* GROUND ZERO * (Now I can have a cold one!)

[NLCTVWguy]

Tossing my hat in the ring...

I'm building a '60s off-brand Ross built tanker for RRB Buildoff 6!

(Pics soon! My computer got hit by a nasty virus that took out the Windows Registry on April 29! coming home from the doctor tonight! )

The background: Where I live, we have a nuclear power plant in the next town (6 miles away), a US Navy fast-attack submarine base, and a plant where the submarines are built and tested on sea trials. We also have one of the largest highway and rail bridge crossings in the state- the last part of the rail line between Boston and New York to have been completed. Combined with the US Coast Guard Academy and homeport of their tall ship, Eagle, our city was thought of during the Cold War as a critical target.

Our local college radio station refers to themselves as "Ground Zero Radio"... so there's the name for my buildoff bike.

She'll be too black and too orange, too fat and too fast... can't wait to get to building.

Good luck to all the builders!

--Rob

[herr_rudolf]

Good luck to all the builders!

Right back at ya. Cheers!

[NLCTVWguy]

Starter pics...

The frame- a Ross (Chain Bike Co.) built machine I picked up at the (last?) swapmeet at the Muscle Bike Museum. The badge says "Norwood" diagonally, very lightly etched into the tag.



Love this tank!





Forks are definitely scary!




A few of the parts destined to help it rule the road:

OCC Stingray fork...




24x3 Flame treads:




Sweet little mini-keg:



Found the keg at of all places a discount store called Ocean State Job Lot... a retailer that lives off the collapse of bigger stores. All closeout stuff and you just never know what you'll find. The keg is about 6" long and came with a pair of shorts in it! All marked Lite Beer of course. The shorts will not be part of the build off this year.

More soon... Love the builds so far!

--Rob

[ej599]

Looks good! The tank on that bike is cool. Pretty interesting so far!

[NLCTVWguy]

So I've been at it a little bit this week, mainly solving the problems that came with my frame and choice of parts. (There's always a catch, right?)

Frame issues:

Stuck neck. Bent fork. Stuck pedals. Stuck seatpost. Stuck tank bolts.

Parts issues:

Putting a fork from a late model OCC Stingray onto an old frame that takes vintage style headset bearings.

Here's our new fork apart:



The easy part- cutting the existing large steer tube off:



The hard part- dealing with the horribly rusty stem and loose-but-stuck bent fork.

(The headbadge says "NORWOOD" by the way, a store brand I assume?)


Eventually everything came apart, with lots of PB Blaster and bad words. Cutting of the old steer tube wasn't hard. Straightening it was much harder. Parts delivered for welding the old steer tube to the new triple tree. Vise grips solved the problem of the tank mounts- those rivets you see in the reflectors above are actually the heads of sheetmetal screws that hold the tank on.



Now for the seatpost.... ahh the seatpost. Yes well that was not a pleasant story. We tried everything and thankfully our shop at work gives us lots of options. PB Blaster, big wrenches, a huge vise on a steel base. And fire. We made lots of fire.



One thing we couldn't find at work was a properly thin pedal wrench. No one wanted to sacrifice a 9/16" to the grinding wheel, so off to home and using the BEST TOOL EVER, my Park Tools pedal wrench.
If you buy one tool for working on bikes, buy one of these.



Ready to go for ride in the sandblaster... even pressed out the headbadge rivets (actually quite easy using a breaker-bar handle.) Headbadge was blue... original frame was metallic red. The only paint left is under the headbadge.



Next week it should start looking like a real bike!
--Rob

[KOTA]

How can you NOT like a bike with a beer keg?...Great find!

[Graylock]

Lot of work just to get it apart with the correct mixture of PB Blaster, fire, and moving words. Good choice to take it to work for the flame part.

" Swearing man burns home down, pictures at eleven. "

Graylock

[pick]

Lot of work just to get it apart with the correct mixture of PB Blaster, fire, and moving words. Good choice to take it to work for the flame part.

" Swearing man burns home down, pictures at eleven. "

Graylock

Always a challenge with dissassembly of an old rusty treasure! I think we all should buy stock in the Company that makes PB Blaster! I need to buy it by the case.

This is gonna be one sick bike!

[Cubenzo]

Tank looks like an Elderado tank.

love the half-tank bikes! ill be lurking.

[NLCTVWguy]

How can you NOT like a bike with a beer keg?...Great find!

That's what I'm thinking! This won't be the seat (ya think?) but this is how the keg toolbox will mount.



It's a real convenient size and style for holding small stuff. You could probably even store a beer can in it!

More coming soon! Thanks for the comments guys!

--Rob

[NLCTVWguy]

A little idea I'm kicking around for tank graphics... will be white lettering on I think an orange tank....




Whattya think?

--Rob

[ej599]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=w ... 5CDJcG2I7g

[NLCTVWguy]

More progress! I do take full advantage of the equipment around our shop where I work... after hours of course (wink wink)

We have a sandblast cabinet just the right size for bike frames...




And I was able to clean things up and start painting the frame.




I have never been a fan of Rustoleum paints, but let me tell you, they have a product called Industrial Enamel... completely different from any Rustoleum you've used before. It dries super fast, hard, has a nice semigloss sheen to it, and looks like a factory finish when it's done.

It smells good too, good meaning "it has all the brain damaging chemicals in it that are good for paint and bad for you". So I got my US RDA of the nutrients Xylene, Acetone, and Methyl Ethyl Ketone. mmm good!

(Use proper ventilation with this stuff!!!)
--Rob

PS That's my toolbox and my Worksman INB making a cameo appearance in the background.

[NLCTVWguy]

Quick update: Acquired this awesome sprocket last year in a trade. Pretty sure its from a Ross. Had some overspray and age old grease on it, but cleaned up super nice.

The original crank came apart and cleaned up fine, a little chrome loss but hey, we all lose something after 50 years.




More real soon!
--Rob

[2dawgs]

Rob,

Great job on bringing this jewel back to life. Digging the keg tool compartment/beer keeper.