The Schwinn Dixie Dreamcycle
- Thread starter Bike from the Dead
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The Renaissance Man
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Looks good! Glad you got it back on track!
Just a heads up, you may have to sand some of the powder coat out of the inside of the frame where the bearing cups press in and inside of the seat tube. I'd check them before forcing too hard. Hopefully that won't be the case though.
Just a heads up, you may have to sand some of the powder coat out of the inside of the frame where the bearing cups press in and inside of the seat tube. I'd check them before forcing too hard. Hopefully that won't be the case though.
Thanks TRM! Yeah, I was kind of worried I'd have to do that. I'll find out once I start reassembling everything. Right now, it's tank-painting time!
Finally got to see how the orange looks out in the sun. I'm loving it!
Time to start priming and painting this tank and its mounts!
First coat of primer is on.
2nd coat of primer, specifically filler primer, is on. There's a problem though. I'm getting a ton of these tiny chunks as I'm spraying, and I don't know what's causing it.
Added a second coat of filler primer. This time, I laid it on a little thicker in most spots, and stupid thick where the knot was, as it wasn't filling up to my liking. I've got the snail fan blowing on it to help it dry faster, so I can sand out all the rough spots.
Okay, I severely underestimate just how long this filler primer needs to dry before I can sand it. It tends to peel off like clay if I have a lot of filler in a spot. I was genuinely hoping that I'd have this tank fully painted, and this bike mostly assembled by now, but now it looks like this tank will take all of tonight and tomorrow to get done. So... yeah. That's not good.
Also realized that Dad and I forgot to plug a few threaded holes on the frame and fork last night before we powder coated everything. Probably means I'm going to have to... persuade... some bolts and screws to go into their respective places. Once again, it seems the worst problems like to show up at the last minute.
Also realized that Dad and I forgot to plug a few threaded holes on the frame and fork last night before we powder coated everything. Probably means I'm going to have to... persuade... some bolts and screws to go into their respective places. Once again, it seems the worst problems like to show up at the last minute.
Tap them. Don't persuade. Trust me on this. You'll snap them off easily enough
Love that orange!!!!
Keep plugging away!
Keep plugging away!
I don't have a way to tap them. The worst offenders are the headbadge bolts and the rear chain guard bolt.
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Thanks Kingfish. Unfortunately, I ran into multiple problems today. Chipped some powder on the chain guard, didn't get the tank and mounts done, can't figure out why my bottom bracket bearings aren't turning smoothly and evenly, the chain ring wobbles a bit, possibly due to the bearings, I've had to sand powder off to get the bearing cups on, I'm missing some washers, and the list just keeps going.
I'm starting to remember just how frustrated I was with my first 2 build offs, and now I'm starting to remember why. Every time I do one of these Build Offs, I just keep running into issues at the worst possible times. And not all of them are the "I'm missing a few bolts/need to run to the hardware store" type.
During the MBBO, the sandblaster broke near the deadline, meaning I couldn't finish my trike, and that was after going through a bunch of cash and different ideas long before then. Just earlier this week, the powder coating booth had a work-stopping clog in the air lines. That set me behind for most of this week. Even during my first Build Off last year, I had a guy mess up my bike parts further when he was supposed to fix them, and I injured my wrist so bad I had to stop working on the bike for at least a couple weeks on the last month of the RBBO.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm finding that rushing to get these bikes done by a specific deadline just causes more problems for me than if I just slow down and take my time with them.
That said, I think I'm calling it a night. I don't know if I'm going to continue working on this bike tomorrow or not, as I feel I made more than a few mistakes trying to hurry and finish building the bike today.
Sorry for the long reply, but I needed to vent.
Sorry for all of the setbacks brother.
Get some rest and see what tomorrow brings.
Get some rest and see what tomorrow brings.
Thanks Kingfish. Will do.
Ok, yesterday was a disaster, but I might still be able to submit a "finished" thread before time is up. Here's the plan: I'm going to first run around town to find all my finished photo locations, since I kind of forgot where they all are, and because today is the only day of the week when it's "free to park" anywhere in downtown Tulsa. After that, I'll grab a few parts at Lowe's or whatever, and just try to have the bike fully assembled, tank or no tank, in time to shoot photos on Monday. There is NO WAY this bike will be rideable, but at least it'll look good enough on camera. (I don't know if I'll be disqualified from voting due to my bike being inoperable, though. If that's against the rules, please let me know.) If, however, I can't get this bike put together in time, then I'm just going to let it be. Yeah, it'll kill my mood, but it won't be like I can't fix it and do it right later.
Keep powering on. Everyone will have to chime in for a consensus. Depends on how complete you get it
The rules state
- Bike must be rideable and pedal powered
Thought so. Well, then I guess I won't be able to submit my bike for voting. Thanks for reminding me.
Well, since I have no chance of making this bike functional by tomorrow, I'm throwing in the towel for now. There's no point throwing the bike together when I can't even get it riding. It just makes more sense to slow down and build this bike right than to just slap it together so it looks "nice for the camera."
I'm still going to keep working on it, but this is the end of the Build Off for me.
I'm still going to keep working on it, but this is the end of the Build Off for me.
Wood can be tricky, and I had similar problems with the cardboard elements I used - it swells, sinks and that apparently smooth finish conceals fibers that lay nicely on the surface until you put a bit of paint down.... 
I really look forward to seeing your completed machine.
I really look forward to seeing your completed machine.
