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G519 Tribute Build

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Uploading the seat crash tab template. I traced this in CADD from the image posted above. using the thickness of the spring at the front of the seat frame as a point of reference. so I don't know if it is exact. But it should be very close. I am going to practice on a sheet of aluminum.

I have found 2 sources of spokes. one is Memory lane, and there are some on Ebay. they have to be custom made. and run $45 for 37 spokes. My research is telling me I need 10Ga 270 MM. since everything is based on metric these days.

I received my Dayton Heavy duty hub yesterday. and purchased a Marrow hub from Ebay. It is the right era but wrong date code. I will have to drill out the spokes. when it shows up I will work on building a jig for my drill press.


Hi GPWPAT,
Many thanks for uploading the template. Thank you also for the leeds on the spokes. After my last post I did find a supplier on Ebay for the spokes but they are in stainless steel. I dont think that will matter though. Again - many thanks & keep up the great work.
Regards,
Brett.
 
Sadly I have been helping my elderly parents just figure out how to live. This has taken all of my free time. Today I decided I needed some me time. I practiced covering my seat with materials on hand. It is vinyl. But I wanted to practice before I did it in leather. It turned out so good in fact if I had covered it in leather I would have left it. So this week I will see if I can get a piece of leather.

Now back to the fenders. This week I will order 10ga spokes and look at getting my wheels laced. I will sandblast my hubs and paint them green first. I would do it. But I have zero time. My coworker has all of the tools. I will see if he wants to earn some green on the side.

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On the hunt for spokes. I called Memory Lane. They are closed for business. So I’m reaching out to Ebay vendors. Hope I can find 270MM spokes in 10Ga. Or have them made. I’m concerned on nipple dimensions. I found the spec on a 10GA vintage motorcycle forum that match what I am looking for. But on Ebay. If nit comes from China. You never know what you will get.
 
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I think my seat padding is a bit thick. The profile does not look correct per pictures. I will retry with some 1/4 foam.

I found steel spokes on eBay. 271mm. They were 1mm too long. Spent all day learning ,how to lace wheels. My coworkers, who are into bicycles talked me into doing it myself. After 3 hours to lace one wheel and I still need to true. I wish I had it done. Drilling the hubs was not fun. I wound up using carbide masonry bits and grinding them down to the correct diameter. I say bits because it took me about $20 worth of bits in trial and error until I had it down. My fenders are now mounted. Please pay no attention to the pop rivets. They are temporary for fitting. I will replace them with proper peaned rivets when my fabrication is complete. Turned out the stays I purchased on eBay are stainless and These were killing my bits too. I had to break out the oxy/acetelene to heat them up enough to get the curvature right. I also trimmed the fenders so the curvature seems more correct.

Fabrication on this bicycle has been a challenge. Tomorrow I think I will finish repair on the fork and lace the rear wheel.

I found this great picture from McCllean Field during WWII. This field is local to me. I might have to take my bicycle there for pictures when it is complete.
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Finished my fork Restoration yesterday. The stem had been cut too short to use on the Columbia frame. But I wanted to replace the bearing race before welding. I didn’t want to have to grind the welds away. I found finding a modern replacement race very difficult. I wound up re surface INC it on my lathe. But it was hardened steel. I couldn’t cut it. I couldn’t file it. But would up using a grinder bit in my Dremel and held it by hand while the lathe turned the race. It worked perfectly to surface grind the race.

Onto the stem tube repair. I turned a sleeve to interfearance fit dimensions. And drilled holes so I could plug weld along with fillet weld. Using the sleeve strengthens the joint and keeps it perfectly inline.

Sadly I had cut down my women’s truss rods to match the incorrect fork. This resulted in the truss rods being 1/2” too short. I would up repairing by cutting off the hole area and welding on the original piece that I had cut off. I got lucky. After grinding you cant even tell.

So that is how the bike hangs. Weighs in at 50.2 lbs.

I have 9 holes in the fenders to weld up. And some hammer and dolly work. I am very close to painting. But after yesterday’s moc up of all the components. I could not resist putting the chain on and going for a ride.
 
Not done. But assembled enough to take it to my grandfathers for him to see it. I still need to spot body fill some of my welds. And repaint. This is just my first coat. Unfortunately one of my cans of spray pant was USMC forest green and the other 2 are a dead ringer for 33070 early WWII. I planned on spraying with a real spray gun anyway. Still need to pain those wheels and the pedals. I purchased some repro hand grips. But I cant put those on until I respray. Rims and handlebars still show original NOS paint.
 
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Here are some pictures of my bicycle with my grandfather. My Uncle took it for a ride. I was not able to finish the stenciling for the trip. I was able to finish the tag. And get it painted. I was able to get my grandfather to sign it in the area where it will not be stenciled and he asked me why he was signing. I explained to him. He gave me a moment of understanding, and then thanked me. He did not specifically remember bicycles. He remembered using them. But my bicycle did not trigger a flood of memories for him like B17 triggers memories. The B17 triggers floods of memories and a significant time in his life. The bicycle like the wrench was just a tool. My grandfather was an avid lover of aviation. Built models as a teen. And went on to get a degree in aeronautical engineering after the war.

I chose bicycle number 17 in honor of the B17 that my grandfather was a mechanic for at Dyersburge. This way it has some family tie for the story. But the tag is complete fiction. I have not been able to find many pictures at all of Dyersburge Army Air Base with bicycles. But it was one of the largest up until the end of the war in 1945 when it closed.
 
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