Shoestring (DONE!)

[Ulu]

. . . . Maybe down the road I'll install some cream-colored tires, but for now, I'm keeping it "period-correct." . . .

I don’t have the slightest idea what might be Correct for any particular bicycle, so fortunately, I don’t have to work under this limitation.

A tight budget is a blessing in disguise, it turns up the creativity several notches and that shows big time with your build in a very good way.

I don’t have a budget problem but I do find it helps to have a large pile of junk parts to choose from.

 

[Pondo]

That headlight is looking awesome! Really nice job with design and execution on that one. I agree, you can come back to it and make the light functional later if you want too. For now it looks the part and that's the main thing. Seat post looks good. Overall looking great, nice work!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

That headlight is looking awesome! Really nice job with design and execution on that one. I agree, you can come back to it and make the light functional later if you want too. For now it looks the part and that's the main thing. Seat post looks good. Overall looking great, nice work!

Thanks Pondo!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Hey, quick question while I'm letting the JB Weld cure again: the screw that holds the headlight to the fork comes loose way too easily. It's hardly even "finger-tight," as I can loosen it with my fingers no problem. The screw is old and rusty, but it's not in the worst shape I've seen. Would replacing the screw with a new one and adding a couple star washers help, or is there a better way to keep things tight?

 

[Mr. Monkeyarms]

If you have one that fits, give it a go! The tops of those threads are pretty rounded over & may be just enough that it won't grip. Just be careful with a new one as to not strip the fork.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

If you have one that fits, give it a go! The tops of those threads are pretty rounded over & may be just enough that it won't grip. Just be careful with a new one as to not strip the fork.

That's the same screw that came with the bike, so I'll just find a replacement then! I'll be sure not to strip the fork. Thanks!

 

[Couch tater]

If you want to keep the OG screw you could JB the hole shut and re-drill it or stick a straw from a spray can into the hole, thread the screw in, trim off the straw

 

[Bike from the Dead]

If you want to keep the OG screw you could JB the hole shut and re-drill it or stick a straw from a spray can into the hole, thread the screw in, trim off the straw

That or I could drill and rethread the hole for a slightly bigger bolt. I'll try using a new screw first, then go from there.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

Tackled the custom "headlight" today with Dad's help. I didn't get a ton of progress photos due to how little time Dad had available to help me out, but we did make a great deal of progress on it. It would have been done tonight too, if the JB Weld hadn't failed in one spot after some fiddling with adjustments.
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Here's how the headlight goes together, or at least, how it wenttogether. There's this threaded sleeve that's JB Welded to the center of the back of the VW emblem. The piece of plywood sits directly behind the emblem, wrapped around the threaded sleeve. A high-powered magnet and washer holds the plywood in place thanks to a coned bolt that threads into the sleeve. The magnet then attaches to a strip of steel thats JB Welded inside the fence post topper "headlight" body, securing the VW emblem to the front of the headlight.

As you can see, the JB Weld failed on the sleeve connected to the VW emblem. Dad thinks if we add more JB Weld inside the emblem surrounding the sleeve, it will solve the problem. I'm worried it won't be strong enough, and we'll have to drill a hole into the emblem for an unmodified sleeve to fit into place. We'll hopefully find out tomorrow.
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There is one more custom piece that Dad helped me with today. I still had this one old layback seat post I wanted to use, especially since the seat I'm using isn't easy to move back for a more comfortable ride. I didn't have a shim for it, but I did have a few spare seat posts I could cut and weld the layback post into. So I used a pipe cutter to trim the seat post shim, filed the inside edge, and then Dad took the two pieces to the local VoTech for one of the students to weld together. Unfortunately, what should have been a quick 15-minute tack-welding task turned into... well, something I might have done if I tried to weld it: overkill. Still, it's solid, it fits inside the seat tube, and it pushed the seat back and down a couple inches. Good enough for me!
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Dad and I will try and fix the headlight tomorrow so I can finish that up, and I might try working on the coaster brake too, but tomorrow will most likely be spent getting my stuff packed up to head back home on Saturday. I want to get the coaster brake hub reassembled soon, that way I can get the bike in a rideable state ASAP. This next week is showing a steady amount of rain, so I don't know how I'm going to get good photos for the voting period. The sooner I can have the bike ready for photos though, the better!

I’m loving this build man! Maybe a cream color on the plywood behind the VW headlight to match close to your tires? Cool anyhow.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

I’m loving this build man! Maybe a cream color on the plywood behind the VW headlight to match close to your tires? Cool anyhow.

Thanks! Those cream tires are just on there temporarily while I get the actual wheels and tires ready. That said, I do like the cream color for the tires. Maybe sometime down the road I'll throw a better set of creams on there. For now, I'm using dirty whitewalls. I like your idea though! Thanks!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Okay, I just tried using a brand-new screw for the headlight/fork mount, and there was no difference in how loose the screw was. I think the threads may be ever-so-slightly worn out. So, now I need to figure out how to make that nice and tight...

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Just rebuilt my first Komet Super coaster brake! I got it working, but it definitely needs some fine-tuning. Hopefully one of my local bike buds can help me out with that. The hardest part is out of the way now, and for that, I'm grateful.
The list is getting substantially shorter now. Hopefully I'll be able to button up everything in the next few days so I can start shooting my final photos of Shoestring.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Okay, I just talked with @billn earlier today. He's going to help me out next Thursday on getting these wheels trued and the brakes tuned. Looking forward to learning how to true these bad boys!

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Ok, it's been 3 days now, and the JB Weld on my VW emblem is still tacky. Firm, but tacky. What do I need to do to get this stuff to fully cure?

 

[Dr. Tankenstein]

Got a hair dryer?

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Got a hair dryer?

Yeah, and I tried heating the JB Weld with it for a few minutes. Didn't notice any difference. Should I do it for a certain amount of time?

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Here's what the JB Weld looks like right now. It feels solid, like that threaded sleeve isn't going anywhere, but the surface is still tacky, and can rub off onto my hand a little.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Also, more progress today: I found a better crown race or whatever it's called and installed that on the fork. No more gap!

I'm also going to work on painting the front tire this evening to match the rear tire. I'm hoping to have everything wrapped up by Thursday, so I can start getting final photos as soon as possible.

 

[Bike from the Dead]

Okay, I just tried hitting the JB Weld with a hair dryer again for a few minutes, and it looks like all that did was make it softer. Now I'm worried that I'm going to need to do this all over again. I'm wondering if either the JB Weld I used was too old, or maybe there wasn't enough hardener mixed in...

[edit]
Then again, if I wipe the tacky parts with a paper towel, the JB Weld underneath is actually pretty solid. It just seems to be a thin layer that's tackier than the rest...

 

[Pondo]

JB Weld I used was too old, or maybe there wasn't enough hardener mixed in...

That's what I was thinking. I haven't had this happen before so I don't know what the culprit could be. It seems like it should cure in 24 hrs? If it seems like it could be scraped out of there easily enough I might try it again with new JB.