steam/diesel punk elite project By dryshave (Read 13,716 times)

[justbuggin2]

way cool keep up the great work that is on the way to be one great ride

[dryshave]

Thanks for following along guys and YES--- that is one big honkin' horn, though the wide angle lens does make it look bigger than it actually is. The horn is from the original elite 250, twice the size of the regular horn on a 150.
Thought I'd update some pics of the front panel assembly. I'm slowly getting the two panels to match up. It takes a long time, shave a little, put it back together, then shaving a little more.
I'm not planning on using the 10 mm nuts you see in the photos... once all the mounting points have been perfectly fit and the fiberglass lip has been cast, then I plan to use round headed hex screws to lock them together.
I'm not looking to disguise the fact that these are two pieces, but to make them as though they were riveted together, but more on that later.
I'm adding a couple of mounting tabs under the signal (eyes) lights this weekend... back into the fiberglass.
I'm also showing where the dash gauges mount. Looking to use a vintage replica set of gauges available online. The paper cutout shape that represent the positioning of the gauges, is to be cut out of a 5mm brass.

These are still the big brush strokes, once I get into the bodywork, I will be able to bring out the finer details.

Cheersh

[dryshave]

July update: Finished up with the mounting system. I stumbled across these threaded pop rivets that work brilliantly.
Have reinforced the fiberglass patches that were weak and have really started focussing on finishing off the bodywork to priming stage. The weather has been so great, that I moved the sanding to the backyard while I work on the broad strokes. The earlier work with the templates has paid off and with a lot of elbow grease and sandpaper, the panels are starting to come together nicely. All panel mounting positions have been identified and have been test mounted a couple of times. I should get to the primer stage by this weekend, but I don't plan on painting until I've go the engine ready to rumble.
The big chunks are getting done, but there are plenty of little details to work out yet. The biggest being the extended rear brake cable. I thought the cable from the helix would be perfect, but it's almost a foot longer than I need. Will have the motor back from the shop by the weekend. Really looking forward to buttoning that bad girl back together.
Enjoy the pics - If you've got a question, please ask. If you have advice that will save knuckles or money, I'd love to hear it.

[justbuggin2]

you are getting close to paint it is looking great and i know you are getting excited that it is getting closer to the finish

[SuperDaveGulvak]

This thing is gonna be sick when you are done dude!

[dryshave]

Not a lot of action these past couple of weeks... been wrenching on a couple elites for other people. Thankfully.... that's over and a couple more restored 150's are back (safely) on the road.
It'll be september before I get back into the bodywork, as I'm doing the plasticine work for the "cast" brass pieces I plan for the front signal lens "brows" and the rear signal light section.
I will cast in latex with a plaster shell, then cast the positive" in hard clear resin that can stand up to hard sanding and final shaping. The final brass casting mold will be made from that.
The front "brows" also show the rough shape of the signal lenses, which a buddy of mine will be vacuum molding once I've supplied him with a hard copy.
Motor is off at the mechanics.
Gas tank goes to the fabricator hopefully by the end of August.

Will post more pics of the castings as they go along, I am hoping to get the brass done sometime in September... those pieces will be this scoots signature touches... really looking forward to the process.

Is there an aftermarket front disc brake setup available, that will fit an Elite 250 front end?















Thx superdave and justbuggin2 for your encouraging words.
The target date for completion is spring of next year, so there's still lots of time.... to mess things up

[justbuggin2]

there is a trem called engine turn that was used back in the day on sheet metal i think the dash brass panel will look killer with that done to it

[dryshave]

Great suggestion justbuggin2... I had to google the term and I agree. It will look pretty killer done to the dash.
I've poured the plaster cast for the tail lights and plan to pull it tomorrow, then the whole make a positive - finish it - and take that to the friends at the foundry for casting.
Just got a call from the local honda centre and the cylinder has been bored (1 over) and new pistons/rings and all the other goodies will be back to me early next week. I am so looking forward to getting the engine bolted back together.
More pics next week.

[justbuggin2]

i am enjoying wacthing and reading this wish i could see it in person

[dryshave]

needed some time away to rebuild my riding mower, so there's been a lack of progress on the bodywork front.
The Honda Center is waiting for the rings and piston (now back ordered)... at least I was able to complete the casting of the rear detail piece that will eventually be cast in brass. Cast out of high density foam, I have mounted it directly to the rear end and can now finish the body work on the rear end. Once the bodywork has been completed, I will remove the piece and send that off to the metal shop for casting.
Hope to get back into the bodywork over the next couple weeks now that summer is over, will keep you updated as things get done. I would like to get all the bodywork completed before it gets time to keep the garage doors closed for the winter.

[dryshave]

Getting the motor back on friday, so I guess it's time to get back in the garage.
Sorry not much work done over the summer, busy gardening and building a greenhouse. But now that the engine is back in the mix... it's time to get busy with the bodywork. Pics of progress will be posted in a couple of weeks.
Working on how the panels attach to the frame and making sure that everything lines up correctly.
Cheersh!

[justbuggin2]

i am looking forward to seeing more

[dryshave]

Summer's over.... and I'm back in the garage. Have glassed the mounting tabs into position and secured the rear tail section to the frame. I have used plastic spacers which I've collected (to build the support block) and glassed a large washer on the outer skin of the body (to add strength) as well. I used polyurethane glue to lock the blocks in place, then glassed all the way around it. No pics yet, but am taking some tomorrow morning.
I've locked down the cast piece of white density foam and getting ready to start back in with the bondo.
I've been checking L and R tolerances constantly and so far so good. The panels sit well and are relatively even... nothing bodywork won't fix. Next on to casting the mounting position for the front kickplate, I'll update that as well when I take pics over the weekend.
Work now will be slow and laborious as the stage moves into final shaping and sanding on the body panels.
Engine is back and I'm buttoning it up and getting ready to mount it back into the frame.
Wiring harness done... Electronics mounted... Have to resize the battery tray (used a battery from a CH150 - DOH!) and looking to reposition the upper shock mounts to accommodate the phat rear tire that came with the Helix.
Still considering going to the Helix front end and utilizing the 13" front wheel with disk brakes... but it's not in my radar yet.
Good to be back in the shop...

[justbuggin2]

still enjoy seeing what you are doing looks like you got things under control keep up with the great fab and soon it will be done

[dryshave]

Having the plasticine around is sure handy for backspacing voids. You can see where I have blocked out the mounting plates for the front cowl to kick plate. I plan to glass over the plasticine (including the tab - seen on top piece). I had the brilliant idea to glass in a pop rivet mounting nut (used previously on the cowl - awesome invention) which I can then bolt right to the floorpan. Pics of the completed assembly will tell the story better than my description.
Going to be a busy weekend inside, now that the rain and fall have finally arrived to the west coast.
Decided not to paint the engine block, instead I'm just going to buff it with aluminum polish and a buffing attachment on a dremmel, can't redesign everything...