I am excited to announce the arrival of the latest project at the South Hill Customs shop. A 1971 Chevelle. This will be one that the entire family will be involved in the design and build process, as I'm sure Sarah and Zach are going to try to drive it!
More pics coming soon, the X-mas decorations need to go up today.
The Buell is now in the hands of its new owner. After much consideration, I felt that this was just too nice a bike to convert into a mutant, and I was very proud of the custom body work and paint. So I loaded it up into Cary's Hemi-powered transport and delivered it. I am sure it will provide much happiness to the new owner.
It looks like another season is over with....E-town closed as of this Sunday, NHRA is finished, NASCAR done, too cold to ride motorcycle. I can't stop myself from checking ebay and craigslist for some winter deal on a Camaro or Chevelle, although I have no funds available. I did get a really nice gift from a friend of mine, a slightly used pair of 275-40-18's for the Vette. Now I just need some 18" rims.
Tommy went to Island Dragway last week after getting the wagon put back together. The hole in the oil pan was from a weld that broke loose on the scraper. He pulled the motor, swapped the oil pan and installed a new water pump. He made two passes without any problems, and so I promised to post something, anything, as long as the pic of the oil pan wasn't at the top of the blog. Here you go pal!
Tommy, Richie and I went down to Oldbridge Township Raceway Park again last night to drag the wagon a bit. We got a nice first run in at dusk with a time of 11.77 @ 112 mph. (Check out the wheelie on the Trans-Am who ran a 9.7)
The next few runs were not what we expected. The wagon blew out the transmission dipstick on the next run, smoked all over the place on the top end. We added 2 quarts to get the fluid back, and taped the dipstick on the tube.
After the final pass of 11.44 @ 116, Tommy's best so far, he noticed something again leaking under the car. We couldn't believe it... a small hole in the oil pan! Looks like the big block is coming out now.
Well, we finally made it to test the 80 Malibu wagon at Englishtown Raceway Park. Tommy got through tech inspection without any problems, drove around the pits for a bit and warmed everything up, and headed out to test the line-lock at the starting line.
The first pass was just a half-throttle test, but the wagon still ran a 13.12 at 97 mph! Tommy only got one pass though, because we broke a poly lock on the rocker arm. So, we pushed it back on the trailer and will fix it this week.
I went last week on the Rolling Thunder run...and while I was hanging out, waiting to go, I realized I had no place on the Buell to hang my helmet. You can always put it on the mirror, but it falls off to easily. So, I fabricated up a little hook under the seat where the ignition module once was mounted. I made a paper template, then fabricated the hook out of steel. Welded it up, drilled some holes, ground it smooth, and gave it a coat of Plasti-dip.
Tommy has been a busy man, as he approaches his retirement (Only 5 days to go pal!). He has been working hard on the '80 Malibu Wagon, with almost no help from yours truly (sorry about that again pal). The big block is in and running, and we finally figured out the torque converter issue. He peg-legged it around the block....but I will wait to the first real burnout to get some picz. You should see how far he has gotten....look at these:
He ran his fuel system and is in the process of installing his new 4.11 rear with custom trailing arms.
Check out his new wheels and the slicks. The front end got new springs and 2" drop spindles to lower the ride. The big block springs were WAY too high. The rear tires look like a tight fit; we will try the spacers, but a mini-tub job may be in order.
I've been receiving a few request for some details on the Buell/CBR tail swap, so I went back to the garage to take a few pics. The tail fairing also needs the side panels that connect to the front of the fairing and seat. The front of the side panels is connected to the frame under the gas tank by simply drilling one hole in the frame webbing and pushing the plastic tab on the side panel through. It's not a perfect contour fit, but it is close enough. The rod that was welded to the read frame sits in the pocket of the fairing with rubber hose as cushion. I also made a small storage area that is hinged under the rear seat cowl and locked with a cotter pin. The pin also keeps the tail fairing secure to the frame. I added plenty of rubber bumpers (vacuum hose) so that the rear cowl was not scratching the fairing. The rear fender eliminator was just a piece of steel bent at the ends and welded up to connect to the frame. All the wiring is stock with the exception of the LED lights in the top license plate bolts. The LED taillight is from the stock CBR and requires nothing special, just plug it in!
The seat bracket is a small piece of rod with a washer welded to each end. It is welded to the stock seat tab with a small spacer to raise it up about 1/2 inch. The seat slips on and holds the rear fairing snug. I unbloted the ignition module (I think that's what it was) from the right side of the bike and fastened it to the top of the frame with zip ties, just behind where the seat is.
I wanted to see how some of my old phone pics looked on the blog, so I am posting them here now. Just a few projects from the past, and maybe a friendly face!
I was riding across the Golden Gate Bridge, when I had to take a pic of this sign!
The latest creation from South Hill Customs, my Buell M2RR. The front is the 2000 Buell M2 Cyclone, the tail is the 2003 Honda CBR 600RR. I purchased all the parts used off eBay for about $200, and did the bodywork and paint in the garage with the leftover black I had from the Stingray and Honda Accord. I had everything painted on Saturday, but the run I put in the tail fairing did not come out using the razor blade technique I had researched about. So, I had to repaint the entire tail after I sanded it down and primed, sanded, shot color and clear....again. After I re-assembled it and took it for a test run to get some fuel, I realized the hard way that the fender eliminator I had fabricated was too low, and the license plate took a beating. I straightened it out, and moved the plate up. so now everything should be good. I'll post detailed pics a.s.a.p.
I haven't documented this bike build all that well, but I have a quick update. I finally got the last part from eBay, and proceeded to finish the fabrication work last night and today. I welded the new seat bracket and tail fairing support, (and only had 3 small fires this time!) and gave them a coat of POR-15. It was then time to prime the for the last time, and lay down 3 coats of black DuPont ChromaBase basecoat and 2 coats of 7900 ChromaClear. I have a long run on the right side of the tail (the whole side!) so I gave that part an extra coat of clear, because I will have to wet sand and buff it out tomorrow. I found this fix on YouTube. The parts are hanging from bungee cords and drying in the garage tonight. I don't recommend trying to paint them that way though, they bounce and fly all over the place as soon as you point the gun at them!
I have been to busy lately to blog, and my camera has no batteries....I know, poor excuses. I've been fabricating the new tail fairing for the motorcycle. The stock M2 Cyclone rear end is pretty ugly, and that giant seat is as attractive as a pair of "mom jeans". So I purchased some used parts off of eBay from a 2003 Honda CBR600RR, and am in the process of making them fit my Buell. The first step was to repair the crash damage to the Honda parts with a little fiberglass, filler and primer. See, good as new! The new tail has a solo seat, so the cowl that covers where the passenger seat was will hinge up, revealing a small storage box where I can keep my junk. I also integrated the stock CBR LED taillight, and fabricated a nice fender eliminator for the license plate and turn signals. I'll post more pics of that soon. I'm just waiting for the last eBay parts to arrive so that I can finish the mock-up, and start to paint the parts. Some of these eBay sellers are terrible...you pay for the parts immediately after the auction ends, and you wait weeks to even get a response or shipping/tracking information from them! Unfortunately, I am waiting for the fairing parts that go under the seat, and without them I can not mount the seat or rear tail. I'm stuck.
The fuel tank on my 2000 Buell M2 is made of plastic, and from what I've discovered, doesn't like to be repainted. The gas fumes breathe through the plastic, and then push up on the paint and cause nasty bubbles. So, the tank needs to be sealed from the inside and outside, and the paint redone. I started by stripping the body work off, and sanding the paint off the tank. I am waiting for the tank sealer to arrive from Caswell, and a few new body fairings I purchased off eBay. More pics as I get started next week!
On Saturday, May 17, 2008, We attended the Hot Rods and Harleys show in downtown Rahway. We hung out all day with friends, ate some good food, and listened to great music. Zach and I even won the best in show for our class and brought home another trophy. We got a few offers to buy the Vette, and our new friend Charlie introduced us to George, who has a 1967 GTO that we may paint.
We also saw our friend Joe's latest acquisition, a 1937 Ford that was awesome! Pictured here is our friend Jack Dunlap congratulating Joe on his latest trophy win.
I'm not going to paint it right away, but you know I am already thinking of a color change. I rendered a few digital choices, which one is your favorite?
OK, I know it has been a while since my last post (like anyone is actually reading this but me). I have been busy with work and my new toy....a 2000 Buell M2 Cyclone. I found it for sale online at Craigslist, and it was a steal with only 5,700 miles. She has been custom painted gray, with smoked lenses and shortened signals front and rear, bar end mirrors, Sidewinder intake and a Vance and Hines exhaust. I was going to build a Mutant, but now I'm just enjoying the ride!
Jimmy and I went out to an estate auction for a distant relative of his this past weekend. This guy had collected over 100 cars on the property, including a 1954 Corvette, 1956 Corvette, six different Nomads, a 1957 Chevy convertible, 1932 Ford 5 window coupe, 1965 Impala SS....and many more. Nearly every car was rusted beyond repair and had a large tree growing right through the car due to the decades of neglect. Although this guy liked classic cars, he killed more than any one man I ever knew. It was really sad....
I came across this pic of a Honda Element that looks like my daily driver..... although I haven't done this to mine yet! I told you that had a hemi in it!
I made a paper template, then fabricated the hook out of steel. Welded it up, drilled some holes, ground it smooth, and gave it a coat of Plasti-dip.
I've been receiving a few request for some details on the Buell/CBR tail swap, so I went back to the garage to take a few pics. The tail fairing also needs the side panels that connect to the front of the fairing and seat. The front of the side panels is connected to the frame under the gas tank by simply drilling one hole in the frame webbing and pushing the plastic tab on the side panel through. It's not a perfect contour fit, but it is close enough. The rod that was welded to the read frame sits in the pocket of the fairing with rubber hose as cushion.
The seat bracket is a small piece of rod with a washer welded to each end. It is welded to the stock seat tab with a small spacer to raise it up about 1/2 inch. The seat slips on and holds the rear fairing snug. I unbloted the ignition module (I think that's what it was) from the right side of the bike and fastened it to the top of the frame with zip ties, just behind where the seat is.
OK, I know it has been a while since my last post (like anyone is actually reading this but me). I have been busy with work and my new toy....a 2000 Buell M2 Cyclone. I found it for sale online at Craigslist, and it was a steal with only 5,700 miles. She has been custom painted gray, with smoked lenses and shortened signals front and rear, bar end mirrors, Sidewinder intake and a Vance and Hines exhaust. I was going to build a Mutant, but now I'm just enjoying the ride!
