Converting frame to drop seat

[croucho]

Has anyone converted an electric start 4 speed frame to a drop seat style?
Would like to find some drop seat frame castings..

[pitbovver]

find somebody that hardtailed one....

[croucho]

True... Does anyone happen to have any?

[lilbill]

i converted my 77 shovel. hard to see detail in these pics but i cut the top tubes at the rear, heated them at the front and bent them down till they followed the lines of the horseshoe tank. then i cut some chunks of 1" bar stock and welded them at an angle to reconnect the tubes at the back.

[croucho]

I cant view your pics on my work computer Lil bill but i sure would like to keep those top tubes in tact and bend them like you said..

[croucho]

Thats the main reason I want to do it.. So I can use an early horseshoe tank on it. The 4speed electric start horseshoe tanks are kind of funky..

[lilbill]

i used one of those paugho horseshoes that take a e-start battery and has a oil filter screwed in the side. if you're kick only then i believe any horseshoe will fit.

[jason.weir]

I believe Fab Kevin has done it - I think he may have had a write up in The Horse.

-J

[HD48FL]

http://www.hardtailchoppersblog.com/...-castings.html

[jason.weir]

just a tease - http://www.shovelhead.us/forum/showthread.php?t=119995

-J

[M.O.Ther]

Fab Kevin's write up is in The Horse #126 Jan 2013. You can get the back issue from the website: http://www.thehorsebc.com for $10. It's worth having if you're going to do this mod.

[Larry T]

Like this? I did this one in 1995.

[croucho]

Yes Larry....just like that. How was that done if you dont mind me asking?
That gives me some ideas Lil Bill.. The early horseshoe tank would fit but I dont think it looks right because the frame doesnt follow the lines..
Thats some good info from kevin fab...i will be sending for that backstreet issue..

[Larry T]

I used the drop forgings and crossbar from a roached early frame (it came off in one piece). I left about an inch of the 1" seat tubing sticking out of the front of the forgings. I drilled and ground the tubing out of the bottom of the early drop forgings, ground the forging off the tubes of the newer frame and cut the 1" seat tubes of the newer frame so that they would butt up to the tubes on the drop forging when they were heated and lined up. When I was satisfied with the way things fit with the forgings seated on the lower tubes and the front tubes butted up, I rosette welded plugs into the drop seat forward tubes. Then I notched the top of half of the tubes on the late frame so that the early section just dropped straight down and lined up with the plugs sitting in the notches of the late frame. Double check the alignment and welded everything up. Then fit and welded the pieces I'd cut out of the top of the seat tubes as filler pieces and dressed the welds. It still looks like it did when I first did it, no problems.

I took pictures when I was doing it. They're probably still around here somewhere, but I don't know where.

Did another one real similar to lilbill's setup, no pictures of it. Took a little more welding, but looked fine and I didn't have to find another set of drop seat forgings.

[besibela]

you could try and contact Gus at VG Frames in Holland. He manufactures repop frames (including drop seat) and could probably supply you with the castings.
http://vgmotorcycle.com/harley-swingarm-frame/#tab-id-4

[Neo Dutch]

Get the castings from Raceframe.

[panhead_pete]

If you can find a copy of the old "Chopper Cookbook" there are some pretty simple directions in that too. No castings used.

[HD48FL]

Hardtail has the castings as well, $185:

http://www.hardtailchoppers.com/new-product-page.html

[FRISCO67]

here is the article from the Custom Chopper Cookbook, courtesy of a forum member MeanMike

[dbkp]

Originally Posted by HD48FL

Hardtail has the castings as well, $185:

http://www.hardtailchoppers.com/new-product-page.html

read carefully, they are $185.00 each. they are nice.