New build

J Everett

Suspension Lift
Founding Member
Location
Houma, LA
Hey Kyle, here's a tip for running your head light wires through the frame tube. Get a piece of yarn or cross stitch thread, and insert in one end of the tube, then use a shop vac to suck it through the tube and out the the other end. Then tie or tape your wiring to the thread and pull it through. We used to do this to run wires through the tubular gunwales on jon boats, so I'm pretty sure it'll work on a bike frame. Good luck!
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Hey Kyle, here's a tip for running your head light wires through the frame tube. Get a piece of yarn or cross stitch thread, and insert in one end of the tube, then use a shop vac to suck it through the tube and out the the other end. Then tie or tape your wiring to the thread and pull it through. We used to do this to run wires through the tubular gunwales on jon boats, so I'm pretty sure it'll work on a bike frame. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip man! I'll definitely give it a try.

I got my LEDs in for my headlight, and stayed late at work to machine the piece that holds them in the headlight. It needs a little bit more work to actually fit into the headlight, but not much. I installed the LEDs and tried it out, and it's pretty much exactly as I wanted it. Here's the piece I machined:

07-11-2012HeadlightInsert1.jpg


LEDs installed:

07-11-2012HeadlightInsert2.jpg


07-11-2012HeadlightInsert3.jpg


Lights on!

07-11-2012HeadlightInsert4.jpg


The center LED is green, the 8 surrounding it are white. I wanted the light to have a very slight green hue to it, which it does :D! I tried real hard to get a shot of the light it throws, but it just doesn't come out in pictures. It's being powered by a 6V lantern battery here, the LEDs are wired with resistors to run on a 12V battery. I hooked it up to the battery in the X and DAMN it's bright!
 
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KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Dude your killing this...

Thanks chief :D

I'm going to be sad when this is done...

Me too, but that means I'll have space and time, and maybe I can try to pick one up for the wife...

That is badass!!

Thanks bud!

I just machined another piece for the headlight, it's sooo close to fitting but still needs a bit more work. I also made some badges, I'll get some pics up later.


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KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
New cuts on the new LED insert:

aee24191-3a7c-8a14.jpg


aee24191-3a8e-9eef.jpg


aee24191-3a99-6ad1.jpg


Made 2 badges, I'm only going to use one and don't know where yet, which one do you guys like more? Ignore the black lettering, I can do that to either of them. I may do a red oval line and black lettering on the winning piece.

aee24191-3b1d-f6e0.jpg


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KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
I like the oval better.

Que?

The one on the right. Maybe a bigger font? big and bold?

how big are the badges?

I can't really do much with the font, my machine is limited as far as fonts and sizing. I wanted it in script lettering but it doesn't support it.

They're maybe 1 1/2" long by 7/8" wide? Don't remember exactly.

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Roadwarrior

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Founding Member
Que?



I can't really do much with the font, my machine is limited as far as fonts and sizing. I wanted it in script lettering but it doesn't support it.

They're maybe 1 1/2" long by 7/8" wide? Don't remember exactly.

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I stand with my first suggestion, the one on the right. It looks clean
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
I stand with my first suggestion, the one on the right. It looks clean

I was leaning heavily toward that one from the beginning. The one on the left was an afterthought, but I couldn't remember the settings on the machine to recreate the lettering so I just figured I'd wing it. I definitely like the one on the right a lot more, and it will probably be going on the seat tube since the head tube is going to be hidden by the leather pouch.
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Welp, I haven't done anything to this bike from the point of my last post about it.

I want to though, SO BAD, but I hit a bit of a roadblock.

I wanted to bend the forks, something similar to this:

DSC04725.jpg


That bike was built by a member on ratrodbikes.com (Goes by the name KOTA) and as soon as I saw it, I knew that's the look I wanted for the front end of my bike. He's running a fork from a road bike (typically for a 27" tire) which he bent, and a 24" front tire. The fork that came on my bike was already tweaked, and after bending it it's even further tweaked, to the point that I can't easily repair it to a usable state; so it's junk. That leaves me with no fork, which is a wicked bummer.

My frame has such a tall head tube that I'm having a hard time finding a fork with a long enough steer tube to fit, and it's really put the brakes on my build.

I just found another member on RRB.com that is selling tons of parts, I picked up a fork that looks like it'll work for a whopping $5 (+ shipping) so provided the steer tube is long enough, I'm going to try bending that one. I don't want to go to the extreme bend of the bike pictured above, as he also needed to swap out a crank with shorter arms (regular-length arms will hit the ground, that's how low the bike is :zomg: ) but I definitely want that slammed look.

I've also got 2 other bike forks that I'm working on piecing together to give a completely different look to the front of the bike, in case I want to switch it up a bit and do something a little different.

Everything else is the same as it was in my last update, no paint or prep, no more cutting, haven't finished my seat tube or anything. I've really just been waiting on figuring out the front end so I can get a feel for the stance of the bike and take it from there.

The fork dilemma is also holding me back on building my wheels. The size fork I get (26" versus 27") will change what size tire I can run up front, and it'll effect how far I can bend them too - so I haven't been able to build my wheels yet.

So that's that. Now that I've got a fork coming in the mail sometime this week, maybe I can make some progress on this bike. Just thought I'd update this thread and keep everything up to date.
 
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Big_THanks

Wheeling
Founding Member
Location
Chattanooga
Nice build man that thing is going to be sweet. I want to build a little project but I'm thinking more along the lines of bobbing an old motorcycle just a small cc bike.
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Nice build man that thing is going to be sweet. I want to build a little project but I'm thinking more along the lines of bobbing an old motorcycle just a small cc bike.

Thanks! I just hope the fork I bought works out okay and I can bend it without messing it up, haha. About the bobber - that reminds me, I'm toying with the idea of motorizing this bike. Not the usual chainsaw motor rigged up, but with a small single-cylinder vintage bicycle motor. They're out there, and pretty easy to find - and they'd fit nicely in the belly of this frame.

Diggin that light!

Thanks man! I'm excited to get the light all mounted up and get some power to it.
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Well, I found a guy selling a fork that'll fit my bike, he wanted $5 plus shipping, so as you can imagine; it was sold as soon as I saw his listing.

Finally showed up today, looks like it'll fit nicely! Just have to borrow a conduit bender from work to put some light bends in the forks and I'll be all set :D

I also just bought another vintage frame off a guy on RRB.com (I think this whole vintage bike thing is my new addiction :dead: ) $50 SHIPPED for a frame, fork, crank, bearings, bearing cups, chain guard. My plans for that one are to build a "klunker" - basically a mountain bike built on an old bike frame. Single-speed, rear coaster brake only, no front brake, maybe a suspension fork if I can find the right one.
 

Roadwarrior

Titan Swapped / SAS'd
Founding Member
Well, I found a guy selling a fork that'll fit my bike, he wanted $5 plus shipping, so as you can imagine; it was sold as soon as I saw his listing.

Finally showed up today, looks like it'll fit nicely! Just have to borrow a conduit bender from work to put some light bends in the forks and I'll be all set :D

I also just bought another vintage frame off a guy on RRB.com (I think this whole vintage bike thing is my new addiction :dead: ) $50 SHIPPED for a frame, fork, crank, bearings, bearing cups, chain guard. My plans for that one are to build a "klunker" - basically a mountain bike built on an old bike frame. Single-speed, rear coaster brake only, no front brake, maybe a suspension fork if I can find the right one.


Pics or none of this happened..
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
you have a lot of bikes there sir.

The ones in the pic? Those aren't mine, that's the seller's photo.

But I guess I'm starting to have a lot of bikes, haha. One mountain bike, a BMX, Allisonn's mountain bike, the old red project bike, 3 mountain bikes for parts, and now this one.

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KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
The ones in the pic? Those aren't mine, that's the seller's photo.

But I guess I'm starting to have a lot of bikes, haha. One mountain bike, a BMX, Allisonn's mountain bike, the old red project bike, 3 mountain bikes for parts, and now this one.

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Um, so I still have all those bikes, PLUS 3 more vintage bikes...crap.

I got some work done on the Church Rat build today. I stripped the frame, sanded it, cleaned it and sprayed the first coat of primer. Still have to sand and prime the fork, fenders, seat pan, and a couple other odds and ends; then I can move on to the final painting and the 2nd-best part: assembly!



 
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KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Cleaned and sprayed the rear fender and fork today, and hit a few light spots on the frame again, too. I also did some more work on the seat pan.

No pics though, next time.

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KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Resurrecting this thread, with pics :D

The old lawn mower has been serving as a work stand, haha. Here's where this build is currently.

yny2u2u8.jpg


a3u4u3yq.jpg


6y3ysuju.jpg


Please ignore the mess. I'm working on that, too.

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KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
No pics but I'm happy to say I did a lot of work on this thing this weekend. I spent from 9:30 pm Saturday to 4 am Sunday in the garage wrenching, cutting, and wiring.

I decided on which fork I'm going to use, which is a big step forward in itself. I'm going to have to spread it open a little bit, and depending on how easy that is I may impart a little curve to it as well.

I got my crazy front handbrake set up with a new design that I'm really happy about. It's mounted and ready, just waiting on the fork to be bent and the wheel to be installed.

I mounted a toggle switch to control the head and tail lights and started running wires. I had to abandon running the wires through the frame though, something I'm not really thrilled about but oh well.

I solved my busted seat post dilemma and got my seat totally mounted. It's rock solid, the suspension works, and the bare steel seat pan looks ratty as hell. I love it.

I can't mount or wire the headlight until I know for sure if I'll be bending the fork, but it'll be a simple thing to do at the end. Also, if I can/do bend the fork, I'll have my local bike shop build my front wheel with a 24" rim. If I can't/don't bend it, I'll run 26's front and rear, probably with a wider and thicker tire in the rear. I'll see what's available for tires when I know what wheels I'll be using.

I'll try to get some pics of the progress this week.

I also happen to have gotten my hands on a late 1970's to early 1980's Columbia road bike, which has a 3-speed coaster brake hub. I've considered stealing that hub for this build. The Columbia also happens to be a 24" bike...which means I now have a wheel and tire to mock up my fork with...which is the really important/cool thing to have.
 
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KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
Oh, I also did a check on an old tire pressure gauge I got from that junk collector a while ago. The first patent number on it is dated 1929, the last is 1932. I cleaned most of the grime off of it and it's in great shape, and it reads just as accurately as both of my other pressure gages. Not bad for 80-something years old! It'll likely live in the leather handlebar bag.
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
I also took the front wheel from the Columbia and did a quick fitment of it on this bike to get a feel for how much I'll be able to bend the fork. Hint: It's a lot.

This got me thinking of other options, but I'm trying to stay focused and not stray from the current plan.

I also found and ordered a 12V 3800mAh rechargeable battery pack, it'll be here tomorrow.
 

KChurch86

Banned
Founding Member
I mocked the bike up on some wheels and tires from other bikes this weekend, and I think I'm going to have to replace the fork, and I might end up reworking the seat as well.

The riding position is actually very comfortable, I wasn't sure what to expect but it's not too bad at all. It's still comfortable to pedal, the reach for the bars is pretty natural, and the shortened rear fender just barely provides enough protection to keep my butt off the tire. It's exactly what I wanted.

I'm not too crazy about having to change out the fork, OR the seat, but oh well, it is what it is. Replacing the fork means I'll have to rework the suicide brake, which has me worried. I probably won't be able to attach it to the new fork in the same way, so I'll have to figure out something different.

I will say that the bike looks awesome with wheels and tires on it, it's a lot lower than I imagined it would be. I'm pumped to finish the build and take it for a cruise.

Sent while mobile
 
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