I've owned this 1940ish Gambles Hiawatha for a few years and I was having thoughts of selling it and getting something different. But then I found a tank and started getting ideas. 8) I finally decided to completely re-do the bike. One of the first things I wanted to do was get the Shock-Ease forks working again. A previous owner had brazed them up so they wouldn't work. That's where the headache came on :x . I worked for over a week grinding off that old brass and when I finally opened the forks up the spring was gone! I had heard that the old springs were kind of weak so I figured a heavier spring was in order anyway. I ended up buying a super heavy duty die spring that works great! I also ended up straightening the bent forks and the frame. So now let's get to some pics, that's what you came to see right? Here's what it looked like after I fixed the bike up right after I bought it years ago:
Once I found a tank, I started hunting for other period correct pieces and decided to give it a new paint job with some patina! Here's a test fit of the tank and chainguard:
Then all sanded down:
Next I primed the parts and sprayed a quick coat of white in certain spots that will later be "weathered".
In rat rod fashion I painted it semi-flat black:
Then I set to making some custom bars:
After it was all buttoned up:
I don't know if I'm really sold on the bars yet though. They look kind of chopper-ish, but they turned out well and give a good riding position. What do yall think, should I go back to the cruiser style bars or keep these? The bike is really tough looking to me and I like how it turned out. So I guess the headache was worth it! Hope you like it!
Once I found a tank, I started hunting for other period correct pieces and decided to give it a new paint job with some patina! Here's a test fit of the tank and chainguard:
Then all sanded down:
Next I primed the parts and sprayed a quick coat of white in certain spots that will later be "weathered".
In rat rod fashion I painted it semi-flat black:
Then I set to making some custom bars:
After it was all buttoned up:
I don't know if I'm really sold on the bars yet though. They look kind of chopper-ish, but they turned out well and give a good riding position. What do yall think, should I go back to the cruiser style bars or keep these? The bike is really tough looking to me and I like how it turned out. So I guess the headache was worth it! Hope you like it!
