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Optimal muleage week

Today's optimal muleage...got a million and one things done this week. just some of the 20%

Frame's stripped, bondo'd (as much as it's gonna be), sanded, and ready for primer (high build as suggested).

Two wassell tanks are sanded and bondo'd and ready for primer.

This one looks like a clubbed baby seal. Hahahah yeah, I think that's funny, no I've never actually clubbed one myself...yet.

Some warmer weather allowed me to get a peak at Dale and pull the left side exhaust to harvest the other shorty pipe for the cherry bombs on pommie. Can't wait to pull Dale inside this spring and pull him apart for a cleaning and some upgrades.

Photo by QuadCamera

Dunno who the fuck QuadCamera is...pretty sure I took the picture...

Impatience is a virtue

So I figured twice the paint is less work than prepping that blue wassell copy. So a little tank swapping is in order. Dale's tank (never really "finished") although tabbed to fit frisco style has a deep tunnel. The lead loaded Wassell has the friscoed tunnel and with a little filing should be in good shape. Dale gets the lead loaded frisco and Pommie will get dales old tank with a new mounting tab. Both tanks need a good sanding but only a little body work. Now I've got to come up with a new paint scheme for Dale. Anyway check out the Wassell on Wassell action.

Wanted: another wassell style

Looking for a solid wassell style peanut with a deep tunnel. Doesn't need to be a genuine made in england. I just want something that will take minimal work to clean up. If it's dented up or has a tonne of brass on it or goofy tabs that need removing then never mind. But if it just needs a rust bath and some paint then that's the one. Will buy or trade for depending on what you're after. Hit me up at jordanepp@yahoo.co.uk and let me know what'cha got.

Jail bird frame

You either love it or don't. I really don't care because I think it's sickness. I am going to put this out there and say that I am the only person so far to paint a frame like this. Prove me wrong if you dare and I'll eat my words. And If you see another frame painted like this that person stole it from me. Ya dig!


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Frazetta Friday

Got'em

Sold out in an hour...crashed ticket server...busy phone signal...race downtown...yelling people in line...not the brightest ticket agent...dear lord why is this so hard...three single seats...one amazing show...lucky to be going at all at this point.

Very soon now

It's Better In The Wind - 2011 Trailer 2 from Scott Toepfer on Vimeo.

Bondable

Workin on Pommie's frame today giving it some mild molding with bondo. Glad I'm not using lead loading. Shaping bondo is fun for about 10 minutes and I've been at this for about 4 hours now and only about half way through a mediocre job.

Rides her own

$200 XS makes good...

You all may remember a certain little XS 400 I picked up using Billy's van last year.

I was promised 2 XS650's for a good price and ended up getting a complete (but non-running) XS400 and a basket 650 roller. I was planning to do a little tracker with the 400, but decided to liquidate and put the money into the 650 engines I had. Well...I got an update on the 400 progress and man, is it lookin great.


Nice work, Darren. Can't wait to see you runnin' around this summer!

Sastard Swigid Honda

Made it out to the Sastard family farm today for some barn fresh building. Fun times. Always good doin' some building in different shops. Here's a blow by blow of how the Sastards Role.


First things first. Pick the coldest day you can and work where you're outta the wind, but have minimal heat sources (actually it was pretty reasonable once we were at it).

Second, find a donor with some suitable tubing and get at it on the band saw.

Next put some more stock frame on the floor.

Now heat up the remaining frame tubes and drop them down.


After notching the 10 speed bike tubes and dishing suitable cradles out of the frame posts...

...a little more grinding and we're ready for some oxy/acetylene goodness.


I love this shot of Billy. Looks like he's building a bike in the frackin Ukraine or something.

Here's the frame all tacked in place. Rigid struts welded right to the swingarm, to the shortened/lowered seat tubes and braced by a couple tubes that needed to be there to support the engine mounts. Great stance. Very old BSAy kinda shape.

As you can see from the pictures I didn't do sweet FA. Just sat around snapping pictures all day...oh except for the big dookie of brass I piled on POmmie's tank as I tried to braze some holes closed with Sr's torch. What a mess. no pictures.

Rusty?

This picture doesn't do the rust justice but there is plenty and I have already cleaned the mufflers up as much as possible. Not really sure what my next move is but I thought I'd show something.

Showtime Sunday

Sunday Sunday Sunday

Just got back from the motorsports spectacular. Less than spectacular, but the boy thought he got his money's worth.

Getting into the spirit of time off

Juzt fucked around tonight and had some fun with parts.


Built some pipes for Dale with a swoopy pair of original xs headers welded up to some insanely long fish from R&L's attic.

Gonna be beautiful for Dale. Love how they wrap the engine and frame.


Did a proper kicker for Pommie. I'll do another for Dale with the other pedal.


Oh and no worries, Billy. I cut two inches outta those Z-bars for ya. Nooo don't thank me. Just run them in good health.

On vacation

I'm takin' some time off work this next week to get some work done in the shed and to regain some SaNIty. I'm hopin' to get Pommie's frame all stripped, ground and moulded so I can paint'er up. Shed therapy will be good. Stop by anytime this next week.

Best Frazetta

I don't care what any of you say...Keeps is a good guy.

Tig em up!

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Timmie's Touring Tub

Timmie, from work, traded the Nightster he was rockin for this Spanky New 2011 UberGlide. Gonna be a comfy summer.

Tear it Down

Pommie's ready to be torn down. Lotsa' frame work to be done (grinding pigeon shit welds and molding frame joints), but there's progress...

attack of the pipes!

What we have here is some 1 1-2" stainless pie cut pipsuronies. Gonna tig them up and not buff off the welding. with any luck when they heat up they'll turn cool colors.

Re-inspired

Okay. I'm re-inspired to try painting again.

Lead Loading

HamBone was by the Shed a few weeks back and noticed an interesting feature to my latest "wassell" purchase.

Someone frisco'ed the seating position of this tank, back-in-the-day, by adding a piece to the tunnel (a common customization fo sho). But the unique feature here was the filler used to disguise the job.

Back in the '50's plastic fillers like Bondo were not readily available and expensive to purchase. So the technique common to hot rodders and painters alike was that of lead loading or body soldering. Melting and shaping a stick of lead into dents and then shaping with a wooden paddle made this a real art form of body work. One which the previous owner of this little peanut, obviously, was not the master of.

Still. Props must go out for using this ancient technique. No one really does lead loading anymore because of the relative easy and low cost of products like Bondo. But Lead Loading is one of those lost art forms that crazy people with too much time on their hands still practice today to keep their '50's rods period correct. There's a great article here on Lead Loading's how to's. Check it.