Old Manse Hawthorne...LAST DAY RIDE VIDEO! pg 9 !

[The Renaissance Man]

Look'n good! The tank is perfect and you can't go wrong with those fenders in my book!

 

[OddJob]

Is that a .22 caliber bullet hole at the rear of tank? If so you can't get any rattier than that.

Yep. Bullet hole for sure, haven't measured for the caliber, but .22 sounds about right.

 

[OddJob]

Look'n good! The tank is perfect and you can't go wrong with those fenders in my book!

Thanks TRM! I appreciate your taste for 'the right fit' when it comes to putting a rat rod bike together; so that is a huge compliment!

 

[OddJob]

Tanks looks awesome on there. I like the fenders a lot more with the tank.

This is actually my first build with an 'original' tank. It does help tie it together.

 

[OddJob]

So the past two days it hasn't hit 50 degrees; perfect weather for scrubbing old paint off fenders!

There's real, original paint under this, with pin stripes and tips and tails to boot! There is also a faint outline of an old ivory colored section on the tank.

What to do? Leave in it's 3 or 4 tone rattiness it is now? Add some similar color (deep red/burgundy) of fenders to frame and tank, but not completely covered?

It's taking a nice natural course right now, I don't want to screw it up! Your thoughts?

 

[KOTA]

I've painted bikes, that I wish I didn't!...It only has original paint ONCE. Painted or original, either way is not a screw up.

 

[Chad T]

Those fenders look perfecto!

 

[OddJob]

Those fenders look perfecto!

So your vote is 'leave her as is' Chad?

 

[Missing Link]

Leave it be. Like KOTA said, you only get original paint once.

 

[MazdaFlyer]

If I remember correctly you did some paint on the rest of the bike before getting fenders and tank. It has character as it is. To me the seat doesn't match the rest of the bike. I'd add some kind of headlight, maybe different pedals and truss rods.


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[OddJob]

If I remember correctly you did some paint on the rest of the bike before getting fenders and tank. It has character as it is. To me the seat doesn't match the rest of the bike. I'd add some kind of headlight, maybe different pedals and truss rods.


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Thanks for the feedback. You are the first person to make any remark at all about the seat! I had picked it out to go with this build last summer, but not a single comment pro or con until yours. What kind of seat would you see Ed? Maybe a long spring saddle (verticle springs) or more of a cruiser saddle?

Yeah, I'm thinking a big headlight would be cool as well. Had one on Beer Boy Delivery with an LED bulb in a converted tractor light.

The pedals are just so I could ride it, not sure what I will do yet, maybe some 'aged' rat traps like I had on Beer Boy as well.

I do have a pair of truss rods in the shed. Might give those a go. Thanks for your ideas!

 

[MazdaFlyer]

Thanks for the feedback. You are the first person to make any remark at all about the seat! I had picked it out to go with this build last summer, but not a single comment pro or con until yours. What kind of seat would you see Ed? Maybe a long spring saddle (verticle springs) or more of a cruiser saddle?

Yeah, I'm thinking a big headlight would be cool as well. Had one on Beer Boy Delivery with an LED bulb in a converted tractor light.

The pedals are just so I could ride it, not sure what I will do yet, maybe some 'aged' rat traps like I had on Beer Boy as well.

I do have a pair of truss rods in the shed. Might give those a go. Thanks for your ideas!

I had one of those safety pin seats myself, I just didn't have a bike that it looked good on. I ended up selling it at a swap meet, lost money on it. I would agree that a vertical long spring seat would look more correct but they can get pricey. I have a seat cover coming that I'm going to try to use on the seat that came on my Hawthorne.
I used this seat on the Edgy Elgin bike I did in the last Build Off.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/380999262714
They also have a black and dark brown. Then there are some Brooks that might work. One of the company's that advertises on The RRB web page also has a nice leather seat that looks retro.


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[Scribble]

Those fenders look perfecto!

+1

 

[SILVERKINGPC]

OJ. So you are asking all us ratters what we think? Very dangerous.
Not that seat, not those pedals, leave the paint and add truss rods like MazFlyer noted above. A Long-Spring saddle, Truss rods, and some Torringtons or Schwinn big-blocks would do it for me. Also drop that stem deeper into the fork tube and rotate the bars UP to compensate........Looking good!

 

[OddJob]

OJ. So you are asking all us ratters what we think? Very dangerous.
Not that seat, not those pedals, leave the paint and add truss rods like MazFlyer noted above. A Long-Spring saddle, Truss rods, and some Torringtons or Schwinn big-blocks would do it for me. Slam that stem deeper into the fork tube and rotate the bars a bit also........Looking good!

Haha! Yeah, that's dangerous territory for sure!

Thanks for the ideas on the parts upgrades. I have found a saddle in my stash that should work. (see forthcoming post....) I do have a pair of truss rods that should fit, and I will look up the terms "Schwinn big blocks and Torringtons" for pedal ideas.

The stem, unfortunately, has not moved in the last 80 yrs. I have tried all the proven methods. I may try one more time, but actually, it's at the perfect 'fit height' for me on the bike, so I'm not too concerned. On bar rotation, up or down?

 

[OddJob]

"It'll be a cold day in May before I...."
Well, it is a very cold day. Here's a little progress from the BACK40 ....video style.


And, since that shot a couple hours ago, I've managed a nice pancake breakfast with my wife and dog. Then back out to the 40 for some application of my favorite seat covering; old tent camping sleeping pad. This stuff is the perfect composition for padding, and retaining it's integrity. Have used it countless times.

The other main ingredient to this recipe is the 3M SUPER 77 spray adhesive. I spray both the pan and the pad, let sit for maybe 5 mins or so, then press together. The clamps hold it around the edges taut and guarantee a good fit.

Next up, the last bits of my red leather fabric used for the saddles on Four-gone Conclusion and Desert Rat.

 

[Scribble]

Ya I was thinking the same thing it needs some thing going on up front, truss rods or a light or maybe even a springer front end. Other wise the new seat fits it more for sure.

 

[Chad T]

So your vote is 'leave her as is' Chad?

Definitely the fenders and frame. You've got a nice cohesive barn find look going.

I think the seat looks ok on there. Those are a bit unusual but it kind of goes with the bike. Will be interesting to see how the red looks.

This is your best ratina yet I think.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Good call on the seat. I almost commented several days ago but decided not to. I thought is was just me, I've never liked those giant hairpin saddles very much. They always seem to look out of scale to me.

I'm also on the side of leaving the paint alone. It looks great the way it is!

 

[OddJob]

Day 2 of "Upholstery Day"....
It was such a crappy day yesterday I had to get out of the shed for a bit. Went fabric shopping at Joann's. Found this great 'pleather', soft texture, reminded me of a new football. And in the Clearance bin....

It's kind of a muted army green, but I knew I would paint it black anyway. I have had success with this in the past. Folkart 100% acrylic paint in tubes or small bottles. Rub it on with a cloth, and you can get it to imbue into the material quite well. Let it dry thoroughly, like at least 24 hrs, prob more like 48 hrs for me here in the northernmost rain forest found on the planet.

Over time (the 'naner from One-Liner was ridden about 30 miles to achieve the 'worn look' ) the paint will wear off and create the look you are after for total rat-isfaction.

Some pics of today's progress....