Splat Rat

[OddJob]

One of your keys to the great results you are getting, besides design, are those thick custom brackets. A nice solid platform to control the lateral flex.

You are really dialing in this home made suspension thing, WC.

 

[Wildcat]

I'm lucky that I can have them all made up cheaply. 5mm steel custom cutouts like I had made for this should be well over a hundred bucks for the four pieces. The rockers are also that thick steel.

I'm still looking for locknuts for the 10 mm bolts.

 

[GeePig]

How do you tighten the bolts in the fork dropouts enough without pinching the rockers, so that the rockers can still move? Are they special shoulder bolts or something?

 

[metalchewy]

I'm still looking for locknuts for the 10 mm bolts.
View attachment 179983

Could try making some if you can't find them. Solid flat base like an anvil, Hammer and a small punch on three of the six sides of a nut threaded onto a bolt. May end up with a junk nut or it may work.

 

[Wildcat]

How do you tighten the bolts in the fork dropouts enough without pinching the rockers, so that the rockers can still move? Are they special shoulder bolts or something?

That's where the locknuts come into play. I tighten the nuts enough to allow movement of the rockers, but snug enough so there's no wobble. As I have it now, the two nuts together work like the cone nuts on a hub, they act as a locknut. I use a washer between the nut and rocker to take up the friction.

I'm going to try to order more hardware even though the last order was completely wrong.

 

[GeePig]

I see, thanks, I thought I was going to have to get some special bolts, but that sounds workable to me

 

[Wildcat]

This will now be the upstairs bike, ready to ride at any time. Riff Ratt is now hanging on a hook down in the bunker. I took it for a test ride and it did great. I need a zip tie for the brake cable and a little more air in the rear tire. The springer felt solid and worked great.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Legit

 

[Wildcat]

A closer look at the paint.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

That paint is amazing.

 

[Wildcat]

"Lawyer lips"

I never knew what they were called. What is a common safety washer? I definitely want to make the front more secure. I was trying to figure how to use the threaded holes for fender braces to attach a big washer to hold the rockers on. I could also have my local welder weld on washers to the fork dropouts.

 

[Wildcat]

Here's a close look at the rockers. I put the lawyer lips on the inside, and figure the locknuts won't loosen enough for them to let the wheel drop out. But, I could get my welder guy to tack each one to the fork.

 

[Wildcat]

I hope to receive the right locknuts soon. 10mm was my order again, maybe they will get it right.

 

[Wildcat]

Another test ride, this time a longer ride through the neighborhood. No problems, except the humidity.

 

[OddJob]

I was selling spatter painted bikes in the late '80s early '90s , and you have emulated this very well. The production guys at Diamond Back, GT, and Gary Fisher would have been proud.

 

[Wildcat]

The locknuts finally showed up. I noticed that using 2 nuts didn't really do the same as a locknut, they were a little loose from the couple of rides I took already. I have enough hardware now to do another fork like this one, just have to get the flanges and bracket made.
It's done except now I want to see how it looks with skin wall tires, which should show up any day. I got them for Second Helping, but might get another set if they look good on this bike.

 

[horsefarmer]

Just another cool Wildcat creation.

I'm curious, do you see many rat rod bikes in the Philippines?

 

[Wildcat]

None except mine here in this area. I've asked at the bike shops if anyone has a pile of old bikes or builds customs. Nope. I've scoured the junk shops and got all their frames and parts that were worth anything. Everything is road bikes or mountain bikes. The traffic is such that it isn't feasible to ride for recreation, on the weekends the large road bike groups ride the highways with the buses trucks and everything else.
However, in Manila, they have many good places to ride and there is a big contingent of custom bike riders. A lot of lowriders but also rat rods. It's 4 hours away from where I live though. Some of the parts I've ordered come from shops in Manila.

 

[Wildcat]

Here's a new pic from a group in manila:

 

[Wildcat]

My new skinwall tires finally showed. About 11 bucks each, I'll have to order a couple more pairs before they are gone. I was going to put them on today, but my shop has been commandeered for a big holiday dinner party. The Filipinos also know how to put on a feast. The tires can wait.