Music, Magnolia and Motorcycle

 

The man who pretty much started rockabilly music. Great entertainer but, man, he had what had to be the worst hairpiece ever at the end of his career.

I bought myself some Bossa Nova for my commute to the college. More like music to soothe the savage beast for the ride home.

The Magnolia trees are starting to bloom. I've got several different types, so I usually end up with blossoms on one or the other of them for about a month. They always look lovely and smell nice unless we get a late frost. I'm hoping we're done with the freezing temperatures until the fall, but you never know around here - we had snow on the first day of spring.

I started cleaning up the fork legs- lots of paint on them. Looks to be a really good primer, silver, clear, and then the bronze. It'll take me a bit, but I'll get them to shine like a diamond in a pig's ass, as the old saying goes.

I did a bit of "think time" on the Jitney yesterday. I need to raise the seat up some and make a pattern for the floorboard. Before I put the seat back in I'll make the protective shield that goes under it to keep the driveshaft hitting me in the naughty bits if a U-joint fails and a driveshaft loop to prevent the shaft from digging into the road and creating a giant pogo stick. 

I'll pick up the argon bottle tomorrow, and hopefully the fork seals will be here soon. Things are moving along.

Alchemy - Turning Cold Rolled Into Gold

 

2:23 of a dance tune - you'd just make your way out to the dance floor and the tune would be over before you got warmed up. It's a catchy little ditty, though.

The new trailer tires and wheels came in the other day. After doing the cost analysis on the back of the bar napkin, I figured it would be better to buy two new tires mounted on rims and be done with it. The old tires had a lot of sidewall cracks and to buy two new tires and have someone mount them wasn't going to save much. And if I had the Sportster or a big twin in the trailer and a tire blew out, I'd be up the creek without a paddle since I didn't have a spare tire. Now, I've got new rubber and I can use one of the old tires for a spare. And at my age, probably a lifetime fix.

I gave the trials bike levers the low dollar "gold" plated treatment. They look pretty nice - have to wait and see how they'll look once they're on the machine, though. If I don't like the look, it'll be easy enough to change.

I'm going out for breakfast this morning with my old running buddy and fellow tech teacher. Looking forward to catching up with him. It'll be back out in the shop later working on the front end of the bike cleaning and polishing the fork legs.

Out of Gas

I went over to the steel supplier yesterday morning to swap out my argon bottle only to find a note on the door they will be closed all week. Apparently, they went on spring break.

However, Surly and one of the grandsons came down with a welding job and some stuff to clutter up my place rather than theirs. The grandson is taking care of the welding job. The kid's going to make a good craftsman one of these days.

Big vise Surly picked up at an estate sale. You can spin the jaws around and it becomes a pipe vise. He got it for a steal. He didn't need it but the price was right and it'll go in the grandson's hope chest.

I did a little work on the trials bike, even though I couldn't do any welding. I got the piece made for the back mount of the skid plate. As soon as I get the argon I'll get it tacked on.

Repurposed street sign for the skid plate. When I moved in here there was quite the collection of signs that I believe were liberated by the young man who lived here prior to my arrival. Interesting that a former student was involved in an accident at an intersection that was missing the stop sign, and there was one of those in the collection that was in the soon to be shop. When I was leveling the sand floor in the building prior to pouring concrete, I also dug up a cardboard box that had a brassiere and a few other things in it. Too bad I didn't come across a "pirates' chest" with some gold doubloons or something of real value.

I ordered some fork seals yesterday. I'll get the fork seals installed and the legs polished up while I'm waiting on the argon. It'll all be together fairly soon.

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Looks like the Department of Education is done for and the power will return to the states, as it and most everything else should be as per the 10th amendment. There's been a steady downward trend in our rankings compared to other countries ever since it became a stand-alone cabinet in 1980. I'm not sure how well the states will do if you look at the condition of many of them, however. I've only got 14 days left in the system now. After that, I won't have to worry if college students can tell time or work with fractions. I'll just stay home and work on my projects.

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I came across something very interesting on a couple of spots I browse. On last Thursday's post at The LoneStar Parson, he reports on what has been found underneath the pyramids of Egypt. It's wild what they found and only adds to the mystery of why they were built and by whom. And I'll bet you a dollar to a donut, those guys could do some serious math.  

Closer and Closer

Change in the music, but variety is the spice of life after all.

Worked on the trials bike a little bit yesterday. I ran out of argon but I warmed up the shop so I could paint the swingarm. I'm liking the color - should go well with all the shiny aluminum that's going to be on the bike. The Rust-Oleum has variable spray patterns. I used setting number 3 which is low flow. It worked well painting the tubing on the swingarm. 

I'll pick up an argon bottle Monday and get back on the welding. I should have finished welding it before I had the eye trouble. My depth perception is off a bit, which creates a problem when welding thin material with the TIG. I had to grind the tungsten more than times than I would have liked after "sticking it in the soup".

I've still got a couple of things to do on the frame in addition to the welding - drill some holes, mount the skid plate and some additional cleaning. I'm planning on doing some of that today.

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George Foreman passed away the other day. Big George was only a year older than I am, so that hits pretty close to home. 

Rest in Peace, George. You were a great champion!

Now We're Talking!

 

I got the vintage trials bike stripped down. The frame's pretty rusty from being neglected for all these years but it'll clean up well enough. I took the cup wheel on a small grinder and polished up the swingarm and it looks good. I'll use some emery cloth on it to finish the job and then see about some paint. I'm going to paint the swingarm and see how I like it. If I like it, I'll paint the frame. If I don't, I'll sandblast the paint off the swingarm and get everything powder coated.

Hoping to have the frame welded up by the first of the week.

Trials Bike Nears the Finish

OK, this is it for the Bossa Nova music for a while. No telling what I'll come up with in the future, though. Probably should have put some Irish music up yesterday.

I started on finishing up the trials bike. It won't take long to strip it down the rest of the way - pull the motor and put it on the stand, the front end will come off in one piece. Pull the shocks, rear wheel and swing arm and that'll be that.

I need to weld in the piece for the chain rubbing block on the swingarm, drill some holes for safety wire, then finish weld everything. That shouldn't take too long. Hopefully I'll get that done this week. However, I start back to work this week, and I've got a few other things cooking, but welding up the frame needs to be job one - get it done before somebody shows up on my doorstep needing something.

Bossa Nova

 

After posting The Girl From Ipanema the other day, my curiosity got the better of me and I went looking to see what else I could find by Astrud Gilberto. There's actually quite a bit and there's also quite a bit by the group here. This young lady sounds like Astrud, and I wish there was a radio station that I could pick up that played some Bossa Nova music. 

Surly commented that I could have purchased the hose barb for $8.00 at Auto Zone but it probably would have been imported and not near as sexy as mine . To be honest, I never even considered asking about that item when I was at the auto parts store picking up the heater hose. There are four auto parts stores within bicycling distance of me, however, it seems every time I go looking for something out of the ordinary the young person working the counter has no idea of what I'm talking about - just like what I ran into trying to buy a rough service light bulb at Menards the other day. The two auto parts places that were run by the old guys who had been in business for years both closed down. Both of those guys were hard to stump. It's not fair to blame the young ones, though. We all had to start somewhere, and they're gainfully employed, so no offense to them.

 As for making a part that could be bought for eight bucks, granted, it's not the most productive use of my time. However, for those of you wondering why, besides my not wanting to deal with the parts counter folks, I like doing that type of work. I've collected tools and machinery for years, as well as worked on a variety of jobs and had enough formal education to do most any and everything I need or want to do. Some guys collect stamps, some guys make $8.00 parts. Surly knows all of this. I imagine when he retires and has the luxury to do whatever the hell he feels like doing, he'll be out in the shop tinkering on something, same as I do. If you don't use it, you lose it and all that.  

Productive Day

 

Beautiful song. The young lady singing passed away not too long ago, I believe. I don't recall hearing her on any other recordings but with a voice like that, there surely must have been.

Another beautiful day again yesterday and a busy one. I dropped the taxes off at the tax lady's house, then stopped at the hardware and auto parts stores on the way home. When I got home I started on the hose fitting. It was probably more trouble to make it than it would have been to buy one but I'm sure the local Chrysler dealer or a junkyard wouldn't have turned up anything. First of all, there aren't junkyards around like there used to be, and I'm sure talking to the parts man at the dealership would only end in frustration, so might as well make it. 

The part started out in life as a 3/8" black pipe nipple. I drilled out two 5/8" nuts to slip over the pipe, as well as thinning them down in the lathe. The one on the outer end was welded on, then turned to shape and the OD of the pipe thinned down to 5/8". The second nut was welded on after that. I ran a tap into the hole in the head to clean up the threads, and bingo! There we have it. I'll put a little of the engine enamel on it so it looks "factory".

While waiting for the hose fitting to cool between the welding and machine steps, I finished the electrical outlet on the bandsaw. I tacked a piece onto the outlet box the other day, drilled and tapped a hole in the "beam" of the saw to mount it, and yesterday I put on a new plug for the saw motor. I should have installed another wall out nearby when I wired the shop but having the extension cord as a semi-permanent installation will work just fine. 

I loaded up the trailer with the second helping of firewood to take to the splitter. It was a serious load but the trailer is hell for strong. The springs didn't compress much at all, the tires, however, were definitely over loaded. It looks like the valve stem blew out from the pressure. The tires have a bunch of cracks in the sidewalls, so I'm going to get a couple of new ones and install heavy-duty valve stems while I'm at it. That should be a lifetime fix for me.

I've got a nice pile of firewood for next year's heating season now. I need to move it under cover but it'll have to be with the wheelbarrow since the trailer's out of commission for a while. Sure glad I followed the advice (order) of the Missus and bought myself a splitter. That Hawthorne would have been a killer-diller to try and split by hand.

The nice weather is gone now for a few days. Windy today with gusts forecast greater than 60 mph. Colder temperatures on tap tomorrow. Standard operating procedure around here. I'll be back in the shop today again working on something. 

Photo Test

 

Test photo: 2" hitch ball with really lousy threads. It looks like it has a stud threaded into the ball but I couldn't get it out without a lot of monkey business. Of course, the threaded part might have been machined on the ball to begin with. I think I'm going to cut the threaded part off and then chuck it up in the lathe and see if I can drill and tap the ball. The logical thing to do would have been to toss it in the load of scrap the other day since I've got a couple of spares already. However, the photo came through like it was supposed to, so there's that.

Beautiful day yesterday again, so I did some lumberjacking. Loaded up my little trailer with wood from the Hawthorn tree and pulled it out to the splitter with the zero turn. Without thinking about it, I just yanked back on the control levers and managed to pull quite the righteous wheelstand. Seems smooth application of power is called for when pulling a heavy load. Anyway, I got quite a bit of wood split. I've got another pile from the other tree yet to go and I need to cut some of the pieces to a smaller size. The fireplace insert has a pretty small firebox, so the pieces work best if they are 16" or shorter.

I took a look at the jitney while I was out there yesterday. I need to fix up the heater hoses, not that I'm going to have a heater in that rig, but I need to connect the water pump to the block. Someone has replaced the top hose fitting with a short piece of brass pipe. There's no "bump" on the end of it like most all heater hose fittings have, so I'm going to make a little something with the bump and with a hex so I can put an open-end wrench on it instead of using a pipe wrench. Not a big thing but I'm trying to get back on that project a little now that I've finally got the rear end. 

Starting next week back to college two nights a week, one night a week boxing, finish the vintage trials bike, get the BSA going, same with the Sportster, and try to get caught up with all the rest of things that come around. It's going to be a busy spring but I better move forward while I'm in the mood for it. 

 

Get Your Hand Out of my Pocket

 Busy day yesterday. I had the truck loaded with some steel scrap from the clean-up operation - made $22.10 at the scrapyard when I dropped it off. Left there and headed to the courthouse to get a property tax statement so I can finish my taxes, Had lunch with Coach Jen and discussed some boxing stuff. 

I've got everything I need to file my taxes now, and since the tax lady files them electronically, maybe she could attach this little ditty from Sonny Boy Williamson so they'll know what I think about all of my money that's been squandered over the years.

I headed out to shop later on and finished up a little project for the bandsaw, then did a little tune-up on the lathe. The headstock had more than a little play in it, so I pulled the last pair of shims out. It's still a little loose but that's all I can do without changing the big bushing the spindle rides in. I don't know if one would be available, and even if one is, the old dog needs more than just that. It's about time to start shopping in earnest for a new lathe. 

This one's dedicated to the Missus. 54th anniversary today. Don't know how many more years we've got, but however it goes, we'll be together until the end.

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I've got a problem with my phone. According to my computer, the photos I try to download are infected. I'll be going to the backup plan in the near future until I figure out what's what. Might be a couple days on that.

Let There Be Light

 

Old Albert hit that nail square on the head. A former neighbor of ours from way back when, stopped at a gas station last week, made a purchase and had 29 cents coming back in change. The young lady working the counter couldn't figure out how to make the change. She called the manager over to show her the difference between a nickel and a dime - not that she needed either of those to make the 29 cents, but who knows how she was trying to get there.

Nice day yesterday, so I decided to tackle a couple of jobs on the to-do list. I fixed the work light on the Bridgeport. I tried buying a rough service bulb like I normally do at Menard's but the young ladies helping me had never heard of a bulb with a rubber type coating. I prefer those because if they break, the rubber coating keeps the glass from flying and the coating keeps a spark from burning through the glass. However, since it will be on the mill, it shouldn't be subjected to too much rough treatment. They did have rough service LED bulbs in a two pack, so I'll see how they hold up.

I also installed a replacement light under the kitchen cabinet. I did one a while back but I was waiting until my eye got better before tackling the second one. They're LED lights that are dimmable, and you can select the color temperature. They're both wired together off a common switch, so I replaced the old switch with a dimmer that also has an on/off switch. Much nicer lighting now.

I got on the scale the other day and I've put on some weight due to a combination of sore chest, eye surgery, winter weather, and gluttony, mostly gluttony. I'm still under the light-heavyweight weight break of 178, but I need to get back to a middleweight, which is 165 in the amateur ranks. I was down there last year and I need to get there again to get rid of the belly. I've started doing some Tai-Chi exercises and I think they're going to help a lot. Maybe not so much on the belly fat, but they should help keeping everything loose. I can do these at home and couple them with the boxing club workouts and some cycling, I should be on the right path. I have absolutely no desire to become a frail old man. I've got to be in good enough shape to take care of the Missus, the grounds and the projects. It's going to take some dedication, but I enjoy training and no better time than spring.

Eureka! Quick-Change at Last

 

The Quick-Change for the jitney project came in yesterday morning. I didn't know what the deal was going to be as far as how it was going to be delivered but I got a phone call on Wednesday from the shipping company - straight truck with a lift gate some time between 8:00 and noon. All I needed to hear. The driver put it on the gate with a pallet jack and then rolled it into the garage for me. Nice guy, great service. Thank you, Dayton Freight. I did get a chuckle out of the fragile sticker on the carton. This thing is supposed to be good for 600 horsepower. Not what I'd consider fragile, but it made it here safe and sound and that's all that matters.

Page from the 1972 Motorcycle Repair Manual that I've had since 1972. There's a wealth of knowledge in the book. While much of the stuff for individual bikes is outdated, unless you happen to be restoring one of those particular models, like a BSA 650, the math in the back is most helpful. And math never goes out of date. So it's time to do some cipherin', Jethro.

The ring and pinion in the differential is 4:33. The transmission is 1:1 in high gear and the rear tire is a tick under 32" tall. According to the formula MPH = rpm x effective rear wheel radius / overall drive ratio x 168. That gives me 5000rpm x 15.75 /4:33 x 168 = 108 MPH. The effective rear wheel radius I figured for a tire 31.5" tall to account for it getting a little shorter with the car weight on it. So if I put quick change gears in the differential with a 1:1 ration, that's what I'd be looking at. 

23/25 gears would give 117 mph on the high side, 100 mph on the low side

22/25 gears would give 123 mph on the high side, 95 mph on the low side.

All of these numbers are figured at 5000 rpm and make no allowance for horsepower numbers. The car is going to be pretty light, so the Slant Six should be able to pull to a 5000 rpm redline in high gear. When I looked into going to Bonneville, as long as you stay under 125, a regular operator's license is adequate, so the 22/25 change gears would be right in the ballpark.

Even though the diff is tagged as having a 4.33 ring and pinion, I'm going to double check that. The catalog listing says3.78. When I'm sure of what I've got I'll order the change gears, a couple of gaskets and some oil. I've already got the brake parts and axle studs, so I don't need much more to get it under the car.

State of the Union

 I watched the State of the Union address last night. I don't normally sit through them, but I figured in light of what's been going on, it should be interesting. And it was. Say what you will about President Trump, the man can work a room. 

I liked that he addressed the need for building ships for the Navy. I've read quite a bit about that situation and commented on it a couple of times here. It's good that there will be action forthcoming and it will put a lot of craftspeople to work. It'll be interesting to see if they can find enough qualified people in the various trades to get the job accomplished, however. They just might have to start paying the welders a better wage.

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No word yet on the delivery date for the quick-change. I'm not in any hurry, just want to know when the delivery is scheduled so I can plan to be here. 

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A photo of pipe weld a former student of mine sent me recently. I'm not sure when he graduated but it was probably something like 25 years ago. Always nice to hear from him. Teachers and coaches often wonder how much impact we've had on our students. In his case, there it is. One fine looking multi-pass MIG weld. Makes me proud.

This & That

David Johanssen, aka Buster Poindexter, passed away a few days back. He was just a few months older than I am. I'm looking for at least another 5 good years. If I make it to 80, I'll reset the clock and shoot for another five. RIP Mr. Johanssen. 

The photo is from the Rivendell bike email I received. It has a very much 1940s look to it, other than the electric fan. I especially like the welding hood with the riveted leather flaps top and bottom. The photo was taken at the Nitto factory recently and Rivendell is selling a series of 5x7 prints at a bike show in Philly currently and if they don't sell out of them at the show, they'll be on their website.

They are also selling Ilford black and white film in 35mm and 120 now in addition to complete bicycles, parts and accessories. Theirs is a different business model than most bike manufacturers but their website is worth a look. We all should be a cyclist of some stripe - good, low impact form of exercise and cheap transportation for short hops. A Rivendell bike is not necessarily cheap, but my touring bike that has taken me on several long-distance tours cost me only eight dollars from the local church rummage sale. I spent some money on a couple of upgrades, but there are lots of cheap bikes out there.  

Frankie Flood at Handverker has some interesting stuff up on his blog. You need to scroll down and see the '36 Ford. The car was built at Rad Rides by Troy. Surly and I took a class from Ron Covell that was held there several years ago. They do great work, but I don't think this one can be topped. Check it out here. 

Linkage

 

I worked on the trials bike yesterday and finished the linkage. The only thing left to finish the frame is the piece to hold the rubbing block for the drive chain. Actually, I already have a piece made, just need to fiddle with it a bit then tack it on. I get that done, I'll weld everything finish and either paint it or powder coat it. It's getting close to being done.

Looks like it'll work - just needs some tidying up. Surly's coming down today to discuss a few things. The BSA project will definitely be one of them. The quick-change for the jitney, hence the Chuck Berry song, will be here this week. I need to get that to the stage where I can roll it in and out of the shop. I did a little think time on a way to turn the drum on the bike wheels if need be. I made a sketch, but I'll hold off on machining any parts until I need it, if I do. There's plenty of other projects on the list as well.

I got a call from the boss man at the college. I'll be teaching MIG 2, instead of Stick 2. And the nights will change, which will work in my favor. I'll be able to go to the boxing gym and the ham radio club meetings now. Don't know if I'll want to be busy four nights a week, but I do enjoy going to the gym and I definitely need the exercise. 

True Dat

I went to the massage parlor yesterday morning. In addition to working on my back, she tried getting the leg muscle to relax some. She did some cupping, so now I've got big hickies on the side of my legs. Not a problem since I won't be going to the beach anytime soon. In fact, I put my long underwear back on as soon as I got home - and I'll keep wearing it at least another three weeks, maybe even until April 1st. 

It was fairly warm yesterday but the wind was gusting above 30 miles an hour, making it pretty chilly in the shade. I turned the heater on in the shop and made the piece to hold the dial indicator for checking the run-out on brake drums. Works really well on the junk wheel in the photo - should work equally well on the BSA and the Sportster.

 Next up is finishing the shift linkage on the vintage trials bike.