What a concept - A Girl Bringing Back Her 1966 Super Hawk

Hoosier Tom · Post by **Hoosier Tom** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 12:38 am

Sara,

Stay away from those Thailand rims. I have seen more "restored" bikes over the last 3-4 years with these rims and they are not drilled correctly. Bowed spokes look awful. There is a decent looking front DID rim on ebay now for a good price including a best offer feature, item 231095000663 . I think your best bet would be to find good, used original DID rims, especially if you are leaving other original chrome on the bike.

HT

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 12:39 am

Thanks for the heads up on that, Chase and Tom! And Tom, thank you for that link! Perhaps replating my old rims would be wiser! Let me get some photos of them up on this thread (so I can make it EVEN LONGER). I'd be interested to know what you fellas think of them.

Well, more trouble today with other things on the Old Girl. I have been fiddling and fiddling with the mufflers, trying to get them to line up with the frame brackets, the front mount bolts, and the hanger bolts. They just won't. I've been following the protocols, loose engine mount bolts, loose headers, and all of that, and I've been getting nowhere. I scratched the swingarm up enough trying to force things into position to where I had to remove it to repaint it - again. (That's blessing in disguise - it was painted with Duplicolor, and now it's going to get done with 66 Autocolor). So, I took a long look at things to decide what the problem is. Simply, the cast footpeg mounts are bent. The bike has been down on both sides, and those rear footpegs have pushed the back of the mounts inward just enough to where things don't quite line up. So, I've got to (carefully) straighten them out.

Frustrating - but still fun. Honestly!

cknight · Post by **cknight** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 9:04 am

Sara, you might also check to make sure the struts for the inboard lower muffler bolts aren't bent. If a bike's been dropped, these can also take a bit of a hit. Mount the mufflers without using the bolts that attach to the cast brackets, and see if you can achieve reasonable alignment. Using about a four foot piece of tubing with sufficient inside diameter to fit over the struts (a floor jack handle will usually work) and some carefull padding of the struts, you can usually bend them into alignment without ruining the paint. Yes, not a fun task when the bike is assembled. When straightening the cast brackets, heat (torch, BBQ grill) will really help as these tend to crack fairly easily. If you have access to a press, that would be the way to go, as opposed to the large hammer. Regards, Chase

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 9:27 am

Start looking for some better (straight) foot peg mounts....

G

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 10:15 am

Thanks, fellas!

The right strut seems to be bent, but slightly. I know, slightly is enough to cause misalignment!

I've had my eyes open for "straight" footpeg mounts since I started on the Old Girl last year. I knew the originals were bent. I have yet to see decent ones. I am going to try straightening the ones I have (I did try once, but it obviously wasn't enough). I know castings don't like to be "manipulated" and they can crack. I'll use heat. Instead of a press (which I don't have), I thought I'd try a vise instead, using a piece of metal as a fulcrum. It's worth a try!

By the way, the muffler struts on the Old Girl never, never had the bolts for the mufflers used in them. What the heck type of bolts are used there, anyway?

cknight · Post by **cknight** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:02 am

The original bolts were somewhat unique, as they had a tall hex on them, about twice the height of a normal hex. Probably to enable easier wrenching in their somewhat awkward position when installed from the top. They are 8mm diameter, and about 30 to 35mm long. Standard headed bolts will certaily work. Chase

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 5:25 pm

Thanks Chase! I'll have to find a pair of bolts and nuts that meet that description (except for the long hex). I think there is a set on eBay right now for too much money. I definitely will look for something else!

Here's a shot of the rear of the Old Girl. I've removed the swingarm. There was NO clearance between the axle dropouts and the mufflers - the mufflers both toed in. Certainly not right! You can see that the brackets on the muffler don't line up with the struts, either The other shot is the left mount. The right one was even worse.

Since I took these photos, I've used some heat and pressure (vise) and straightened those footpeg mounts out.

Here's the front wheel. You can see the corrosion on the rim, and the spokes.