Yeah, it's been a while, huh?

Yeah, it's been a while since you guys have seen this frame, and it's been a while since I've had some spare time to do any work on it. But, I'm waiting on the blaster to finish up two frames for me, so I've got some idle time to fill.

When I last posted on the VL's frame rehab (check back in the earlier parts of my blog to catch up), I was pretty much finished, save for the upper engine mount, and the gas tank mounts. I was able to slip a Shovel and a ratchet top 4 speed in, take some measurements, cut the materials, and get everything tacked into place.

I spent a lot of time on that NOS Wassell tank. I narrowed the tunnel on it, dropped the tunnel itself, and moved the filler up to the peak of the tank. I wanted to give it H-D style rubber mounts after all that work. The rear mounts located pretty easily, but there was no way I could go with seperate mount tabs on the front, the tank sat just low enough over the backbone that I had to make a 1pc mount up there. But, it'll fit in with the looks of the frame when it gets molded in.

With the tank located and mounted in place, I took the measurements for the upper engine mount. I carried over the sleeve detail from the rest of the frame on the mount's legs, and tacked it in place. The engine's upper mount itself won't be a strap like the one in the picture, that's just to jig the frame mount before tacking. You can see there's going to be plenty of clearance for the tank's petcock and line in the original Wassell location. I just have to put in a 22mm bung in, in place of the old 1/4" one. I've been holding off putting in the petcock bungs until I could get the tank mounted up with an engine in the frame.

I slipped the 4 speed in, and it slides back and forth effortlessly. I stuck the rear wheel in place,and lined the trans sprocket up with the wheel sprocket on my straight edge. I then strung the centerline of the backbone, and the string fell right in the center of the wheel. A 11/16" axle spacer on the L/H side will center the wheel on the backbone. I'm stoked. It even looks like I'll be able to run a 530 O ring chain, too. I'll figure out the R/H axle spacers after I get Fab Kevin to do one of his trick Tokico caliper mounts for me.

Now I can take the rear wheel hub halfs over to Rick LaBriola and have him machine the hubs for the new replacement double-row 3/4" sealed wheel bearings I located at the bearing warehouse. I'm using two bearings per wheel half, just Like Dick Allen did on this wheel, but the bearings I found are slightly bigger in the OD than the one's Dick used, and.......

Each half of the hub will have to be fitted up as if you were doing two seperate wheel hubs. In other words, Rick will have to cut an inner spacer sleeve for each set of bearings, so I have "O" endplay on each bearing set. This is something Dick Allen didn't do on this wheel. Not sure if he did the spacers on the later wheels or not. Remember, this is an early DA 15" spun wheel.

Plus, where the bearing hubs come together inside the wheel, another bearing spacer will need to go between each wheel hub's inner bearings, so there will be "O" endplay there, too. Yeah, Rick's gonna love me!

With the Shovel and the 4 speed in the frame, all clearances look great!, save for a 1/8" notch in the skidplate right at the right lower engine case bolt boss, and another 1/8" notch at the end of the bearing support plate. If I was using an earlier 4 speed case, I wouldn't need the notch back there. Fitting the dual-carbed Pan in here will be a breeze!

Now, if I can just get that 39mm front end on there, and make my hidden fork stops......