Author Topic: She's finally arrived - Changa Build (Read 56809 times)

Picklez · « **Reply #175 on:** February 09, 2021, 08:15 PM »

So, finally I could build up the back hub, drop the wheel in and get on with things.

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That part sorted I could turn my attention to the other side of the wheel, the coaster arm.

You may recall I'm after a tilt of homage to an old setup Woody used to run on his early trickstars, pre SST hub days:

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Where he reversed the coaster arm and ran it on the upper side of the seat stay rather than lower side of the chain stay and kept it all in position with an Addicks seat post clamp. So, off we go.

Here's conventionally fitted

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Picklez · « **Reply #176 on:** February 09, 2021, 08:17 PM »

Then upside down

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Trouble here is obviously that the profile of the arm means that reversing it pushes it further into the wheel centreline, i.e., further way from the offset needed to conveniently mount it to the seat stay

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No problem like in the picture of Woody's example it's simply a case of some aggressive bending.

Well, after many trips between cave and workshop bench, and physically breaking my first vice into two parts (cheap Chinese sh!t), waiting three days, installing new vice, and carrying on, I had the arm in the required shape

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Picklez · « **Reply #177 on:** February 09, 2021, 08:20 PM »

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So, wanting a good chrome finish next was a good polish before sending it off for chroming

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Then it also arrived home, and could be fitted

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So, on to the seat clamp mount. Some may recall I'm not a fan of Addicks clamps, or butchering one for my requirements. So, twin bolt DC option won out for me. But as I had plans to hack it up, more on that in a minute, I didn't want to go the route of OG. So, for this just one of the cheaper reproduction ones was located.

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Picklez · « **Reply #178 on:** February 09, 2021, 08:22 PM »

The ?hacking?. Well, I wanted everything to bolt up flush once I?d clamped the coaster arm in place, not for it to be compressed on one side of the clamp more than the other when all mated up to the frame. So, out with the Dremel and shave 1.5mm off of one inner face from each side of one end of the clamp

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Then finally, not in an effort to deceive anyone, more to make it present more ?age correct? and in an effort to remove the text the reproductions have embossed on them, as well as want transpires to be silver anodise some prep was needed. Removing that text was damn hard work. Paint stripper and even Ovenpride didn't touch it. So, in the end the good old favourite of down through the sandpaper grades.

Here we are at 600grit

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Then 1200

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And finally, 2000

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Before final polishing

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Picklez · « **Reply #179 on:** February 09, 2021, 08:25 PM »

Then it came to filling the gap naturally left between seat stay and clamp. Rather than the old school approach of electrical tape or an old bit of innertube I wanted a little cleaner look than that. So off to Amazon and ordering of this clear tape

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Which trimmed and fitted looked like this,

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And then I could finally fit it up and sleep a little easier knowing I?d finally (nearly) sorted the back wheel

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I say nearly sorted as I've still desire for some sensible rear wheel nuts, as most of you know.

Well, I may have some Tuf Neck 24tpi's sorted, I'm just praying they're not lost in the post ? been waiting now since the end of December. Still hopeful, but may have to start looking around again soon if they don't materialise. We'll see.

Anyway, might be able to talk chain soon, and that really has been ?fun?. But have a negotiation going on at present that may finally resolve that to my liking. If not I'll be moving on to either the bars or revisiting the brakes for the next update. Depends how much cold I can tolerate at the workshop bench?

Cheers guys. Keep

deeman · « **Reply #180 on:** February 10, 2021, 11:08 PM »

Looks great Pete, better looking than a standard bracket

Mikku · « **Reply #181 on:** February 11, 2021, 12:33 PM »

My favourite thread on RAD! Not sure what I'm going to do when you finish the bloody thing!!

Taipan · « **Reply #182 on:** February 11, 2021, 02:24 PM »

Quote from: Mikku on February 11, 2021, 12:33 PM

My favourite thread on RAD! Not sure what I'm going to do when you finish the bloody thing!!

I second that Mick

cracking build and love the updates

Picklez · « **Reply #183 on:** February 11, 2021, 11:12 PM »

Thanks guys, I really do appreciate the feedback and kind comments.

As for what to do when she's finished, enjoy the fiasco of my next disaster I've got waiting in the wings

. Resto of my old original DP...

Also, just finished 4 days odd of PM pingpong on the Museum, chain slowly making it's way to me now - but there'll be one heck of a hilarious update for that one when I eventually get around to it

.

Stay safe guys

.

Chilli Rinse · « **Reply #184 on:** February 12, 2021, 09:21 PM »

I came across this crude little diagram and article (in french, sorry) in Bicross magazine number 58 from July 1987. I thought you might like it. Your execution with the double bolt looks more the part for me. Another great detail to the journey of your build Pete.
Quality

content.

Picklez · « **Reply #185 on:** February 12, 2021, 09:25 PM »

Awesome find, cheers Toby

Glynnyboy · « **Reply #186 on:** February 14, 2021, 02:39 AM »

Awesome thread, loving the attention to detail and little updates on why. Going to be one awesome build.
Butts mentioned you the other day actually. Not a lot understand what it might actually take to try bring a part up to standard whilst remaining sympathetic to originality. You don't actually get that from anyone not in the game I think. When you want stuff as right as possible that understanding is important.
Nearly there now.

Picklez · « **Reply #187 on:** March 15, 2021, 08:37 PM »

Quote from: Glynnyboy on February 14, 2021, 02:39 AM

Awesome thread, loving the attention to detail and little updates on why. Going to be one awesome build.
Butts mentioned you the other day actually. Not a lot understand what it might actually take to try bring a part up to standard whilst remaining sympathetic to originality. You don't actually get that from anyone not in the game I think. When you want stuff as right as possible that understanding is important.
Nearly there now.

Thanks Glynn, coming from you that really is a complement, builds like yours, Terry's, John's, and many others serve as inspiration, so kind words like these mean more than anything.

Say high to Jonathan for me, nd warn him ... I'll be back, soon!

Picklez · « **Reply #188 on:** March 15, 2021, 08:40 PM »

So, time for another instalment. The chain

So, this has been a saga that's been going on for as long as the build has.

From the start I knew what chain I wanted for this. I have a little perversion (well, more than one, but bmx build wise, a desire) to try and get one of my OG parts on any build if possible. With this girl it was the chain. I'm lucky enough to still have mine from BITD. In ?85 when building a DP (from saving money from many Saturday's mowing every lawn going in the local area) I hit the LBS up one week to buy many of the parts needed that I could not salvage from the predecessor to the build DP. One of those was a chain. At the time I picked up this lovely looking thing marketed as a GT hollow chain (blue box, emblazed with the emblem we are all now familiar with, I can still picture it to this day). A chain now more commonly referenced as an IZUMI slotted chain. Well luckily, sitting in a box of bits I still have it.

Fair to say, when I started the build it was in a heck of a state but up for a challenge I thought might as well give it a go.

Here it was last spring, when the build and thread started.

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So, first task (having popped my CA-bath virgin bubble) was to (naively) give it a bath as a first step to bringing it up to spec.

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Yeah, that didn't go too well. The black links lost their colour and the silver links oxidised with a horrible black tarnish type finish

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So, lots more work to do. This involved many tens of hours?

First effort was to nail it to a board and attack it with a Dremel fitted with a small rotary brass wire brush

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Well weeks passed (along with many Dremel wire brushes), on and off doing that. Didn't work too well, and don't seem to have captured any pictures, so obviously nothing positive to write home about with that effort.

So, stopped f-ing about and got the big toys out, and hey presto progress:

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Picklez · « **Reply #189 on:** March 15, 2021, 08:43 PM »

So, feeling a little better I offered it up to the build. Only issue was I wasn't overly happy with the colour, it looked much to ?gun metal? for the rest of the build. Not deterred I started talking with Butts about the chance of getting it chromed. So, after a few chats that was the plan. Strip it:

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And get it chromed

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But unfortunately, the chrome really didn't take well enough for this build, even after two attempts. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming anyone, it's just that when built back up it wasn't to the std of finish I wanted for this build, yes, I'm a tart.

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So, after a period of despondence a plan needed hatching. Another false start ensued. A repo chrome Izumi. Well, that was never going to last was it. Nothing wrong with that chain, and it will be on my next build, but it wasn't going to cut it on this one.

So, fast forward 3 months (to February) and a possible alternate Izumi slotted candidate came up for sale on the Museum. After much negotiation it landed at my house a couple of weeks back:

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Picklez · « **Reply #190 on:** March 15, 2021, 08:46 PM »

First glance it looks like a nice clean example, on the whole it is. But closer inspection dictated it needed a little work

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So, this time a slightly gentler approach, handheld brass wire brushes

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And 3 hours later

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Picklez · « **Reply #191 on:** March 15, 2021, 08:49 PM »

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So, after a little lube all that remained was to fit it up to the build

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But, before finishing this update, a couple of little niggles that have been bugging me for a little while.

Firstly, the crank arm spacers on the non-drive-side

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Didn't look the cleanest imho. So, after a search around the interweb, ending up on eBay, a suitable 'machine shop? type spacer was identified

Picklez · « **Reply #192 on:** March 15, 2021, 08:52 PM »

And after a little polishing it was ready for fitting

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Then finally the OG crank bolts

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I know they're OG, and I may yet restore them, but for now I've some nice retro zinc-type plated ones, so for now I've just fitted those

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So (for now), that's it.

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As always, thanks for checking in and reading my ramblings. Probably work the brakes next, but really been stalling there, waiting for one annoying little part to land from the States. But, bloody USPS, everything I've ordered from the states since December (chain aside) just hasn't arrived. Tracks to their back hole of Erlanger and dissa-ficking-pears

. Really losing faith with ordering anything Stateside at present $:-\$ .

Stay safe, stay

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #193 on:** March 15, 2021, 08:55 PM »

Holy balls that is a lot of aggro over a chain. Can you wall hang your old one? would be a shame for all of that mind numbing work to go wasted.

Picklez · « **Reply #194 on:** March 15, 2021, 09:03 PM »

Quote from: Midschoolfool on March 15, 2021, 08:55 PM

Holy balls that is a lot of aggro over a chain. Can you wall hang your old one? would be a shame for all of that mind numbing work to go wasted.

Yep, kind of, it's proudly sitting on my 'display' shelf in the office. Right next to me. I'd say to remind me that perseverance pays of. But I think it's actually to ram it down my throat that I'm a twot

.

Mikku · « **Reply #195 on:** March 16, 2021, 11:41 AM »

Great work, as always. That crank spacer in particular is a vast improvement.

deeman · « **Reply #196 on:** March 16, 2021, 02:48 PM »

Love the crank spacer, much improved! Seems a shame not to chrome and clean up the original crank bolts now....
Love the chain, i have the same one on my bike! Luckily it was mint though and didn't need that amount of work! The end result is amazing though!

wildon · « **Reply #197 on:** March 16, 2021, 09:42 PM »

The detail

Picklez · « **Reply #198 on:** February 25, 2023, 09:33 AM »

Thread bump

Virtually 2 years of looking, well since an update, looking for far longer, but

Halle-ficking-lujah

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(not my photo, stolen seller photo for the moment)

But can finally bring the old girl to completion now.

Give me a couple of months to wrap a couple of nonBMX projects up and I can get a final post up on this thread...

Taipan · « **Reply #199 on:** February 25, 2023, 09:50 AM »

A true labour of love there fella

love reading the updates and the progress made,that bike is so impressive
and to have the persiverence to look for and make the parts you need look good is a credit to you,what a superb bike that is going to look awesome!

PS..saw those grips on ebay @450gbp I hope the seller gave you a lil discount lol I had a set about 20 years ago on a super burner I bought on there wish I'd of realised their worth lol