BO15 RaTs GaSs...Great year all!...pg 26

[OddJob]

Headers Yes.
Functional Yes!? with a 'canned' audio system and your favorite soundtrack perhaps?
Some nice sounds in there with times announced that you could put on panel...


Maybe you could keep that sound idea under your hat too.
Hah, just noticed that these are by Backstreet Buckets.
I propose a 'Back 40 Bucket' would sit well with your gasser.
That is of course, only if you had some spare time.
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Late 4D, that is an awesome idea! I'm going to hunt up an old 'bucket' right now!

 

[MattiThundrrr]

My brother collects vinyl like that. I am aware of the drag racing theme of the build, but this is a personal favorite:

Fun fact, in 95, Gearhead Records, a punk label also put out a "500 Miles to Glory" compilation using clips from the original. Also a super excellent record.

 

[tjwilson]

I'm late to the show but, did anyone mention connecting something along these lines to the exhaust?

 

[OddJob]

I'm late to the show but, did anyone mention connecting something along these lines to the exhaust?

Haha! That's cool.

 

[BartRidesEternal]

Haha! That's cool.

Wouldnt that exhaust melt with fire?

I like the bike and your creativity besides the bike OJ, nice work!

 

[late for dinner]

Hidey Ho Oddjob, we're wondering if you scratched any ideas off your 'Bucket' list?
Oh and by the way neighbour, did you happen to know that the earliest use of the helmet was about 900BC by the Assyrian soldiers?
The helmets were fashioned from leather and bronze.....

 

[OddJob]

I am locked in to a few projects at home atm. Brought my homemade trailer home last Mon that has mostly sat in the wet woods and under snow for the past 15 yrs. Needs new wood bed all around.

And my 'fun project' is a guitar build. I call it the Tel-Lee Barncaster. Fender Tele style body, chambered (routed out cavities) for open tonal pleasure. It will have Tele style neck and bridge pickups, and an under bridge piezo acoustic pickup. The output jack will be split to send a signal to either the guitar amp for electric / magnetic feed, or to the P.A. or second amp for acoustic stylings.

I'm using cedar lumber I found in my crawlspace that was left over from our house build in 1988 for the body. I guess that makes it 'vintage'. The top cap on the body is a 1/4" panel of birch veneer.

Here are some photos of my progress the past 3 days or so.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Stradivarius used to take the roof beams from old houses for his work. Apparently the heat from being up there for years helped them to age to his liking.

 

[OddJob]

Stradivarius used to take the roof beams from old houses for his work. Apparently the heat from being up there for years helped them to age to his liking.

Yeah, and that was before all the Sitka spruce trees had been cut down to make violin, viola, cello, bass and guitar tops.

 

[OddJob]

My finish on the top cap and body of the guitar is made up of three parts, first I stain the wood with the Minwax Gunstock stain. The next layer is of the English Chestnut, which is a much darker color than the Gunstock. Just enough of this to tone down the orangish red. The final coat is Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac, in the Amber color. The shellac gives it a nice sheen, and a protective hard coat. It's also thin enough so that it doesn't affect the tonal qualities of the wood.

 

[SoulGarageOH]

That’ll be a nice looking Tele, OJ. I didn’t know you were a luthier among all the other things.


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[OddJob]

That’ll be a nice looking Tele, OJ. I didn’t know you were a luthier among all the other things.


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Thanks Soul-G.
I don't really consider myself a luthier, because I don't actually build instruments from the ground up often. I did get a degree in Musical Stringed Instrument Repair - Violin family back in 2003 after a year of study at Minnesota State College - Southeast in Red Wing, MN only about a 45 min drive from my home.
https://www.southeastmn.edu/academics/Program.aspx?p=59

For the first 10 yrs after I got my degree, I worked on the instruments for three different music stores within a 20 mile range of my house. It was a great part-time income and got me through some periods of 'low employment' in full-time work. I still do repairs for one store, which is only a mile and a half away, and have a few private parties that I serve as well out of my home workshop.

The guitar stuff is fun, and I've always wanted an instrument set up this way, so I'm excited to get it finished. My neck should arrive tomorrow, and other parts on the way!

 

[SoulGarageOH]

Thanks Soul-G.
I don't really consider myself a luthier, because I don't actually build instruments from the ground up often. I did get a degree in Musical Stringed Instrument Repair - Violin family back in 2003 after a year of study at Minnesota State College - Southeast in Red Wing, MN only about a 45 min drive from my home.
https://www.southeastmn.edu/academics/Program.aspx?p=59

For the first 10 yrs after I got my degree, I worked on the instruments for three different music stores within a 20 mile range of my house. It was a great part-time income and got me through some periods of 'low employment' in full-time work. I still do repairs for one store, which is only a mile and a half away, and have a few private parties that I serve as well out of my home workshop.

The guitar stuff is fun, and I've always wanted an instrument set up this way, so I'm excited to get it finished. My neck should arrive tomorrow, and other parts on the way!

Well, someone who builds guitars for a living ( a luthier ) may not call you a luthier, but a guy ( me ) who doesn’t, or has never, built a stringed instrument, would call you a luthier... luthier.


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[MattiThundrrr]

I don't really consider myself a luthier

Luthier? I barely knew her!

 

[handyandy1100]

I would not call you a luthier. I would just call you a renaissance man.

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[N.Kildare1718]

Alright, well, it wouldn't be an OddJob build thread if I didn't report at least some progress every day. At least for the first 30 days, anyway.

First thing I did yesterday was insert the rear wheel / tire combo into the frame. It was a 130 mm spaced axle, and the frame is 110 mm for your typical single speed cruiser. I've still got enough strength in my sixty-four year old 'frame' to move some steel a 1/2" on each side. I ended up with a nice tight fit in the rear end, a few micro-meters of space between tire and frame, and tire and chain line. And I didn't even have to change out the chain that was already on the frame and fork!
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So I showed the photos yesterday of the two front wheel combos I would be trying out on RaTs GaSs. I've noticed in the gasser car photos that the front and rear wheels are about the same circumference, just different sized rims and tires from front to back. The rear wheel I have is actually a 24" wheel, but with the 3" wide Fattio tire, it measures out to be about the same as a 26 x 2.125 in height. On the bike, I thought I might try a 20" wheel, just to get the illusion of the jacked up front end of a gasser by diminishing the front wheel size. Here's the result:
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NOT the look I was going for! As you can see, I slapped in a cruiser bar and stem combo I had in my stash, and stuck a Brooks saddle on the lay back post I plan to use, then threw on some pedals from my stash to make it ride-able. Not only does it look like somebody dropped the bike from 3 stories up and it compressed upon landing, it didn't ride great either. One of my trademarks of my builds is that they all are good riders.

So, round two. I set up the 24 x 1.75 wheel and 24 x 1.5 tire combo and threw that on the bike for a test look / ride.

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This was much better! The bike handled like it should, and the 'look' was getting closer. But it is still too timid for a gasser hot rod. Granted, I have also decided that the bar / stem combo isn't working. I do have the chromed BMX stem that I will be using and a 'secret' handlebar option to be revealed!

I need more rise on the front end I think. One piece that I've never used on a BACK40 rat rod bike build is a triple tree fork. I've never been a true 'chopper' fan, where these forks are often used, but I think with the traditional angles of this frame that it would add more 'lift' than 'chop'.
So I just ordered one of these, and it should be here early next week!
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I'm so GASSED!

The other thing I noticed when test riding the bike, the 3 spd hub combined with the stock crank set / 42t chain ring, does not provide enough 'high end' for this hot rod. I've got a few other crank options with bigger rings that I can try to give this gasser more 'teeth' ! That will keep me occupied till the fork gets here hopefully.

We have a gorgeous Sat morning here in the BACK40. Unfortunately, I will be 'locked down' at the bike shop all day, but here's a little serenity to get your day started:

So, we are in a strange time world wide right now. With that thought firmly planted in your mind, here's another unusual thought. OJ will be doing a 'shiny' rat build this year~!

Not only will it be shiny, it's going to be colorful as well! My experiment with the Dupli-color Metalcast paint last Fall on RaTsberry Buffet has entranced me ever since. This summer I will be going full bore on that paint plan!

I have long admired the 'gasser' hot rods and their exaggerated colors, jacked up front ends, big fat rear / small skinny front tire combos, colored glass windows, and added graphics and stickers / decals. Expect ALL of those on my build....RaTs GaSs.

Here are some of the inspirational photos I found this winter while planning my build:
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Then, while digging deeper, I found this Hot Wheels gasser photo.....and I knew this was it!

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This March, as the seasons and our lives were changing, my buddy Scotty at Arizona Wholesale Bikes asked me to come in and help him build bikes and keep the shop humming to keep up with the explosion of bike sales. I spent 5 mornings there, enjoying his company and building cool cruisers. On the last day, I asked him about a frame set that had been hanging in the corner of the shop. "Was that a parts donor? It looks like a new frame. Any issues with it?" He told me he had taken the wheels / tires and saddle off of it to 'customize' another new bike the way a customer wanted it. So no, the frame and fork were basically new.

I offered that I would take that frame and fork in lieu of some of my day's wages, and he walked over, grabbed it off the rack, and handed it to me! It's a 'classic' styled frame ( that is the actual model name of this Zycle Fix bicycle) with a great chrome finish. Perfect for my Metalcast paint application!

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I told Scotty about my gasser build idea, and he mentioned a really cool custom auto paint store that was just a couple miles away. So I swung in on my way home that morning. The store is called Space Age Auto Paint, and is a unreal set up! Custom paint mixologists, every brand of base and paint you can think of, or have never heard of. And the aisle with Dupli-Color Metalcast was packed full! I brought these home from the shelves....

View attachment 118098

Yep! I'm doing a fade paint job just like the Hot Wheels car. Can't wait to get started!

I am also back now in Minnesota and working every other day at our bike shop in the 'hood. Put in a couple of parts orders, and here's what I have so far in the queue.....

26" chrome fender set

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20" Rant tire. Not sure if I will go 20" or 24" in the front. Have to try both and return the one I don't use. That employee discount sure comes in handy.
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BMX style lay back seat post. This is a larger seat tube than the vintage frames I usually work with, so I'm going this route. Chrome, of course.

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Last Fall Trek had some closeouts on Electra parts ( Electra is owned by Trek ) and I got this 24" x 45 mm wheel with the Shimano Nexus 3 spd hub and 24 x 3 Fattio tire dirt cheap!

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MX style stem in chrome, natch.

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Option 2, 24 x 1.75 front shiny wheel with Kenda Kwest 24 x 1.5 tire. The tire tread matches up with the Fattio rear really well. Just, skinnier.

View attachment 118104

So, that's way more than you cared to know about RaTs GaSs . Can't wait to start throwing the bike parts around in the BACK40 !

RaT oN~!

Cool back wheel. Electra makes a quality product. I took a tour of the Trek plant in Waterloo. That a tour I recommend. Along with the Point Brewery.

 

[OddJob]

You are talking familiar territory for me @N.Kildare1718 . Worked for Trek shops since 1996, and Gary Fisher dealers before that. The facility is really cool. Point beer has had it's niche in the 'State of beer', Wisconsin, as long as I can remember (early '70s college days anyway!)

 

[Captain Awesome]

You are talking familiar territory for me @N.Kildare1718 . Worked for Trek shops since 1996, and Gary Fisher dealers before that. The facility is really cool. Point beer has had it's niche in the 'State of beer', Wisconsin, as long as I can remember (early '70s college days anyway!)

Make sure you do the tour de beer then and hit all the good ones

Potosi
New Glarus
Minha
Point


And........ https://www.potosibrewery.com/news-events/tour-de-pints/

 

[N.Kildare1718]

You are talking familiar territory for me @N.Kildare1718 . Worked for Trek shops since 1996, and Gary Fisher dealers before that. The facility is really cool. Point beer has had it's niche in the 'State of beer', Wisconsin, as long as I can remember (early '70s college days anyway!)

After the tour. Photograph with Trek top bike.

 

[OddJob]

" Keepin my thread alive, keepin it alive, oo- oo- oo keepin alive!" ~ to the tune of "Stayin Alive"

More work on Tel-Lee Barncaster. Got the neck pocket routed, sanded down the edges of the top cap and body so they match up all the way around, and the neck arrived! Santa, Santa was here!

All the parts are ordered, and in true OJ style, I'm going with relic hardware (think rat-ina). Sgould be here by a week from today.
Nice surprise around 1pm today, wgile I'm working in the garage, I hear a familiar tune....

Of course I got my favorite...

And the trailer got done, just in time to move my son's couch this afternoon.