Midnight Flash

[CRASH]

Did a little axle improvement. The axle protruded a bit too much outside the fork legs. So…

Then I smoothed and polished the tips

And it’s an old axle so I cleaned up the threads a bit

And there we go

 

[OddJob]

That fork caught me off guard! Crash customs to the max!

 

[CRASH]

Here’s a challenge: I have to stuff a 20x3.0 slick and disc brake into a Rail frame.

Before I build the rear wheel, the hub is a little wider than usual because of the disc brake rotor.

So I whip out my frame widener.

And…

So now… the wheel.

 

[CRASH]

Here’s my stuff.

This is a wider BMX rim I’ve never used before. I wanted a black rim, and I thought a wider rim would work better for the wider tire. The spoke holes are really offset, which is a first for me.

Another challenge I didn’t realize when I measured the rim to get the custom stainless spokes is that the spoke holes are a little bigger than I am used to. The nipple heads ( don’t giggle) seat, but I was worried that under tension or over time they might work through. So I added 4mm washers as a preventive measure. The rim is double walled so the extra height isn’t a concern.

The I realized the hole on the inner wall is slightly too small to let the washer pass through. So I drilled the open just a hair.

So I laced it.

Tensioned and trued it.

And mounted the ginormous tire.

 

[CRASH]

With the spreading I needs to align the dropouts.

And there are of course tire clearance issues.

I had to re-widen the back because this type of vintage Shimano disc has a “foot” which fit inside the dropout, so needed the room. The space gives the rotor space, but I think I’ll give it some extra clearance while I’m at it.

Next step is the torch.

 

[Pondo]

That 3" tire is awesome! It's good to know a disc brake hub can be made to fit in an old 20" Huffy frame.

 

[Chad T]

Radical.

 

[kingfish254]

Cool wheel/tire combo.
Can't wait to see the drag forks.
Thanks for the detailed how to on your frame widening and alignment methods. Great stuff!!!
As always, looking forward to the journey on your build

 

[CRASH]

About 2 years ago I needed to crimp a frame, so with advice from this site, I made this.

I don’t have access to an acetylene torch like I did last time I crimped a frame. So I picked up a little one from Lowe’s. It did the job.

Before

Heating up

After crimping

And all of it. I ran out of juice right as I was towards the end of heating up the last section.

I’m going to let it naturally cool down then I’ll check the fit.

 

[CRASH]

Plenty of clearance now. Now I need to work on alignment.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Good idea to use a bolt cutter for the crimping tool. I've used vice grips to make one, but I'm thinking that yours would exert more force.

 

[CRASH]

Good idea to use a bolt cutter for the crimping tool. I've used vice grips to make one, but I'm thinking that yours would exert more force.

More force came in handy with the cheap torch. With the big torch that turned the metal into a glowing rosebud, the force wasn’t necessary. But with the “cool” torch, I had to use a lot of strength.

 

[Pondo]

You’re crimping tool rocks! My vice grip version works but the extra leverage would be great. I wonder if using MAP gas instead of propane would help get the metal hotter.

 

[CRASH]

You’re crimping tool rocks!

When you come down to pick it up we can check for alignment!

 

[Pondo]

We may have another frame to re-dimension.

 

[Chad T]

Killer idea using the big mama jama bolt cutters for that! Did you use one of the yellow map gas torches? Those are handy. Those crimps look factory. Nice job.

 

[CRASH]

Killer idea using the big mama jama bolt cutters for that! Did you use one of the yellow map gas torches? Those are handy. Those crimps look factory. Nice job.

It was the cheapest one I could get at Lowe’s. $26

 

[RustySprockets]

That little toy works a treat, doesn't it?

 

[kingfish254]

I've always wondered how much leverage you could get from the visegrip versions. Your boltcutter frame pincher seams like it would be soooo much stronger and easier to use.
Excellent work!!!

 

[SkyknightJohn]

I've always wondered how much leverage you could get from the visegrip versions. Your boltcutter frame pincher seams like it would be soooo much stronger and easier to use.
Excellent work!!!

Ditto. Less heat and less Physical force are always better. ... should be added to the dimpling tips and tricks page... somebody tech savvy and motivated...?!?