Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => CB500/550 => Topic started by: cinqmars2 on August 16, 2012, 02:48:35 PM
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Hello all, I wanted to start this thread for myself more than anything, housing a documentation of the project amidst a sea of experts is a no-brainer!
My name is Brad, I'm 23, my background is motocross and a bit of trials so I'm no stranger to bikes. The electrics, however, I'm finding a little daunting...
Six weeks ago, I underwent an operation on my shoulder and got a load of time off work, within two days I had purchased a 550 in bits on eBay for £400. Everything I was after was there, frame, engine, forks, swingarm, wheels and a few other bits and pieces, the rest would probably not have featured on the bike I want to build anyway.
As someone with a crosser background, I want to build a bike that is a little hat-tip to motocross bikes of the same era, namely the Husky 400. I'll audition a genuine Husqvarna tank, but I'm doubtful it will suit the stance of the bike. I'll be aiming for a low, brat(ish) bike so all Husky references will be in colour opposed to parts.
As this is my first build, and I'm not exactly raking it in, I hope to recondition as much as I can, even if it means buyig total junk and bringing it back to life by hand, time I have, money I do not.
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Sounds interesting Brad, a 550 with knobbies, this I got to see.
Andy
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So I've managed to score some pretty neat deals lately. Firstly, I found a bench grinder in the street around Hoxton. It's a beaut and was just sitting out amongst a bust TV and a few pieces of knackered furniture! It was a b*tch to get home but you can't complain when you didn't spend a penny.
Secondly, I won a lot on eBay. A load of various parts from another '76 550. The only thing I was after were the carbs, but I got a complete engine, two pairs of forks, swing arm, all the electrics, tank, side covers, lights, gauges and another (unusable) frame. It was actually a mix of two different bikes, one having been in a pretty serious accident leaving a twisted frame and some nice 30 degree forks. The lowers seem fine but the sliders are done, if anyone wants the lowers you can have have them, I'd leave judgment of their integrity down to you.
I'm now at a point where I'm just scrubbing and polishing various parts. I don't have a real starting point for the mechanics, although my first engine (engine 1) has a few bust fins on the cylinder jugs and a crack under one of the tappets on the valve cover.
Would it be advised to create a hybrid engine from the two I now own?
Engine 2 looks ratty and has a terrible paint job but in terms of metal, it's all there. Engine 1 is supposedly a peach but isn't in too good shape aesthetically.
Anyone able to offer some advice?
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In my mind it is best to use the best mechanical parts you have and worry about cosmetics later, broken/damaged parts always seem to come back and bite you later, if only as why didn't i find a better one when
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Yeah I spent some time trying to remove scratches and flatten the metal, but I only had some 400 grit to hand and it wasn't really giving the best prep for polish. I then took a flap wheel to it to remove some of the real deep marks, that explains the wavy surface on the flats, might take a while to get it truly flush. I've just had a selection of different paper land on my desk at work so I think I'll start again with these parts, if it shows up from crummy iphone photos in bad light, it's clearly a way off full potential!
The grinder is 1hp, I believe, and takes a bit of stopping. I have been using it to polish, the power's there but I don't feel it's fast enough...
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1 horse = 745W
;)
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Hi Brad, sounds like your having fun, looking forward to seeing more of your project
Pete
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Subscribed. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress on this. :-)
Sent from my iPhone 4 using Tapatalk!
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I got to spend a few hours on Friday night on the bike, and a few on Saturday too. Re-buffed a the parts I'd previously attempted to polish and started from scratch on the really bad stuff, need to go over the tighter corners with some smaller wheels to get the best out of them but they're looking much better already! Thanks Oddjob, constructive criticism is the best thing to receive when you're learning, plus building this bike in public really makes you want to up your game...
On Saturday I dismantled my front wheel. The amount of rust that was cascading out when I was getting the tyre off was fairly disconcerting. It's certainly not in the best shape, but I don't think it's near unusable, and with the bike's age in mind and and the UK's climate, it could have been a lot worse. I took a few pictures of the rim as it was and a few after I took a wire wheel to it.
What do you guys think? Is it unusable? I'm planning on getting it dipped + stripped then potentially re-chromed (black) or powder coated.
I'm assuming the rear wheel is in similar condition...
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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When i asked the powder coaters about my wheels [ which were simlar to yours] they said i would have to get the old chrome removed for them to get a good finnish. When i priced up the costs of stripping the chrome , then powder coat it was just as cheap to buy a new rim.
I think yours are the same, by the time you spend money and time getting those something like you might as well bought new ones.
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Either use as is / coat of cheap paint and put up with a less than perfect finish (which is what I'd do cos I'm tight) or replace. Check the spokes for pitting as it can be inconvienient if they snap in service. I had one do this at 60mph on a backroad, the wife was not inpressed at me being late to pick her up from the station and I was very glad I had a good spare at home. Be particuarly suspicious of painted spokes as this was what hid the state of mine from view.
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Ha, I think it will be worth investing in new spokes, don't want to risk them falling through on me, this comes to mind, watch from 2:45:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS3NE9G1qlA
;)
Well I successfully avoided any real work yesterday and looked into getting replacement rims. On the US forums they are always banging on about Excels or Suns, I've had Excels on a few crossers with no troubles at all so I know they're good for it, but I'm struggling to find someone who sells them in the stock dimensions, 19" front and 18" rear no? Does anyone know the width offhand? Or better, laced stock 550 hubs with Excels? They're not the prettiest of rims though, if anyone could suggest better looking (no logo) or something with a nicer section then I'm open to suggestions, always been a fan of the completely square rims like they used to use on the old late 60's/early 70's flat trackers...
Seeing as I've got two swing arms now, I'm planning on making a truing stand to build the wheels on, in a non-damaging way if possible, I've built a few wheels before for bicycles but this will be the first for a motorcycle, guess there's a first time for everything... :)
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;D
1. front forks used as truing jig
2. swingarm used as truing jig
both unmodified and okay for using as parts again
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Ah they're great! Sorry for the (very) late reply but I've been working on a film for the last month and haven't had time to scratch my arse, let alone play with bikes.
Before the project, I bought another bike on eBay, and believe me, it made complete financial sense ;)
I found a lot that consisted of a frame, two pairs of forks, tank, electrics, swingarm, lights and an engine which, most importantly, had a set of carbs. I won the whole lot for £150, a sum that I feel is a bargain for the carbs alone! Although I'm stoked on it, my housemates feel otherwise and, as a result, have half a CB550 in my bedroom...
I'll be disassembling the new engine and selling the parts individually, cleaning and tidying as I go, there seems to be significantly more money to be made this way from what I can tell on eBay.
The only actual garage progress has been in de-tabbing the frame, I'm halfway through, going slowly as I can't afford any mistakes! Will post pictures if I remember to take some, would be good to have opinions on this as it's the task that's worrying me the most. The other thing has been working on the stator cover from the new engine, my original is so beat up you can barely read the Honda emblem. I'm not a fan of the fins so I got rid of them and will spend a couple of hours this weekend making it shine. Hopefully I'll get to spend more time on it now I've not got as much on!
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So I've been tinkering here and there but not really getting anywhere substantial. I'm getting the feeling that I'm actually making some things worse, for instance I got itchy and tried to de-tab the frame with nothing more than an angle grinder with one grinding disk and one cutting disk. Suffice to say, the cutting disk went before I was even half done and the grinding disk just ate everything in sight, I've got a load of flat patches on the frame now and I'm worried that I've done some irreparable damage :( I know the tubing is dead thin on these bikes and any compromise to the integrity could be fatal to the machine, or even myself...
I feel really stupid about it and wish I had the patience to save up for proper tooling.
You can see the flat spots clearly in the last photo, should I get accurate measurements of the lowest diameters? Would anyone here be able to advise as to whether it's now dangerously thin? If so, what options do I have? As mentioned, I have another frame, which was involved in a head-on. The backbone and headstock are screwed but the rear is as straight as an arrow. Any room to chop and change that back end?
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I also had a look at the tank which came off the crash bike, dented from every angle, some were fixable but others are completely creased and will need to be filled. I tried the 'hot-then-cold' method to no avail, that explains the singed tank in the last picture, but found success in hot gluing a piece of wood to the dent and yanking it out. Remarkable how flush that side is now!
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I'm beginning to get very concerned about the way I treated the frame and have decided to cut out some metal and replace with straight tubing, or perhaps even the whole of that triangle.
There's a thread on Do The Ton which features a bike that had no rear end, they just fabbed in a new a*se and it looks immaculate! I'm hoping to be able to do the same.
Does anyone have any advice or any concerns about doing this? I'd most likely build a jig to hold it all in place and keep it as true as I can when it comes to it.
I have attached the bike from DTT and also some scribbles about how to go about cutting my frame, advice please! I'm thinking gussets may help spread the stress around too. Floundering...
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In reality a lot of these bikes will be running frames with more metal missing from rust than you have taken with the grinder. My 500 was really bad and was doing a lot of miles often at some speed and had a sidecar attached that adds to the loading on the rear subframe. I tested the thickness of the thinned metal by running a gas welding torch run over it - if it went red fast it was thin. I repaired by sleeveing in a smaller diameter repair pipe with a repair section of the same diameter as the removed metal so the butt welded repair was supported internally. The internal re enforcement was tapered off a few inches past the joint to avoid stress raisers. Plug weds were also used. I actually ended up re fabricating much of the rear end metalwork and was quite glad of my blacksmith skills as a fair bit of sheet metal bashing was needed to keep an invisible repair. For your project a simpler approach can be used. How is your welding? if it ain't spot on then a simple bit of gusset as you show might help but I'd leave as is.
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Thanks Matthew, that puts my mind at ease to some degree, I'll still fill the seams and chuck on some gussets just to be sure, want it to be stiff!
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I wouldn't worry to much we all make mistakes the best way to learn I tend to use a linnesher to tidy things up cheap and not as aggressive as grinding discs Keep going you will sort it in the end and no problems in over doing it with gussets
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For cleaning up and removing bracketts I'd start by removing the brakett at a distance of about 5 -10mm using a cutting disk so as not to risk either cutting into the frame or wearing the disk out on the thick bit of weld, the grinding disk is far better and more cost effective to remove the welds once the bulk of the brakett is removed. For the final cleanup use a flap disk in the grinder. Having treated myself to a sabre saw from Lidl I'd really reccommend one for the cutting side of things, I was really pleased with the results the other day when I had to swap engines on my 125cc Honda rebel, the exhaust nuts were so corroded even a 9mm wall drive sockett didn't find any purchase at all, being flanged nuts they had gone pyramid shaped so mole grips couldn't get a decent purchase and a grinder would have been too close for comfort to the head and frame and exhausts if it could get near at all, I found it a doddle to cut the nuts diagonally through with the sabre saw though, then a simple job to insert a screwdriver in the slot and get things moving by giving a sharp tap. Nothing beats having the right tool for the job.
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Yeah you're right, I should definitely be more patient and save for the correct tools.
Since the last update I took to taking apart my carbs. These came from the crash bike and I have no idea whether they it was a 550K or 550F. Does this make any difference? The carbs were badly oxidised inside, the brass isn't too bad but the jets were clogged. A little bit of rust in the bottom of the bowls too, but that was easy enough to scrub out with a bit of carb cleaner. I boiled the bodies for a couple of hours in lemon juice, vinegar and water to great results, any brass that didn't have rubber involved was also boiled with the bodies. Some cleaned up but others have debris in that I can't shift. I don't have access to an air compressor in the area but have read about using a softer metal to try and move any dirt in the jets, copper wire maybe. It's really not something I want to do so may just end up buying a rebuild kit. the only one I can find is from DCC which, of course, involved US shipping costs. I deem it well worthwhile to pay for it, but if anyone is after anything from them and can't justify the shipping, it may be an option to chip in on the same order...? Just a suggestion...
Looks right, anyone got any insight?
http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-racer-caferacer-bobber-brat-chopper-custom-motorcycle-engine-parts-honda-cb550-carburetor-rebuild-kit-18-2422.html
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k3 carbs are qute different and give better fuel economy than the f ones and I'm pretty sure the jetting is different as are the fittings for jets I think so I'd advise finding out before spending money. I've found the k3 jets block easily, Only other carbs I have had are the 500/4 ones that are thirstyer than my k3's but seem to not clog regardless - I've even had a set that were awsomely filthy work well enough to get an engine running on my workbench. Try NRP carbs in uk if you havent yet? It was a while ago but they were pretty confident they could get any carb parts even for the k3.
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Ok, good to know! Do you think anyone would be able to identify the ones I have if I post a picture? I'll get some up when I get a chance, unless anyone can advise on any stand out features that would differentiate them?
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Yeah you're right, I should definitely be more patient and save for the correct tools.
Since the last update I took to taking apart my carbs. These came from the crash bike and I have no idea whether they it was a 550K or 550F. Does this make any difference? The carbs were badly oxidised inside, the brass isn't too bad but the jets were clogged. A little bit of rust in the bottom of the bowls too, but that was easy enough to scrub out with a bit of carb cleaner. I boiled the bodies for a couple of hours in lemon juice, vinegar and water to great results, any brass that didn't have rubber involved was also boiled with the bodies. Some cleaned up but others have debris in that I can't shift. I don't have access to an air compressor in the area but have read about using a softer metal to try and move any dirt in the jets, copper wire maybe. It's really not something I want to do so may just end up buying a rebuild kit. the only one I can find is from DCC which, of course, involved US shipping costs. I deem it well worthwhile to pay for it, but if anyone is after anything from them and can't justify the shipping, it may be an option to chip in on the same order...? Just a suggestion...
Looks right, anyone got any insight?
http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-racer-caferacer-bobber-brat-chopper-custom-motorcycle-engine-parts-honda-cb550-carburetor-rebuild-kit-18-2422.html
I don't know if this is any help but I've just had my carbs sorted.As I've never worked on the internals before I gave them to my trusted mechanic.He had to ultrasonically clean them 5 times just to get them apart,he said they where the worst he had ever seen.He then soaked them in used oil over night and then cleaned and stripped.
The emulsion tubes where rotten apparently,we used the service kit from davidsilver.He was impressed with the kit because he said normally you don't get half the bits in them.
Just finishing off the rusty cosmetic parts and then there done and back together.
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So, it's been a long while since my last post, and there is really nothing to report since that time...
With my last day of Christmas and New Year freedom before going back to work, I took out each and every part and catalogued them all. I photographed everything and have noted down all parts and their condition.
The main thing for me, is the idea of combining parts from the two engines I have.
The original (Engine 01) has been promised as a good runner.
The second (Engine 02) has been partially dismantled, cylinders off etc, crank case and gearbox intact.
Engine 01 has a few chipped fins and a couple of cracks, but supposedly works as it is. Engine 02, although rattier, is complete with no cracks at all. Would it be advised to replace the damaged parts of Engine 01 or would it be best to keep a run-in engine together as a whole? Could there be wear variation between the two that would cause more problems? Or should I focus on just rebuilding Engine 02 and make that my primary?! I could split the case, get it media blasted, painted etc as it's already half disassembled?
Sadly the only box of parts I haven't documented yet is the one containing the cylinders and head from Engine 02. Will get round to that tonight.
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Some photos of Engine 02.
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Also some photos of my carbs for help with identification ;)
This is after a good lemon juice + vinegar cooking, all need a full rebuild.
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Those carbs are the same as fitted to all 500/550 EXCEPT the K3, and whilst they runn richer are far easier to stip/clean/get parts for
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Those carbs are the same as fitted to all 500/550 EXCEPT the K3, and whilst they runn richer are far easier to stip/clean/get parts for
Ace! Thanks Bryan, appreciate the help!
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In theory I daersay that is correct but in practice I've never found any crud having found it's way down the inlet or exhausts either having installed such engines or stripped them as a precaution, I've never had engine failiure that I'd thought might be attributable to anything entering by this route - I always open problem engines up to take a look and haven't found scored bores or bad piston wear, appart from one engine that had all 4 pistons missing their top rin and all 4 pistons and head scarred badly, since several broken rings were found in the sump and gaskett goo was everywhere I think extreme bodgery were the culprits on that count - the engine went on to do several years commuting given some cheap pistons from another engine and eventually dropping 2 valves - but given it's history I wasn't surprised, it looked like it had been run with all 4 top rings in bits in the engine (worst assembly job ever?)- the piston tops were well pitted - I've no idea what could have caused such a failiure. I prefer to test run an engine and get a really good idea as to internal condition by looking at how it preforms then fix accordingly if needed.
My personal approach would be to stick a hoover over each port to suck any crud out and turn the engine over by hand a few times then try runing as is. Meaning no disrespect but having messed up bits myself and seen as many by others in my earlyer years I'm very aware that inexpirienced engine strip and rebuilds can cost a lot of money and effort and destoy good components. Conversly the 500 and 550 engines are tough cookies and can go for many many miles with basic servicing - 180 000 on my 500/4 sidecar outfit with no engine work up to that milage. Only work it will need for the original motor is new gaskett set fitting and new rings in all probability, the gearbox was the issue, jumping out of 2nd and 1st. I may get a more expirienced mehanic to check valves and crank bearings whilst it is appart but going by visual inspection they are probably ok. Of the 10 or so engines I have either in bits or as runners from bikes I've got as projects, the engines that are factory builds rather than owner rebuilds are the ones that run best- that is if my crude diagnosis method is correct, all unspoilt looking phillips head screws and bolts being right and undoing with that cirtain satisfying noise and feel = factory build, owner rebuilds more typycally feature Allen head bolts that so often foul rocker covers etc - the list goes on - either way I prefer the old addage of if it ain't broke - don't fix it. I've had US inport engines that at first leaked like sieves, smoked like the proverbial and sounded nasty that have come good after 500 miles use.
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Thanks for getting back to me guys!
Hmm ok, well Engine 01 has a few parts missing, like Oddjob noticed, the tach, the points are also missing, there are numerous replacement bolts around the engine, ranging from hex to philips in varying states. This engine has definitely been tampered with so it's safe to say that it's not still the factory assembly. As neither I, nor the previous owner, have had this running, I can't say what condition it is in to perform any running diagnostics. I think the best approach would be to strip it right down, gives me a chance to clean it and get it painted if it's in good running order, and if there are any major issues, hopefully they will become apparent while it is in pieces...
Anyone got any techniques for noting and organising components during a total strip down? ;)
Oh, and Matthew, where you mentioned your engine having the 'worst assembly job ever' I'd be a little more reserved and say that at may be the worst assembly job...so far
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Also some photos of my carbs for help with identification ;)
This is after a good lemon juice + vinegar cooking, all need a full rebuild.
Hi
carb finish looks good. What is involved more specifically with lemon juice + vinegar cleaning method you refer to? Were the carbs pretty clean and not oxidised to start with.
thanks,
Tim
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Hi Tim, I had before + after pictures on my phone, but it was stolen a few weeks ago! Gutted.
They were not oxidised as such, they were just very dirty, a lot of set-in fuel and muck from years of avoiding any cleaning at all, the bodies were unevenly stained and discoloured. I found this photo on Google, this is pretty close to how mine looked. After a spray with some carb cleaner and a quick scrub to get rid of the looser stuff, I boiled them.
The method I used was to boil the carbs one by one in a large pan for about two hours each. Maybe five litres of water to one cup of lemon juice and a couple of capfuls of white vinegar to be certain. Although saying this, you can find all kinds of ratios online that people swear by, ranging from 10:1 to 1:1, I don't think citric acid will really inflict any real damage to carbs. They were completely dismantled to get into as many little places as possible, if I had the means I would have liked to have used an air compressor to blast out the remaining water, but had to let them dry on top of my wood burner instead, wanted to get any moisture out as soon as possible.
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Oddjob, thank you so much, there are surely enough tips and tricks in there to keep me in check!
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Thanks.
Have been doing my 400/4 carbs with ultrasonic cleaner / standard solution. Very good but could be better - may try your concoctiion in the ultrasonic cleaner.
Ta for the info.
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Quick update, I dismantled the only straight pair of forks last night, the oil was well and truly spent, but all parts look to be in great condition inside. The lowers are chipped up, some are too deep to even bother sanding down so I think a good paint job would be the best approach for them. I cleaned out all the oil I could by rinsing everything in the shower, this expelled a lot of debris with rapidly flew down the plug so i never got the chance to actually see what it was. I don't know if was metal, plastic or just gunked up oil? There is no notable wear and all parts were present and correct according to my manual so I don't think it's cause for too much concern. The tubes were the main thing I was after from the forks as they are totally straight, but they do have a lot of pitting, some showing corrosion inside the travel margin so these will need a grind + re-chroming at some point. Expensive, but I think it will be worthwhile for a smart. new-looking pair of forks. I reassembled them with my original, polished lowers to keep everything together.
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So a little bit of progress, we've had a new arrival at the studio! A lovely 18v impact driver, which means I've been able to get inside the engines. I promptly shattered two bits with it fighting with those ridiculous philips bolts, what a strange decision for Honda to make, bolts which undergo pretty extreme tightening, accesible only with screwdrivers? Makes no sense to me. I'll definitely be replacing these with stainless allen bolts. After some slicing of the screw heads I managed to get the most stubborn ones out. Dismantled the alternator, points, clutch and oil pump before I split the case. I've only been working on Engine 02 (the trashiest looking one) so far. Actually looks pretty straight once inside. What am I looking out for mainly here? Wear in the journals? How do I know if they're too worn? There was some crud in the oil pan, but nothing compared to some of the projects I've seen online, filter was dead clean surprisingly.
Clutch apart:
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s547/BradHopper/ClutchDisassembled_zpse2a88720.jpg)
Lower:
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s547/BradHopper/Engine02LowerCase_zps474264c4.jpg)
Upper:
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s547/BradHopper/Engine02UpperCase_zpsad48c4dd.jpg)
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Only safe way to judge bearing wear is plastigauge, but from what i can see of the shells they look OK.
If you can put up some closer pictures we can give you a better idea---DO NOT remove from cases unless you can bag them so they go back in the same place as there is no marking on an old shell to tell you the size
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I've left everything in the cases, all journals, all gears and gear selection forks, I have a couple of photos from the top case but good light is not on hand in the studio and had to take photos it has to be a wide open aperture with a slow shutter. No depth of field and blurry when hand held. Not ideal by any means. I'll get a good selection of the journals up close this weekend.
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s547/BradHopper/JournalUpperWear_zps3006d389.jpg)
On another note, I brought one of my rebuilt carbs into work today (it's slow at the moment and I've got a fair bit of free time) to compare it to other people's rebuilt carbs online. My Internet at home is shocking so it's best done here. I feel that my Keyster rebuild kit may not have been the best purchase, the float cut off valve seems to need a fair bit of pressure to actually engage the cut off, the weight of the floats aren't enough by themselves. Will the buoyancy of the floats in petrol have more pressure?
They're just sitting on the valve wide open :(
(http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s547/BradHopper/CarbRebuilt03_zps7ef7e26f.jpg)
The old valves are intact and I assuming will work better than this. Anyone else had a similar experience?
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As long as the float can push the valve up within the entry port, then they usually seal ok and are not dependant on compressing the spring as the float is too light to do that on it's own.
This may help with the crosshead screws.....before you try to undo each one, use a steel bar (flat end approx 12mm dia) and gently peen the screw head by tapping with a hammer on the bar end...this has the effect of reforming some mild damage if present around the cross grooves and can help to break corrosion affects prior to undoing the screw....you may have to also tap the screwdriver bit into place to get a full engagement if the screw was more badly chewed.
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So it's been a long time since my last update, not that I haven't been doing anything, but not as much as I'd like...
Firstly, I was reassembling my carbs, then realised I had lost one of the leaf springs that hold the main jet in place. Gutted. After searching for a week straight online I couldn't find one anywhere. You can imagine how pissed off I was at myself, but what do you expect if you have your carbs in bits for three months? I found a complete set on eBay and deemed it worthwhile to buy them, they looked rough and the seller (a motorcycle breakers yard) was reluctant to look through the internals for me. Regardless, I took the plunge and for the price of £75 I had a new rack of carbs heading my way. When I got them, they looked a lot healthier than they did in the photos and actually looked better than my original ones did before I cleaned them. After opening them up I was greeted by the site of (extremely recently) rebuilt carbs with mint float bowls on every carb. Things are looking my way 8)
The other area of progress was the stripping of my tank, all the paint is off and the thing is dead tight, had a few litres of vinegar sitting in it for a week and the inside came out sparkling. That is, until I emptied the vinegar out and the flash rust kicked in in about 15 seconds flat. Square one on the tank. Ace.
I also bought a rear hoop from eBay, I was a little dubious, but the thing turned out to be great, no adjustment needed and it's round all the way along the bend, £25 well spent in my mind. After knocking together a mock up with the tank and some polystyrene I found for the seat, I took the plunge and welded the thing in, this is the first time I've ever welded for an application, before this was just scrap steel to get to grips with it. Very happy with the results! Dead straight, and dead strong!
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x275/cinqmars2/SeatTankmockup.jpg) (http://s183.photobucket.com/user/cinqmars2/media/SeatTankmockup.jpg.html)
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x275/cinqmars2/IMG_4760.jpg) (http://s183.photobucket.com/user/cinqmars2/media/IMG_4760.jpg.html)
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Also, a slow day in the office has meant I got the chance to piss about in Photo'chop.
This is the direction I'm headed, colour scheme reminiscent of the old Husky crossers, that's just about where any similarities will end though.
(http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x275/cinqmars2/HondvarnaMockUp.jpg) (http://s183.photobucket.com/user/cinqmars2/media/HondvarnaMockUp.jpg.html)