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Yesterday was all about disassembly and making certain I can fit front and rear disc brakes.
View attachment 266129
View attachment 266130

What may look like a mess to some looks like a good start to others. Now to remove that stubborn fork, in hopes of fitting a disc brake adapter. With my trusty 2 by 4 and some penetrating oil, it finally gave:
View attachment 266131
. . . just not the way I'd hoped it would. NOTE TO SELF: next time- more penetrating oil, less 2 by 4.
This travesty made me change direction. I did have a new dual-spring, disc ready fork in the wings, but, alas, the steering tube was too short, even after shaving a half inch off the head tube.

So, off to the storage unit I drove, in search of a fork that could accept a disc brake, one way or another. On my fork rack, while I didn't find an appropriate fork, I came across these babies! I knew I had them somewhere.

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On my way home from the storage unit, I stopped at my neighbor's home, remembering I stashed a bike frame with a disc-ready fork in his garage. I found it and took it home.

Using my trusty 2 by 4, (I know, I'm kinda dangerous with that tool,) I carefully spread the rear triangles, just enough to accommodate the motor wheel. I also pre-fitted a disc brake assembly, just to see if it looks like it'll work. Yes! It looks like it WILL work.

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On to the front fork. It's practically brand new, shiny and the wrong color, but it works.
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My plan is to make the fork match up nicely with the frame, reattach the fender and truss rods, plus the addition of parade bars. The front wheel is a quick release style. I'm not sure how I'll attach all the parts to the axle. It may take some ingenuity. I'm taking the weekend off; I have a garage to clean up, a strategy to develop, and a back that aches.
WOW! I have never seen a fork shear in half like that before! Glad you had a backup option ready. Sounds like you got a plan! Looking forward to seeing how you execute it.
 
With my trusty 2 by 4 and some penetrating oil, it finally gave:
Ouch!
On to the front fork. It's practically brand new, shiny and the wrong color, but it works.
I'm not sure the original fork would have held up to a disc brake. This looks a much better option and can be painted for a better match.
 
I’m biased towards Murray’s as well (Although there’s a Higgins in my den that needs finishing) and I love the curves of a cantilever. I’d just mash the two up and ditch the step through but different strokes for different folks. Really keen on seeing how this will turn out 🙂
Just occurred to me…d-uh! They’re the same company
 
Sorry about the steertube, but it looks like you are still on track. Glad the rear wheel is lining up well.
 
Now I have a nice pile of parts that need cosmetic attention. Some cleaning, some rust removal, some compounding, and either a BLO treatment or a clearcoat.
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The original handlebars in that pile are narrow, leaving very little room for mounting all the "enhancements" I plan to add.
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So . . . . the Murray may be donating a much wider version.
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My disc-ready fork is not the right color, so I'm going with white (since I have some handy.) Here it is with some white primer coats.
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I remember you posting that when it happened
That was when I learned what it felt like to be a "meat crayon." I was badly bleeding out of my knees and especially my right hand, but even worse was how sore my arms and hands were after the crash. I couldn't straighten one of my elbows for at least a month!

That's why whenever someone mentions breaking or modifying forks, I bring up that incident; I don't want anyone else to suffer through what I did when that fork snapped, especially if they plan on going any faster than I was at the time. Be smart, play it safe, wear safety gear, and don't stress the fork any more than it needs to be, because you DO NOT want that part to break while you're riding.
 
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I knew I'd goof up on the documentation of this build. Yesterday and today I did quite a bit of work, but I got so immersed in it, I forgot to take pictures. Here's how it went:

Yesterday I cleaned up all the metal parts with a little oxalic acid, removing surface rust from the painted metal and chrome parts. Then I had to remove the OA white film from the parts with soap and water.

Today, I gave the new fork a coat of glossy white and then used boiled linseed oil on all the painted parts. Everything dries quickly here in the Great Sonoran Desert, so I was able to start putting the freshly treated parts together, including the wheels and tires. It's more or less a mockup at this point, but I do like the stance the new fork gives it;

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Tomorrow I'll endeavor to add the handlebar and attach truss rods, parade bars, a fender and a disc brake on that fork. I'll need to fashion a simple bracket to hang the fender on the fork. Oh yeah, and a headlight needs to be attached to the fender.
 
The curve of that fork blends well with the rest of the bike. Will you add a little touch of pigment to bring it close in color to the rear fender? A really light amount of schellac on a rag wiped on might work.
 
Looking good. I like the stance as well.
 
I ran into another dilemma today. I tried fitting the fender (with vintage Delta headlamp,) the disc caliper, and an additional 1080 rim caliper (I'll use a twin pull brake lever.) The poor little fork couldn't accept the fender brace with the disc caliper in the way. I'm thinking of bobbing the fender, but first I'm gonna sleep on this.
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I ran into another dilemma today. I tried fitting the fender (with vintage Delta headlamp,) the disc caliper, and an additional 1080 rim caliper (I'll use a twin pull brake lever.) The poor little fork couldn't accept the fender brace with the disc caliper in the way. I'm thinking of bobbing the fender, but first I'm gonna sleep on this.
View attachment 266878
Is there a way to modify the fender brace to go around the brake caliper? Or maybe you could make your own custom fender brace that could work.
 
It sure does seem like there would be some kind of bracket you could make to attach to the fork and loop around and past the caliper and cabling. Then shorten the fender brace to attach to the bracket.

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Whats Up Hello GIF by Pudgy Penguins
 
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