ProjectVF - July 9, 2007
This is the mockup I made from
1x2 poplar scraps and some hot glue. It was pretty crude but worked well
enough to decide I was going in the wrong direction. It was easily
disassembled and tossed into the scrap bin.
Here's the swingarm and rear
wheel, both of which are pretty filthy. You can see the caked dirt and oil
where the chain ran past. I pulled it from the jig and rolled it outside for a good cleaning.
I started with a putty knife to
scrape off the mud, then used a stiff brush and cleaning solvent to dissolve
the grease and oil and assorted mung. After a trip to the local pressure
wash for a high-powered spray, this is how it turned out. Not bad for an
hour's worth of work.
Independence Day kicked off several days of
fabrication for ProjectVF. My goal was to build the extension connecting the
frame to the swingarm bushings. I bought the steel ahead of time and
cleared my other motorcycles out of the way. My dad was visiting from
California and he helped with the work despite our 100-degree weather. Here's
how it went:
Here's the mad scientist cutting
things apart. The frame was marked where to cut and a poly tarp taped in
place to catch the debris. The cutting didn't take long, but the prep and
checking and re-checking seemed to take forever. A screw-up would mean big
trouble, making me extra cautious.
I made a temporary table for fabrication
and here I am
cutting tubing for the frame extension with an abrasive saw. It's loud and
makes for a great fireworks show, but was also cheap and pretty accurate.
Here's one side of the new frame tacked into
place. Getting to this point took about four hours. Each of the tubes needed
to be capped, meaning more cutting and cleaning and welding. Keeping parts
aligned, level, and parallel was challenging, but I'm not going to take any
chances with something this important. I want it right.
Here's the rear bracket tacked into place. I'll remove
the cap screws for the final welding.It's
amazing how much time something this simple can consume. First make a
template, then trace it onto steel flat stock, then cut and grind it to the
final shape. I only had 1/8" plate, so I made two of the brackets and welded
them together, then drilled the holes. Once the bracket was bolted to the
engine and clamped to the tubing, I could come in with the welder.
I remember a sign years ago in a fab shop: custom work,
custom prices. Now I understand.
The next day I was able to get the left side fabricated
and tacked into place. The bottom tube was tricky, requiring two brackets,
plus part of it needs to be detachable to allow engine removal.
I triple-checked the tubes, then added a cross-brace at the bottom. I'll add bracing between the
top and bottom tubes, but not across the top. I want to keep that area open
for the largest-possible fuel tank. Once everything is in place, I'll do the
final welds and add some gussets, but a few of the welds won't get done until the engine gets pulled.
Here's the seat sitting atop the extended frame. It
doesn't look like much, but took hours to do and
represents a major milestone.
