Got my time in this week. Its to the point where my Mom is referring to my Sunday mornings with my buddy as church, like "when you get back from church, can you come over and shovel some snow?"
Brings me to the 6th largest snowfall in Indy's records. Came straight down 12.5". Not a lot to some of you, but its all relative. Of the other 5, only 2 were more than 13", 1910 and 1978. Here tis on a birdbath turned upside down:
But I got a lot done and thought about. Had a back and forth with FunJimmy on frame gussets. Wound up on this thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=27624.0bwaller talks (about 1/3 way down pg 1) about welding up the steering stem gusset, and FunJimmy on his 550 project thread had done just that...and so will I. More time.
Also on page 2 of that link is a link to an article by frame guru Tony Shoales about gusseting. Once i saw it I recognized it as one I had read way back when. He talks about strapping down a Kawasaki frame of the time, inserting a lever in the steering stem and twisting the frame. To the amazement of his pupils, it demonstrated visible flexibility. he goes on to show how he would brace it up. At one point he discusses removable gusseting, which I have and thought was hokey, but now feel better about.
Also is a discussion of braced swingarms. He thinks it may be wasted effort if the frame/pivot area is not gusseted first. I have some minor pivot gussets, but the major "pyramid" style he refers to may have to wait for the next project. Still good to know.
Why do I need such stuff on this project? Well I don't really, I'll never ride this bike hard enough to matter. I wanted it when I was younger, couldn't have it, so now I just want it.
Another bit of discussion, and I think HondaMan has crossed this bridge, and Gordon Jennings in his "550 Gentlemans Express" is to fit tighter motor mounts. I have done this on several of my mounts but I want more. So this will delay the powder coat as i source the long bolts. I want them to fit tight in the frame with nuts on both ends. This outfit says they can make anything, but want me to submit specs before they give me a price.
http://amcoenterprises.comBTW: This place claims the premier SS supplier spot. Look in products for complete kits for restoration:
http://inoxgrp.co.uk/ but they don't make custom sizes I think.
Anyway, I farted around with my new heater, sent the old new one back, finally realized that the new new one was designed to sit on the floor, so that's where it is. Puts out a ton, but my high ceilings make my shop impossible to heat efficiently I fear. Nevertheless the floor model can be right by my side and burn me so I'm good.
What I'm doing now is grinding and smoothing the stock welds. I've heard about customizers doing this since I was a child, but never did myself. Can't use any filler as the powder coating guys say it will pop out in the ovens. So I went around each weld with a small chisel and dinged off the bird sh-t, little bumps of spatter that were left by the factory and actually painted over, no shame.
Then i got the Dremel with the sandpaper drums:
and went at the weld on the sidestand mount. I figured it was out of the way if I goofed up. the first pass knocks off the highpoints
the black left behind is where i want to end
and ultimately I'll have the whole weld smoothed into the frame and the bracket, making it look like one piece.
I'm about a third of the way done.
Why you ask? Just cuz.
Having the frame hang from the ceiling at about shoulder height makes this easier.
In this process I discovered that the tab that sets the brake pedal is bent and cracked, probably from one of my many past get offs, and the steering stop on the fork head is bent. So, back to Saldana to weld the steering head gusset, the brake pedal tab, and anything else i can think of.
Once the powder hits, the frame is done. Now I'm thinking of powder coating the engine guards same as the frame. That will make them seem even more a natural part...maybe.
So this week, the swingarm goes to Brown's
http://www.brownsplating.com/chrome_direct.phpand the frame will go back to Saldana's to weld up the steering head gusset, and i stop #$%*ing about the cold.