If you remember back on the blog, I started the conversion on Tommy's generic rigid frame to a swingarm a couple months ago. I would have buttoned this project up a long time ago, but if you'll also recall, Tommy decided he wanted to add in an OEM-style polished stainless neck and sidecar loops. The holdup was the polisher, we had to wait until he got the neck and loops back to us before we could go any further.
The parts finally arrived back here last week, so I thought this long weekend was a good time to get it welded up. If you recall, I grafted the swingarm section in about a month or so ago, and I had all the replacement frame tubing and slugs already cut, so it was just a matter of jigging everything up, and welding it all together.
Here it is, all finished. It was a difficult job, but worth the effort I think. This frame is very stock-looking, but only people who "know" will be able to tell it isn't - that's the idea behind all this work. I call it my 1957 1/2 FLXP frame. This will make a nice looking bike with the 5 gal. fatbobs and the bobbed stock rear fender and fender struts, and the frame powdercoated black, with the neck and sidecar loops left in high polish.
3 comments:
Exemplary work mate, as a non fabricator type, how difficult is it to mate stainless to stock frame steel ? Cheers Rich.
Not very hard to do. Mild steel to 304 stainless TIGs very well with 308L, 309L, and 312L (the L is for low carbon) filler rod. You just have to watch your puddle a little more, and vary the pedal and filler rod interaction a little more as you go. Post-flow for cooling is important, too, I always make sure I don't move the torch until I hear the post-flow stop.
With the combination of the 1026 DOM and these particular stainless castings, I've found that the 308L and 309L rod works best, and the 308L is what Fab Kevin, and Rick Labriola suggested.
Thanks heaps mate, just makes me think that some so-called pros are not quite as competent as they've been telling me down here, I can't do it but I knew it must be relatively achievable, now to locate the right guy . . . I'll even offer your response as instructions.
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