Well, in order to finish off the rolling chassis I had to order a new front rim. I tried to straighten the old one but wasn't making any real progress - no progress at all. It was warped and twisted and not cooperating so it had to go. I've got a new shiny chrome one on back-order. It should be here in another 4 to 6 weeks.
In the mean time I'm starting to take inventory of the parts I'm going to need for the engine work. I shudder to think about how much they're going to cost. I'm hoping for a bulk discount from one of the friendly suppliers I've been researching but I'm not holding my breath.
I've also located someone to bore the cylinder, provide a matching piston, and re-work the head/valve seats. All I need to do is box the parts up and send them off. I hope to get than feat accomplished this week or this weekend.
The other item I've started on is the gas tank. I put a bunch of screws inside and shook it for about 20 minutes to knock the rust out of it. It'll probably take another hour of shaking, rattling, sloshing to clean it. I'm shocked at the noise a few screws inside a metal gas tank can make. I wrapped it in a thick blanket but it was still unbearable after 20 minutes of rattling. I'm going to use ear plugs the next time.
Once the cleaning is done I've got the tank sealer ready to go. I ordered the 2-part mix from Casewll Plating. Their 'kit' has good reviews and seems to be just what the rusty tank needs. There are a few small holes as well that will be filled/sealed by the epoxy sealer.
Things left to do in order to have a rolling chassis...
1) front wheel rebuild (lace, true, install bearings, axle and brakes)
2) finish rear wheel (true, install brakes)
3) paint frame, swingarm, and sub-frame
4) install wheels
Seems like such a small list but it does represent quite a bit of time and work. With the temps in the low 100's (F) here in Phoenix this time of year I was looking at swamp coolers at the Home Depot this evening. A swamp cooler is something we use in hot, low-humidity conditions to cool the air. They don't work once the humidity rises but here it's about 10% until late in the summer.
That'll cut into the parts budget but I think, if I'm going to make any progress this summer, I'm going to have to get something.
I promise pictures with my next post. I could show a picture of myself waiting for my new rim to arrive, but nobody wants to see that.
