(MBBO#04 Class 2) PEDRO. (PEDRO GOT A NEW OWNER!)

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Prepping for the LED conversions:

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Luke.
 
Spent the last two hours on the soldering iron and disassembling about six different torches...

Looks like I have hit a snag, those little 3xAAA/9xLED torches don't put out much light when they have to go through the lens of the headlights... They also don't play nice with the other LED boards I was planning on using, getting too much voltage demand...

I have three of the round disc style lights (The blue ones in the pic above) and they put out heaps of light and very low voltage drop/demand, problem is they look horrid inside the headlights, pretty much fill out the whole lens area. They are perfect for the tail lights though.

Thinking about switching back to this single headlight I was originally planning on using:

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It's golf ball dimple style lens will hide the LED board well, but I am in love with the twin headlights I had, but I also know I will not like them with a lens full of modern LEDS... :confused:

Lesser of two evils I guess...

Luke.
 
Success!

All soldered and wired to that awesome little battery box and switch combo...
Can't see any LED's from the outside to ruin the retro look!

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I will add a little junction box between the lights and the battery box so that the wires can be removed and the lights separated from the bike.
I have 10 rechargeable high quality "Eneloop" (very low self discharge even after 24 months unused) AA batteries left from my last camera that died, so very happy that I finally found a use for them!

Luke.
 
I found replacement bulbs for a flashlight that are LED, a little pricey too.
Then I found some flashlights at the Big Lots that used those same bulbs and were cheap. So I grabbed the lights and used the bulbs in a light I modded for SGT.ROCK They're brite too! Standard size to replace the old incandescent... might keep a look out, they'd probably fit in them old lights with no modding.

Carl.
 
Should be able to see where you're going just fine.
Yeah, very bright! :eek:
Sheer genius Luke! Very well electrocuted....er, executed. :thumbsup:
:21: Nice!
I found replacement bulbs for a flashlight that are LED, a little pricey too.
Then I found some flashlights at the Big Lots that used those same bulbs and were cheap. So I grabbed the lights and used the bulbs in a light I modded for SGT.ROCK They're brite too! Standard size to replace the old incandescent... might keep a look out, they'd probably fit in them old lights with no modding.

Carl.
That is a cool idea for those lights... I wonder if I can get one to run on 4.5 volts?

Spent some time on the mini lathe today making some insulation housings for the tail lights. Started by cutting up an old chopping board (Teflon/nylon?) into 3" discs, cut a hole in the centre with a hole saw and then on to the lathe to machine them to the perfect size and to add a step for the LED board.

Then assembled them in the housings with hot melt glue even though it will all be held together by the mounting bolts, they came out really solid!

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Lenses on:

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:thumbsup:

Just got a phone call too....

Paint has arrived!

:113:

Luke.
 
Paint!! Whoa now that's gonna really make us sweat.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Wow Luke you are out of control on this one! Looking great. Can't wait to see what you have in mind for paint.
Paint is here!

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The order of use is this:

Prep clean:

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Black base coat:

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Intercoat (Very thin clear basically used as just a glue for the metal flake):

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Metal Flake using my new dry flake gun:

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3 coats of high build clear:

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Wet sand smooth:

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Finally more clear:

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This is going to be fun!

Finishing up all the welding and last little touches on the bike today, will hopefully get another video before it gets torn down for paint. Weather here has been horrible for painting, rain, storms, hail, humidity... Hopefully things improve soon!

Luke.
 
Kinda makes our rattle can job look ehhh...rattled.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
I have seen amazing things done with spray bombs... :thumbsup:

Luke.
 
Did not get the welding and finishing touches done on the bike, spent some time checking the compressor was all go, flushed the radiator, topped off the oil and tried to start it...

After a few attempts I realised no fuel was getting to the motor, turned out the fuel pick up tube running to the fuel can was blocked with a wasps nest, a quick clean and tried to start again and off it ran! Built pressure well, so I checked all the over-pressure blow-off valves were functioning and shut it back down, it is ready to go!

I love old Toyota motors, this thing has sat in the weather for over two years since I last ran it...

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Then I went back to work on the lights, finishing off the mounts for the tail lights and mounting the new single headlight. Of course then I had to test them out!

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Headlight puts out heaps of light!

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This is the best bit though (Hard to get a decent pic):

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Luke.
 
What's the odometer reading on that compressor motor...? :bigsmile: 99,999 paint jobs and counting...I just think about your paint sequence of steps / intensity and think to myself, "This is why we need to have categories in these build offs". Hopefully RRBBO #11 will follow suit and institute at least two categories as well.
 
A Toyota powered compressor, MacGyver would be proud.
What's the odometer reading on that compressor motor...? :bigsmile: 99,999 paint jobs and counting...
That motor came out of a '79 Hilux I drove for years before rust killed it, it had 99,000km when I bought it, it had 99,000km when I stripped it, who knows how long the odometer was not working?

My compressor motor blew up about the same time I was stripping it and I was quoted $250 for a new one... So instead I spent $70 for a special valve that senses the pressure in the tank and bleeds the air directly from the compressor when it is full, also cools the head at the same time, $20 in steel, $15 for a belt and it now runs all day with no issues, the motor only ever runs at idle too, so pretty cheap to run.

Here is an early video I made back when I was building it:



I just think about your paint sequence of steps / intensity and think to myself, "This is why we need to have categories in these build offs". Hopefully RRBBO #11 will follow suit and institute at least two categories as well.
I can't see the big build-off's getting more categories, it was tried for BO#08 and dumped afterwards...
This is a big, big build for me, I will not be doing another like it for a while.

Luke.
 
Hi I know I am new to the forum but looking through all hard work and effort that has gone into this build and other builds I just had to post a comment, the thought and engineering that has gone into this build is great can't wait to see the painted bike.

Slappy.
Yes, I echo your sentiment and also welcome you to the group Slappy! First step: join RRB. Second step: enter a build off. Third step: savor the imagination, creativity, and ingenuity of the group. Fourth step: repeat steps 2 and 3!
 
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