(MBBO#05 Class 2) the UNVEGA- sneak peek & ride vid. all done.

[franconuevo]

Just a little more:
almost done with the frame, just have to shorten up that Fork.

Yep...too leggy out front without chopping the fork...even without a tire it brings the top bar level, but we don't want it level...do we? We want it to cant down.

Here's a little weld detail to attach the rear uprights to the little nubs on top of the Univega dropouts. hammer a little tube so it's rectangular...JAM it into a bigger pipe....tack it and then it sits on the nubs just fine. They don't point directly upward, but I can adjust... get on them enough to get a good strong weld.

You can barely see in the back there...I prefer to grind down the welds as I go, then put a thin layer of Bondo on...use your finger to spread it.quick sand it down with some 60 grit..don't use a spatula or putty knife else you'll be sanding off bondo for days. So..welding..it's fun yes?...but, cleaning up the joints...UGH...sucks.!
So try to do a little as you go along, if you wait until the end and then have to grind , bondo, sand...it'll drive you nuts..you'll end up wanting to put a fork through your forehead.

franco

 

[Indyjps]

Moving right along, looking very good, can't wait to see it with the fork drop.

Looking at the top bar behind the seat post, you could almost build a banana/loaf seat out of that as a base. I realize that won't be level once you drop the frame, but it giving me ideas.

 

[franconuevo]

Moving right along, looking very good, can't wait to see it with the fork drop.

Looking at the top bar behind the seat post, you could almost build a banana/loaf seat out of that as a base. I realize that won't be level once you drop the frame, but it giving me ideas.

__________________________
Yes, the outline is there for a loaf seat, you're right....those were the former seat stays...
I'm still planning to have a higher seat Indy....because I want to ride this thing....

that's why I plan to use the original Univega crank with the long arms...and planned for the ground clearance, didn't want short crank arms...I have a couple of little BMX bikes with high seats that I ride, but with the short crank arms...too many revolutions..... lol

I think I can squeeze out one more day of work on it..so I'll do the fork tomorrow....then, heading north to Pa. for a bit

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Looking good!
Going to bend the fork to get the drop or cut it?

Luke.

 

[franconuevo]

I'm going to chop a section out Luke
the bottom I already put a bend in them
I think it seems like a good way to go
I'm not sure I could bend a stubby little fork

Oh, I see what you mean...bend them forward more as is
I don't want the long sortof chopper looking front....so, we shall chop away.

 

[Indyjps]

I'm with ya, I'm just thinking a banana/ loaf built from a spare set of rear stays would be cool, I got some donors to chop up. I'd like to mess around with the idea, maybe for this build, maybe not.

 

[franconuevo]

Guess it's too late to turn back now.....

A little hammer work on the stubby curved ends, and they slipped into the top holes nice and snug....all welded in and one thin skim coat of bondo, and a little spray paint. Until you hit the joint with a little paint, you really can't tell if it needs to be worked more and by how much

Had to:

That's the transition there folks, from road bike to muscle bike...
feels solid...stance is lookin' good. Funny how small it looked on the full size cardboard template.... I did add a little stretch into the frame, so it's not just for 'little kids'....

 

[OddJob]

Nice work Franco! A road bike never looked so good....

 

[franconuevo]

Ok, I'm off to Pennsylvania for a little bit...gonna be LOTS to do on this bike yet when I get back.

in the meantime, here's a rusty old Buick I took a snap of when I went to the market the other day.....Not a bit of paint on this one, looks to me like the owner sanded it down to metal and let mother nature do it's thing.

Oh, and this guy crossing the sidewalk on one of my morning rides a little while back. ( I know..I know...they're bigger in Australia)....but considering he was almost the width of a common sidewalk head to tail....I decided to yield the right of way...

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Nice job on the fork!

 

[Fv2]

Ok, I'm off to Pennsylvania for a little bit...gonna be LOTS to do on this bike yet when I get back.

in the meantime, here's a rusty old Buick I took a snap of when I went to the market the other day.....Not a bit of paint on this one, looks to me like the owner sanded it down to metal and let mother nature do it's thang.

View attachment 34320

Oh, and this guy crossing the sidewalk on one of my morning rides a little while back. ( I know..I know...they're bigger in Australia)....but considering he was almost the width of a common sidewalk head to tail....I decided to yield the right of way...

View attachment 34321

That's not a snapper, that's a surviving dinosaur ancestor of a rhino.

 

[franconuevo]

It's prehistoric alright....I wanted to lay down by it and get a selfie..but...ummm...I think I made a good choice by letting it pass...the power in that neck and jaws....whooahh!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Bike is looking great!
Never seen a snapping turtle is Australia, I wonder if we even have them...

Luke.

 

[franconuevo]

Hey Luke, I found some tires for ya....should get you through your next couple of builds.....If only there was a way to get them over there...hmmmm

 

[Indyjps]

View attachment 34318

You nailed it, stance, proportion, the wedged frame is perfect. Braver than me on the fork mod, I pie cut mine to keep them lined up. Enjoy your trip can't wait to see more.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Hey Luke, I found some tires for ya....should get you through your next couple of builds.....If only there was a way to get them over there...hmmmm


View attachment 34337

I'm actually thinking about building a mini tractor with my left over Datsun parts, a couple of those would suit perfectly!

Luke.

 

[pholTmonx]

Bike is looking great!
Never seen a snapping turtle is Australia, I wonder if we even have them...

Luke.

Nope drop bears and spiders already ate them.

 

[franconuevo]

You nailed it, stance, proportion, the wedged frame is perfect. Braver than me on the fork mod, I pie cut mine to keep them lined up. Enjoy your trip can't wait to see more.

Lining the forks up is always a bit tricky Indy...unless you have some sort of 200 dollar computer aided jig / form /analyzer / laser cutter... which I don't because I make approx. ohhh...let's say nothing on my bike obsession....

Bottom line, use your eye.

..it's always gonna be the best tool in your box...stand over it, look side on...from underneath...sight down it up it..and then..let's face it...it's going to be square enough to use...right?

I mean, I used to ride bikes when I was a Kid that were so out of whack in all of the crucial places...and nothing happened....

I saw the pie cuts...been wanting to use that method on a radical bend...but that 'build' hasn't appeared to me yet...

best,

Franco

 

[franconuevo]

The Hurricane

Yikes... I got stuck up in Pennsylvania, no flights back to Melbourne where I live in Florida.....so rented a car and drove down...lots of carnage from Hurricane Matthew...for sure....Hope everyone in Matthew's path got through it OK...I know S.Carolina, Georgia coast and their Islands got smacked ...and hard too.
Yesterday...100 miles of bumper to bumper traffic lined up from Columbia to Charleston....I broke out of that line. broke through a fence on a logging road .and eventually took a tiny two lane road all the way down through extremely rural So. Carolina...No power on at night driving..Trees still down all over the place.it was eerie....stayed up near Savannah Ga. last night, finally back at the homestead in Florida.

My bikes are all good, the screens are out and most importantly my gal is safe...and she rode out the hurricane in the house while i was driving down from Pa. ...tough woman, gotta respect that fortitude

....whew.

So gotta clean up, replace some screens, return rental car, get all of the lawn stuff out of the Shed....and find the unfinished UNVEGA.. it's buried in the junk somewhere....I'mo get that sucker together....lot's to do on it yet..
I'll be Back...
franco

 

[OddJob]

Sounds like this hurricane really threw a 'stick in the spokes' for you guys progress on your builds down that way. Hope things clear up on the home front and life settles down a bit for y'all soon. And, if time allows, some more peeks at bike build updates!