Ted's Straightleg Frames

[wideglide38]

Hack - Thanks. I am already watching that frame.

[Omarttentmaker]

Yeah, you are correct. Not sure why I thought the pan frame had saddles.

[shinedogg]

Couple years ago a friend asked me to build him a bobber.He had a 62 pan bottom end with a shovel top end in a custom rigid frame with a long glide fork. We got a V-Twin wishbone frame, offset springer fork, bobbed fenders, shorty mufflers, and other assorted parts. Here are some of the issues: Frame: 1. tank mount holes way off. Had a pair of NOS 78 FX tanks that fit an original frame perfectly. Had to elongate the upper holes in the tanks and add metal to the lower frame mount. 2. Rear rocker box hit the frame top motor mount Had to grind frame for clearance. 3. Had to grind frame at front transmission mount for left brake crossover lever. 4. Had to grind out clearance for front lower kickstand bolt nut. 5. Speedometer cable hole too small. Had to grind out bigger. 6. Oil tank mount holes drilled and tapped crooked.
Fork: Rear legs not aligned, axle would not go through rockers. Slipped a pipe over the leg and gave it a jerk. Lined it up. (good metal, huh?) Fenders: Front fender holes for fork tabs so far off I had to remake them. Front of front fender way off to one side. Rear fender: chainguard bracket slot would not let chainguard line up with primary/oil tank holes . Mufflers: Shorty mufflers were sloppy on the exhaust pipes. Made sleeves to take up the space. These were all Taiwan parts.
But their USA made rear chainguard was perfect. These are the defects I can remember. I'm sure there were more.
Saw Ted at Oley. Told him about all the problems and he acted surprised. Of course no offer of any compensation. I probably have at least 20 hours making this stuff usable. You have been warned.
Dave

Yeah, that aftermarket stuff is nice. We used to refer to CCI as "Cut, Crimp and Install" back in the day.

[kitabel]

I understand that both China and India are happily living off scrapped British Rail left-behinds of unknown metallurgy, believed to contain some iron.

[Chris Haynes]

I understand that both China and India are happily living off scrapped British Rail left-behinds of unknown metallurgy, believed to contain some iron.

India has a huge ship scrapping industry to supply their metal needs. They literally run a ship full speed ahead onto a beach at high tide. Then a swarm of workers with cutting torches attack it. OSHA is not involved. :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jdEG_ACXLw

[T. Cotten]

Gotta be practical, Chris!

Sounds just like the steel mill scrapyard I worked in back when, (safety issues included), so I forgive them.

Back to Kitabel's 'metallurgy', I always found it interesting how the made-in-India Eversure Linkert floats were apparently "English brass", and prone to corrosion, but the apparently American-made Kokesh brass floats were virtually identical, but for two flat spots on the underside, yet more 'yellow', with an extra coupla grams of weight. (Probably just the generous solder.)

They both sucked, but fond memories for me.

....Cotten

[duffeycycles]

The solder on the India floats quickly went away in fuel..the Kokesh floats eventually sunk when they got pinholes in the brass

[kitabel]

I've heard of painting a suspect float with model airplane dope, does his work (obviously, won't replace the solder)?

[T. Cotten]

The solder on the India floats quickly went away in fuel..the Kokesh floats eventually sunk when they got pinholes in the brass

My experience with brass floats, Folks,...

Was that they never floated in the first place.
(First attachment, Kokesh on bottom.)

Nonetheless, it was the "English brass" Eversure floats (second attachment), that corroded through, either from the brass metallurgy, or left-over acid flux inside. The external soldering was quite pretty.

Kokesh floats had lots of sloppy solder, contributing to even more ballast, but didn't corrode, or fill like some lemony-colored brass floats that were prone to leakage into their integral pivot nuts. (India on left, Kokesh in middle, and lemony one on right.)

Even when intact, their excessive weights (calling for tedious trial and error to find a setting) and expanded volumes (robbing the reserve the bowl provides) made them economy and performance suckers at best. Beware of some nitrophyl productions of identical conformity that are also boatanchors.

....Cotten
PS: In a futile attempt to get back on topic, the metallurgy of H-D frames turned to mud about 1980.

[TomL]

A friend of mine just bought and mocked up his rigid frame build with a teddy vt rigid frame. He found; top rear tank mounts 1/8" to far rearward, excessive, but ok top frame tube to rocker box clearance, coil lugs welded to seat post misaligned, 5th bolt mount for transmission support has to be removed and located more forward. He found nothing other than those so he is ok with frame.

[ammorest]

Your friend got off easy, Tom. (See post #10 for my nightmare). I've found that buying from V-Twin unless you are buying a name brand item, it's a crap shoot. May fit, may not.
Dave

[kitabel]

My favorite Tedd story: it's 1975, I'm at the store waiting for something. I'm watching an employee assembling a star hub to a rim. After a few futile attempts to get a spoke to align with the dimple, he has an epiphany. As I watch in horror, he bends each spoke with a #10 Vise-Grip until it fits and proceeds to the next one.
The other employees pay no attention.
Who got the wheel, and did they survive the experience?

[Jerry Wieland]

My favorite Tedd story is: I would buy necks for panhead head frames and they always seemed to have the same problem so I marked the neck up inside and lo and behold they sent me the same neck back.

Jerry

[Larry May]

I was at Dales a couple yrs back for the kick start classic, he was building a 36 knuck raffle bike and was using one of v twins frames, I asked how they were, he said with some grinding they were ok, he said he has used a few of them, but always has to do some modifications

[T. Cotten]

My favorite Tedd story is: I would buy necks for panhead head frames and they always seemed to have the same problem so I marked the neck up inside and lo and behold they sent me the same neck back.

Jerry

I've got some Tedd stories, Folks,..

But back to frames and metallurgy:
A local fellow legally obtained an '80 frame, and I legally removed and surrendered the headstock, blowing it off saving the frame stubs that insert into it.

Straightening proved different than earlier frames, in that when I brought the press down upon the spine, it just mushed: No spring action. Dead.
H-D frames had become made of mud.
Tedd headstocks worked well for me previously, but welding to mud produced a crack down the middle of each 'bead'.

My reliable TIGmeister is no longer around to ask how he succeeded, or the metallurgy issue, so any insight would be appreciated (even though I'll never do another).

But its notable as the singular time I found a Tedd part more friendly than OEM.

....Cotten
PS: Liberty has flags flying today, for those who sacrificed so much.