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'71 H-D scrap pile chop build

5K views 27 replies 17 participants last post by  Motor2Wheel 
#1 · (Edited)
Been wanting to make something that wasn't too fancy, cut corners, crusty and just used whatever was laying around. Got dicked over on a deal on a frame, long story, so decided to chop up the 1971 frame and use Softail axle plates to hardtail it and go from there. Tossed together a motor/trans with junk that's accumulated from left over trades and swapping. Keep joking how I'm not going to spend any money at all, so far haven't really spent much!






So the angles just don't line up with the front of the frame. There's right way and the cheating way, I decided to cheat cause this is the lazy low buck build. Just left the angles alone, the top rails will just twist a little near the seat post. The top rails will be 1" bar and bottoms 1-1/8" sorta like stock hardtail.


My way of getting around the trans support bar thingy, add the threaded rear bung back in later.



you can see it needs a bit of offset cope to get it to line back up.


Bottom bends are pretty easy, just matched the angle on the axle. Gonna be a disc brake bike so skipped the compound bends on the chain side, scooted it out a tiny bit to compensate.


You can kinda see the twisting up of the top rails, but I think it's acceptable for what we're going for here. Cheap, fast.




I can dig it, about $45 in metal and some elbow grease.
 
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#2 ·
absolutely nothing new here.

free take off legs and friend hooked me up with the trees.

those are actually 6+ tubes but modern lowers are a little longer so it almost doesn't look like a longer front end, still good stance.


also gotta do something funky






Chopped up the pipes that have been drug around to swaps and never sell. Don't throw anything away boys.



nothing new here either, never done ones like this and was also stuff laying around.


 
#3 ·



We got a weirdo sissy bar thing going on around here.



Bike is currently torn down to prep for paint and seat is getting covered. I've never found a seat I can just put on a bike and be happy with so breaking the budget on that one. And also with the no cash budget, gonna use some of that 2 part paint in a rattle can to paint it, never tried it before and I have a few cans laying around. Black, of course.
 
#4 ·
Im digging that!!!

the softail axle plates worked a treat, looks great.
When you welded the risers to the cast split top clamp, do you heat it up before welding? or straight on it?
Just wondering as I have a few split clamps and have thought of doing what you done.
 
#12 ·
As a fellow fabricator, my hat's off to you. Not too many true builders out there these days, most folks just want to 'accessorize'.
I finished a 5 year Harley 'barn find board tracker' project and it's a real kick to ride.
I'm looking forward to more updates on your bike.
 
#14 ·
got it painted. Was just going to rattle can the whole thing with some 2k paint in a can I had as I've never tried that stuff out before. It's cold here so needed a warm place to paint it. Took it to a friends who's painted some of my other bikes and he talked me out of the rattle can job. I've only painted a few times but he showed me the ropes, turned out ok but definitely better than rattle can. Used paint that was available and the gold was a color of an old bike of mine that was still left over.





Started the assembly of the bike, should be done pretty quick.



 
#17 ·
thanks guys. I didn't grab a pic of it, but the front mounts go to the stock part of the neck casting. The rear ones I wedged the tank where I wanted it to sit, used a transfer punch in the center of the holes into the frame. Spun up a small steel rod, drilled/tapped it for 5/16 bolt on both sides in the lathe. drilled out a hole in the frame the same size as the rod and tacked it in, double checked tank wasn't crooked and then welded it in/sanded it smooth.
 
#21 ·
Got the bike pretty much finished up. Regretfully I didn't take many build pics as I was in a hurry to get it done for a friend that wants to buy it. I did take some pics of how I was taught to make brake caliper hangers. Nothing new and I'm sure you guys all have a way to do it too but figured I'd share the simple way I do it:

First I take some measurements for the rough piece size by holding the caliper up to the rotor, measure the width of the caliper and a little above the wheel spacer for the height. Once I have my square piece, I clamp the caliper to it and use a center punch to mark the holes.



Next I usually just bolt the caliper on and scribe the shapes of the actual brake caliper or just scribe round lines around the holes to follow with the rotary table. You could do the same thing with an angle grinder and files if you don't have a mill.




once you have the brake caliper where you can bolt it on, take your wheel off the bike. Take a piece of welding rod, bend it around the brake rotor and tape it on. This will establish the clearance so the inside of the caliper doesn't hit the rotor. Next, place the assembly on the rotor with your wheel spacer (if you haven't made that yet, it really helps to have it behind the plate). Either find a center punch the same size as your axle (mine was 3/4" axle) or make one in the lathe. Slide the punch through the axle hole till it it's up to the plate, may have to use a longer drift to reach. Helps to have an extra hand to hold everything tight and square to the wheel spacer/rotor, give the center punch a whack and that will be the hole for the axle to slide through.


Drill the hole the same size as your axle, obviously. Now you can scribe out the final shape you want it to look like and trim all the excess material off.


Now you can put it all together make sure it all still lines up. Check for rubbing, make sure the caliper is center to the rotor and it's not hitting any part of the wheel. I usually make my wheel spacers before I make the caliper hanger, then just minus off the width of the hanger from that spacer. Sometimes you have to make multiple wheel spacers. Fun stuff.


Seat came out really nice, my buddy at Mercy supply covered it for me.



Got excited wanted to fire it up after it was wired, hence the hanging fuel tank. Cranked over on the first kick and runs pretty dang good for a pile of crap motor.
 
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