fuji86

Fizzaly, I'm glad I didn't wait for the week to cure on the chain wheel & one piece crank arms/axle, the day or two was ok to put them back together without really messing anything up too bad. The engine enamel built up and made tightening the chain wheel race & other side race back on pretty difficult. Fully cured and I think it might have been pretty tough getting the threads cut & cleaned to tighten the races properly. I had enough leftover paint to touch that up too. Already I'm falling just below the bar on getting this bike perfect like so many of yours, but maybe now that realize how tough it's going to be to get to what you did with the (lack of) facilities and resources I'm trying to do this with, I won't spend days trying to get it perfect. I definitely want to get the frame as prefect as possible, but there are threaded items such as the welded gyro mount that I'm going to have to be careful with or face those being i the same situation as the crank arms. Anyway, here's the crank parts assembled as far as they need to be at this point. Looks pretty good for a first timer ? LOL yeah, I have a clean older sock that I don't care about ever wearing on my hand. Keeps the fingerprints and smudges to a minimum.

Fizzaly

Looks good i like those two colors together, also im very jealous of the green grass and sun I wouldn't by any means call any of my projects perfect, you get close and you can see many blemishes. The only bike ive redone that im completely happy with is this schwinn i built for my girlfriend i did very little prep to the frame only gave it a day to cure after final clear and it for some reason turned out the best out of any of my others, go figure huh..

fuji86

That one turned out excellent too. Another winner and your gf has a beautiful bike to ride.

Fizzaly

The one thing thats nice about the extra paint on the threads is it kinda acts like thread locker

fuji86

I'm finding that out with the seat post that rust has that effect too.

Fizzaly

That thing must be in there pretty damn good, at least its a a level thats comfy and ride-able

fuji86

New grips are in, inexpensive Sinz Sticky grips. They feel good, don't know how long they hold up ?

https://www.sourcebmx.com/product_images/1083.jpg

fuji86

Also decided to get new pedals, sunlite alloy bmx pedals, the originals were plastic and scuffed pretty bad:

catonec 

this is how I used to roll!

fuji86

catonec, same bike ? as I was trying to find a low price on pedals, I thought about the rounded shape myself, just couldn't find them low enough. LBS had the Sunlites for $ 19.99, found them on-line for less, but S&H got them to what I could get these locally for. LOL, I wish this bike had never been chrome, the tight spots are really testing my fortitude and resolve at this point. I will persevere though, too much invested of my time to settle or try to convince myself to cut a corner. Another thing, trying to be a considerate neighbor with the power tools, that's frustrating me too.

fuji86

Just an update: still sanding the frame, occasionally trying the seat post. Past week or so, I got side tracked, so I'll keep posting periodically. This weekend is not going to be good either, Super Bowl parties amongst other social commitments.

CMcMahon

What he's trying to say is that he bet the bike on a Steelers victory.

fuji86

If that were the case I would've lost the bike back when the Eagles lost to the Packers in the wild card game.

Anyway, the chrome is a bear to sand and get scuffed to hold a decent paint job. The tight spots have to be hand sanded with 60 grit and every time I try to get a piece of sandpaper in there it rips apart. Places like the bottom bracket, the chain stays just behind the bb (there's a small welded triangle that's almost impossible to get into) and head tube are painfully slow. Even the rear dropouts are a challenge. No point in painting the bike if the paint flakes/peels off. I really wish this was a non-chrome finish bike to start with. I can see why they chrome them though, that finish is tougher than nails. Then there's the stuck seat post, I really want it to be adjustable again, especially after going thru all of this. I'm patient and my will can't be broken, I'm more stubborn than the stuck seat post or at least I think I am even though it appears to be winning the war at this point. I intend to keep the bike and in the event of selling it someday, would like the next owner to have an adjustable seat post as an option for fit, if not even for myself for fitting.

Fizzaly

Did you ever try beating down on it with a hammer? Its a 50/50 that it will just drive it in further stuck but it might work

fuji86

That was my biggest fear, driving it deeper. I have time and patience, I've read others have taken weeks and months to free one up.

Fizzaly

I have no patience, when stuff gets stuck for me I just get bigger tools, it's a good thing im a diesel mech. I have tons of big hammers

fuji86

Self Etching Primer Test. Sprayed the drop outs on the frame to see how good my sanding job is ? Looks pretty good I guess, but time will only tell if it sticks for years. The self etching primer is darker than the other primer base I used on the non-chromed parts. I hope this doesn't effect the engine enamel color that I'm going to use ? Lighter to darker color works, but darker to lighter ?

Street rider

Darker to lighter shouldn't be any problem. I used a nice dark primer like that once, and then I put a coat of sort of a light purple over top of it. No big deal.

fuji86

I just wish the rest of it was ready to prime, where all those tubes meet around the bottom bracket, not to mention the steering tube has a welded mount for the detangler/gyro, it's frustrating to get a world class sanding and scuffing on the chrome in those tight places. I'm almost tempted to try to remove the pressed in bearing races. Don't have a tool for that. I am pleased with the results on those frame dropouts though, enough that it might persuade me to be impatient on the other things. I know it seems like I'm being a perfectionist, but I figure living thru this hell once is the last time I want to go thru it. And it would truly s*ck if the paint started to come loose in a year or two, maybe even sooner because I didn't try hard enough or stay true to demanding more from myself, when I can easily make the effort at this point.

Street rider

If you wanna knock out bearing races, try wrapping a big of cloth about the end of a screwdriver, and then use a rubber mallet to slowly and gently knock them out, working all the way around slowly.

fuji86

I was thinking I could also use a deep socket in an old doubled up sock (you can see from the pictures I have plenty of those laying around) and then with the longer ratchet extension piece attached, use that to tap it out ? I'd have to get a rubber mallet, but I have a smaller ? lb sledge hammer like this one that I could use ?

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-lb-sl...mmer-6748.html

Only problem there is that I'm trying to avoid additional tooling costs and the next thing would either be to have a bike shop press them back in or actually buy a press and do that myself. Funds are tight for this project, especially since a couple of weeks ago I had an unexpected issue with my lower back, pinched nerve that escalated to a classic sciatica problem in the left leg. So you can see I'm battling a few set backs with this. That's why my patience is what it is. Some days I've had no choice but to set it aside and deal with another issue. I will get her done though, I am committed in that regard.

Street rider

rubber mallets don't really cost all that much. And no, I wouldn't trust the sledgehammer you already have. just kinda sketchy all around, what with how it doesn't really absorb any shock. And to press them back in, just take a small wood block and either wrap it in a towel, or put it inbetween as a buffer, and use a rubber mallet to softly pop them back where they belong.

fuji86

I like the sledgehammer I have, it worked perfect for the star nut on a fork and star nut installation, the weight of the hammer does the job and since in that application I was striking the pilot drift. very little effort involved and the light taps drove it in nicely, very controlled with an even and uniform depth. On the seat post, as it is stuck, I could probably clobber it and get nothing to break free with that hammer, but also run the risk of having a mis-hit and slide off, potentially damaging the frame tubes ?

I started sanding other areas of the frame and the test area I primed, one of the edges of the dropouts rubbed thru. But I figure I can build that back up with another blast of primer giving it thicker coatings when I'm ready for the rest of the frame. That and eventually I'll color coat it with the tougher engine enamel. With more coats, the engine enamel on other parts gets a texturing and isn't glassy smooth to the touch. Probably need to wet sand and polish that if that's what I really want. I actually prefer the rougher feel, it may not be as glossy as in the difference between a semi and high gloss, but the rougher feel makes me perceive it as tougher. It's a bmx not a carbon road bike is how I convince myself to just layer the coats and accept that it's a rattle can paint job and not a factory fresh or custom show paint job. My problem has always been that I don't know when to stop rubbing the paint finish smooth and have rubbed it thru on paint projects that I did earlier in my life.

fuji86

I want to put chain tensioners on it too. Origin 8 has some pretty neat chromoly tensioners in black that I used on a SS/FG:

https://www.origin-8.com/?page_id=91&...ter&cl1=CHAINS

If I can find a pair that fits the axle, that would be pretty cool looking. They probably aren't really necessary, but adds to enhance appearance, maybe make the process of tightening axle nuts and chain tension incredibly easier ?

Maybe even one of these:

https://www.danscomp.com/products.php...hainTensioners

Fizzaly

Chain tensioners are wonderful devices, with the bearing races almost all bikes use press fit races, just pound the things out I use chisel with flat edge, and like said before get a block and wail it back in. They are steel and so long as your using wood you are not going to hurt anything, you could also make you own press that's what I ended up doing. I had a problem with missing the wood and dropping the hammer on the frame, i just got some 3/8" all thread some fender washers and nuts and two pieces of flat steel works like a charms.
I would say the rear drop outs look very good I wouldn't be too concerned with the darkness of primer the only time that really affects color is if you are using a light color or translucent type paints. Gray tones and blacks unless they are a metallic paint don't change much at all with different color bases.