Hardtail question, not sure if I'm doing this right?

[gemiller]

I tacked up my david bird looped hard tail following the directions. The bottom frame line is not perfectly straight. It does appear that the end to end plain is the same. But it appears that the center (where the hard tail meet the old front frame) is up. I'd imagine this is correct because I followed the instructions but before I finish weld it I'd like to know if perhaps I lined something up wrong and I should pull everything back.

 

[angus67]

i think it looks fine, but if you dont like it, fix it.

 

[gemiller]

Just wanted to check. Thankfully Oxblood said his came out with the same "non-straightness" that mine did. I'll be finishing those welds tomorrow after a quick measurement/straightness check.

 

[jamesgs4]

measure it multiple times before and during the welding, or you will end up spending the money to have someone fix it later.

 

[Oxblood]

I measured the crap out of mine before and during welding. Everything came out even left to right and leveled but there is a slight kink where the bottom rails hit the david bird.

The picture on lowbrows site looks dead nuts straight but they may have finessed it alittle more:

 

[gemiller]

I know that's why I was worried, because theres looks perfect.

 

[member3480]

If you did not use a jig the best measurement is axle to axle. If you are off 1/4" tire will wear. I have installed three of those and all three were different but they all came out looking good. I think its just the difference in the frame years. Make sure all is level and true before final welding.

 

[bloodthirstysystem]

same problem mine had.. I had to trim about 1/2" from the top tubes on the hardtail to get the bottom rails flat.. then the top tubes didn't fit well and needed trimming and gussets

 

[dstroy12]

Just remember to have some things in place... especially the rear wheel when you weld together so you dont warp the frame...

 

[Fatman]

I tacked up my david bird looped hard tail following the directions. The bottom frame line is not perfectly straight. It does appear that the end to end plain is the same. But it appears that the center (where the hard tail meet the old front frame) is up. I'd imagine this is correct because I followed the instructions but before I finish weld it I'd like to know if perhaps I lined something up wrong and I should pull everything back.

is the side stand holding things up??

 

[ZeroDistortionNow]

take out the block of wood between the axle plates then see where you are at

 

[gemiller]

came out pretty good, it actually looks straighter finished than it did tacked up. I am between 1/32 and 1/16" off square though, but I couldn't finagle it any closer to square.

And yes the side stand is holding it up in that picture, i had it on clamps but this picture is shot at work (i work in energy/product engineering at a manufacturer) and we have a no disclosure policy that means I can't have certain things in pictures that would be public eyes so I just sat it on the table.

 

[Oxblood]

came out pretty good, it actually looks straighter finished than it did tacked up. I am between 1/32 and 1/16" off square though, but I couldn't finagle it any closer to square.

Mines about the same off square I'm looking forward to hearing from some of the more knowledgeable members about how big of deal that'll be.

 

[gemiller]

Man, it's amazing how the stance looks, just super sexy. I'll be needing a set of hugh's 2" drop fork set though, even with the tubes slide down a full inch (max bars allow) it still is way off level.

 

[Patches]

Just some food for thought. You may want to mount the motor or throw some weight in the frame to see how much sag you will have in the forks. That will make up for a bit of the unlevelness.

 

[Yamaha_chop]

I am between 1/32 and 1/16" off square though, but I couldn't finagle it any closer to square.

Hahaha, we're not building race cars here, that's plenty close to perfect to work on a chopper.

Looks good by the way.

 

[cros36]

Hahaha, we're not building race cars here, that's plenty close to perfect to work on a chopper.

Looks good by the way.

yeah, the fact that 1/32 is something that you worried about is good tho.
but really, thats much better than most id say, i would hate to see how far off my shit is. it rides straight and is holding up, good enough for me!

 

[blackbetty]

Just some food for thought. You may want to mount the motor or throw some weight in the frame to see how much sag you will have in the forks. That will make up for a bit of the unlevelness.

Good advice, I have a 2" drop on my forks, and on the bench it was golden. Stuck the motor in and spent the next 2 weeks buying springs, cutting spacers, and experimenting w fork oils to get a good feel and satisfactory sag.

You wont get an accurate stance without the front end sag factored in.

Did you weld on the tail in a jig or w the motor in?