* GROUND ZERO * (Now I can have a cold one!)

[NLCTVWguy]

Tossing my hat in the ring...

I'm building a '60s off-brand Ross built tanker for RRB Buildoff 6!

(Pics soon! My computer got hit by a nasty virus that took out the Windows Registry on April 29! coming home from the doctor tonight! )

The background: Where I live, we have a nuclear power plant in the next town (6 miles away), a US Navy fast-attack submarine base, and a plant where the submarines are built and tested on sea trials. We also have one of the largest highway and rail bridge crossings in the state- the last part of the rail line between Boston and New York to have been completed. Combined with the US Coast Guard Academy and homeport of their tall ship, Eagle, our city was thought of during the Cold War as a critical target.

Our local college radio station refers to themselves as "Ground Zero Radio"... so there's the name for my buildoff bike.

She'll be too black and too orange, too fat and too fast... can't wait to get to building.

Good luck to all the builders!

--Rob

 

[herr_rudolf]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Good luck to all the builders!

Right back at ya. Cheers!

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Starter pics...

The frame- a Ross (Chain Bike Co.) built machine I picked up at the (last?) swapmeet at the Muscle Bike Museum. The badge says "Norwood" diagonally, very lightly etched into the tag.

Love this tank!

Forks are definitely scary!

A few of the parts destined to help it rule the road:

OCC Stingray fork...

24x3 Flame treads:

Sweet little mini-keg:

Found the keg at of all places a discount store called Ocean State Job Lot... a retailer that lives off the collapse of bigger stores. All closeout stuff and you just never know what you'll find. The keg is about 6" long and came with a pair of shorts in it! All marked Lite Beer of course. The shorts will not be part of the build off this year. :shock:

More soon... Love the builds so far!

--Rob

 

[ej599]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Looks good! The tank on that bike is cool. Pretty interesting so far!

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

So I've been at it a little bit this week, mainly solving the problems that came with my frame and choice of parts. (There's always a catch, right?)

Frame issues:

Stuck neck. Bent fork. Stuck pedals. Stuck seatpost. Stuck tank bolts.

Parts issues:

Putting a fork from a late model OCC Stingray onto an old frame that takes vintage style headset bearings.

Here's our new fork apart:

The easy part- cutting the existing large steer tube off:

The hard part- dealing with the horribly rusty stem and loose-but-stuck bent fork.

(The headbadge says "NORWOOD" by the way, a store brand I assume?)


Eventually everything came apart, with lots of PB Blaster and bad words. Cutting of the old steer tube wasn't hard. Straightening it was much harder. Parts delivered for welding the old steer tube to the new triple tree. Vise grips solved the problem of the tank mounts- those rivets you see in the reflectors above are actually the heads of sheetmetal screws that hold the tank on.

Now for the seatpost.... ahh the seatpost. Yes well that was not a pleasant story. We tried everything and thankfully our shop at work gives us lots of options. PB Blaster, big wrenches, a huge vise on a steel base. And fire. We made lots of fire.

One thing we couldn't find at work was a properly thin pedal wrench. No one wanted to sacrifice a 9/16" to the grinding wheel, so off to home and using the BEST TOOL EVER, my Park Tools pedal wrench.
If you buy one tool for working on bikes, buy one of these.

Ready to go for ride in the sandblaster... even pressed out the headbadge rivets (actually quite easy using a breaker-bar handle.) Headbadge was blue... original frame was metallic red. The only paint left is under the headbadge.

Next week it should start looking like a real bike!
--Rob

 

[KOTA]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

How can you NOT like a bike with a beer keg?...Great find!

 

[Graylock]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Lot of work just to get it apart :| with the correct mixture of PB Blaster, fire, and moving words. Good choice to take it to work for the flame part.

" Swearing man burns home down, pictures at eleven. " :shock:

Graylock

 

[pick]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Lot of work just to get it apart :| with the correct mixture of PB Blaster, fire, and moving words. Good choice to take it to work for the flame part.

" Swearing man burns home down, pictures at eleven. " :shock:

Graylock

Always a challenge with dissassembly of an old rusty treasure! I think we all should buy stock in the Company that makes PB Blaster! I need to buy it by the case.

This is gonna be one sick bike! 8)

 

[Cubenzo]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Tank looks like an Elderado tank.

love the half-tank bikes! ill be lurking.

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

How can you NOT like a bike with a beer keg?...Great find!

That's what I'm thinking! This won't be the seat (ya think?) but this is how the keg toolbox will mount.

It's a real convenient size and style for holding small stuff. You could probably even store a beer can in it! 8)

More coming soon! Thanks for the comments guys!

--Rob

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

A little idea I'm kicking around for tank graphics... will be white lettering on I think an orange tank....

Whattya think?

--Rob

 

[ej599]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=w ... 5CDJcG2I7g

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

More progress! I do take full advantage of the equipment around our shop where I work... after hours of course (wink wink) :roll:

We have a sandblast cabinet just the right size for bike frames...

And I was able to clean things up and start painting the frame.

I have never been a fan of Rustoleum paints, but let me tell you, they have a product called Industrial Enamel... completely different from any Rustoleum you've used before. It dries super fast, hard, has a nice semigloss sheen to it, and looks like a factory finish when it's done.

It smells good too, good meaning "it has all the brain damaging chemicals in it that are good for paint and bad for you". So I got my US RDA of the nutrients Xylene, Acetone, and Methyl Ethyl Ketone. mmm good!

(Use proper ventilation with this stuff!!!)
--Rob

PS That's my toolbox and my Worksman INB making a cameo appearance in the background.

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Quick update: Acquired this awesome sprocket last year in a trade. Pretty sure its from a Ross. Had some overspray and age old grease on it, but cleaned up super nice.

The original crank came apart and cleaned up fine, a little chrome loss but hey, we all lose something after 50 years.

More real soon!
--Rob

 

[2dawgs]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Rob,

Great job on bringing this jewel back to life. Digging the keg tool compartment/beer keeper.

 

[Wildcat]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Looking good! Were you able to read the store name on the headbadge?

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Looking good! Were you able to read the store name on the headbadge?

The brand name is "Norwood" in a big diagonal script. There's little of anything there except the impressions in the metal. Hard to get any kind of picture of it.

I tried looking up Norwood bicycles and found a couple of folks with questions about restoring one, but little information about who built them, where or when, or what company was selling them.

Thinking I may make a trip up to Norwood Cycles in Massachusetts and give them the badge... I may make something custom for this little beast.

--Rob

 

[NLCTVWguy]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Some parts pickin' and collecting... the project comes into focus a little more clearly as the parts come together.

OCC Fork tubes in prime coat... we got this new "rust preventive" paint that seems me to just be normal orange paint... which is fine since it's pretty close to the final color. Sandblasted the forks to remove the rust and give the paint a good bite.

Also included there, my choice of seat, an early 60's Troxel (Elyria Ohio- built). The seat looks nice and shiny, but that is because a long time ago, someone painted it with this glossy paint. Weird.

Seat bottom view, and post from another basket case project... chrome came out nice enough after cleanup. Someone drilled a hole and put an extra screw through it to secure an incorrect seat. And what's it sitting on? Some cool fabric I found in our rag boxes at work... seems to be from old scrubs or shorts, basketballs on a black background. MY wife thinks they're silly but I like it.

Disassembling seat to recover it. I guess it was white before it was black...

Gotta have cool lights... here's a sweet pair of matching Union lamps and a generator. Not 100% sure how they'll be mounted because I haven't yet decided if I want to use these:::::::

Wheelchair bars! A little fabrication will be needed to make these work with the OCC forks and triple trees but I think they'll be really something different.

While we're outside messing around with the parts bikes, it occurred to me that one or the other of these 24" girls bikes should be supplying the rims or at least hoops for the wheels. I'll have to find the right tubes for my monster tires.... may actually have to go INSIDE a bike shop! Still tracking down just the right hubs to use, and luckily whatever I find I should be able to get working... I've got 28 spoke, 36 spoke, and 48 spoke rims to play with.

Couple other cool items- purple cable covering, actually electronic cable that's had the center cores stripped out (made for industrial "ProfiBus" systems, in case you're wondering). And a SWEET bicycle wrench for Musselman Hubs.... some friends of mine found it at a swap meet and made it a birthday present. Such a cool piece to find.

Back to work putting the seat together!

--Rob

 

[SCHWINNRAY69]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Looks good

 

[KOTA]

Re: * GROUND ZERO *

Ya got some neat parts, Rob. Just have ONE question....I'm sure you know what it is....There isn't an OLD man lying on the side of the road....MISSING a wheelchair, is there? :roll: I don't have a problem if there is. Just curious.