Perfect you bought the right parts makes it so much easier looks great
StratoFlite (Spaceliner style)
- Thread starter ParkRNDL
- Start date
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I don't know why I have this obsession with keeping the old parts anytime I take something apart, but there it is. Case in point: I built up a 24" Speedster into a Manta Ray tribute several years ago. I felt horrible about taking apart a nice 24" Speedster, so I carefully saved the original fenders, bars, shifter, seat, guard, and some other odds and ends. They are currently sitting on a shelf in the bike dungeon collecting dust. I'm quite sure I will never put those parts back on the bike, but I'm also pretty sure I will never get rid of them.
Which brings us to my current project. With some careful prying and twisting, I was able to remove the clip holding the light switch knob in the dashboard of my Murray.
I have saved all the little pieces, which will go in a box in the dungeon and get forgotten about. Someday when they clean this place out, they will find the box and have no idea what all these little pieces are for. This is the way it is, I guess.
The good news is that the hole left behind is the perfect size for the mini switch I bought for the lights.
In other news, the horn button I bought is no good. It's a momentary OFF switch. Says so right on the label, which I failed to read carefully at the time. So I will be shopping for another one of these too.
Which brings us to my current project. With some careful prying and twisting, I was able to remove the clip holding the light switch knob in the dashboard of my Murray.
I have saved all the little pieces, which will go in a box in the dungeon and get forgotten about. Someday when they clean this place out, they will find the box and have no idea what all these little pieces are for. This is the way it is, I guess.
The good news is that the hole left behind is the perfect size for the mini switch I bought for the lights.
In other news, the horn button I bought is no good. It's a momentary OFF switch. Says so right on the label, which I failed to read carefully at the time. So I will be shopping for another one of these too.
Sorry to ask so late....What bike are these 'bars from?
I think those are off a Schwinn Collegiate, but they are similar to bars off any middleweight Schwinn from the '60s. I have a '68 Panther, a '64 Hornet, and a '63 (I think) Fleet that all came with similar bars.
Thanks. Those a very cool.
This bike is just....wow! I love this.
More tinkering with electricity...
It kills me that I can't go to Radio Shack anymore and buy odds and ends for projects like this. In recent years I have scavenged components from castoff household junk. Today I took apart an old set-top TV antenna that should have been in a landfill years ago.
These clips worked perfectly to slide onto the end of the positive contact for the center of the LED bulbs.
Ran that wire to the switch, ran the other side of the switch to the positive side of the battery, and connected the negative side of the battery to a clip that's grounded through the rusted chassis to the reflector plate.
Aaaaaand we have lights.
Next up is the horn. I bought a horn button off Fleabay today; it's due next week. When I take the tank apart for that, I'll extend the wires for the lights to make battery replacements easier and probably sit the new battery tray in something like foam or a piece of a tire tube to cushion it a little. Going forward, I need to move back to the rear rack. I still need to fix the rack supports (they're broken right at the bolt holes) and come up with an interesting way to use the rear light housing.
Here's some photos with the "repaired" headlight housing:
I took it for a ride out to the mailbox, and found a package from none other than our own @OddJob . He had a set of pedals that he thought were perfect for this build, and he was right. I spun them on just to take a few more pics:
I don't want to ride on them yet, as they both need a little repair. Both pedals have one block split like this:
OddJob and I both figured that if I clamped the crack together with some epoxy or JB Weld, it'd fix them right up for a while anyway.
It kills me that I can't go to Radio Shack anymore and buy odds and ends for projects like this. In recent years I have scavenged components from castoff household junk. Today I took apart an old set-top TV antenna that should have been in a landfill years ago.
These clips worked perfectly to slide onto the end of the positive contact for the center of the LED bulbs.
Ran that wire to the switch, ran the other side of the switch to the positive side of the battery, and connected the negative side of the battery to a clip that's grounded through the rusted chassis to the reflector plate.
Aaaaaand we have lights.
Next up is the horn. I bought a horn button off Fleabay today; it's due next week. When I take the tank apart for that, I'll extend the wires for the lights to make battery replacements easier and probably sit the new battery tray in something like foam or a piece of a tire tube to cushion it a little. Going forward, I need to move back to the rear rack. I still need to fix the rack supports (they're broken right at the bolt holes) and come up with an interesting way to use the rear light housing.
Here's some photos with the "repaired" headlight housing:
I took it for a ride out to the mailbox, and found a package from none other than our own @OddJob . He had a set of pedals that he thought were perfect for this build, and he was right. I spun them on just to take a few more pics:
I don't want to ride on them yet, as they both need a little repair. Both pedals have one block split like this:
OddJob and I both figured that if I clamped the crack together with some epoxy or JB Weld, it'd fix them right up for a while anyway.
I am a ham, and I remember when Radio shack sold, ya' know....stuff for radios....
First off, your elec-trick-al wotk on that light fab was amazing! Secondly, the pedals look great on your build. Now your 'purse (saddle) matches your shoes ' as @metalchewy and I are want to say!
current dilemma: rack supports
Need to find someone to weld them up for me. That's today's mission.
Need to find someone to weld them up for me. That's today's mission.
Man, I miss Radio Shack too. I think there's still one in Claremore, OK, about 30-40 minutes of driving from where I live, but that's about it.
Glad to see you got your lights working! And those pedals look sharp too!
Glad to see you got your lights working! And those pedals look sharp too!
This morning was serendipitous. I got a text message from a friend through my group of bike nerds. His sister actually is a regular at our Thursday evening rides. He was looking for some parts for a rat project he had taken on commission, and I have just enough rusty junk stockpiled that sometimes a gem can be found in the rubble. Important note: this gent is known in our group to be kind of a wizard with metal. I told him I'd bring him a pile of stems and bars to sift through and asked if he'd take a look at the rack that needed the welding repair. He said sure, bring it on over.
Now, I bought this stuff a couple days ago with the thought that someone might be able to use it in this repair.
I forget now if the silver ones are fender washers or alignment shims, but they were something like 20 cents each at Surplus City. Steve said they were just about perfect. He used the broken-off piece I had left as a pattern to grind one down to this:
Then he put on a mask and did some black magic stuff on his workbench with sparks and a bench vise while explaining to me how TIG welding works, and the next thing I knew I had this:
AMAZING. I would have been happy to have a big ugly washer welded onto the approximate right spot. Instead I have what looks like the original article with some surface blemishes that won't show anyway because they'll be covered by the fender supports, the guard, and the bolt.
Now to start brainstorming taillights...
Now, I bought this stuff a couple days ago with the thought that someone might be able to use it in this repair.
I forget now if the silver ones are fender washers or alignment shims, but they were something like 20 cents each at Surplus City. Steve said they were just about perfect. He used the broken-off piece I had left as a pattern to grind one down to this:
Then he put on a mask and did some black magic stuff on his workbench with sparks and a bench vise while explaining to me how TIG welding works, and the next thing I knew I had this:
AMAZING. I would have been happy to have a big ugly washer welded onto the approximate right spot. Instead I have what looks like the original article with some surface blemishes that won't show anyway because they'll be covered by the fender supports, the guard, and the bolt.
Now to start brainstorming taillights...
Serendipity, one of my favorite words. I get what you were experiencing this morning.
Those look great!
I really need to learn this ‘black magic’ someday…..
I really need to learn this ‘black magic’ someday…..
Great work on the light and housing.
It really is a shame that Radio Shack doesn't exist anymore.
It really is a shame that Radio Shack doesn't exist anymore.
Ok so I'm thinking taillights.
As cool as the original taillight thing is, I'm not a huge fan of it. It faces upwards, not back as it should. It looks like a police beacon, or like it belongs on a 1940's rendition of a UFO. It doesn't give me late '50s/early '60s vibes. I think I want to save it on a shelf and do something else with the space for this build.
This is the panel/area I have to work with:
My dream, if I had unlimited resources and Chip Foose-level metalworking ability, would be to somehow put some miniature version of mid-'60s Impala taillights in that little vertical panel. Ideally, I'd have a concave aluminum insert like the '63 to set the taillights into. Here, have a laugh at my MS Paint-level renditions.
1963 edition:
1964 edition:
Coming back down to reality, I decided to cruise the Headlights and Taillights gallery in the Show Me Your... forum for inspiration. This one jumped out at me:
I'd go shorter with the tubing, but I'm wondering if I could incorporate a couple of exhaust-looking pieces like that to set the taillights into. The brainstorm continues.
As cool as the original taillight thing is, I'm not a huge fan of it. It faces upwards, not back as it should. It looks like a police beacon, or like it belongs on a 1940's rendition of a UFO. It doesn't give me late '50s/early '60s vibes. I think I want to save it on a shelf and do something else with the space for this build.
This is the panel/area I have to work with:
My dream, if I had unlimited resources and Chip Foose-level metalworking ability, would be to somehow put some miniature version of mid-'60s Impala taillights in that little vertical panel. Ideally, I'd have a concave aluminum insert like the '63 to set the taillights into. Here, have a laugh at my MS Paint-level renditions.
1963 edition:
1964 edition:
Coming back down to reality, I decided to cruise the Headlights and Taillights gallery in the Show Me Your... forum for inspiration. This one jumped out at me:
I'd go shorter with the tubing, but I'm wondering if I could incorporate a couple of exhaust-looking pieces like that to set the taillights into. The brainstorm continues.
You should check out @SwissGuy 's taillights from last year.
https://ratrodbikes.com/forum/threads/campground-buggy-trike.113687/post-1184849
Now that is EXACTLY what I needed to see. I would need much smaller lights, but if I could find convex ones like that, and then set them into the right diameter tubing, either aluminum or PVC painted chrome, that's the look I'm going for...
BRILLIANT! Brainstorm headed in a different direction!
Question for the RRB hive mind: Will LEDs designed for 12v automotive applications run on a little 9v battery? This one says yes:
(I put it in as a thumbnail because it's a LONG screenshot)
The problem is they're like 5 bucks each.
When I look up similar stuff on Amazon, it's way cheaper, but they just say 12v, there's no range listed:
Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!
(I put it in as a thumbnail because it's a LONG screenshot)
The problem is they're like 5 bucks each.
When I look up similar stuff on Amazon, it's way cheaper, but they just say 12v, there's no range listed:
Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!
Attachments
I don't know the answer but I'll be watching if someone chimes in. Those have a ton of possibilities
