Sunday, July 04, 2010

final details

So I thought I was nearly there with the finishing... until I woke up in a sweat the other night thinking about all the things that I SHOULD really do seeings as Ive come this far.
Ive been really struggling with this balance between - making a good enough job, and making a job Im proud of. Sometimes I think "that'll do, it'll never be a show vehicle, just get it done and out of the way" and then in the next breath (or in this instance, middle of the night) Im thinking "you've come this far, why cut corners now and regret not doing it properly"
So in addition to the final bit of grinding, I also make up some strengthening plates for the mounting holes on at the rear of the frame that locates the side panels. This is quite a rusty area, but I had earlier made the decision not to replace all this metal figuring it would have meant virtually replacing half the vehicle. So I guess a reasonable compromise that might help me sleep easier was to make up these plates, and they certainly have given a lot more strength to this area.

Another thing that has been playing on my mind is the security of the bike when parked up outside pubs and other public places, and so I decided to weld a 1/4" bar loop onto the inside of the stand - so that I could thread a chain through. I know that it wouldn't stop a very determined thief, but it would slow opportunists down. It seemed like a very good idea to me - why dont they put a loop on here as a matter of course.
And while I was tossing and turning over the stand - I also decided to make up some plates to help spread the load that it places on the floor while on the stand (Ive seen some sort of plate kit offered in a magazine to overcome this problem)

1 comment:

TVOR said...

Can I remind you that you went through this moment with the R4. You planned to do a "roof chop" and "French" everything. Eventually you came to a compromise and settled for no roof chop and a Frenched aerial mounting. Whilst this was a change in spec I hope you remember just how much fun you had with the car. Could it have been more if you had stuck with your original spec. I think not.
Enjoy.