Guy at a local swap meet this weekend had a nice 441 tank for sale. Was going to buy it, shine it up and hang it in the garage. Lol. Looks like you’re making some good progress!
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'68 BSA Victor Build..... Bloody 'el mate... You 'effin daft or sommat?!?
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
Oooh! Very pretty! 
A win win on getting the polished version for cheap I'd say.Well I'm thinkin' Feked screwed up when they sent me the stuff I ordered. There's 3 rims to pick from.... chrome (mucho dinero). Polished stainless... again, pretty friggin' expensive... and unpolished stainless. They call it the "economy version."
Bein ' the cheap SOB that I am, I ordered the cheap one... then spent about 20 bucks on polish and felt pads for the grinder. Well, I finally pulled the wrapping off the front rim today and it's friggin' polished... had remnants of polish all over it. Turned my hands black in about 30 sec.
Cool beans!! Mind you, I'm not complaining a bit. Maybe they were out of the unpolished ones and sent me these so it didn't go backorder.... dunno. At any rate, I'm a happy camper.
I'd planned on spending the afternoon polishing. Phew... dodged that. So I went ahead and laced it up. One minor screwup.... there's a zerk that goes in the middle of the hub. Meant to put that back before I laced. Oh well... minor. I can still install it, it's just gonna be a bit of a pain. Now I gotta clean up and reinstall the bearings and I can test out my new wheel stand.
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Looking good Jim. Considering your several struggles on this bike i'd call that a huge win.
Got the front wheel bearings cleaned up. They both feel good so I greased 'em and installed 'em in the hub.
The Harbor Freight wheel stand works a treat.
I do have a problem though.... the old rim was beat up to the point I couldn't get any accurate offset measurements. I though at the time that I'd just look in the manual when the time came. Well it's time, so I looked.... nothing. Only mention of lacing in the manual is saying to take it to a pro.
Did some looking on line and found a few references that said from the brake drum edge to the center of the rim should be 1-15/16". Just the initial build has me at 2-3/32", so bein' that close, I tend to believe that, but....
Feked, who sold me the rims also has a wheel building service. So I sent 'em an email inquiring as to the correct number. Hopefully I'll get an answer in the next day or two.
Far as the lace-up goes, just an initial snug on the spokes and I'm at about an eighth on an inch out on up and down and about 1/16" side to side. That ain't bad just for the initial buildup. Gotta love good quality parts.
The Harbor Freight wheel stand works a treat.
I do have a problem though.... the old rim was beat up to the point I couldn't get any accurate offset measurements. I though at the time that I'd just look in the manual when the time came. Well it's time, so I looked.... nothing. Only mention of lacing in the manual is saying to take it to a pro.
Did some looking on line and found a few references that said from the brake drum edge to the center of the rim should be 1-15/16". Just the initial build has me at 2-3/32", so bein' that close, I tend to believe that, but....
Feked, who sold me the rims also has a wheel building service. So I sent 'em an email inquiring as to the correct number. Hopefully I'll get an answer in the next day or two.
Far as the lace-up goes, just an initial snug on the spokes and I'm at about an eighth on an inch out on up and down and about 1/16" side to side. That ain't bad just for the initial buildup. Gotta love good quality parts.
I have similar joys lacing up a wheel. I only wonder how Ford laced and welded Model T and Model A wheels!Got the front wheel bearings cleaned up. They both feel good so I greased 'em and installed 'em in the hub.
View attachment 241412
The Harbor Freight wheel stand works a treat.
I do have a problem though.... the old rim was beat up to the point I couldn't get any accurate offset measurements. I though at the time that I'd just look in the manual when the time came. Well it's time, so I looked.... nothing. Only mention of lacing in the manual is saying to take it to a pro.
Did some looking on line and found a few references that said from the brake drum edge to the center of the rim should be 1-15/16". Just the initial build has me at 2-3/32", so bein' that close, I tend to believe that, but....
Feked, who sold me the rims also has a wheel building service. So I sent 'em an email inquiring as to the correct number. Hopefully I'll get an answer in the next day or two.
Far as the lace-up goes, just an initial snug on the spokes and I'm at about an eighth on an inch out on up and down and about 1/16" side to side. That ain't bad just for the initial buildup. Gotta love good quality parts.
View attachment 241415
I didn't know the Model T had a wire spokes. I guess they showed up as an option in 1926. It's amazing, the stuff I can learn here!
MGB had wire spoke wheels. Owned a '69 when I lived in Fla.... last year of the chrome bumper and wire wheels.
Never had to tighten the spokes though...
Never had to tighten the spokes though...
Gas gauge never worked on mine. Bein' a poor G.I. I usually couldn't afford to fill the tank. Walking to a gas station was at least a monthly chore.
Ask me why I didn't carry a spare gas can full of gas? I did.
Drill was run out of gas, grab the can out of the trunk... and find it was empty 'cause I forgot to refill/couldn't afford to fill it from the last time I ran out.
GT6, but it had aftermarket alloys...Gas gauge never worked on mine. Bein' a poor G.I. I usually couldn't afford to fill the tank. Walking to a gas station was at least a monthly chore.
Ask me why I didn't carry a spare gas can full of gas? I did.
Drill was run out of gas, grab the can out of the trunk... and find it was empty 'cause I forgot to refill/couldn't afford to fill it from the last time I ran out.
I had forgotten that the early ones were solid spoke wheels.
Damn Raymond, guess that didn't really sink in the first time I read it... right you are. Medical tech marches on. What was once though just a dream is possible today. Let's hope we all live long enough to see what's on the horizon,
'Till then, we jus' keep pushin' on best we can.
Yes, the tech marches on, but I was also referring to the body's innate ability to repair. At our age, too easy to think that a painful ankle or a stiff knee is just something you're gonna need to put up with, but many things will still improve with time.
But some don't - hope your surgery goes well.
I love GT-6's. One of the prettiest cars Triumph ever built.
It went in the divorce 35 years ago. I enjoyed the car but don't regret losing it.
Kinda' like my wife's Karmann Ghia. She talks about how she'd like another till I remind her that she's not as bendy as she used to be.
I was 20. I had to replace a rear axel and have a rear fender re0laced. I was a novice in the truest sense. I had a Honda prelude, the first year. The GT6 was trucking compared to the Honda. I wasn't such an anglophile that I ever became attached though I did a ton of work on it.
@Jim , thought of you today when I saw this bike at a restaurant parking lot. Spoke to the owner for a while. You’d know this but non stock barrel on it and short kick starter. Apparently a good runner but looked like it needed some tlc. He had a new exhaust for it too. Second owner, his good friend was the original owner. Still one of my favourite vintage bikes.
