Trans-MIG-RaT...RidE ViDeo ! Pg 15

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This poor kid. Thought he met a nice girl and now he's been hornswagled into making "Oddjobbery/Oddjobby parts" by his future step-grandpa in-law. Next thing you know he'll be spraying them with rust and schmearing them with mustard.

Flame on!..;)

Nice work on the deck Archemides...:thumbsup:
Haha! It turns out Justin and I think a lot alike. He even picked metal stock that had already had some Rust-ina on one side! And he gave me a couple ideas on mounting the flames for the best effect.

I'm providing the sound system for their wedding reception in July, so the barter system is alive and well in our family! :grin:

My wife is really happy with the deck so far. I'm kind of 'rat rodding' the project; some old , some new wood, and black aluminum railing sections. She's also happy with the thousands of dollars we are saving.
I told her, "You haven't seen my bill yet." ;)
 
All my Texas friends and other country fans, hum along to the tune of "Amarillo By Morning", one of my all time favorite C&W tunes as you watch this video...."RaT-ina By Morning"....



I added some RusT-Oleum Multi-colored Texture paint, via sponge application to the chain guard this morning. It will 'brown up' even more when it dries.

Before the added RaT -isfaction...
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After....subtle....but it's there.

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In 2004, Electra bicycle company came out with the Rat Fink model. It was green, and stretched, and, well, very RaT-isfying!
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We carried the Electra brand back then, and still do today. I worked at the shop for the first three seasons when they opened in my neighborhood, 2002- 2004. One day while putting together a Rat Fink, I was taken back to my Weird Ohs model building days.

After some searching on the internet, I found my inspiration. It was a plastic model of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's iconic character, Rat Fink! I ordered the model, put it together and painted it, and took it in to the bike shop and set it on my work bench; for comedic relief and inspiration. I left at the end of the 2004 season, and a long time bike mechanic I knew, Jim, took my place for the next 14 + years.

This winter, while I was away in Arizona, the business got bought by another locally based bike shop company. As a result, in anticipation of the regime change, Jim the mechanic took an offer from another shop. He wasn't a 'tidy' person, and for all those years pretty much piled tools, remnant parts, bolts, nuts, and general mess around the 25 sq ft area referred to as "Jim's bench".

When he left, the guys were ordered to clean house by the new owners, and keep only the necessary stuff amidst the mound of debris that was left behind. Fortunately, two things had happened over all those years. First, Jim never threw anything away. And second, the guys I worked with on my return to the shop last season, recognized a valuable piece when they saw one.

When I returned in April from the winter away, I found him, sitting tucked in between the spoke cutting machine and a couple coffee mugs on the 'lunch bench' in the back of the shop.

Rat Fink lives!
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When I pulled up I thought, "Where did all these teenagers come from?" Then I realized they were all kids from our neighborhood; just a LOT taller and more grown up than I remembered them being last summer!

Nobody even flinches anymore when I pull up on an old bike. They are so used to seeing me cruising the block on test rides of the various bikes over the years. ;)

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...and, it was tasty. Even for being 'fat free'.:21:

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Is that a Push up? With the plastic plunger on the bottom? Most of that ice cream trucks stuff is fat free pop sickle type treats I'll bet.

Look to be: going 50mph ; sitting still. :bigboss:

Was just thinking the other day I'll be OJ can really book on this thing with the 4 speed. How about a top speed vid?

Really hard to tell this is a class 2 build at this point. Very transparent gender change operation.
 
Is that a Push up? With the plastic plunger on the bottom? Most of that ice cream trucks stuff is fat free pop sickle type treats I'll bet.



Was just thinking the other day I'll be OJ can really book on this thing with the 4 speed. How about a top speed vid?

Really hard to tell this is a class 2 build at this point. Very transparent gender change operation.
Yeah, turns out that Blue Ribbon Classic stuff is replicas of old style ice cream / sherbet treats. It was a push up, card board disc instead of plastic, and tasted really good. Great, another treat I have to keep track of! :bigsmile:

I'm not in quite the optimal position on the bike for 'top speed' stuff. But it really is efficient in the seated position with that 4 spd. And the fat profile of the tires makes it really cush and fun to ride. Brooks saddle and that springer add even more ride quality. Can't wait to put on the finishing touches and take it around the city for some photo ops!
 
The deck is done. Final result for those that were following along:

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That left me one day to finish up the Trans-MIG-RaT in order to make my own personally imposed deadline of 'done by the end of the first week of June'.

The metal flame design went on without too much trouble.
First I drilled holes in the top of the straight bar, and screwed in two strips of 1/2 " x 1/8 " steel. I like this because it is soft enough to drill and bend with a wood vise and big hammer.

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The best part is they were already rusty from sitting on the storage shelf in the BACK40 for 4 years!

Then I picked up some steel weld, a JB Weld competitor, and glued and clamped the braced flames to the upright mounts.
This stuff sets up in 6 minutes! Cured completely in about 16 hrs.

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My small violin top repair clamps came in handy in the tight spaces.

Then, I mowed lawn and ate lunch and took her out for the first spin as a completed build! Here's the vid from Applewood Park:



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RaT oN~!
 
Beautiful job on the deck!

Finally got caught up on the vids. Feel dumb for asking if that was a push up now...:rolleyes:

Wasn't sure if I would like the flames but they're cool! Like how you mounted them without any straps or fasteners through the flames. Love the 3d effect...good jobby...:thumbsup:

Bike came out really sweet. You sure you're done? Lots of time left. I don't even have my bike yet..:21:
 
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