I have no idea where it is. I really wanted to post pictures.
I have the front fork pretty much assembled. Just waiting for the frame to get finished so I can mount it. It came out great - the powder coated triple tree parts along with all of the polished aluminum. And the Forks by Frank are beautiful - too bad they will be all covered up.
Speaking of the frame - I dropped it and the swing arm at Spectrum Powder Coating today (spectrumpowdercoatings.com). I met the owner - DA - and he is a very cool guy. I requested gloss black on the frame, and that we keep powder out of some of the critical areas (bearing races, threads, areas where bushings are going to be pressed). DA was on top of it. I'll get it back about a week from now. It will be about $160 to do the frame and swing arm.
I collected multiple other parts this weekend. I went up to Atlas Chrome and got the headlight bezel and the fork spacers. The good news is that the bezel is fantastic, and the polished spacers are amazing. The bad news is that the bezel is for a 5-1/2" diameter headlight bucket. The one that came with my bike is 5-3/4". So - not a match. Doesn't seem like a big deal, until you break the 5-1/2" lens. Which I did, trying to remove it from the reflector that looked like crap.
Which means now I'm looking for a 5-1/2" reflector and bulb holder. If that doesn't work out, I'm going to take the pitted bezel to the bodyshop and see if I can get it painted or something. Sux. The words of my friend Alex haunt me every day - "Why don't you get a Honda? Something you can find parts for....".
I also collected the wheels from Reagan at Ace Motorworks (www.acemotorworks.com). They are true and fantastic. Got home, and the newly lined brakes would not fit in the hubs. Uh oh. A few minutes grinding about 0.06 inches off of the pads - and they are in! Pirelli tubes on the way from J&P Cycles, and I can finish putting wheels together. Who knows - in a couple of weeks, I may have a roller....
Finally, I bought a new camera. I'm going to hide this one, and only I will use it. Good grief.
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If you can't fix the bezel replace itl and the bulb with an old style round sealed beam (use the low beam light from a four light headlight system). The sealed beam fits exactly in the existing bezel and the wattage is the same as the standard bulb. It also eliminated blowing the standard bulbs which happened to me several times.
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog by accident and it was perfect timing. I have just started to restore my 1966 Mercurio which I bought new and still have. It was in rough shape and was completely disassembled by my brother about 35 years ago then stored waiting for some TLC. It will need just about everything redone or replaced. I have already experienced the frustration of removing the swing arm and the front shocks.
I really enjoy reading your blog, knowing I'll be going through pretty much the same steps as you have. I would love to find out more about some of your suppliers and the things you have learned about putting the Bultaco back together.
Jim