New Tank Decals

Nancy bought me some new tank decals for Christmas, and I love the new look. I know that originally these would have had a factory emblem, but I am just not a fan of the look. I do like the later years, but since the factory mounts were cut off and at this time I am not feeling up to pulling the tanks and welding the mounts back on... I am going with a decal that I like. I think these are similar to the JD decals from the earlier 20's.

WLA Clutch Repair

I took the entire clutch apart, removed all the oil from everywhere, and then installed new seals, clutch disc, and new fingers. Everything seems to be adjusted enough to take it for a spin when it warms up outside, then I just need to put the primary cover back on when I am done.

WLA Clutch

The clutch was slipping a little again on the WLA the last time I took it for a ride, and it was still leaking from the transmission... a lot. I was pretty sure the culprit was the clutch push rod seal leaking into the primary case and covering the clutch with gear oil, and when I took it apart I found out I was right. I should buy a lottery ticket.

 I bought a new seal, the clutch hub socket and new clutch plates from Retrocycle. They were very nice, and gave me a tour of their shop when I wen to pick up the parts. Unfortunately I accidentally broke a hub finger, so they also had to get me one of those so that I can replace that and get my clutch back together. I need some warmer weather and motivation first.

A little PDR

Along with the scratches, there were a few minor dings and dents that needed attention on the Camaro. Since my pal Michael moved to Florida, I had to buy my self a PRD tool kit (paintless dent removal) and figure out how to do it. I had watched Michael work his magic on the Sky, and there is definitely a skill required to this, so I figured I better start learning.

I would say I got my dents about 90% out, as I mostly just wanted to to do the glue-pulls and not hammer out the dents. I am happy overall, and can always go back and try again.

Camaro scratches

Another little issue on the Camaro was the scratches and dings, but I new all about them when I first looked at the car. It was only 4 degrees out that day, so I quickly made a mental note, and then negotiated with the salesperson about the cost of the repairs while sitting in the heated seats.

The passenger mirror had some crazy scratches inside and outside, almost as if a bungee cord hook was on the mirror. The passenger splash guards also had some road-rash, so along with a little mark on the nose, they all got a quick touch-up.

Camaro Engine Cover

 The cover for the LS3 on my Camaro was a bit rough to say the least. It looks like every time they did an oil change, they just threw it on the pavement. I took a few minutes to sand it down and respray it, and now she looks as good as new.

Camaro Interior

 One of the nicest things about the inferno orange interior is the beautiful orange color accents. The door ambient lighting is one of my favorite parts of night driving.

 

2011 Camaro

As I mentioned previously, I traded in the Saturn Sky for a lightly used 2011 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS. I had been looking for quite some time for this particular one, and it needed to have the following options:

• Inferno Orange metallic with inferno orange interior.
• LS3 V8 engine with 6 speed manual transmission and factory Hurst shifter.
• SS and RS option package.

I never seemed to be able to find this, and it literally took 8 years until I discovered this one online at a Dodge dealership on a used trade-in. The car had only 29k miles, so to me it was like brand new. My Sky had over 170k miles, and she was starting to show her age.

The Camaro had a few upgrades already like a cold air intake and complete stainless headers/exhaust by Kooks. It really sounds great, and with about 475 hp it goes great too. I upgraded the DRLs with color matched LEDs and installed the harness to allow them to function all the time. I might add a spoiler on the front this spring too.

Sneak Peek - New Turn Signals

I have installed new sequential LED turn signals on the Buell, replacing to old "lollipop" turn signals that came stock with the bike. With the new LED headlight, it makes the bike look 20 years newer.. at least I think so.

Buell M2 Cyclone New Seat

I've documented a previous Buell M2 Cyclone rear seat conversion, but this time I took a different approach. I re-shaped a stock seat and created my own custom fiberglass rear seat cowl. I could not be happier with the results!

Harley WLA Rear Brake

A while back, I was getting a bad squealing sound from the rear drum brake of the 1942 Harley Davidson WLA, so here was the repair...

Photobucket...ughh

Ok, I should really get back to this blogging thing again. I have been wallowing in the aftermath of the Photobucket disaster that pretty much crapped out all of my photos on my blogs. I was able to download and save all my files from their site, but that took a while, and now I'll need to figure out where to go from here.

I have been busy with work and family, and working on my 2011 Camaro which I traded in the Saturn Sky for, and the '42 Harley, and the 2000 Buell M2 Cyclone (another custom orange one!). I've also been helping some friends out with their paint and body repairs, some of it is OK, some of it is really nice work if I do say so myself. I even was on Twitch for a while, and made a couple of videos. Looks like I have plenty to blog about, I just need to get to it.