Attempting to get the Silverback mobile again...

[trbig]

Many of you will remember that Ivan was rear-ended by a cage and his pelvis was broken. He has started to be able to put some weight on his legs again, so a few of us decided it was time to get him something to be able to ride when the time came. A late night/early morning run was made to go get the bike and bring it back to Kansas City. This is what we started with.







Start the teardown to see what we're dealing with...











We innitially tried to straighten the frame. We were hoping that maybe we could do that or just cut the rear section off and re-weld, but the frame was bent too far forward. The bend started here...





We tried to straighten it, but ended up not being able to get the front part.. which left us with a low spot (Red Arrow) and a high spot (Green arrow).





Even if we had gotten that straight, the swing arm was tweaked and there was no way of really being able to tell if the frame was also where it attached. So, we opted for a frame replacement.. so off with the rest of the stuff. Ivan really does love this bike and seeing it reduced to it's sum of parts has to be tough.
















Ivan had installed a 750/850 final drive and had used a brass spacer like most use. The impact drove his collar over the lip on the driveshaft.. lol. We'll get a new one installed and should be good to go again.





Off to the storage unit to see what was available for a frame. Our best option to replace his was to find another '80 Special. The only suitable one we saw was an '80 MNS that has had a pretty rough life. We loaded it up and brought it home to begin it's new life. Not the prettiest girl on the block... hopefully a makeover will help her! I also bought the motor you see for a spare.











End part 1.

[trbig]

Part 2.


Time to undress Ivan's new mistress and see what she's hiding...














We're pretty sure the neighbors hate us. It looked like an XS yard sale.








When we went to drain the oil out of the motor on the MNS, we estimate a gallon of water came out with it. Bob Jones' shop had flooded years back, and apparently this bike had been in that. We didn't tear into it at all to see what the insides looked like, but we're assuming it's not good news. That can wait for another day.

Time to clean the frame up...





The bottom rail of the frame had a few rust holes on one side, so we cleaned those all up and welded things back up, then ground the welds flat and painted the frame up. This pic is blurry.. but thought it was cool.





We worked late into the night, and the cold beverages were always there on tap.





We got the bike to this point and stopped for the night to let the paint dry.





This morning, we didn't have a lot of time, so we simply got the frame into a rolling Chassis so it could be moved around if needed.





An old rear wheel was thrown on temporarily and this is what we stopped with for now.





Just about everything was done on Saturday, so we got quite a bit accomplished, I thought. I'm going to make another trip up to Kansas City again next weekend, and unless something major comes up, we should have it finished up so the Silverback can feel the wind in his hair again... even if it is his back hair.



Tod

[tarzan]

Way to go guys

Its nice to see people donate their time and materials to a fellow excessive.Cool stuff.

Its amazing to me.I remember seeing the car that hit him in the "wreck" thread.
The bike looks like it held up better than the car.

[DGXSER]

Ahhhh...and here I was looking for the white wall Harley tire to make its return!!

Lots of hard work done there fellows. Awesome job!!

[DiverRay]

You STILL may have the tire! They just put on a "place holder" so they can move the bike as need be.
Great job guys! Nice to see we ALL try to help one another.

[tw1980]

Thanks for all the hard work guys.I have lots of parts please post if you need something,if I have it I'll send it your way.

[GARTHXS]

almost

seeing you guys chhip in and get a brothers bike back is an awsome sight , it almost makes a tear come to my eye , I said almost!!

[damon916]

Very cool of you guys!

[petejw]

Nice work,
you guys work real fast.

but I wanna know how the beer tap on the fridge is set up.

[CatatonicBug]

but I wanna know how the beer tap on the fridge is set up.

Pressurized air tanks on the side of the fridge, plumbed through the outer wall, connected to a keg inside the fridge. Then, the tap in the front door of the fridge is plumbed to the keg. Pretty nice setup in Russ's garage.

[trbig]

Well.. I was hoping this came across as simply a progress report, not as a brag of, "Hey! Look what WE'RE doing for Ivan!"

It's no big deal, we're simply doing it for him since he'd do the same for us if things were reversed.

Thanks for the parts offer but we should have that covered pretty well.

As for the rear tire... yeah it's still mounted up on a rim, but that was left at Ivan's some 3 1/2 hrs away. You bet it would have been mounted as a backup, but a new one is being ordered. (Non-whitewall...)


Tod

[DGXSER]

For my part at least Tod, I am certain you and the crew are just doing something to help a friend. I took note of nothing being done or posted as a brag or for "glory".

I can assure you there are many here that just wish we lived closer so as to help out and also to learn from some masters. Took me longer to do my first 750FD swap than it took you guys to tear one down to frame!

[foreda]

Great Bunch of Guy's!

You guy's are the greatest!! Wish I lived closer to help and as someone stated earlier, I too have lots of parts so don't hesitate to ask if you need something.

[Guy_b_g]

Wish I was closer too, with all this time on my hands.

The post didn't come across as a brag at all, and it's nice to watch the reconstructiom...(but even if it did come across as a brag you guys would still rock).

I wonder if the FD conversion should be touted as a safety feature. I can see the headline "Man Saved by Impact Absorbing Telescoping Driveshaft". LOL

[Trainzz]

Just Curious...............

Why is it that every time there is a picture of beer on the forums, Harry is in the fore/backround?