70 Steeltanker help needed

[lksseven]

Hi guys,

Starting at my goal line, I'm on my own 6 yard line on my restoration project of my 70 Steeltanker.   Upon stripping down the ST to the frame, I find a 4 inch section of the frame just above the right footpeg that has been ugly welded with brass.  A welder friend of Dave McCullough has looked at it, and says the frame tubing is an unusual diameter (.791").  

My first thought was to ask if anyone here has a 69 or 70 steeltanker frame that has been previously hacked and canabalized for parts, pieces, etc, that could spare to hacksaw and sell me a 6" length of the frame tubing?

My second thought was to see if anyone had a 70 frame that is in bad but complete shape that they are interested in selling?

My third thought was to see if anyone had a good 70 frame that is in better shape than mine, that they are interested in selling?

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[rob w]

Lare,

Why do you need a piece of replacement tubing? Would'nt it be possible to remove the ugly weld, and give it a pretty weld ?
Send picture.

Bob

[lksseven]

Hi Bob,

I'll post a pic and the link over the weekend.

Well, what I'm afraid of is that once the weld blobs are removed, the 4 inch stretch of tubing will prove to be short and have had gaps filled in by the weld blobs (really not a good weld job, and with BRASS, at that).  
        If that's the case, I might be able to get a slimmer tube to slide inside the frame and weld it, fill in, then file and smooth before painting or powdercoating.

Even though I intend this resto to be my Driving Miss Daisy and won't be ridden much or hard after the resto is complete, I want to know in my own mind that it could be ridden hard if I chose to ride it hard.  That's why I want to make sure the weld is strong as well as pretty

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[slvrbrdfxr]

Bob,
Rewelding was one of the options Larry and I discussed yesterday. You need to take a look at the pictures and then you'll see how difficult the repair might become because it's located right at the swingarm mounting point. The problem is that whoever did the previous repair on the frame brazed it instead of actually welding. The braze joints are approx 1" across and .25" high and look very ugly to say the least. What I'm afraid of is that once the bad section is cut out and all the brass is ground off there will be a very large void to have to fill. Only way I see to repair it properly if that happens is to machine solid steel plugs to fit inside the tubing on either side of the cut-out then rosette weld them in place. Can then use the pieces that were cut out to fill the void. Also one other factor that needs to be considered in the overall repair. There is an area on the bottom frame tube has been severely flattened by a rock below the footpeg mount. Since it's in the same area it would be nice if the tubing could be replaced to take of that at the same time. I have the frame at my house right now and can take some more pics if needed. Thanks for the help !!
Dave McCullough

[rob w]

Dave and Larry,
What would you have left if...you ground/sanded off all the brazing rod from the previous weld ?
....[?]
I'll wait for visual aid.
It would be nice to have donors in these situations. Just like pipes, sometimes it takes 2 or 3 bad ones, to make a good one.
Never trash it, always recycle here.


Bob

[lksseven]

Hi Bob,
Here are the links to a couple of pics of the weld .... http://www.wordcom.com/penton/70Steel-weld1.jpg  and  http://www.wordcom.com/penton/70Steel-framedent.jpg

Dave,
thanks for the succinct explanation of the issue.



Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[rob w]

Larry, Dave.

Okay, I see your point. You need some .790 / 20mm dia. tubing.
Here it is in Stainless with a .080 wall, which would work fine, but I'll keep looking for some mild steel as well.
Now you need the radius and angle formed, correct?

->  Ebay # 7617658467

Bob

[OUCWBOY]

Larry,
As soon as I get back to Arkansas I can give you a 71 frame if you can wait until the end of June.

Donny Smith

[lksseven]

Bob,

thanks for the tipoff on the steel tubing!

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[lksseven]

Hi Donny,

I hope you've been well!  I sure appreciate the offer!   But I hate to give up on this '70 frame without a fight - do you think the reweld will just be too difficult/iffy?

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[lksseven]

I bought 2 feet  of the stainless tubing that Bob tipped me off about on Ebay ($2.11/foot). [8D]

Is it a big ordeal to use 8 - 12" of it to replace the bad weld section, and cutoff and reweld the swingarm mount tab?  The re-weld on the topend would be well above the swingarm flex point.

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[lksseven]

I just got the frame back from having a foot long section of stainless steel tubing spliced into the frame, replacing that godawful weld job from eons back.   I'll post pics of it over the weekend.  So now Project Steeltanker is back in motion - yippee!.

Rod,  were you talking awhile back about having found a source for metal fenders that looked very close to original Steeltank fenders?

Happy 4th everyone.   I always read outloud the Declaration  of Independence on July 4th.   Outloud it is a magic document of courage,  conviction, and cahones the size of grapefruits.  Can you imagine the courage it must have taken to sign that document and send it to the most powerful government on earth (England), staking your life, your fortune, and your sacred honor?  Wow!  We Americans hail from  hardy, formidable stock - our enemies would do well to remember that fact.


Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[Kip Kern]

Another really good place to get frame tubing is Wicks Aircraft Supply, just GOOGLE;)

[lksseven]

thanks, Kip!!!

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[rob w]

Larry,

The source for the fenders is Royal Enfield in Minnesota.
All the info is found under the topic - Mudguards , Alloy Fenders


Rod
Rob
Bob