albrt 

The Bosal Aftermarket Muffler Factory reminds me of this classic from Bob & Ray.

The U tube link has disappeared for me - if it has been removed, google "Wally Ballou at the Great Lakes Paperclip Factory."

retswerb

Lurker here, I have no complaints but I heard the call from Amazing Marvelous Confente-like Offensive that more Barge Squealy was needed Amazing Squealy Amazing Panache so I'm doing my part for a Confente-like & Vroom thread that brings me great joy.

albrt 

I didn't realize Bob and Ray had done a series about Gugie.

Hondo6

Full disclosure: I am archiving a copy of this photo for future use. Many thanks.

AdventureManCO 

THIS IS WHAT WE NEED.

Many thanks

AdventureManCO 

Feel free to use it after every one of my posts.

Pompiere

I got a chuckle when I heard the factory location. I live about an hour from Napoleon, Ohio and pass through there regularly. It's interesting that a small town in Ohio made it into their routine.

albrt 

I'm from Bowling Green - that's probably why this routine still sticks in my head. Well, that and because it's hilarious.

Tulok

I’m really concerned about the housing quality of the huffy… we need a garage tour along with tool details.

I’m concerned about the welfare of the gas pipe cleverly disguised as a bicycl.. a frame.

I think you should post your Venmo or PayPal so lurkers can silently send you $0.50 at a time so the funding doesn’t come in all at once and tempt you.

AdventureManCO 

Well, another fun setback!


Remember how I painted the BB area a few weeks back? Well, I really wanted to get that stupid cable guide attached, and so was handling the frame quite a bit a few days later, laying it on the carpet, etc.

Well, the paint was still a bit soft, and the carpet, and some of those little micro hairs, embedded into the paint on the bottom bracket and chainstays. I was able to polish out the chainstays, but when I polished the bottom bracket, I got all the impressions/hairs out, but wore down to the metal on the edges of the 'H' panto. Great!

No problem, right? I'll just clean w/ alcohol and give it another light spray, no problemo. That's exactly what I did, at least up until the point the the paint started freaking out and crinkling up where I sprayed.

So, I had to redo the BB paint entirely. I sanded, cleaned, etc. And sprayed a 3rd time. But realized I didn't get the transitions from the new paint to the bare parts quite feathered enough, so I scrapped it AGAIN, and just re-did it a 4th time.



Oh ew gross




Wow SUPER gross




And after some painstaking sanding and whatnot -


MUCH better


You know, I'm not sure whether I should be disconcerted or not about the fact that when I used paint thinner, it wiped all the spraypaint coatings off down until I hit the original paint, and then that paint wouldn't budge. I'm going to chalk it up to 40 years of curing time! Needless to say, I went extremely light on the coats, waited 1-2min in between each one.


And here is where we are now:



...exactly where we were before, only now with wet paint



Pretty depressing, but how low can you get? It's already a Huffy, so...






But! Let's focus on something wonderful for a change! Another package came!


Me, when another 'Le Grande' package arrives


This time from roadcrankr !

They have generously donated to Team Le Grande!

I know we had talked about the idea of the titanium pipe clamps for the cable guides, and while it is still a great idea, I at least need a way to keep moving forward and focus the budget in other areas. So roadcrankr came through with some lovely Huret toptube cable guides!



The funny story is that the post office kept sending it back to him for more postage. I can't blame him for going cheap on the stamps - it's exactly what should have been done to align with the spirit of the project, but the post office probably spend $40 in labor sending it back and forth in their attempt to get just a few more bits of paper attached Much thanks brother!

I'll just stick these in the Evaporust for 3 months 1 day to make 'em all nice and shiny!



Now, since I am not planning on touching that silly frame for AT LEAST a week while it attempts to dry, that will allow me to focus on two parts of the build that absolutely need to get done, but not require the frame - the first one being the cleaning up of the Super Record wheelset and the mounting of the Home Depot tubulars. I will be sure to reference the excellent photos and descriptions of a certain someone who enjoyed putting fancy decorative holes in stuff and had a lovely tabby but is unfortuantely unable to add their comments to this thread before I go and use some Velox tubular tape. We will also be rebuilding the wheelset to make sure it has new grease and whatnot, make sure the bearing preload is A-OK.

Also, remember that super fancy fork crown decorative trim piece? Well, it's more weight, but will add some fanciness, especially when I make little 'H' panto on each side! That's numero 2. Should be much easier as the H cutouts will be smaller, and on much thinner material. That will also give time for the headset adaptors to come this week. If the worst case scenario happens and they get lost in the mail or something, I'm going to give it until the 15th of May and then order new ones. That will give me time to file them down and mount - but let's all hope it doesn't come to that, that would be last resort.

There are also more surprises to come - much more. If I can just get past this zero sum game of painting my bike, destroying the paint, then painting my bike...




Don't worry folks, we're at 'FULL ENERGY MODE" over here at the Team Le Grande HQ

AdventureManCO 

Update: The clamps fit beautifully!

Thank you again roadcrankr !

AdventureManCO 

The bike has resided in multiple places - rarely the garage. Most frequent have been the Huffy's bedroom, the Huffy carseat, and the Huffy tag-a-long backpack for day hikes.

Rarely does it live in the garage - mainly it is out there getting tortured - bent and yanked and twisted and smacked on when it misbehaves.

Right now it is suntanning as that stupid paint dries, and then back down to the basement to try to be forgotten about for a week or so.


About the paypal/venmo, I dunno. I've heard others make the suggestion as well. I'm kinda for it and against it at the same time. I love the idea of community involvement, but at the same time when money gets involved, things can get funny, and quickly. Plus, I don't want to come of as a desperate cash grubber. Yes, 100% of everything has gone over budget, because there is no budget But at the same time we're having fun, I've gotten some awesome donations, and feel like we've got a good balance. So right now I think I'll keep it that way, so that folks can know my intentions are pure. Warped, but pure! Purely warped?

RCMoeur 

I now have this overwhelming urge to head up to AdventureMan's Secret Underground Lair just to sneeze on the bike in between paint coats.

I think the difference in paint durability is the difference between Current-Day Rattlecan Gunk and the baked-on paint applied by Huffman Manufacturing, chock-full of 70s teratogenic organic chemicals.

Macguyver909

I personally think you should put mucus, and vomit encrusted, cat pee smelling, rescued from a dumpster fire, 70's shag carpeting, in the olive green and burnt orange color on it. you could hold it on with tied condoms.

Just think of the type "A" personalities thoughts when they see that! (retches into mouth a little,) "you put campy on that!??" It would cost them 20 years of therapy to recover.

Just kidding, the "H" is cool outlined in red like you had it.

Bergz

I've been "lurking" around this build thread, I haven't read EVERY post but there's something off that's bothering me...
. What's actually wrong with "gas pipe?" Has anyone done a peer reviewed double blind test of so called gas pipe and regular good quality bicycle tubing? Equal lengths and OD's...?
. Could we have a frame builder make us 2 identical frames, one gas pipe and the other Kasei or something and add weight to the lighter frame. Then have them ridden and assessed?
And while we're at it, does gas pipe differ by county of origin? Is Italian gas pipe as good as Columbus SPX? Is British gas pipe worse than Reynolds 531 PG? Would Italian gas pipe make a fine bicycle frame where gas pipe from the USA would not?
There's just so many assumptions being made here about gas pipe that are derogatory, insulting even. Yet no one has provided a tech bulletin that explains why.
So many questions, so little time....🤔

jdawginsc 

Put it in a hot car in the back seat in the sun.

...not only will it relieve some anger at it, it might cure the paint a bit...

DISCLAIMER: I would never advocate treating any living creature in an abusive or neglectful way...just the Huffy.

AdventureManCO 

Wait, are you implying that the Huffy doesn’t have a soul? A sweet, gentle, tender-loving one at that?

AdventureManCO 

EXCELLENT point you bring up. From what I’ve heard around these parts, steel is steel, and the qualities are going to be the same - where it differs is that the higher grade stuff allows you to get a thinner tube (and hence lighter weight) at the same stiffness as a lower quality but thicker tube.

I dunno, but I think it is worthy of a study. I will happily contribute whatever I would get from auctioning off the original Huffy components to the highest bidder

cudak888 

I'm concerned. I see black cable housing.

Team Le Grand'E can only be seen with proper color-matched red housing. We're not pandering to subtilty around here, are we?

By the way, do you need some spiral stainless cable for the RD?

-Kurt

AdventureManCO 

Ah, you notice the details!

That was just a used scrap piece of 5mm housing to verify fit. The ultralight red cable housing, will be on the final version

I *think* it should work for the RD as well, but if it doesn't I'll definitely hit you up.

Just to be clear, that is not why you shouldn't be concerned.



Just wait till you see the downtube decal, all doubts will be removed​​​​​​​

cudak888 

Sounds good. Just don't hit me with the Huffy, I won't survive it.

Don't worry, I'm very concerned. So don't worry.

​​​​​​​-Kurt

RB1-luvr

what year is this bike slated for completion? 2037, for the 150th Huffy Anniversary?

AdventureManCO 

It's the Sagrada Familia of bikes.

cudak888 

That's too quick.

I bet this thing will be ready by the time all American cities have Dutch bike networks. Har!

-Kurt

Mad Honk 

Kurt,
I have sent a missive to JoeTBM to check about the appropriateness of the choice here for a saddle. He claims to be a B&W guy so maybe one of these choices will be suitable for the Huffy build:

Which one will be aesthetically pleasing on the Huffy?
Smiles, MH