Gee Bee Tribute Bike *Update 3/15*

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Re: Gee Bee Tribute Bike *Back at it!*

Strings_and_steam said:
Oh boy Im excited! I have a handful of builds bookmarked in my net favourites, and this is one of them! Around Christmas I was looking at it again and thinking "man, I hope he finishes it someday/maybe he'll sell me the project so I could..." :roll: I used to be a bit of an aeronautics freak, and the Gee Bee racers are BA! I remember as a kid watching seeing the R-2 replica fly at Oshkosh WI.

I can't wait to see this one complete! :mrgreen:
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Lol, I was Just reading your Merkel build! I love it! There are always amazing builds going on here and I've got a whole year's worth to catch up on! I am SO hopelessly behind... I can trace this whole Gee Bee addiction back to seeing the movie Rocketeer when I was about 5 1/2yrs old, I've been hooked ever since! Seeing the R-2 fly at Oshkosh was Always my favorite part of the show. I'm very glad that I was able to see it before it was retired. Maybe now that I'm in TN I'll make the pilgrimage down to the Fantasy of Flight to see the R-2 and Z replicas. If I'm lucky I might even see them in the air! Maybe I should drag the bike along for a photo op? :lol:

Bad news, I cant seem to locate anyone in town that can powdercoat. I can honestly say that I'm a bit surprised by that, I thought it was fairly common these days.
Good news, I have a Bendix 2spd hub with shifter on the way!
 
Re: Gee Bee Tribute Bike *Back at it!*

RocketeerRat said:
Lol, I was Just reading your Merkel build! I love it! There are always amazing builds going on here and I've got a whole year's worth to catch up on! I am SO hopelessly behind... I can trace this whole Gee Bee addiction back to seeing the movie Rocketeer when I was about 5 1/2yrs old, I've been hooked ever since! Seeing the R-2 fly at Oshkosh was Always my favorite part of the show. I'm very glad that I was able to see it before it was retired. Maybe now that I'm in TN I'll make the pilgrimage down to the Fantasy of Flight to see the R-2 and Z replicas. If I'm lucky I might even see them in the air! Maybe I should drag the bike along for a photo op? :lol:
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Oh man a photo op with the 'real thing' would be beyond cool! Ive wanted to go to Fantasy of Flight for some time now, I would totally do it! I bet if you made soem calls they'd be thrilled to let you do some photos, and I'd bet the people there would be thrilled by your tribute as well. If this comes to be I smell my new desktop background :mrgreen:
 
Re: Gee Bee Tribute Bike *Back at it!*

And this is why you need to keep your bikes off the ground...

We had a considerable amount of rain about an hour ago which unfortunately leaked into the garage. Luckily it only got about an inch deep before it let up. I wont be risking my bikes anymore, they will be airborne soon.

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Re: Gee Bee Tribute Bike *Back at it!*

Welcome back! You had a great start on this bike last year. looking forward to seeing it completed! Seems like there are a lot of us with soft spots for old airplanes on this site!
 
Re: Gee Bee Tribute Bike *Back at it!*

at first glance i saw bee gee tribute bike... i though what the heck disco inspired? haha :lol:
 
Re: Gee Bee Tribute Bike *Back at it!*

corysmeltzer said:
at first glance i saw bee gee tribute bike... i though what the heck disco inspired? haha :lol:
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You are far from the only one to make that mistake. Lucky for me, most people dont seem to mind. :?

This is not exactly the blisteringly quick pace that I had in mind ...but it IS getting there. Most importantly I have the frame back from powder coating! It is now a shiny gloss black that will resist my scratching. I also recieved a few parts for the project, a stem, brake lever, drop stand, and a beautiful Bendix 2spd coaster hub. Also while out for a stroll through the junkyard I picked up a nifty looking lens from a 50's Chrysler, I think its just begging to be made into a headlight of some sort, dont you? The only part I'm still searching for is a clamp to fit my single rail Brooks to a 5/8" post. I'm not even sure if such a beast exists :?:

Assembly has started, but its slow going with me cleaning and making sure every part is exactly how I want it. One of many tasks is toning down the chrome, I was starting to get overwhelmed with it and decided this bike needs a bit less. You dont see chrome on racing planes so why would you see it on a racing plane bike? Yeah I know, flimsy logic... Other than my OCD kicking in BIG Time, I need to engineer a couple parts and naturally a couple are still on backorder.

That about wraps up this edition, I'll try to have some more exciting stories and pictures next time... Thanks for visiting!

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Oh yeah, I also picked up this little gem... :D
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Re: Gee Bee Tribute Bike

I stopped at the oldest bike shop in town (60yrs) that just so happens to be around the corner from my house and picked up the seat clamp I need and some little odds and ends. The last big ticket item now is building the wheels, I will probably spend this week's spare time getting that sorted out.

I couldnt resist a quick mockup, the tins are packed and ready for striping so this is pretty much everything else. I found out these forks are a royal pita to get straight, one more reason I want a prewar springer, and my bars are more jacked up than I remember so I'll have to steal the ones from my daily ride. Final assembly is tantalizingly close...

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