No. 3 build ready to kick off...

[PeteMcP]

Yeah, that kind of puts things into perspective. Doesn't take much snowy weather to bring the UK to a grinding halt.
I once stayed at the Marriott Hotel in Boston's Copley Square one January. Couldn't believe the depth of snow laying in Boston's streets once we surfaced from the underground road from the airport. Must have been 8ft in placs. Despite that, it didn't seem too much of an inconvenience to folks. And my train to Springfield, Mass. still ran on time.
Problem where we're located in the UK is we're an hour's drive from a city and it's snow-fighting resources. Just heard on the news there's signs of a mild thaw overnight. I'm betting it'll take a week or more for the mess hereabouts to melt. I'll start shoveling snow in shifts beginning tomorrow.

 

[RustyGold]

Best of luck

 

[PeteMcP]

Jason,
Responded to your earlier post a couple of days ago - but this forum's recurring 'error message' flagged-up preventing me from posting it.
Anyhow, the good news is I managed to break out and drive 7 miles to the grocery store to restock supplies. Had to shovel/barrow 3ft drifts from our 50ft driveway. Never want to see the handle end of a shovel again!
Yesterday was spent with my nose pressed to the lounge window watching the stream running through our garden rise dangerously high as a rain storm caused melting snow from the nearby Cheviot Hills to thaw way faster than we'd hoped for. Thankfully, temps froze again overnight and slowed the thaw down. Glad to say things are looking good this morning. Happy to get back to some sense of normality.
Even better, we received our first mail delivery for six days yesterday, including a bunch of parts I'd ordered for build No. 3. Time to get building again....

 

[RustyGold]

Congrats on re-joining the rest of the world!

...mail delivery is kind of a mixed blessing, I would expect. Sure, needed parts...but, un-needed bills .

Jason

 

[PeteMcP]

TANK MOUNTS & TRIM STRIPS SORTED...
Just finished-up fitting the brass mounts and cutting/shaping the aluminium trim strips for the fuel tank. Pics tell the story better than words can. Really happy how this tank is turning out. I even managed to source some Gnome Rhone tank decals which should finish the tank off nicely when it's painted/patina'd. Decals reference the connection to Gnome Rhone's early days when they were aero engine manufacturers.
Also been busy working on parts for this build's hand gear shifter arrangement. I have a couple of alternative choices when it comes to the shift lever. Will probably go with the lever as drawn - one of thirteen parts I sent off to be water jet profiled from 5mm thick aluminium - capped off with the turned brass knob. Finished bike will be adorned with several brass components.
Wasn't happy with my original seat idea, so I've re-thunk things and purchased a new seat. Pics show the new seat loosely perched on the frame. This is a better proportioned and more comfy (mmm, gel) seat that'll spare my butt on longer rides.
Plenty to keep me busy right now...

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Fantastic!

 

[RustyGold]

Looking very...very good

Jason

 

[léocwc]

very very very good..

 

[PeteMcP]

Thanks folks.

SEAT MOUNTED...
Finally came up with what I think is the best way to mount Build No. 3's seat.
Bent-up a seat post from 20mm dia. steel tube. Used a stainless triangular mount and home-made bracket to secure the front of the seat to the top tube. Sorted.
That stainless mount is from the Bimini brand range, originally intended for use fabricating frames for canvas tops on numerous craft. Useful range of top quality parts, some of which I'd used previously on my Aero Cycle Car build. You might want to check 'em out.
Still treading water, waiting for the water-jet profiled aluminium frame parts to arrive... in the meantime, I've disassemble the girder forks and primered them ready for top coat.

 

[PeteMcP]

YAY! MY WATER JET PROFILED PARTS ARE HERE....
Collected Build No. 3's water jet profiled parts yesterday from a local engineering company. These 13 jet-cut parts in 5mm thick aluminium were generated from my own drawings and cost me a mere 30 UK pounds. Pleased? You bet! I couldn't have purchased a sheet of aluminium and laboriously hand-profiled them myself for anywhere remotely near that. Will I have a use for this kind of service in future? Definitely.
See pic. Parts include 2 x front and 2 x rear engine mounts (rear mounts double-up as the jackshaft box's sides), 2 x front and 2 x rear frame plates, 2 x frame gussets, hand-shifter mount and a pair of alternative shift levers.
Just need to turn-up some alloy spacers then I can get these parts pro-welded to the aluminium frame.

 

[PeteMcP]

TEST FITTING THE MOTOR TO THE FRAME....
Loosely bolted-up the motor and frame plates to my vintage '46 Gnome Rhone engine to test for fit. Thankfully everything fit precisely as I'd hoped it would - especially the jack-shaft set up - so no worries on that score. Loosely mated the engine and frame so I could shoot these pics - no issues whatsoever. Couldn't be happier how things fitted together so snug. Really pleased with how this build is shaping up.
Also primed, painted and clear coated the forks, fitted handlebars (not yet certain these will be the bars I go with - they can be inverted for more of a board tracker stance), added a rear hub adapter/sprocket and a nifty set of folding pedals.
All being well, I should be able to drop the aluminium frame off at welder Paul's sometime later this coming week and have him attach the water jet profiled bracketry to the frame. Happy times...

 

[The Renaissance Man]

 

[toro1978]

Awesome. I think the bars fit really well. I bet they are comfy too.

 

[PeteMcP]

Thanks. These are comfortable bars - and the retro reverse levers compliment them nicely.

 

[PeteMcP]

WORKING ON THE HAND SHIFTER PARTS....
Hand gear shifter parts now mostly done. Pics show the shifter quadrant and how the shift linkage attaches to the gear selector lever on the motor. Just need to cut the threaded shifter linkage and its metal sheath to correct length - but I won't be able to do that till after the shifter quadrant has been bolted-up to its mount, which is one of several alloy parts that'll shortly be welded to the aluminium frame.

 

[arty dave]

aaaaww hellyeah!!! Is that quadrant shifter original to the engine or did you fab it yourself?
Very nice looking ride, I agree, bars look great!

 

[PeteMcP]

Thanks.
My intention was to try and source a vintage R4 Gnome Rhone hand shift quadrant. I searched everywhere on-line - even French eBay - but one never showed up. I ended up purchasing a quadrant I thought might work via a French eBay listing but when it arrived it was badly out of shape, corroded/split and over-sized. Next best option was to use it as a pattern and fab one the size I needed out of steel. The lever was water jet profiled in 5mm aluminium and the brass gear knob was intended for use on a curtain pull cord.

 

[arty dave]

Well you nailed it...it looks new old stock. Very cool

 

[PeteMcP]

SHIFTER QUADRANT INSTALLED....
Had to change plans when my intended location for the shifter quadrant didn't work. I had originally intended to mount the quadrant to the water jet profiled fillet panel soon to be fitted where the lower top tube meets the downtube. However, that resulted in the threaded shift linkage fouling the cylinder head's fins. Easy fix though - just relocate the quadrant upwards and rearwards a smidgeon - which is what I've done in the pics. Needed to keep the quadrant as close to the tank side as possible, so I also decided to bend the top of the shift lever outwards a little to provide adequate finger clearance between the shift knob and tank. Pleased with this set up. Gears shift slick as snot.
Grips, inverse levers and cables now sorted. Clutch and front brake cables route along grooves conveniently moulded into the underside of the grips. Tidy. Which of course necessitates the front brake lever rotating with the throttle's twist grip.
Been searching for a suitable 24" rear fender for this build. Around 60mm wide. No luck whatsoever here in the UK. Plenty from US dealers online - but the shipping is twice what the fender costs. Anyone give me a lead on a decent used one...?

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Looks fantastic Pete! Love everything about it.

Meant to comment earlier, but I like the bars just as they are.