hardware in vinegar, first bike I've ever had with chain adjusters.

Front fender struts had axle holes ripped up and I had to weld sheet metal over the tears.

Test fitting fender and truss rods.

Tweeked fender to clear fork.

More tomorrow.

 

[kingfish254]

Cool fender crimping tool. Isn't that a Park Tools AWFC-2?

 

[horsefarmer]

Cool fender crimping tool. Isn't that a Park Tools AWFC-2?

Actually, I'm utilizing a combination of 12" and 4" adjustable wrenches.

Only had to add a bit of relief for the fork in the penciled in area.

 

[horsefarmer]

Test fitting rear fender.

Some massaging of fender needed to clear the seat stays. Kick stand came with bike, but would slide out of position and hit crank so I cut and bent the kick stand mount so it locks into the chain stays.

I like the way the curved fender struts follow the curves on the frame...

Tried the chrome wheels again, think I like the look of the wide whites in the fenders better.
Not a lot of chrome on this build so far, so it needs more "bling" anyways!

 

[horsefarmer]

Scored a couple of cool finds at the swap on Saturday...
Some super heavy duty wheels (was told they are Worksman).

An awesome vintage head light, nice quality, unknown maker.

 

[Klunkruiser]

Sweet scores at the swap meet!

I tried to buy a ladies cruiser that had wheels like those for a month. But the guy would only communicate through CL's email, even though I sent my phone number, and took him three days to respond to my first message. Had a nice seat, stem and fork also. Oh well. Need to find a swap meet nearby.

 

[Klunkruiser]

Oh yeah....and the bike looks great too!

I need to find some small inconspicuous lights. Mines not quite enough old school for cool lights like those to look good.

 

[horsefarmer]

Polished the wheels last night and the chrome is nice. Only found 1 defect, a bit of the weld inside the hoop where its welded was not ground smooth. Fixed it with careful application of my electric cut off tool, it was razor sharp and ran from the bead area to just where the rim strip was. They might of had an issue keeping a tube in it...

 

[kingfish254]

Killer wheels and light.

 

[Brian macumber]

I have a bell light that has a oval badge like that

 

[horsefarmer]

Picked up a set of exercise bike pedals at a swap.

Pulled 'em apart and cut off the vinyl straps.

(cut little square of strap around the pedal block to keep pedal assembly tight.)

Greased crank and added the big spoke wheels.

Front fork, truss rods and front fender fitted.

Rear fender still needs some tweaking.

Final adjustments, chain guard mounting, lights and handlebar/grips still need doing.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Very nice!

 

[kingfish254]

Cool pedals and beautiful ride!

 

[horsefarmer]

Thanks guys! Gonna try to get it riding today. The stem is different than others I have worked with, it has a long slot going up the side and a cone shaped nut that is drawn up to tighten. This is not mine, but a pic I found online of a similar one, mine is in less crusty condition!

Although it came out fine, it doesn't want to go back in easily, even without the cone installed. Any tips on these type stems? Maybe I have to gently compress the stem to squeeze the slot together? It looks like in the pic above the end of the stem has a taper to it? mine is square.