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Pay Backs, The Dick Gambino Story

296K views 986 replies 307 participants last post by  Dicky 
#1 · (Edited)
For those of you that cant read good. Just look at the pictures. But if you don't read it all.. Your missing the gems.

Edit: If your missing his site. Your missing the real show.
http://www.gambinometal.com/index.html
I was also able grab some video and put it on page 9.

So, I randomly ran into some girl one night. I must have mentioned I need a weld on my bike for some reason. She told me her dad works on old cars and does metal art. Dick Gambino metal craft. Then She showed me pics of his art things. She says "this is a picture of some old car he did a grill for". Little did she know it was a extremely high dollar Bugatti..!

I was like. If he could do that, he can surely weld on my lonely seat bungs. So I go to meet this weird old metal arts and crafts guy. He was out of the shop and left the roll gate up. To my shock I was staring at a hand formed dual head plugged BMW cafe racer where the side frame and cross braces welded solid. The lower frame rail is designed to be removable to pull the motor out the bottom!
This is the last thing I thought I would run into as I pulled in the drive way.



.

.
He showed up. We met, we talked. I told him I needed seat bungs welded and my numbers. Soon to find out he was an old biker and custom painter. Built choppers, stadium show bikes and drag bikes in the 60's. Raced a dirt Flat track in the 60's till he blew up his Ducati. Moved up to dragsters and painted funny cars in the 70's. Lives on a small sail boat.! In cold NJ year round. Did the body work for Ferrari race cars. Just plain unreal stuff. Topped of with the fact that he didn't redo a Bugatti grill. He hand shaped the whole car from photographs. All of the Bugatti fenders and body panels from flat steel. Yet he bills himself as a blacksmith.

At this point he had only seen my bare empty Triumph frame in hand. Two days later i picked up my frame with the seat bungs tacked up. I rushed home and built up my whole triumph chopper in three evenings. Threw it on a truck and drove it up for some other dodads/welds. As we pulled my chopper down he shoved me out of the way yelling "I gotta sit on it.. I gotta sit on it.. Oh yea, oh yea this is perfect".
He was like a crazed savage animal. So longer story short. He told me he wanted me to leave my bike there and I can come and work on it there. Come and go as I want and make sparks fly. All because he liked my bike and how i work. Works out great for me because he has all the big 100 year old tools and cool shit.

So I show up one day. There on the floor was this big old gang tool box. It looked like it had been under water cuz all the draws were like rust puddles. He then told me he had always wanted this box when he was a kid but couldn't afford one. He envied that box. All these years later someone found it and gave it to him. He lightly mentioned that one day he might think about fixing it up. Maybe paint it his old race colors.

So my plan was set. I was going to wait till he went on a trip to Texas and finish his dream because I know he just didn't have the time. I worked on it over three days. Ground out all the rust in the draws. Got some tough engine paint.
Painted it yellow and grey, his flat track racer colors.




Mind you these pics are after grinding and sanding.



I finished it up. Closed the lid and tossed it back on the floor in the scrap pile where it lay. Waiting for him to trip over it. So this was my little pay back for all of the priceless tip tricks he has given me.
 
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#53 ·
Re: Pay backs...

La Dolce, Great post and Thank You for taking care of the Old Man. Yes He is MY DAD pretty cool eh. A friend of mine who is building a BSA chopper/bobber in Midland told me about the post. I have some pics of what he was doing in Texas (Motoring about on Mr Norton) if you send me an email address I will send them to you. If you need any Triumph or Norton bits let me know.

Greg Gambino

Winger
SA Leathernecks MC
TX Chapter 3
 
#56 ·
Re: Pay backs...

Thats Him, Hadnt been on a bike in 21 years Kick Started the Norton every morning (It has an elect start) by the second day he was ready to Turn The Ton. Your bike has a 71/72 drum brake on the front not the prettiest thing Id look at a 68 set up.

Ask him about the time he broke my neck LOL

Greg
 
#58 · (Edited)
Re: Pay backs...



Your bike has a 71/72 drum brake on the front not the prettiest thing Id look at a 68 set up.
Hahaha look who showed up late to the party just to step on my dreams! Where where you when it took me almost a year to decide on a frontend, wheel and brake. Plus 3 separate trips to out LI before i committed to pinch 1/2 a crashed front end with bent legs off Marco creep. Then rebuilt it. 71, first year of the aluminum lower legs baby! I have grown fond of that funny drum and I dig the hot rod scoop. When your dad only saw the frame and not knowing what was in my stash. He said I don't know what you got in mind for front brakes but the best one is the 71 twin leading shoe, it has a big vent on the side. So the way I have it scored... It's 2 against 1. But if you wanna put a 68 in the mail...
Id try it on for size.;)
 
#57 ·
Re: Pay backs...

Its an amazing story. Next time you see him take a close look at his hands. I have been fortunate enough that my line of work ( Aircraft sheetmetal )has brought me close to several very good metal smiths and the one thing you start to notice is a smith has a "look" too there hands. I hope to be blessed with the hands one day but for now I keep smashing my damn fingers in the planishing hammer.

Bike looks great too...
 
#67 · (Edited)
Re: Pay backs...

So I guess since her brother showed up, the subject of if the chick is hot is no longer allowed??
Can't you hyena's let me live.

Ok, ok. I only ran into her twice, She is very attractive with dark wavy hair and olive skin. That being said, I see myself having to hand in my shop keys come Saturday. The brother is in the armed forces and I think wears a crew cut. He is already pooping on my wheels. I give my life span 30 days before I am snuffed out into my honey nut cheerios from 100yrds away.

I thank you.
 
#69 · (Edited)
Re: Pay backs...

Factoid:
Now that the daughter has been dragged in. Years ago when she was young and in school. For whatever reason she had to live on the sail boat for a spell.
Well the school found out and decided to send a woman from social services to check on things. The woman shows up at night in the rain to the dock only to find no boat. Dick had been keeping his boat anchored out.

Dick shows up with a rubber dingy with leak. Paddles her out in the rain with the dingy. Lets just say even tho she had her own bed and a bathroom. They were less then pleased and made a stink about it. Dick said to the woman. I am sorry, if I was rich and had a Yacht, could she live on my boat.
Reply- well,,yes.
 
#74 ·
Re: Pay backs...

Have mocked up a 68 drum, had to fabricate a tab on the one lower like on the old steel lowers. have time off next week dropping one in the post to jersey for them to play with.
 
#79 ·
Re: Pay backs...

Brother that is a great story. I say keep it alive. Also very interested in that cafe racer, the BMW. I'm proud member of the Golden Gate chapter of the BMWCCA. Sure will share this story and maybe the pics you provide to our club events. Yes it's a car club but our two wheel bretherens are not that far behind. Well appreciated, bro.
 
#84 · (Edited)
Re: Pay backs...

Brother that is a great story. I say keep it alive. Also very interested in that cafe racer, the BMW.
Ok all, What I know on the racer is. It was a found wreck/twisted frame/neck. He had chains all over the shop to straighten it out. Then added frame braces. It is like an 84ish model I think. He doesn't like the squarish factory heads style. So he swapped em out for the older style. Then set em up to run dual spark plugs!

Rear fender (not shown) has a lot of fiberglass work and a flat top to hold the battery hidden under the seat hump. Hand shaped front fender will be hung by a custom dual purpose fork brace. Customized rear sets. I am sure I'll learn more on the build up.
 
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