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Building Beryl...

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I had some disappointment the other day, not with Beryl but something that happened on the way home. I stopped to turn in some required paperwork at an agency near home and on the way back found out the hard way that somebody took the six" diameter cover off a water dept. hole in the middle it the intersection at the corner...WHAM.

I only hit it with the front wheel (Tempest's) and while I didn't harm the rim I saw and heard something fly from the handlebars and hit the street.

The crossbar insert! I THINK I can tap the other tab in carefully and them maybe have it partially brazed on the bottom to hide it. But what drug addiction would make people think the recycler on the other side of the border would just take something that says WATER CO. on it?

The reason it flew off is that I had the bag off the handlebars temporarily. That put a real dent in my day for a while, and while the city said I could file a claim if I needed to, really all I could do otherwise is have them report it to the contractor that runs the water dept.

Not the first time I've hit one of those holes either...
 
Here's the scoop...I may get it back tomorrow with the tips painted the same green as the frame and masked off for white paint. I need to get some vinyl and pinstriping to mimic the style on the original paintjob (in this new case, two stripes, green inside and silver outside) and a trim stripe peaking on the triangle end.

Bruce Crawford gave me a PRESENT! He sent the seat tube post and TWO eagles at no charge because he wants to see it looking completed on my birthday Monday (IF I can get the rims and spokes done, and I'll be enlisting the LBS some for assembly). It will get a coat of clear acrylic enamel prior to hitting the road as well.

The tank will still be the hardest part and it's also possible the fenders won't be on but I'll be rolling June 26 if I can help it, 5 years to the day that Tempest returned to the road fully painted.
 
Good news and MEH...

The chainguard isn't going to be so spectacular...it's still got the dings as wrinkles I couldn't get out, he missed part of the top and managed to paint over where the sticker was and he didn't paint the other side. I have a second eagle should I get a better guard though. He painted the whole fender green so I had to change my plans around some and I'm not really sure how to duplicate the tips, I asked him to just tdo the tips and I would mask them off and paint the rest white. So I have to figure that out myself...I think it will be fenderless for a while anyway.

He's 70 years old and doesn't breathe well anymore and his compressor is going out on him too but he was only wanting $40 and he forgot where he put the frame after the primer (hey, I've done that too) and I found it so it still has to be painted. Meanwhile the pinstripes I got at the sign shop will do the trick of copying the original two stripe scheme mostly and double as the trim over the tip.

I can find a new guard and reorder the color in a can for that...for now I will shoot the clear acrylic coat over it and that's why I have two eagles.

I was lucky enough to find somebody and not have to spend a couple hundred bucks so I'll work it out from there.

I cannot find my camera memory card!
 
In case you are wondering, NO, the good auto body shop at the Ford dealership with a manager skilled in rolling fenders etc is swamped, and the family that owned it just sold it last week. I have no body shop skills at all.
 
I did my best to mask off the tips and painted the rest of the fenders white with a can. I'll get the insides painted white as well but I have to buzz the rivets as well. Then I have to stripe and seal.

I had some sad news when I went to the sign shop where I get my vinyl...the owner's wife succumbed to her ovarian cancer last year...yet another reason fall and winter sucked. She was always quite helpful and the two of them worked very hard on Tempest. Today I post in her memory.
 
In case you are wondering, NO, the good auto body shop at the Ford dealership with a manager skilled in rolling fenders etc is swamped, and the family that owned it just sold it last week. I have no body shop skills at all.

I have no body shop skills, either. I self taught and watched videos online. I did not come into a "car family". My fenders are rarely ever perfect, but I can get 'em pretty close. Your best friends are wood, a good workbench, a steady hand, patience, and a ball peen hammer!
 
I had already sprayed some of the clear coat on when I now see that the bottoms are a little sparse and I hope I can sand a little and wipe some of the paint in.

Learning stuff. To be fair the guy's getting on and all he wanted in the end was two burger meals and cigarettes, there is a lot more good in things.

I'll get that done tonight as it cools, tomorrow will be another scorcher and yesterday kicked my butt, even with lots of water.

I DID get my Blondie concert ticket at least!
 
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