New build

[KChurch86]

So my neighbor was having a tag sale today, so Allisonn and I went over while Gus was napping to see what they had. At first I didn't see it, but then I almost tripped over the wheel of a sweet old bike that was just laying on the side of the yard. I immediately asked how much she wanted for it, but she couldn't name a price. She said if it didn't get sold today, it was going on the side of the road for free. Allie and I walked around some more, grabbed some things, but I just couldn't get my mind off the bike. I went back over to it at least 3 times before my Allisonn started joking about how hooked I was on it. My neighbor said $10 and it's yours". "Wow", I said, "I was going to offer $20". So $20 it was, I snatched it up and walked it back to my yard. I don't yet know what year the bike is, I haven't done a ton of searching and the little bit that I did do didn't turn up many results.

Not even an hour after I grabbed the bike, a pickup showed up and grabbed every single piece of metal from the free pile, clearly headed to the scrap yard. I guess I really did save this old ride!

It's in surprisingly good shape. My neighbor said it was in the attic of the garage since they bought the place, which means my father-in-law knows the original owner; which is cool. The frame has just a few small, light rust spots, the chrome is pitted but not terrible - I was already able to bring back the crank and the handlebars. The wheels are probably the worst part of it, they're very pitted, but coming along nicely. One leg of the fork was bent slightly, which I already took care of. The runners on the fenders are a little tweaked, but they should bend back into place nicely. The tires and tubes are shot, and it needs new rim tape as well; but that's all to be expected. All of the bearings may as well be brand new. The bike is already completely stripped down in the garage, I'll be replacing all the nuts and bolts and I'm going to continue working on bringing back the chrome.

As far as paint, I'm not yet sure which way I want to go with this - I'm sort of leaning towards ratrod, as far as I can tell the bike is from the 1950's so it only makes sense.

Anywho, on to the pics!

Right now I'm looking for tires with the fattest, widest white walls I can find, and I plan to leave the chain guard alone. I'll clean it up and straighten some bends, but there's no way I can recreate that paint so I'm going to leave it be. The pinstriping on the fenders should be very easy to re-do, so I'm not worried about painting it all. I'm very excited to get this bike back up and running, with a ding-ding bell and some baseball cards in the spokes.

 

[Roadwarrior]

 

[yellowbug]

Sweet find

 

[Macland]

Nice find man.

 

[drbandkgb]

Very nice man

 

[KChurch86]

Tires, tubes, and rim strips have been ordered, should be here Wednesday.

I still have to make up my mind on paint. Hmmm...

 

[NMTerras]

Dude. DUDE. Awesome sauce...

 

[KChurch86]

If anybody has any pics of cool retro-rod or ratrod-style vintage beach cruisers, feel free to (please) post 'em up to inspire me. I have a few ideas but I want to see what other ideas are out there that I may be missing.

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[civicjoe]

dude thats sweet

 

[coatimundi01]

That, sir, is a kick as$ bike! Awesome!

 

[drbandkgb]

Dude sand it down and bed line it

 

[Timrich]

Saaaaweeet!!!! Check with Ratt, he was thinking about doing a rat rod bike a while back.

Sent from my walkie talkie

 

[KChurch86]

Thanks everyone, I'm pretty excited about this build up.

Dave, I almost considered doing a light coat of bedliner underneath the top coat...almost.

Right now I'm thinking of turquoise and cream, like a 1950's Chevy...

Not sure though, it may be a hard color to find in a rattle can. That would also mean I'd want to (have to) repaint the chain guard as well, which I didn't want to do. I'd like to retain the original graphic, but a turquoise bike with a red logo on the chain guard just wouldn't be right. I may get crazy and try to mask it all off and repaint the original graphic in turquoise, I dunno.

I was also thinking of doing it in matte red with gloss red or black accents. I dunno, I can't make up my mind at all haha.

 

[akinc]

I agree with drb. Bed line it.

Sent from down in the valley

 

[drbandkgb]

Thanks everyone, I'm pretty excited about this build up.

Dave, I almost considered doing a light coat of bedliner underneath the top coat...almost.

Right now I'm thinking of turquoise and cream, like a 1950's Chevy...

Not sure though, it may be a hard color to find in a rattle can. That would also mean I'd want to (have to) repaint the chain guard as well, which I didn't want to do. I'd like to retain the original graphic, but a turquoise bike with a red logo on the chain guard just wouldn't be right. I may get crazy and try to mask it all off and repaint the original graphic in turquoise, I dunno.

I was also thinking of doing it in matte red with gloss red or black accents. I dunno, I can't make up my mind at all haha.

Krylon make that color

 

[KChurch86]

I think I've decided on color/style. I'm gonna ratrod it.

I won't get too specific on what parts are going to be what, but I'm going to do matte black and gloss cream, with red accents.

I also have a crazy idea for a front brake. I got notice that my tires/tubes/rim strips shipped today, should have them early next week...not that I'll be able to put them on right away, but at least I can look at them and drool about it.

 

[Jmac289gt]

Did you checks it's value yet?

If it isn't worth a lot of money then do whatever to it.

 

[RATTFINK]

Holy crap, how did I not see this thread?!

You SCORED! A Western Flyer is top notch and have seen it on the rat rod bike forum.

If you bedline it, I am getting on the first plane to MA so I can kick you in the knee.

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[KChurch86]

Did you checks it's value yet?

If it isn't worth a lot of money then do whatever to it.

I did real quick, it doesn't seem like it's worth more than $100-$150 to the right buyer. The seat isn't original and the headbadge is missing, somebody added a license plate to the rear fender so there's 2 holes that shouldn't be there...the fenders aren't perfect and the forks are bent, but the frame itself is in fantastic condition. I say it's rough enough to warrant not refurbishing to like-new condition, and also rough enough that it's totally worth building instead of selling. That was originally why I snatched the bike up, to turn $20 into $100's; but that's not the case.

There's a house near me who has a much older bike in their front lawn as a decoration...the kind with the faux gas tank on it. It's a beautiful bike, I almost want to see if they'd do a trade haha.

Holy crap, how did I not see this thread?!

You SCORED! A Western Flyer is top notch and have seen it on the rat rod bike forum.

If you bedline it, I am getting on the first plane to MA so I can kick you in the knee.

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LOL @ the bedliner comment. Bedliner won't be seeing this bike, if anything I'll do JUST the undersides of the fenders in black bedliner; but absolutely nothing else.

It's not actually a true Western Flyer, the bike was built by AMF and sold under the WF name. AMF built bikes for a broad range of companies. According to a guy over on ratrodbikes.com; mine seems to be between a 1958 and a 1961. Still a great start though, I don't recall ever seeing another bike like this in town; ever (except for the lawn ornament I talked about above...)

I'm really excited to start this project. So far I haven't had time to dig into it much more, I've been focusing on outdoor projects around the house and the bike has been put on the back burner. The bike is completely disassembled, the chain and all the bearings are soaking. Some of the chrome has been cleaned up, the rest still needs work. The fenders need tweaking, the wheels need a lot of cleaning. Since the seat isn't original and not valuable, I have plans for that. I also decided how to solve my "I don't want to paint over the chain guard graphic" problem. I can't wait, haha.

 

[KChurch86]

Took some new pics of the project today:

Check out the stem. They don't make 'em like this anymore! Yes, the quill and stem are one piece. Looks like it started out as a flat piece of steel that was then rolled into shape (notice the seam). The chrome cleaned up really well, it was pitted and a little grubby but some WD-40 and Scotch-Brite took care of it.

Bottom bracket shell is in great shape.

Frame sticker: "AMF 2016-A" "AMF" for American Machine and Foundry, the company that made bikes for many manufacturers. AMF also made automotive parts, machine parts, tons of stuff. (Read about them >HERE< if you want a little more background) This particular bike was made at the Little Rock, AR factory. Not sure what the "2016-A" signifies, I've seen other bikes of this style with the exact same sticker, I'm guessing maybe it's the model number?

Here's the serial number, stamped into the rear dropout:

That last pic of the serial number really shows how differently bike frames were built back in the day. The dropout isn't welded to the seat stay or chain stay, instead those two tubes are slipped over the flat legs of the dropout and then pressed flat. Pretty cool if you ask me.

 

[Cameron23]

 

[KChurch86]

Got to do a little bit more work on the bike today, mostly the last pieces of tear down and clean up. I also found that the rear wheel is seriously tweaked, with a big flat spot and a major s-curve. This kind of opens up some new possibilities for me, but also another problem.

I decided to take my mind off the newfound problem by doing a little mock up to see what types of styles I could squeeze out of this bike and these parts. I spun the stem 180°, and flipped the bars backwards and upside down. Also slammed the seat as low as I can get it with stock parts, but it's just not quite low enough

I want the seat to be lower and further back, and I can't decide if I like these bars. The stem flip definitely gives it a more laid-back ride, which would be killer with a springer front end...oh, decisions.

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[KChurch86]

Bought a new goody from a guy on ratrodbikes.com, and played in the garage a little bit tonight...got a couple pieces marked up, got some cutting to do, some fabrication elsewhere, more fabrication elsewhere, lots of insane ideas going through my head. This build is all I could think about today at work, I spent half my day sketching and writing it all down haha.

I think I found a solution for my laid back seat conundrum, pretty sure the current mock up is gonna work great and look incredible. Man, I need to just take the rest of my vacation from work and DO THIS THING.

New tires, tubes, and rim strips came in yesterday as well, and I have a replacement set of rims (just the hoops) to lace to my hubs.

 

[KChurch86]

Worked into the night lastnight, got the wheels broken down, had to cut all the spokes as some of the nipples were seized to the spokes. Did the same on a set of donor wheels I've had kicking around. Also received a sweet Komet Super in the mail from a guy on the forum, and I modded a round red reflector which turned out great, I'm excited about it.

Old an' grubby:

Shiny and clean:

Donor hoops from an old Trek Mountain Track 850:

Old brass nipples, I'd like to reuse these:

Scored this great leather bag from a junk collector:

As well as this great old hammer and curvy cool wrench. (These may or may not be used on the bike):

The guy had the type of garage and shed that a pack rat like myself could spend all day in, and want to take it all home.

Here's my little round reflector:

Here's what I'm planning on as far as cutting and fabrication go:

Gonna cut the fenders, but keep their original pointed shape:

And I figured out a great way to mount the seat just where I want it:

 

[Macland]

The bike sounds promising man.

Pickin through that junk like the show American Pickers? I'd love to do that someday.

 

[KChurch86]

The bike sounds promising man.

Pickin through that junk like the show American Pickers? I'd love to do that someday.

Yeah, pretty much just like that. The guy actually said he's had pickers come through a couple times. I walked out of there with two old leather bags, a brand-spankin' new Delta bench grinder, couple tools, an ammo tin, an old (but super solid) bench vise, and some other little old knickknacks, but I could have stayed there all day and just cleaned house.

He's got a 1954 Johnson outboard motor in like-new condition, he's asking $225 but said he'd probably let it go for the first $100 cash. Lots of neat old tools, stuff I've never seen before, old collectibles, etc. Nothing that jumped out as being really valuable though, just old stuff that's still useful or would be good to hang on the wall.

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[J Everett]

Damn. If I lived close I'd be all over that outboard.

Can't wait to see how your bike turns out!


Sent from high Earth orbit via Telstar I.

 

[Roadwarrior]

Yeah, pretty much just like that. The guy actually said he's had pickers come through a couple times. I walked out of there with two old leather bags, a brand-spankin' new Delta bench grinder, couple tools, an ammo tin, an old (but super solid) bench vise, and some other little old knickknacks, but I could have stayed there all day and just cleaned house.

He's got a 1954 Johnson outboard motor in like-new condition, he's asking $225 but said he'd probably let it go for the first $100 cash. Lots of neat old tools, stuff I've never seen before, old collectibles, etc. Nothing that jumped out as being really valuable though, just old stuff that's still useful or would be good to hang on the wall.

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Going to put the ammo box in the X like I did?

 

[KChurch86]

Damn. If I lived close I'd be all over that outboard.

Can't wait to see how your bike turns out!


Sent from high Earth orbit via Telstar I.

I thought about grabbing it just to try and sell it myself, turn it around and make some money off it. I guess it needs like $75 worth of work. One of my coworkers is looking for a vintage boat motor, so in the very least I'll refer him to the seller.

Going to put the ammo box in the X like I did?

Not sure, thinking about it. I forget what size it is, but it looks too wide to fit between the seats. Perfect height and length though, I may give it a shot. It'd look pretty sweet behind my grenade shift knob...

 

[Roadwarrior]

Not sure, thinking about it. I forget what size it is, but it looks too wide to fit between the seats. Perfect height and length though, I may give it a shot. It'd look pretty sweet behind my grenade shift knob...

Mine was a 20 MM can.. And I love the look of the ammo can behind the grenade (I have one too!)

 

[KChurch86]

Got some real work done on the bike today, finally got to cutting! I did feel a little bad about cutting up this old classic, but you do what you gotta do.

First cut: Shortening the seat tube:

Next up was the seat post:

Then came the rear fender, just a rough cut. I shaped it later on.

I figured out the perfect way to reconfigure the seat, so I went ahead and removed the rails altogether and changed up the piece that connects the springs to each other. That connector piece will be welded to the frame truss, just above the "V" groove where the fender goes.

Here's the completed rear fender, shaped to a point just like the original (only a touch more pointy):

I also scrounged up a little chunk of aluminum that I'll be machining into something awesome at work...

...for which I also bought some more goodies. That's about it for now

 

[RATTFINK]

Loving this ratrod bike build and the good reading about the picking.

 

[Timrich]

Man the bike is comeing along nicely! Great work!

 

[KChurch86]

Loving this ratrod bike build and the good reading about the picking.

Man the bike is comeing along nicely! Great work!

Thanks fellas

I emailed a couple bike shops around me about having some custom wheels built, no word yet though.

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[Roadwarrior]

I am excited to see where this goes.

Did you decide on a color?

 

[KChurch86]

I am excited to see where this goes.

Did you decide on a color?

Yes.

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[Roadwarrior]

Yes.

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Now is when I stop asking questions, grab my popcorn and just watch!

 

[KChurch86]

Now is when I stop asking questions, grab my popcorn and just watch!

Haha, that works. Questions are cool too though. I'm gonna keep the color scheme secret though, once it's painted I'll get some pics up.

I may be doing some more work on the bike tonight, I'd like to get the front fender cut and I have some more work to do on the seat clamp pieces.

I also snagged some material from work to fab up a couple more parts, I bought a headlight from a guy on the RRB.com forum that I'm doing an LED conversion on.

Oh, and I heard back from the bike shops about the wheels...they want WAY too much moolah to build wheels, so I'll be buying my own spokes, lacing the hubs into the hoops, and having the bike shop true the wheels. Should be way cheaper. I was quoted $35 per hoop, $0.99 per spoke, and $45 per wheel for labor. One shop also refused to use my parts (other than the hubs) so bump that.

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[KChurch86]

Got more work done on the bike today. So psyched for this to be done, it's fun working on but I can't wait to go for that maiden journey.

Drew/traced the license plate mount onto a piece of .06" 6061-T6 Aluminum sheet, don't know when I'll be able to cut it out, but the tab will be getting bent 90* and the plate will hang from the right-side rear dropout.

Scored a sweet headlight from a guy on the RRB.com forum, going to do an LED conversion to this and mount it down low on the fork, probably off the left-hand side of the axle.

Leather bag on the bars, this will hold the battery for the lights (also decided against the stem flip, and put it back the "right" way). I'll be grounding the negative terminal to the head tube and I'll try my hardest to run the positive wire through the frame so there's no visible wire. We'll see how that goes.

Everything's better with a bottle opener! Once the frame is painted up, I'll rivet the leather straps to the frame.

Made my own "bullet" valve stem caps, using a nylon cap and some old shell casings. (FWIW, the shell casings were from my first trip out shooting with a buddy, I was shooting his Smith & Wesson .45 and on my first two shots, the casings went straight up into the air. The first one hit me on the head, the second one landed in the pit of my elbow and burned me, so I grabbed them. Finally have a fun use for them).

And, now, my personal favorite:

The old ball-peen hammer is going to serve as the front brake lever. I'll be having the second Komet Super coaster brake hub laced into the front wheel. I'll take a short section of chain and pin one end of it to the end of the metal bar the hammer is attached to. The chain will then go around the cog on the front hub. From there, the other end of the chain will be attached to an extension spring, which will be attached to the fork. The spring will keep constant tension on the chain, allowing the front wheel to turn. When I pull back on the hammer, the chain will pull and activate the brake.

I went with a ball-peen hammer to pay homage to the old school chopper guys, who kept a hammer hanging on the side of their motorcycles for when an a-hole driver cut them off in traffic. Called a "Traffic Cop", I love the idea of it and I figured I'd put my own twist on it and make it more functional as part of the bike.

I pieced it all together and propped up the tires into the frame (no wheels to set in there) and IMHO, it looks awesome. The hammer sticks far enough out to the side to still allow a good amount of clearance for steering, and it will fall just below the handlebar so reaching for it will be comfortable. I love how the rear fender and seat mounting came out, the rear end of this bike really looks menacing when it's all put together. Pretty excited for paint too, can't wait 'til I'm ready to grab the cans!

 

[NMTerras]

Mind: blown