Down under, an idiot and a 400F

Hellofa good buy for $20! Those Hammers and Dollies will prove to be priceless the more sheetmetal work you do. And honestly should last you a lifetime. Mine were passed down to me from my Step-Dad and he used them in the '50s to work on Hot-Rods.



Each shape has a specific purpose and the more you use them the better you will get at it. I'm sure there are videos on You-Tube on how to use them but it really is a dieing art.
You probably know to use the Dollies inside to actually hammer against right? That explains all their odd shapes, to get into tight spots and get the contours you desire. The hammer on the right in your set with the point is a shrinking hammer. Not only can you get in tight spots with it, but after you pound on steel with the flat faced ones it thins out and actually stretches. You can bring it bach to size with a bunch of light taps with the point and it also gives Bondo some irregularities to stick to.
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Oh and you bike is looking great!
 
Awesome, thanks for the pointers Hoosier. I was amazed how pliable the sheet is and how I could level it out so much.

Will get in YouTube and watch some vids. I love working with sheet metal though, it's fantastic to create something from scratch.

Thanks for the compliments too :)
 
Finished off welding the tank today. It's not pretty but it's starting to take shape. Just need to fill the rough bits with solder and finish of the lower parts of the knee cutouts (they buckled a touch, plus i need to sort how they will meet the seat).

Also need to look at lining it. Is lining a home job or should I pay someone to do it properly? Should I put something on the tank to stop flash rust?

Here it is:

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Now THAT is a great job right there Neevo. Well done!!

Incidentally, can't quite read the label on the beer bottle on the work bench. More attention to detail when supplying photos please!
 
Hahahaha!! Now you're talking!! And of course, Coopers! What else?

Seriously though...great job on that tank and seat :)
 
ducatiboy said:
Incidentally, can't quite read the label on the beer bottle on the work bench. More attention to detail when supplying photos please!

LOL! cheers boy's
 

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Swivel welding it up alone was always the plan but my welding isn't good enough and I'm sure there are some holes. I would prefer not to line it, I might give it to a radiator guy to test and fix any leaks.
 
Swivel a question. I am struggling to get the solder to stick, any tips? I suspect it's because of the Alu coating on the new panels as I had no probs on the dent in the tank.
 
Yeah using correct flux, it worked on the dent. Will crack out the sanding disc and see what happens.
 
In all honesty neevo, I hate to admit it but when you first cut that tank, I had my doubts... But you pulled it off!
OUTSTANDING!
Believe it or not, I think the hard part is over. How are you heating the tank now to solder it? Soldering iron? Propane torch? Make sure you heat the meltal / welds enough to melt the solder, not heating the solder to melt onto the metal. Hope that makes sence.

Looks great.
 
Thanks for the comments Hoosier, it wasn't a guaranteed result, just thought I would give it a go. I am pretty chuffed, it gets better and better.

I am using propane on the solder, melting the solder though rather than the steel. Will try your way and see how that goes.
 
Look what I did ;D
Just made speedo spacer, rotor spacers were already done.
Put it all on 360 front hub, it's PURDY ;)
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crazypj said:
Look what I did ;D
Just made speedo spacer, rotor spacers were already done.
Put it all on 360 front hub, it's PURDY ;)
Neevo20.jpg

Neevo21.jpg

Ohhhhhhhhhh YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Gonna look so good with the latest purchase PJ!
 
Spacer is 25mm but I'm going to make something different.
You'll have to drill & tap hub when you get parts
 
Looking for advice on how to lift the rear of the bike without buggering up the handling. Looking for a sportbike look with the sporty stock 400 handling too (don't shoot me but I want some space between the tyre and frame).

Was going to remove the rear shock mounts (doing a mono shock anyway), cut the rear supports and weld in some 1" extensions. To lift the rear was going to further bend the subframe where it bends after the tank.

Thoughts?
 
neevo said:
Was going to remove the rear shock mounts (doing a mono shock anyway), cut the rear supports and weld in some 1" extensions. To lift the rear was going to further bend the subframe where it bends after the tank.

Thoughts?

Just get longer shocks. If that doesn't work, then at least you can change them back without welding things twice.

But really, how much extra clearance do you need? 1 to 1.5 inch longer shocks will work OK (and probably handle better than what you have now). Anything longer and you'll run into issues with chain clearance, etc.

C'mon Swivel - stop drinking and start talkin' ;D
 
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