Good morning

[CaddmannQ]

Too busy. I spent eight hours cleaning up that frame and getting ready to paint. I spent four hours just with the Dremel Moto tool.

I never should’ve done full pen welds on those gussets. It was totally unnecessary and it caused me to waste about an hour of welding & four hours of grinding.

 

[CaddmannQ]

 

[CaddmannQ]

Clouds are just starting to warm up and rise in the sun.

They will slide away slowly because there’s not much wind. I think it’s going to be a nice day to paint, and it’s going to get paint-baking hot this afternoon.

Here’s the left elbow which got it the worst.



On the right, I accidentally leaned against a hot piece of metal just above the gauntlet.



This is what happens when you’re trying to rush.
Today I have to finish sand and paint and tomorrow morning I have to assemble and take photos before 10 AM and post them as that is the deadline.

Don’t be like me. You guys all take it easy today. I’ve got a build some sissy bar brackets as well, trim the sissy bar, drill it, do all the final fitting.

It’s going to be close, and the paint work isn’t going to be as show quality.

 

[CaddmannQ]

So far:

 

[CaddmannQ]

Well the bike got finished in time for the deadline but I never got to put any filler on the nasty bits.








I was out there at 6 o’clock this morning changing a tire and shortening cables and adjusting handlebars.

Also I stuck my pant leg into the wet paint. After it skinned over I rubbed it out with my bare thumb.

I put way too much welding on the gussets and sissy bar support tubes. I welded from both sides, all the way around. 4.5mm to 1.5mm. And I tried to do it way too fast.

Anyhow I did some wheelies and bopped it over the curbs and doesn’t seem to be cracking anywhere LOL.

All the flat welding went much better, with just a few tiny pinholes once it was all ground out flat. I wish I’d had time to put filler on it, but the fact of the matter is I should cut it apart and do it over.

I just ran out of time and I needed another day that I didn’t have.

But it rides well and it feels very solid.

 

[CaddmannQ]

25mm in front

100mm in back

 

[CaddmannQ]

An official Good morning Mossberg Owners!

I am so happy to be finished with the contest, if not completely finished with the bike. It will undoubtedly get more work and maybe some more major framework, now that I have a jig.

I put in a ridiculous amount of hours in the past week and in the past two days I’ve only had about six hours of sleep.

I worked all day outdoors under the awning, when it was well over 100°

That eventually went up to 114 yesterday.


On the other side of the bike you have the brake caliper, which fills in space visually, but on this side there’s kind of an empty space right behind the sissy bar.

I think that’s where the tail light needs to go, and where I have the reflector now, I should have a little license plate.

 

[John A.]

Yeah, you need a little license plate that says:

Cadd'z Customz

 

[Rodburner]

Yeah, one of those little blue and yellow ones, with peoples first names on them. Then strip it for the black and yellow paint from those vintage Cali plates. I’ve got several from states we’ve travelled through.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Yeah, you need a little license plate that says:

Cadd'z Customz

LOL . . . Actually, on the bicycle forum my name is Ulu. That came from the skateboard forum when I was riding a Sector-9 Uluwatu.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Yeah, one of those little blue and yellow ones, with peoples first names on them. Then strip it for the black and yellow paint from those vintage Cali plates. I’ve got several from states we’ve travelled through.

I’ve got at least four of those yellow and blue plates but I don’t have any of the older black and white plates from the 40s.

 

[Scoop]

Nice work, Cadd. Thanks for taking us along for the construction and ride.
This bike was made for black T-shirts.
A white one will have a big brown stripe on it the first time you hit a puddle! [Pix mandatory. ]

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

This is the first day that I have woke up in three months that I didn’t think about the contest. That is a big relief.

At my absolute leisure, I’m going to do a chain adjustment, check my tire pressures, and go ride this thing for real. It hasn’t moved more than 100 yards since I finished it.

@Scoop
You got puddles in Scottsdale?

The only time you see water in the street here in July/August/Sept is if somebody’s draining their swimming pool.

The only danger is that it once in a while it rains enough to make water spots on everything.

I didn’t have time to build the fender. There was a lot of work involved to do the fender I had planned. It needed another month just for that. To actually build the bike that I would like to, from scratch, would take me a year, to come out with a show quality machine.

Of course I could build a crusty looking Frankenbike in no time by comparison.
anyhow, it’s time to go back to work on the fake Jaguar. The chassis has been rusting patiently under a tarp in the boat yard all summer waiting for me to clean the place up and collect some more steel.

That I have done.

Now comes the real welding work.

 

[Scoop]

Scoop
You got puddles in Scottsdale?
The only time you see water in the street here in July/August/Sept is if somebody’s draining their swimming pool.

I've never been to Scottsdale. Only time I was in the state was when I delivered a Cessna 210 to the airport in Show Low AZ back about '82.

But I love your work on the bike project. Your art and skill that go into your construction is admirable.

 

[meanstreak]

Good afternoon. Had a 6 day stay at the lake starting last Tuesday. Drove home Monday, and to Omaha yesterday. Going to visit for a couple of days then head home.

Ya'll have a great day and be safe.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I've never been to Scottsdale. Only time I was in the state was when I delivered a Cessna 210 to the airport in Show Low AZ back about '82.

But I love your work on the bike project. Your art and skill that go into your construction is admirable.

My mistake buddy.
It's Ponch who lives in Scottsdale.

Oh, and thank you, Scoop.

It still needs some filler, but nobody can see that when it's moving fast.
Actually I want to drop it another inch.

But I can't tell how it will handle. It might pick up too much trail, and wobble.

I might do a bolt-up drop kit, and try it before cutting the frame again.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I just looked at these photos on the 27" screen and You can really see where I stuck my pants into the paint.
The upper gusset welding looked lumpy, but I really trashed the paint there.

Anyhow, those holes in the lower gusset will allow me to mount offset brackets.

And I have some offset steel all pre joggled, if it will fit.

Maybe the Jaguar can wait a bit longer. It's hard to resist an experiment.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners. I’ve got to go take care of some business today, and it’s gonna wreck the rest of my day but at least I did ride the bicycle this morning.

I do have the Huffy bicycle, the Centurion bicycle, and the Schwinn bicycle to finish assembling. There’s no rush on any of that, however A lot of parts are currently clogging up my welding shed.

The contest bicycle was a lark, and a spot of fun for me, but the most important accomplishment was cleaning up my welding area so that I can actually do some work out there.

I am still rounding up parts for the Jaguar chassis but I have a lot of stuff to work with now. I should be able to get started soon. If I can get one week of work in on the Jaguar chassis I will be able to put the body back on.

That won’t take long as long as I don’t mess around much with carpet upholstery and such right off. But what will take some time is additional fiberglass work I need to do to strengthen the rear body.

This was never done when the car was originally built and it needs it.

Anyhow I’ve got to go and take care of business, so you all have a nice day.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning Mossberg Owners.

I had to go for my 10 year colonoscopy yesterday, so I got in a good long ride in the morning before I went.

I knew I wouldn’t wanna go afterwards, and I still don’t.

Most of the bike contest voting is in, and it appears that I only came in eighth place. The voting continues until the 12th so that could still go up or down.

But not by much. One of the bikes was so fantastic that it garnered 57% of all the votes.



I really didn’t expect to do that well, because there were some really terrific bicycles built this year. I probably got some sympathy votes. LOL

Anyhow I’m going to lounge around all day today and recuperate from my worst experience of the last 10 years.

 

[Ernst]

Thought for the Day