Vengence is mine.

[Urbanoutlaw]

For today's fun, I'll tackle the battery box. By the time I got done I was convinced the previous owner was riding

around holding it in his lap. The battery I have was obtained based on the size of the one that came w/ the bike & it

wasn't until after I had it that I found out how small the newer ones are, but this one was $25 as opposed to $80 & up.

Time to get creative.

Here's an approximation of the original location -

Since the frame was converted to a hard tail, the battery now runs into the rear of the frame & would stick out too far.

I decided to relocate it lower & inside the frame. It still sticks out a little but not as bad, just even w/ the primary cover

& just clears the brake linkage & drive chain.

For access the seat & rear fender are removed. Note the voltage regulator (yes, it's the same as an old Chevy truck),

I'll relocate that to the fender & raise it a little. I'll cover that in the next installment when I get into the fender.

This piece was salvaged from the windshield wipers of an old Ford pickup being cut up & made into a trailer. It's just

the right size to raise the box off the frame.

A quick safety note, I've been using cutting wheels on the little grinder a lot lately & this was bound to happen. If

the wheel starts breaking & losing pieces, throw it away. The glasses are self explanatory.

Marked & ready to cut.

Parts are ready to use, just 3 of 'em

Ready to start welding.

The shiny parts have been cleaned w/ the grinder to ensure a good weld. My rig would probably do okay but I

figured if I'm going to do it, do it right.

Several quick tac-welds hold everything in place.

More of the "do it right" thing, a quick pass w/ the grinder cleans up the welds nicely. No birdshit here.

Insert lots of cussing. Some SOB walked off w/ my old Makita drill so it's off to get a new one. This otta' do it.

And do it it does! A couple quick holes to bolt the box down....

.... & a couple in the frame to mount everything.

Ready to paint. That silver engine paint I used on the shifter will do nicely.

I'm getting a lot of mileage from that truck I'm cutting up, now it's a handy place to hang small parts for painting.

While that's drying, I should clean up a little -

Took just long enough to dry. The finished part, ready to install.

More Allenheads, especially here where there's not enough room for a wrench or socket. Everything clears & it

almost looks factory.

Most importantly, the battery slips in & out easily (kinda the whole point of this).

There was a nice chrome battery strap in the box of parts that came w/ the bike, but it's for an even bigger battery,

so I use a heavy duty bungee for now. Aw, the classics.

BTW, my shop now has a name, Outlaw Engineering.

Tune in next time for -

Same Bat Time, same Bat Channel.

Edited July 12, 2009 by Urbanoutlaw

[Urbanoutlaw]

Here's some more before I call it a day.

When I was doing the battery box I decided to relocate the voltage regulator for more room, here's the original location.

The rear fender support used to be an expensive chrome sissy bar until someone chopped it. I'll need the support,

especially if I'm going to have a back seat (This IS to attract women). It's going to get a little work.

I'm installing blind nuts so I'll only need 1 tool to install the bolts, the nuts will be permanent parts of the sissy bar.

First step is to grind off the old paint & chrome.

Forgot to take a pic but I'll show you the details in a few pics

Ready to paint...

... & painted. It's hard to see but there's a little contamination resulting in a wrinkled appearance on a couple spots.

The contamination is probably from grease or oil. For now I'm not worried about that, when I get ready to paint the

bike it'll get sand blasted & proper painting.

The black bracket is the part that clamps the fender to the frame. It's a poor fit & looks rough so it'll get some work.

The part ready to paint, same as the fender support.

Now for the main attraction. Can you say FUBAR? I knew you could.

I think I got this. I never pawn tools (or weapons) so I've amassed a few. Some of my auto body tools.

I start w/ cutting a little off the front to clear the battery.

Again I install blind nuts, this time to save getting a wrench between the fender & tires. Short bolts will allow plenty

of clearance from the tire. Here's the details from the pics I forgot earlier.

Nuts welded & dressed w/ grinder. The 2 at the end mount the bottom of the voltage regulator.

Here's some of the tools I'll need for this, a shrinking hammer & dolly. The serrated faces of the tools literally shrink

stretched metal & compress ripples. That's a big issue on this fender.

I start by grinding around the holes to fill & cleaning up burrs. Apparently a drill wasn't handy & someone literally had

punched some of the (many) holes.

The trick here is using the lowest amperage possible & w/ a MIG slow the feed rate of the wire. Otherwise you just

burn bigger holes through thin metal. It also helps to "pulse" instead of a continuous bead.

The end result looks a little rough, but the holes are filled.

I'm going to wear out my little grinder by the time this bike's on the road, but now the fender looks a lot better.

Now that the holes are filled & ground, it's time to do a little straightening. Note the marks from the hammer &

dolly from earlier.

Multiple layers of different kinds of paint would make a decent paintjob almost impossible so I'm calling it quits

for the day. The fender is ready for proper bodywork.

This means I need to get my compressor & sand blasting kit out of storage & into the shop. I've made a deal for

more space, just have clear it & move in the rest of my tools/equipment.

Later.

[Urbanoutlaw]

Did a little moving & dug the compressor & sand blaster out of storage. Haven't done anything w/ 'em for 5 years so

I need to get a couple things sorted but I'll be ready shortly.

A quick safety note, sand blasters shoot small bits of grit at high speed so don't point it at yourself (or anyone else).

This thing can take the meat right off you if you get to close & eye protection IS A MUST (preferably a full face shield).

I looked right at mine while I was getting the blaster & forgot it but I have the glasses from all the grinding. You can

see how easily this takes of layers of old paint & leaves nice clean metal.

What looked like a blemish in the paint turned out to be a crack in the metal. I think I can fix that.

It's after 10 PM & I'm out of sand. You can cheat a little & sweep up the used sand, just pick out the large chunks of

debris. I'll be building a blasting cabinet soon but this'll get me by for now. My rig isn't picky.

The underside is done & this is as far as I got on the top.

Since I'm quitting for the night I figured I'd shoot a light coat under the fender to prevent rust, (hate doing things twice)

& I wanted to get an idea of how much work it'll take to make this part look good.

Back later w/ more.

[Mpilk901]

I was actually being sarcastic by the donations, sorry to get your hopes up

This is still super awesome. How far off do you think it is from completion?

[Urbanoutlaw]

It's cool, let's just say I've recently gotten used to being "on my own".

There isn't a set schedule, I fit this in when I have time. I would like to get up & running so I can still ride this year.

No pics tonight, had dinner w/ my kids & I promised I'd spend time w/ my X-box, later.

[Sherman]

Niiice. I'm still keeping up with this, looks like its coming around nicely. I might be getting an 80's Honda bike. It's a 700CC. I just need to learn to ride it

[Urbanoutlaw]

A 700 is a good bike to learn on as long as you have a healthy respect, the minute you don't respect the bike it'll

hurt you. But bikes are great, it becomes as natural as running. Just remember the most important thing about riding -

EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS A COMPLETE RETARD & WILL DO THE STUPIDEST THING AT THE WORST TIME!!!

Keep that in mind & watch for idiots & you should be fine.

[Sherman]

Sure thing, it's crazy enough driving a car now. I've still gotta take car of it.. might make a thread for both of them. Funny how they're both Honda's xD

[Urbanoutlaw]

.....Funny how they're both Honda's xD

A matched set.

Not much to add tonight, life blew up in my face & I've got a kid in the hospital so I haven't been at the shop much

this week. I'll have more pics of the fender tomorrow when I finish the bodywork on it.

[Husky]

This bike is going to look extremely epic. What's the main color going to be?

[Urbanoutlaw]

Thanks, I want this to be something nice,

I'm going for a classic Shelby paintjob, gloss white w/ the twin blue stripe & a blue frame w/ satin silver details.

If time allows today I'll try to get the rear fender finished tonight, or at least the bodywork.

[Urbanoutlaw]

Got some time at the shop today so here's some more of the FUBAR fender.

That light coat of black makes a good guide coat, on old auto body trick to show even the smallest blemishes.

I use a scotchbrite pad to rough up the surface so the filler can better grip the part. This is the secret to effectively

using body filler.

The filler is a thick paste that won't set up until you mix in hardener. It doesn't take much, just run a straight line across

the filler...

... & mix until it's an even pale color.

Next, spread it on the part in thin even coats.

Clean-up is pretty easy, just let it start to harden & it comes right off the plastic tools.

Same for the palette, just a quick scrape w/ the plastic putty knife & it's gone.

Before the filler sets up, a quick pass w/ a clean screwdriver clears any holes you want to keep.

The darker areas are places where the sandpaper didn't cut into the filler, low spots that will need a little more.

So it gets another this layer...

... & out comes the "cheese grader" file for course work.

Next I use the body file & 50 grit paper. I also use a block w/ 80 on the edges.

I'm making progress, just a couple spots to finish,

The filler's done, now it's just finish. Another coat of black, this time several heavy coats.

Tomorrow night after the paint has dried, I'll hit this w/ 220 grit on a full size vibrating sander. The paint will fill the

sanding marks from the 50 & 80 grit I've uses so far.

That's it for now & remember, look around you!

[Urbanoutlaw]

It's been a couple days, mainly because it takes time for paint to properly dry.

Now that the last guide coat's dry it shows the remaining blemishes. they're not that big but they're enough to screw up

a paintjob.

Another annoyance. This replaces yet another tool that disappeared, a good Craftsman vibrating sander. I'll be lucky

if this one survives the fender & tanks. Loaded w/ 150 grit it'll remove all but the smallest blemishes.

Now it's ready for primer.

More drying time required, this time for the primer.

Back later.

[Urbanoutlaw]

It's later, I'm back.

The primer's dry & it's time to go after the small blemishes so I hit it w/ another guide coat.

Again the dark spots are the low ones, this time smaller & not worth the trouble of filler. I'll use spot putty here,

intended for thinner applications. No mixing needed & dries fast.

As I said, thinner applications but now the fender's nice & smooth after sanding w/ medium 150 grit.

Electric sander + wet sanding = bad & will probably get you entered into the Darwin awards.

A block w/ 220 wet/dry is next. Results are fairly quick w/ light pressure.

For edges & corners loose the block & use light pressure to form the paper around the part.

Nice thing about the wet/dry, you can clean it w/ water & it lasts longer.

Ready for the last coat of primer.

The primer's dry & we're ready to paint. Yes, I've been doing this w/ spray cans as my paint gear's still buried

in storage.

A quick pass w/ Scotchbrite gives the surface something for the paint to grip.

I was pleasently surprised at the nice gloss the white engine paint had when it dried. I went w/ this figuring if the

paint would look good on an a hot greasy engine it would hold up nicely for this.

After 2 days to dry I layed out the stripes w/ masking tape. The center was free-handed & I made the stripes

1 1/4" wide. Note the light marks to place the outside of the stripes.

Pull a long piece of tape & follow the guide marks,

Now that the stripes are laid out I'm ready form more paint.

One last pass w/ the Scotchbrite.

Blue stripes are done, just need a day for them to dry.

Note the sharp angle I'm pulling the tape at. This way it doesn't pull up the edge of the stripe.

The stripes came out nice.

Remember the blind fittings I installed earlier? Time to clear them out w/ the thread tap. Just a quick pass in &

out does the job.

Here's the final effect, white base color w/ royal blue stripes & satin silver details. I did the voltage regulator while

I was waiting for filler & paint to set up or dry.

Later.

[Huckleberry Pie]

Totally reminds me of those Harley how-to articles I wasted my time on when I was little. I learned some stuff from it, and it further fueled my fascination with motorcycles. Oh, and feel free to post the howto in my wiki site if you like. I have a personal Wikipedia-style site if you feel like adding some instructional stuff up.

[Urbanoutlaw]

Whadd'up homey peoples?!?!

Been busy the last few days w/ a couple other projects & helping the landlord on some of his stuff (he's cool so it's no

prob). In the mean time I've got some more pics I got while I was letting paint dry on that fender. Here's our old pal

the voltage regulator!

The original powder coating was pretty rough & the part wasn't prepped right so some of it peeled off w/ just my

thumbnail. The rest was stuck pretty hard. Note the pieces I peeled off in the foreground.

The sandblaster just wasn't doing it, the plastic coat absorbed most of the force so I decided on plan "B". My field

expedient bench grinder in action.

That's more like it, the wire brush made short work. Watch your hands, it'll make short work of them also.

The anodized finish on the base wasn't quite what I wanted so I masked it for painting too.

The satin silver looked just right...

... but the Ford engine blue didn't. I'll fix that in a minute but first I have some other work. The holes for attaching

the wiring were worn so I drilled them to the next size up & tapped for (you guessed it) Allenheads.

I picked up a small tap & die set, including the #8 (cover screws) & #10 (wiring) sizes for the new hardware.

The finished part just didn't look quite right so I decided to go w/ a darker blue than this.

Just something to show the comparison between the 2 colors, see the finished part in the last pic in previous post.

I'm starting to mess w/ the fuel tanks & have some other stuff I'll post as I go.

UO out.

[Ivan]

Haha, for some reason, those pics of your tools and all that really reminded me of Dexter.

[Huckleberry Pie]

Nice one UO, my dad likes it. Oh, and by the way, do you know how much a 1978-80 model Electra Glide (a Shovel, of course) costs there?

[Urbanoutlaw]

Anywhere from $3k (basket case) on up, depends on what you want. I've seen decent ones around $11-20k at the

dealers.

I'll have more later, painting the frame & hardware today.

[Urbanoutlaw]

DidjamissmeI'm BAAAACK!!!

The guy I got the bike from said this was my electrical system.....

Next I pull the sprocket cover to get at the chain. There's no master link, so the chain has to be removed the hard way.

I pull the brake strut & loosen the adjusters (1 each side).

Next is the axle nut. I seem to be missing some hardware, I'll fix that shortly.

Leave the nut on a couple turns & gently tap w/ a mallet (wood or plastic) to pop the axle loose, then remove the nut

& pull the axle out from the other side.

The rear mount for the fuel tanks is handy for lifting the whole bike to get access to the underside.

The other end of the chain is looped under the handlebars & .....

...UP, UP & AWAY! (I love that engine hoist.)

Wow, extra greasy. I go ahead & remove the line from the oil pump & clip the wire from the points to the coil.

These 2 bolts (& the other 2 on the opposite side) held the original rear frame. The hardtail conversion was welded

properly so I'm ditching the bolts. No, that's not a sports drink. It's my industrial degreaser.

Through the magic of photography we skip over the spraying to this point. the underside & most of the rest is

now a nice Royal Blue.

When I'm doing the spine I see an issue, a bad chop. The spine was pieced together from 3 sections. At least

it's straight lengthwise. BTW, Obama Motors has acquired a motorcycle company & is pleased to introduce the

Paperhead.

Anyway, back to painting. I get the spots on top that weren't open while the bike was hanging.

The front motor mount is up next. It was rusty & greasy ( ).

A quick dip in the parts washer...

... followed buy some sanding...

.... & ready to paint.

There's a clearance issue so I swap out the original nuts for flange nuts.

The mounts attached to the engine. The other bolts are the ones that mount the forward controls.

I had a little overspray, no big ...

... I also have the cure.

One control is painted (the shifter I rebuilt) & one is chrome. One control rod is chrome & one is black, both

look like fubar. Time for more paint.

The shifter came out better than I expected so the brake will get the same treatment. I remove the foot & toe pegs.

The rods were sanded & painted to match the frame, now everything's drying.

The controls, break transfer & battery box reinstalled. they came out nice.

Since the white I used is engine paint, I'm thinking of painting the cylinders & heads the same (currently faded

black). The rocker boxes (worn chrome will probably be satin silver). Eventually I'll strip the bike down & fix all

the little problems w/ the frame, going for show quality, but for now it'll get me on the road & look decent.

I'll be back later w/ more pics of the rear wheel & axle.

Edited August 20, 2009 by Urbanoutlaw

[Urbanoutlaw]

BTW- The Allenhead sockets pictured above are tools I've had for longer than most of you've been alive,

about 25 years.

The pic is blurry but it gives you an idea of how the clutch cable hangs out.

I pull the "C" clip holding the clutch handle to the perch. I also loosen the clutch adjustment for slack.

Now the cable hangs loose & I can mount it down.

Quick & easy, hose clamps will hold the cable out of harm's way.

Done w/ that part, gets it done.

It never fails. Closer examination of the perch shows it's....FUBAR!!! The part is made of pot metal & has

2 steel bolts busted off in it. Tough pot metal.

Local parts shop had the same exact part for $25 (for the whole assembly), one of the few actual parts I'll

need to buy for the project.

While I'm at, I picked up more...you guessed it, Allenheads. Enough for both sides (4 each)so they match.

Finished effect.

Tune in next time to learn how to make a thermal nuclear device from duct tape & 3 paper clips.

[Urbanoutlaw]

Suddenly there's a paperclip shortage...

While paint was drying earlier I handled some other things. I need something to keep the rear break in one

place when I use it & the hardware is missing, Here's an exploded view of what's supposed to be there.

Outlaw Engineering to the rescue. The yellow line represents the part I'll make.

A quickie blueprint of what I want to make.

Note the flat steel bar next to the fender.

I want a rounded end so I use a washer as a template.

The white paint makes it easier to see the marks from my Sharpie.

The guy who owns the building is pretty cool about using his stuff, like the drill press (I use it more

than he does).

Same for the little bench grinder.

All dressed up & ready to go.

I set the flat in place & mark it for length.

The 3/8 bolt I use for the other half needs ground down, represented by the red line.

Ready for the next step.

A 3/8 nut welded to the end of the bolt will serve as an upper mount & adjustment away from frame.

The flat is bent in 2 places to gain clearance from the frame & chain. Any vice works nicely for good results.

My little grinder is still holding in there, quick & easy to cut the flat.

I welded a left over barrel nut from the shifter to tie it all together & allow adjustment for length.

All that's left is a quick stop at my high dollar painting facility....

....& PRESTO! The finished part in place. The tab is threaded for the top bolt

& there's a jamb nut between the tab & the head of the bolt to lock it down.

I'll have more later this week.

Edited August 27, 2009 by Urbanoutlaw

[Urbanoutlaw]

Next part, the rod that connects the hub to the brake pedal.

I picked up some 1/4" rod stock for this, placed it so I can mark & cut to length.

The only Vise I have right now is on the drill press, but it works.

A stop at the grinder...

...& it's ready for threading

Originally I welded a nut to the end to attach to the transfer rod.

I want plenty of adjustment so I measure 1 1/2 inches to thread.

My toolbox makes a handy fixture to hold the rod for threading.

One more step finished.

I decided the original plan may or may not be strong enough so I remove the nut & put a bolt on the

end. This should allow for a stronger weld.

Once welded & dressed w/ the grinder I clean up the threads.

This part gets Satin Silver.

Finished & installed.

This just in: Micheal Jackson is valiantly maintaining his fight to remain dead. More on this as it develops.

[Husky]

Wen you first started this topic, i thought your bike was going to look like the Zombie. Nice bike though, it reminds me of the Hexer or the Angel. But how cime you used old parts? I mean the tyre's, and the chain. The rest looks vicious, but the tyre... No offense was used in this post.

Wen you first started this topic, i thought your bike was going to look like the Zombie. Nice bike though, it reminds me of the Hexer or the Angel. But how come you used old parts? I mean the tyre's, and the chain. The rest looks vicious, but the tyre... No offense was used in this post.

[MrLlamaLlama]

Until you go out and ride it, they tyre's aren't really that important, and can probably just be jet washed off to get dirt / dust out of the grooves. Chances are if he cleaned them up now, they gather up dust and paint and metal shavings in the shop anyway, back to square one.

Just a guess, but he might replace the chain if he decides to buy a new rear sprocket, but the cost might be a bit steep for a sprocket to fit this bike, so... ¯\(°_o)/¯.