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Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

OK, let's go ahead and put the cart before the horse... colors?
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

Well, right from the start the plan was satin black with some pinstripes, I admit after spending some time on here some other ideas have come along, white with a purple metal flake scalloped on front, satin black with gloss black flames on the tank, various metal flake colours...

Has anyone else on here done a scratch built bike bare metal/clearcoat before? Would be a good way to show of the welding skills but I just dont think it would suit this bike very well... :|

I think really I need to see what bars I decide on and what look the bike has when it is done before that decision gets made, leaning towards white at the moment, maybe with some pinstripes...

Luke.
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

It is no wheres near as big and bulky as I was envisionimg it. Actually it is quit the looker now :) I realize you are a taller fellow Those tires do make the mass seem much larger... paint color, a glossy bone white with a sky blue pearle in it :)
Just tossing thoughts, I really like the build! Either of the handlebars seem pretty good choices, though my personal preference is the lower.

Keep the pics coming!

Rich
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

White with a blue pearl would really highlight the curves nicely, never painted pearl, done metalflake, metalics etc, but not pearl...

Just to give you guys a better idea of size I got my wife to snap a pic of me with it while I was working on the build off bike today...

DSC00196 by LukeTheJoker, on Flickr
Horrible photo of me, bright coloured overalls are very unflattering... But they do save me destroying my normal clothes...
Just for reference I am 6 foot 5, 220 pounds. The bike is about as compact as it could be for me to fit on it, I could have made it shorter by moving the seat above the wheel but that is not the style I was going for...

Luke.
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

LukeTheJoker said:
White with a blue pearl would really highlight the curves nicely, never painted pearl, done metalflake, metalics etc, but not pearl...

Just to give you guys a better idea of size I got my wife to snap a pic of me with it while I was working on the build off bike today...

DSC00196 by LukeTheJoker, on Flickr
Horrible photo of me, bright coloured overalls are very unflattering... But they do save me destroying my normal clothes...
Just for reference I am 6 foot 5, 220 pounds. The bike is about as compact as it could be for me to fit on it, I could have made it shorter by moving the seat above the wheel but that is not the style I was going for...

Luke.
If the bike were shorter, it wouldn't look right to be honest. I think it will ride very well too
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

LukeTheJoker said:
White with a blue pearl would really highlight the curves nicely, never painted pearl, done metalflake, metalics etc, but not pearl...


Luke.

As always Luke, just a suggestion, you've done so much already to this build, I am sure you are going to do something special for the paint also. It's got me thinking now also :D gloss black with a nice pearle blue in it would look nice for my chopper. .... this weather! Break already!

Rich
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

Peatbog said:
Okay, at first I thought the bike was huge, then I saw you standing by it, and then I thought "well, it ain't so huge after all," then it turns out you are huge also (tall, that is), and so the bike only looks smaller because you are so tall. Now I haven't a clue anymore. Is the bike huge? Is the bike not so huge? I am clueless. Do you have a normal-sized person who can stand by that thing? Maybe someone 5' 8" or so instead of 5'17" :p

But anyway, no matter how big that bike is or is not, those hubcaps are cool.
:lol: :lol: :lol: You got me laughing now!

I will be having some friends over soon, I will try find a "normal" sized one to stand by it... :mrgreen:

The hubcaps are pretty cool, they are only sitting in there at the moment, I have yet to weld in the mounts, so that is why they are sitting a little crooked. I picked them up from the local dump shop for $1 each a while back, got a good deal!
Found a pic that shows how far the rear actually sits into the rim, gotta love deep dish... Hmmm, now I want pizza... :|

DSC00166 by LukeTheJoker, on Flickr

Well, time for lunch I think...

Luke.
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

I guess I was wrong, again :lol: 6'5" is rather tall
Like the Cadillac hubcaps, looks clean and stylish
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

:O <----------- I want 10 of them
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

Ok, have not been doing anything on the Cadillac for a few days because I have worked out that getting it in and out of the house when it is done and storing it while it is in there is going to take some planning... I may not even be able to make it work, my wife and I have been discussing moving rooms around, moving the dining room into one of the bedrooms and other crazy ideas just to make it work. Really the only option if it wont fit is to sell it, and I'm not liking that option at all, I don't build things just to sell them if I can avoid it.

I had an idea that may help with fitting it in the house, but would like your opinions on it as I really have no idea... The biggest problem I have is the length and turning circle in the house, it can fit in the spare bedroom with the other bikes, but getting it there is an issue.
So I came up with a modification, to turn it into more of a bobber than a stretch...


Short Cadillac by LukeTheJoker, on Flickr

By moving the seat above the rear wheel I can shorten the frame a bit over a foot, that would make it far easier to move inside the house, go from nearly 9 feet to 7.5... It would be a very simple modification at this point but if I leave it till later it will get more involved.

I think it looks awesome as a bobber, but I also like it as a stretch so, not really sure what I am going to do yet...

Am I correct in assuming that it would be a nicer riding bike as a bobber due to seating postion in relation to pedals and bars?

Luke.
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

If you do it bobber style, those ape hangers would look sweet. But I think that you should make it work to your needs of getting it in and out of your house. My stretch is over 7 foot long, and it's great, slightly tight getting it in and out of my shop door, but not any sort of a fight. I think it looks pretty cool as a bobber :wink:
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

I had same problem with space rooms for bikes. I had to rid much old junks out of my shack shed then put it there. Maybe u can build shack shed for storage your bikes in there?
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

freddyfingaz said:
I had same problem with space rooms for bikes. I had to rid much old junks out of my shack shed then put it there. Maybe u can build shack shed for storage your bikes in there?
That would be awesome Freddy, unfortunatly we are only renting where we live (dont worry, we checked, bikes inside the house is fine, they are even fine with me working on cars and bikes, welding, grinding, even painting in the yard!) so building a shed might be pushing it...

Just tried it out with a block of wood sitting where the seat would be, it is actually more comfortable than the current position, and will also allow for slightly shorter riders. Currently leaning towards the short style, but I am going to think about it for a day or two before deciding on which way to go...

Luke.
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks '59 Cadillac bike. APE'S MOCKED UP!!

I would not comment on this if you had not asked...
This is just an opinion, and is not my recommnedation... just something to consider: The shorter version is nice, but you are loosing proportions that worked very well on the longer build. That front tire seems to be out of place on the shorter bike.
And I also agree, the ape hangers would really look much better on the shorter build.

Like my opinion on the handlebars, I preferred the one, but either works well.

HTH

Rich
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks 59 Cadillac bike. NEED YOUR THOUGHTS

Thanks for your opinions Guys! I'm hoping some more will chime in with thier views. Getting it in and out of the spare bedroom practically might end up winning the day here I think... It is more likely to get ridden that way...

Luke.
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks 59 Cadillac bike. NEED YOUR THOUGHTS

tbh id keep with the stretch, just because the riding position looks so .... fly and it seems to be what has been worked towards - wud be a shame 2 just chop it, maybe a large sheet of tarpaulin until a perminent solution of storage is found?
 
Re: Single sided stay/forks 59 Cadillac bike. NEED YOUR THOUGHTS

Vote seems pretty evenly split at the moment. I will post pics of both ideas together at the start of the next page (next post) that might help...

Luke.
 
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