Crossmember almost finished.......

Materials: a couple feet of 2" x 1" x .120 wall square tubing, a couple feet of 1/2" x 1 3/4" flat stock, and the old pivot shaft from the original frame.

Part-timer Steve came over today, and we tackled the rear crossmember/transmission mount for Wade's TC B Softail. By the time Steve got here, I had the crossmember cut, notched, and in place between the rails. We made our preliminary measurements for the uprights, and Steve cut them. We found the C/L for the pivot shaft, and marked the location on the plates. The pivot shaft is an oddball diameter - larger than 11/16", but not quite 3/4". I used an 11/16" hole saw to drill the shaft holes in the uprights, and with the kerf of the hole saw's teeth, was the perfect size for the shaft to slide right through.

The jog in the left upright is so the chain has adequate clearance on the lower run. The top run is just fine. When I send the frame out for powdercoat, I'll take the pivot shaft over to Bob Schenck, and have him shorten and re-thread it, and it'll serve as the mounting bolt for the transmission.

The jog was formed using a vise, an oxy-acetelne torch with a rosebud, and a big Crescent wrench. I heated, Steve bent. I still have to box the back of the uprights, but I'll wait until I take the engine and tranny back out, and finish the inside welds on the uprights, and the bottom of the crossmember. All and all, I'm pretty happy with how it came out. Simple, yet very strong.