Warren

[tjwilson]

At the end of a very long kitchen remodel I had a fare amount of scrap material left over from demolition and construction. Enough to require a trip to the local refuse / recycle center in Warren, MI. Sitting next to the large scrap metal bin was a Huffy Santa Fe cruiser. With a now empty pick-up truck bed I had no choice but to take it home.

Basic plans are to hopefully turn this once abandoned cruiser into something a little more interesting than what was left for scrap. These are my main sources of inspiration (there's more from this site that I know I'm missing).

g kustom kuhl's "MONO-SHOCK-KUSTOM"
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/mono-shock-kustom.7041/page-3

Smoopy's "ScHnOt-Rod"
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/schnot-rod.89425/

The Renaissance Man's "Drag King"
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/drag-king-___raceliner-dragster___.83263/

RockIt's "Roland"
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/roland.43611/

KOTA's Fork Bend
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/bending-forks.9254/

aka_locojoe's Frame Chop
http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/simple-chop-to-a-cantilever-frame.594/

 

[tjwilson]

Wanted to make sure that the bike would be, if not comfortable, at least could be ridden without too much discomfort. Most of the concern was the length of the crank arms that need to be shorter once the frame is lowered. The seat and handlebars can always be adjusted or swapped out. Changing the distance between the centerline of the crank and the ground to allow longer crank arms would be a little more difficult.

Swapped out the crank. Also added the seat, handlebars, bent fork and, the front wheel / rear tire I intend to use. A quick test ride confirmed that the shorter cranks will be acceptable. A little like riding a clown bike because the pedals now follow a tighter circumference, but acceptable.

From the salvage parts pile: Centurion mixte bars and fork; Schwinn 27" wheel with quick release hub, road bike seat. Original rear tire swapped for a Schwinn 26 x 2.12" cruiser tire.

Bending the forks with a hydraulic pipe bender.

Front tire clearance created with hand grinder.

 

[tjwilson]

Cantilever frame chop.

Cantilever tubes cut free from the seat tube with a cut-off wheel and hand grinder.

Cantilever tubes cut free of down tube.

Tie down strap in position.

Strap tightened to bend chain stays and drop frame.

 

[tjwilson]

Mock-up with dropped frame and rear drop-out design.

Determining the final position of the rear wheel, additional drop and stretch.

Rear drop-out extension mock up in cardboard.

Rear drop-out extension and strut mock-up.

Found a chain ring guard that fit the front sprocket without modification and threw that on. There's a few things I'm starting to like. The way that the rear drop-out extension echoes the front sprocket, especially with the guard. The negative space created by the drop-out, rear seat stay and rear strut echoes and counter balances the negative space created by the top tube, down tube and cantilever tubes. The way that the curve of the cantilever tube is continued and reversed by the bend of the forks. The cantilever tubes will be cut closer to the down tube but the visual flow should still be apparent. Not sure about the taller front wheel but that's a choice that can be reversed even after everything else is complete.

 

[tjwilson]

Rear drop-out extensions

To make room for rear drop-out extensions the frame was spread using a gear puller.

Extensions rough cut from 3/16" mild steel.

Making drill bits dull.

 

[tjwilson]

Rear struts and strut mounts

Spare nuts and bolts used for mock-up and test ride. Only scraped the pedals twice.

 

[tjwilson]

Chain guard trim and mount

Somewhere along the way I found an image of a chain guard used with a chain ring guard. I liked the look, just wish I had kept a link to the specific reference.

Original guard positioned and marked for trim.

Guard details after trim and mount tabs tacked in place.

Overview with chain guard and 26" front wheel.

Polished chain guard. Pretty good but there are still spiderweb scratches visible at the right light angle. Considering that all the chrome / polished parts for this build are used and have scratches of their own this might be good enough. Something to revisit at final assembly.

 

[tjwilson]

Rear drop-out extension additions

The rear view of the extensions appeared too thin compared to their side profile. They already look like some type of braking / drivetrain components. Adding pieces that mimic a caliper or disc seemed a natural solution. They help visually fill a space that looked empty to my eye. I'll eventually cut tubing to act as spacers. The spacers may also be an opportunity to add some small touches of color.

As with the chain guard, the extensions will be polished. Still some spiderweb scratches. They may need some addition polishing. The "disc" additions have a rougher finish for contrast.

 

[tjwilson]

Frame prep for paint

Sanded frame.

Weld clean-up and smooth.

 

[tjwilson]

Body filler.

 

[tjwilson]

First primer coat, glazing and spot putty.

 

[tjwilson]

Second primer coat.

So that's a catch-up to were the project currently sits. I'll add more as it progresses.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[KJV]

Good work.
Looking forward: to finish.

 

[Big Ape]

Hey Tom.........is this your first rodeo?? I think not! Everything about this build is sweet. I would personally add some curve to the new rear extension supports, but that is just my preference. Can't wait to see the finished bike!

 

[Rat Rod]

Looking awesome...great documentation too!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Nice work! Subscribed and looking forward to more!

 

[gowjobs]

This build appears to be right in line with where my currently unfinished RRBMBBO bike is headed. I will watch with great interest.

 

[ChimeraCycle]

Great build thread. Love the putty work. Looks very schwinny that way. The rear drop out work & extension is boss.


Sent from my SCH-R970 using Tapatalk

 

[deven_science]

Great build you've got unfolding! I would agree with Big Ape that curves in the braces might flow better, but either way, good job, man.

 

[Bike Bum]

Rear drop-out extension additions


View attachment 15612

Love those rear drop outs! This bike is looking very nice.