77 shovel build

[Pipes]

Bought this 6 months ago..well actually I traded my 98 roadking for it, and cant say I regret it for a moment. Its a 93 inch stroker, S&S everything except for the cases,tons of head work and cams, worked 4speed.,pretty much everything I wanted. The only thing was it was gold when I bought it.. didnt look bad from 15 feet away but up close it just wasnt that pretty

kinda liked the way it was with the apes but they had welded nuts on the bars to keep them from sliding down,and they snapped from the stress, so it ended up with drag bars and a quick primer job until I could save up for some paint work.. though funny thing happen the money for paint kinda got rerouted to other parts of the bike..
heres a pic with the drags and a different seat

[Pipes]

so last night we took it to the shop after hours and stuck it up on the welding table just to do a few minor mods..


so far so good until someone handed me this..

then we wanted more sparks

[Topher]

NICE!!! Where in Jersey u at?

Great lookin bike. Will be following along.

C

[Pipes]

somehow this fell off after a few mins



couple hours looking measuring looking measuring moving measuring.. hey wheres the pizza.. measuring.. ok zap zap

[Pipes]

and last night about 11:30 pm slide the tire on to make sure everything looked good so it can be welded up when we have a bit more sleep..

[Pipes]

Thanks! Im in burlington county..

Originally Posted by Topher

NICE!!! Where in Jersey u at?

Great lookin bike. Will be following along.

C

[binky666]

looks like your moving in a good direction!

[wild04goat]

Looks damn good. cant wait to see the pics once she done.

[Stinky Pete]

Looks good, I gotta say I've never seen anyone put on a hardtail with the motor & tranny in-place.

How was that to weld around?

[Pipes]

actually its not to bad. if I had to do this at home I wouldnt have been able to do it, but with the over head cranes in the shop.. the welding table and the fact that its actually sitting up on metal stands that are welded to the table high enough to get all around it made it pretty easy. We debated taking the motor out, but then I would have had to remove the head to get it out of the frame since its less then an 1/8 of an inch away from the back bone. Im not sure if all shovels fit this tight or if its cause its a stroker motor, its the first I ever had. Another reason we decided to leave it in was because we figured it would keep the frame more rigid when we started cutting and welding. Those hardtail are tweaked enough and little bit of an edge seemed like a good idea.We stuck the plugs in and tacked it in place, ran a line down the center and made sure everything lined up, though did notice it was not quite centered on the axle, though figured this was because of the offset for the chain?. We noticed there was a difference on the swing arm so went with it. Ran the chain from sprocket to sprocket ,and everything was even and the hardtail was leveled. Still have to make up spacers and finish weldign the tubes and cleaning them up. All and all it went pretty smooth.

[mt666tm]

Nice... +1 on good job doing that with the motor and all still in place. I've done that before too and it's a bitch to get the weld all around, but it's great because you know nothing will shift or warp and keep you from putting the motor/trans back in!

[skajaquada]

Minor mods...you sound like me LOL. All my friends think I'm a little touched in the head.

Looking good, I have something along those lines in mind for a future build. Just have to get rid of a couple more to make enough room. I will be watching, keep the updates coming.

[Pipes]

Thanks for all the kind words! right now Im watching my 4 year old daughter bounce off the walls until the wife gets home for work then I can sneak off to the shop to continue working.. but Im finding little things to keep me going.. I decided I need a new headlight.. so I went into my parts collection I have for my 50 ford chop top and pulled out these..

not sure if I want to run spots on the shoebox anyway, but I think I can do something with these for the shovel.. also have 5 model A pedals coming for footpegs..so lots of machining and fabbin to do..

[Pipes]

here is some pics from tonight..
headlight stuffed into spotlight housing


this is why a crane is so handy

few more welds

[Pipes]

On the ground!


some mock ups with the old tanks for looks..


all in all Im happy as hell.. Bill did some killer welds on the hardtail.. all thats left is some cleaning up..blending in.. both of us sat there grinning half the night arguing who would get to burn the tire off first..
I was thinking about going with the 3 degree frame cups to level it out, but after seeing how it sits with the springer,Im liking it more and more the way it is. now for the little detail shit, fender and seat and rear brake..then decide for sure about the tank and paint.
As far as the back rim I have an idea for that solid rim that Im keeping to myself for now until I see if it works out.. hopefully tomorrow,I'll have a better idea.

[wild04goat]

very nice.....Love the springer. Are you gonna keep the tank or go a diffrent route?

[skajaquada]

Looks great man, I'd be stoked as shit too! From the stuff lying around in the background of the pics it looks like your hard tail musta been light work for your buddy. No wonder he has a crane

[servi53]

like where this is going, will have to stay tuned

[panhead_pete]

Looks good mate, what brand is that hardtail? Presume the bike was an FXE?

[Throttle_Jockey]

Looking good...Keep up the good work.

[weezil]

That bike is going to be freakin' gorgeous man.. I envy you! Diggin' the spot light also! Good luck, I'll be checkin back!

[Pipes]

just messing around with different looks, may end up building a tank

[jq49pan]

lookin good Pipes, what weld on is that? I used a santee for my 66. The first thing I thought when I saw the first pic was.."Hardtail it" (Great minds think alike)!

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by jq49pan

lookin good Pipes, what weld on is that? I used a santee for my 66. The first thing I thought when I saw the first pic was.."Hardtail it" (Great minds think alike)!

its from Vtwin so not sure who makes it, if its thiers or whoever.. we had to do alittle tweaking to get it to sit right but nothing major so Id prolly wouldnt mind buying from them again. my buddy has a santee and his looked like it needed about the same or a little bit more adjusting then this one. Im happy as hell wit hthe way it came out.. Im just spending hours trying to find the right seat,fender and oil tank combo..plus gas tank so it has just enough to set it off..

[panhead_pete]

Thanks for the info re the maufacturer mate. Bike looks great.

[Pipes]

thanks again for the kind words!.. jq, Im kinda diggin that seat. .will have to see what i can dig up.. killer bike.. thanks for the pics!

[skootnshov]

lookin good, hardtail fever

[mattwilson]

nice bike

[bpeak]

very cool bike man. I hot rodded out a 75 FLH last summer and really wanted to do the hardtail but didnt have the means to either lift/crane it or remove the motor. (my garage is sad... 'fer sure)

really good work though. I love the stance.

what bars are you going to run on it when done? the drags? mini apes? in my opinion the gas tank is mainly influenced by the bars. sporty tanks rule tho. never go wrong with a sporty tank.

cheers!

[Pipes]

today was mini xmas! got the model a pedals in and the rear fender. .plus a tank a friend had.. fat bobs he cut and started welding together.. not totally sure if Im going to use the stock ones, a sporty tank of the cut bobs yet..

[Pipes]

[jq49pan]

Are you going w/ a horseshoe or round oil tank, Pipes?

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by jq49pan

Are you going w/ a horseshoe or round oil tank, Pipes?

Im kinda going back and forth.. I think Id rather use a horseshoe tank but it all depends on what I can find that wont break the bank..

[wild04goat]

Seeing your sporty tank on yours makes me want to switch my tanks out! Just keeps getting better.

[suprrat]

good job

[Pipes]

Thanks!

[Dr.feltersnatch]

Originally Posted by Pipes

today was mini xmas! got the model a pedals in and the rear fender. .plus a tank a friend had.. fat bobs he cut and started welding together.. not totally sure if Im going to use the stock ones, a sporty tank of the cut bobs yet..

that tank is fuckin rad! i would rock it just like that

["Whitey Ford"]

yeah that tank is cool. Put some nice up swept bars...sorta like the attached but without the risers...and a 2 piece seat and call it a day. I dig the bare fender too.

http://www.lowbrowcustoms.com/index...._detail&p=1199

It has some potential...oh and I like horse shoe tanks personally.

[Pipes]

thanks guys.. been awhile since I updated this.. to many things going on..so the bike got set aside for a bit now Im jumping back on.. Im dying to get the bike back on the road sogettign wheel spacers made up, a bracket for my caliper and sissy bar. thinking for now will go with the split tanks. updates soon!

[Pipes]

well life seems to always get in the way of things when they are gettign good.. the past couple of months have been crazy and I havent been able to do much on the bike until today..I picked up a length of pipe about 15 inches long, 37 pounds and about 3/4 of an inch thick the other day and today I got to play on the lathe to etch out an idea I have.. heres todays update..


I guess you all figured out what Im doing already....

[Pipes]

some
more pics of the oil tank Im making..

man I love the lathe!



still need to shave off like 300 thousands.. and another inch off before making the fill and the bungs..but overall Im happy with the way its turning out.. hoping to make the sides dished in..

[chop_shop]

Looking good man. I cant wait to see how it turns out.

[Pipes]

thanks!

[Pipes]

well there were a few things I wasnt happy with so back to the lathe..took more off the dia. cut the fins deeper.. stepped dow nthe ends.. cut it to size and started on the sides.. no a bad day today..



dished the sides on the press..

[Pipes]

took it home to see how it looked in the frame..



overall really happy wit hthe way its coming out.. fit nearly perfect..

[HD48FL]

That looks great!

[VanHorton]

looks good, you could make some gnarly looking risers out of those model a pedals

[Pipes]

Thanks Im getting there! lots more to do.. Im just dying to ride it

[Black Knight 1]

Looks realy good !Love the fab work !

[Pipes]

ok..small update.. took the bike back to the shop and got a few little things done..then boss said hell with it leave the bike there and I can work on it when I finish work and during the weekends,till its done just push it in and out of the shop so its not in the way.. so instead of having to haul it back and forth its got a new home for a bit. So first thing I did was make the axle spacers to the right size. got the chain all lined up spund the dished sprocket around so it gave more on the right side for the caliper. tomorrow making a caliper bracket to mount ot the spacer and frame. once that was done I put the oil tank in to get an idea how much room I had and well thats the part that sucks.. seems we thought the battery could fit below the tank.. but with the chain in place it pushes that fxe battery over the bottom rail to close to the exhaust. NOT happy either I got to find a smaller battery.. with enough crank to push over the 93 inch.. or I have to push the oil tank over to the seat post and weld a battery box to the oil tank..not what I really wanted...or third option is to mount the batter box to the left side of the bike behind the primary and put the tag and taillight behind that.. not to fond of that idea either.. so anyway thats where Im at.. tomorrow its fab up the caliper mount.. get the fender where Im happy ..and possibly the sissy bar.. oh and heres a few pics for the hell of it..



and because a few people commented about the shop.. heres a quick picture of one corner of it with all the fun toys..

[hogster]

nice man nice,hope you use that talent and that shop to knock the whatever off the derby cover.I took a beltsander to mine.leave the born to ride shit to the orthodontist types IMO.that oil bag is sweet looks big too,in a good way how many qt.s ??? cant wait to see more youre doin a nice job

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by hogster

nice man nice,hope you use that talent and that shop to knock the whatever off the derby cover.I took a beltsander to mine.leave the born to ride shit to the orthodontist types IMO.that oil bag is sweet looks big too,in a good way how many qt.s ??? cant wait to see more youre doin a nice job

yeah the flame derby is on the list of things to be replaced. .as well as make a new points cover.. . not sure how many quarts for the tank yet.. hoping 3 1/2 at least.. the inside diameter is 5 inches and its 10 !/2 inches long. havent put the sides or anything on yet because I had a funny feeling about the battery and figures I may end up welding the box to the tank.. looks like its a good thing I did..

[servi53]

digging your progress and your oil tank

[Pipes]

small update

[Pipes]

was goofing aroudn with the wheel.. not sold on it yet..but I do have another rear spoked rim I might put on it when I get some new treads.. sissy bar top it a work in progress.. but should havethat sorted out tomorrow or something

[chop_shop]

Why not put the battery down behind the trans? You should have more then enough room to make it fit and still look good.

[howitzer]

that's a really nice oil tank.

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by chop_shop

Why not put the battery down behind the trans? You should have more then enough room to make it fit and still look good.

the battery does not fit there.. .. because I have a stock size fxe style battery , when I put it behind the trans the top of it hits the bottom of the starter. the battery is like 7 long, 6 high and almost 4 wide.and thats with out a battery box. the bike is kick and electric.. but after years of kicking over my 68 xlch my knees arnt what they used to be so on those really shitty day I like to have that button option to start up that 93 inch motor.I could move the fender back.. but it have to move back nearly an inch or more to clear the starter..and that kills some chain adjustment. plus the size of the battery now it will have to stick over the bottom rails because the other side has the chain. Right now Im just looking around to see if I can find a smaller in size battery.. but with decent cranking amps to turn over the motor.. I think the one I have now is rated ar 240.. and if it doesnt start in 3 or 4 cranks its dead. I also bought a manual solenoid ..hoping that might give it a bit more juice. will just have to see..

[binky666]

Originally Posted by Pipes

the battery does not fit there.. .. because I have a stock size fxe style battery , when I put it behind the trans the top of it hits the bottom of the starter. the battery is like 7 long, 6 high and almost 4 wide.and thats with out a battery box. the bike is kick and electric.. but after years of kicking over my 68 xlch my knees arnt what they used to be so on those really shitty day I like to have that button option to start up that 93 inch motor.I could move the fender back.. but it have to move back nearly an inch or more to clear the starter..and that kills some chain adjustment. plus the size of the battery now it will have to stick over the bottom rails because the other side has the chain. Right now Im just looking around to see if I can find a smaller in size battery.. but with decent cranking amps to turn over the motor.. I think the one I have now is rated ar 240.. and if it doesnt start in 3 or 4 cranks its dead. I also bought a manual solenoid ..hoping that might give it a bit more juice. will just have to see..

Try a jap shop!!! i did a sportster with A moon tank and it had no room it was pricey but it worked

[Ridge Runner]

ShoraiUsa - Lithium Battery = Take a look at these batteries these things are very small with a lot of cranking power and they don't take any fluids / "acid" so you can mount them in any position. They also don't need to have a battery tender put on them if you leave it sit for a couple weeks... I've had good luck with mine!

[TikiTodd]

I am totally digging this build, the shop, and the thread... keep postin'

[Pipes]

thanks guys ! and thanks for the battery info.. the Shorai batteries for my back list out of stock.. I did check out the Ballistic batteries. .and they seem ot have what I need.. has anyone tried these?

[Pipes]

doing some mock up and brackets..

[Pipes]

weekend shop bike repair day..today got a few things done.. tailight/tag bracket.. which I forgot to take a pic of.. got the exhaust bracket set up.. Billy started on the caliper bracket after he fixed the sissy bar on his bike that broke during the smoke out run.. John had to fix the trans bracket on his. lots of ball busting..coffee and generally a good time..
had to get all 3 bikes in a shot..

heres John working on his 93 inch S&S knuckle.. this bike is pretty bad ass.. he rode it from jersey to the smoke out then down to florida to see his kid who is station down there then back..

[Pipes]

heres a few shots of Bills chopper.. has a rev tech 110...6 spd trans.. this thing flys..


and one of mine on the table.. during fab of the rear caliper mount..

[Topher]

Cool scoots, all. On Bill's bike, is the thermos for coffee or extra gas?

C

[Pipes]

ha noticed that eh.. its for extra gas.. usually whe nthey go to the smoke out or other long trips someone comes up short on gas specially with alot of them running the smaller tanks...

["Whitey Ford"]

Man that Knuck looks mean...post some pics up when its on the ground....

[Topher]

Originally Posted by Pipes

ha noticed that eh.. its for extra gas.. usually whe nthey go to the smoke out or other long trips someone comes up short on gas specially with alot of them running the smaller tanks...

Some real-deal go juice!!!

C

[Pipes]

picked up fittings for the tank today.. on way to get battery now.. hopefully Ill have it running by the weekend..then its ride ride.. stop in the shop..make risers..ride ride..stop in shop make controls.. ride ride..you get the picture!

[delaware george]

that thing is really looking great...nice fab work

[bikerbob]

Love this build pipes!

What did you end up using for a battery

[jq49pan]

Glad you went with the round oil bag, looks good!

[panhead_pete]

Loving this build. Thought about tanks like this???

[Pipes]

thanks guys..did find alittle smaller batter and moved the fender a bit to make up space so it will go under the oil tank..
pete, love to run tanks like that.. right now the budget is pretty tight, so have to see what comes up.. George, whats up man..thanks for the words and good to see you here. Looking forward to getting down there and work out that deal..
Tony

[bikerbob]

Still didnt say what battery ya went with!!

Please Tell

[shovelinit]

Love your bike man. Looking good. 77 is a good year!

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by bikerbob

Still didnt say what battery ya went with!!

Please Tell

ha! sorry bought that.. the battery is at work, trying to get time to fab up a mount. Im pretty sure it was a magna power sealed agm, but cant remember the number off hand. found if I moved things around abit it should work..and it was a bit smaller then the battery i had.

[JDS]

Check these batteries out, antigravitybatteries.com , amazing little batteries with gobs of power.

[Pipes]

couple updates..

[swade41]

What is your wife going to say about Betty Page you freak ?

[radarsonwheels]

Nice bike! Hi piney John!

[Pipes]

HA Swade I got that covered! I just tell it its supposed to be her!..just with black hair..longer legs..bigger chest..a little smaller ass...
see got it covered man!

Originally Posted by swade41

What is your wife going to say about Betty Page you freak ?

[jager]

Got some chrome fatbobs if ur interested...

[Pipes]

Hey jager, thanks for the offer man.. id be interested but unfortunately prolly not in the budget right now..stuff still a bit tight..again thanks for the offer!

Originally Posted by jager

Got some chrome fatbobs if ur interested...

[Pipes]

trying out a new look with diff fender

[KELD]

Originally Posted by JDS

Check these batteries out, antigravitybatteries.com , amazing little batteries with gobs of power.

did you end up with this battery? Looks pretty interesting but $$$$

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by KELD

did you end up with this battery? Looks pretty interesting but $$$$

It was tempting but funds just werent there..i picked up a reg sized one for a fxe at the local advanced auto parts..damned if i can remember the name.ill have to look when i get home. For right now i think im going to run the horseshoe tank just to get it on the road..still a few things i wanted to do with the tank i made but thats on the back burner now..i got the itch to get this done now!

[KELD]

Originally Posted by Pipes

It was tempting but funds just werent there..i picked up a reg sized one for a fxe at the local advanced auto parts..damned if i can remember the name.ill have to look when i get home. For right now i think im going to run the horseshoe tank just to get it on the road..still a few things i wanted to do with the tank i made but thats on the back burner now..i got the itch to get this done now!

I tried two different batteries on my build in an effort to reduce weight.
A late model model Sporty battery, and a Shorai Lithium.
Both turned the motor ONCE and then slowly crapped out.
They didn't have the stored grunt so had to go back to the MASSIVE FLH battery. Sadly. Would have loved to loose the 10kg of weight.

[hotrod29]

great job on the tail!

[Pipes]

Thanks!

[swade41]

Why the change in rear fender ?

[Pipes]

well havent posted in a while.. havent had time to mess with the bike..but im getting on it now. at this point its august or bust.. Got a nice promotion and big raise so im throwing what i can at the bike..did I mention, im dying to ride this?? Not 100%sure about the tank and fender.. but ill worry about that this winter whe ni have it painted. well professionally painted.. im doing a rattle can job on it till then..
We are making a new sissy bar, fender brackets for front of rear fender, which means ill be using the skinny fender. Kinda dug that one best anyway.put on the manual solenoid just need to adjust it and wire it up. got new tread for the back and polished up a spoke rim for it. I wasnt digging the fatboy rim. Anyway not a whole lot ,but im back working on it.




primered then scotched brited, then painted some metallic blue from home depot

[Pipes]

found some paint there called glitter..figured what the hell..close enough to flake in a can for me..



did a lite coat over the blue metallic, then let it dry then did another coat of the glitter waited for that to dry then did a light coat of metallic blue then a very light coat of glitter scuffed it and clear coated.. yeah i have absolutely no friggin idea what im doing.. so im just going with what looks ok at the moment
but it looks good enough for me till i can get it in a paintshop..

[Pipes]

did some wet sanding with 600 grit did another coat of clear..i think im going to wet sand it one more time then buff it up see how it looks, so far pretty happy how it looks..think i got 40 bucks in paint and sandpaper..Might go with something darker when i get it repainted this winter..


still got to wet sand and possible one more coat of clear on rear fender, but i couldnt resist putting it on to see how it looked.

[Pipes]

today we got the spoke rim mounted, Friend made up some spacers and we got it centered and made sure the chain fit. now we have to weld on new axle adjuster nuts. thats what happens when you buy chrome ones off ebay and the cheap ass chrome flakes off and binds in the threads and you have to snap it. new 3/8 all thread coupling nuts and stainless bolts will replace them. Bill took some measurements and will make up the fender mounts and start on sissy bar..im digging up parts and cleaning out the damn shed.. did i mention there is flakes of silver EVERYWHERE..

[Pipes]

close up of tanks after a bit of compounding

[Pipes]

got the rear fender front mounts welded up,(tire is cocked so i could unbolt it), the fender got its last coat of clear, then get wet sanded, and buffed.. wiring next, a master link,brake bleeder and got to either remember how the hell the oil lines got from the tank to pump and remote oil filter..
heres the front mounts for back fender..

[Pipes]

i got the wiring left.. and weld a tab on for the brake caliper mount..and get the new seat..and a few other little odds and ends..but i just had to pop the tank on and push it outside

o throw the tank on it and push it outside to see..

[Harleyfunds]

this build looks so GREAT!!!
really like the spot lite,,seems up pretty high, ya gonna lower it some,like down in front of the springer shock?? just amazed at all the oil bag,
keep up the good work ,,,,

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by Harleyfunds

this build looks so GREAT!!!
really like the spot lite,,seems up pretty high, ya gonna lower it some,like down in front of the springer shock?? just amazed at all the oil bag,
keep up the good work ,,,,

Thanks! Ive actually been thinking of moving it down a bit.. not sure how low.. will mess with it some to see what looks best. When i got it, the light was way up there, its one of the things that bugged me about it..

[Harleyfunds]

well am sure you'll come up with another good idea,,, you seem to have the nack for fabricatin,,,,

[Pipes]

thanks!its amazing what you can do with good equipment and help from friends when you dont have it

[Harleyfunds]

oh i know maybe a Mack Truck bumper to mount that light to ....

[Pipes]

c'mon man..aint no mack bumper..but maybe a bug deflector

[Pipes]

today kinda sucked but when i got home from work this made it better..

[JAWS]

I am sorry I missed this build.

Nice job, real nice job. Love the flake, looks like an old school bowling ball. Love it.

Fender looks tight and right.

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by JAWS

I am sorry I missed this build.

Nice job, real nice job. Love the flake, looks like an old school bowling ball. Love it.

Fender looks tight and right.

Thanks man, its been a long time coming but its finally getting there. I got alot more things I want to do to it but some of those will wait till winter and after I ridden it for a bit

[Pipes]

well it lives after almost 2 years.. crappy vid cause it was dark..but im stoke..click pic for the video..hope it works
[IMG][/IMG]

[HD48FL]

Originally Posted by Pipes

well it lives after almost 2 years.. crappy vid cause it was dark..but im stoke..click pic for the video..hope it works

Video worked fine, bike sounds great, congrats!

[JAWS]

Ditto! Well done.

[Pipes]

thanks guys! still a few bugs to work out and bleed the front brake again but its rideable! cant wait till i get back on it!

[Pipes]

some daylight pic..still a few things to finish up yet..

[JAWS]

Thats absolutely badass!

Well done!

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by JAWS

Thats absolutly badass!

Well done!

Thanks! still got odds and ends to do but ive been riding it locally till the bugs are worked out..getting there!

[badassbrutus]

That looks awesome,love the drag bars and fat tanks on it brings back memories.

[Pipes]

Thanks! still puttering with it, few more ideas about changing a few things ,but right now i cant wait till we are done with this snow so i can ride it!

[HD48FL]

Bike looks good, what are you thinking about changing? You have time, more snow is coming!

[Pipes]

Thanks guys.Thinking maybe some apes,maybe doing something with the forward controls.have a few to work out and need to adjust few things and we will see..

[budoka]

beautiful bike. i'd be proud to ride it anywhere, and call it mine.

take care,
-dan

[Pipes]

Originally Posted by budoka

beautiful bike. i'd be proud to ride it anywhere, and call it mine.

take care,
-dan

thanks man!
really dig your blog too!

[Pipes]

[RunningRiot]

Beautiful bike. Love what you've done with it.

[swade41]

Looking good brother !

[Pipes]

Thanks! its getting there..biggest hold back right now is i sprained my back about two weeks ago.. and im not allowed to ride for awhile..it sucks!