Birthday Boy!

[dewibp]

Guess who's birthday is today? Promethus578 is now a year older and wiser! Everyone send this "Wise Man" a Happy Birthday! Pro, how are you going to celebrate it?

[Dragonrider]

Happy Birthday!

[81xsproject]

Lets not get to ahead of ourselves, now. Today is also TC's B-day. Happy bday to them both!!

[prometheus578]

'Another day older and deeper in debt"

Thank you.
Yes, I logged on this morn to wish a Happy Birthday to T.C., also.
Wrote to T.C. a few days ago. I have already received my present. From a post a few months ago, I had mentioned that I was working on a dirtbike... exchanging labor for massages from a very attractive massage therapist. Due to my charming nature (and evil powers of persuasion), she is now completely under my spell.
Dating a massage therapist... does life get any better than this?

Pro, how are you going to celebrate it?

Naturally... in my birthday suit!
Happy Birthday, T.C.!
KURT

[TopCatGr58]

1 day you look to find 10 years have got behind you!

Hey Dew, Prom, Dan, Jesse, and the rest,

Thanks for the B'day Wishes. Yeah, it was a surprise to me when I checked the calender a few days ago, and saw that Prom and I had the same B'day!! However, I'm a few years older than him, but not WISER.

I only had to work half a day today! Just taking it easy tonight, nothing special, have to wait for my yearly bonus check coming the 24th before I can get my B'day toys.....that bandsaw I need to help me make my S.O.F.A.'s, along with some other doo dads for Godzilla!

Thought I'd combine this reply with the Shaving/Beard one!
I can't grow a very good one, but here's what I looked like 5 years ago with one that I grew in remembrance of my father that had passed away that year. Note the gray stuff already on the chin!


This is me clean shaven a few years ago:


And here I am in my prime, Oh to be 30 again

[MartyA]

Too bad that photo is a little too high, if it was a little lower we might glimpse Godzilla.....

[Czekus21]

You guys just remember. You'll still be older then me no mater how old you get... Happy B-Day. Have a beer for me. Seems I'm always on call during happy hour.

[TopCatGr58]

Belated B'day Presents!

I can't believe I'm resurrecting this thread, but here goes!

I got some extra $$ from my job, my yearly retirement supplemental payment that I cashed out instead of investing into an IRA or such! I want to enjoy my $$ NOW, not when I'm old, grey, shrivelled up!!

So....I went to Harbor Freight Saturday, and got a Metal Cutting Bandsaw for $170.00 which was $30.00 cheaper than Northern Tool. I also decided to get a little 4gallon pancake airtank and compressor combo for some simple use of air tools! Picked up a little impact wrench and air ratchet wrench combo! Also an airbrush kit in preparation for my XJ tank conversion for Godzilla!

Today, I ordered from HEL USA some stainless steel brake lines, a complete installation kit, fittings, washers, everything for both front and rear....$196.00 And they are coloredGREEN both the pvc over SS line covers, as well as the SS fittings!!!!!!!! I'll be ordering a new front MC as well.

Also ordered a spare steel clutch plate to tighten up the clutch!

I'm getting ready to order the rest of the SuperBright LEDs for the gauge lights, and license plate lights to finish my LED conversion!

Happiness is a fat wallet!!!
T.C.

[MartyA]

Showtime!

[TopCatGr58]

Showtime?

Hey Marty,

Well, I hope it's decent looking when I get it done, at least a good "SideShow", if not the main event!

I forgot to mention I also got a auto-darkening welding helmet! Can't wait to try it out also! I had gotten one from Ebay, but it didn't seem to work, and I didn't want to trust it to protect my eyes!

I thought HEL USA was a large national company, and it seems to be, but it still has very personal service! Right after I placed my order, I followed it up with an email to them explaining the 4" extra length I wanted for the 2 lower lines from the triple tree splitter to the calipers to compensate for my 4" longer fork tubes! I got a phone call that evening, but had already gone to bed and my answering machine caught it, it was Craig Nehls, who is listed as the CONTACT person on their web site. Turns out he's also the one who is actually fabricating these things, custom made! He requested I call him back to discuss this in person vs. Email.

I called him the next day after I got home from work, we compared the length he has listed for my make/model/year, along with my actual measurements, and confirmed the lengths I truly needed!! The fittings are STEEL, and are powder coated with the color I selected. I'll be posting some photos when I get them and get them installed!
T.C.

[TopCatGr58]

SS Brakelines finally installed!

Hey folks,

Finally got around to installing those SS brake lines I ordered a couple of weeks ago. I had not been having any trouble with the rear brake, but the kit provides both front and rear, so I installed it as well! Was able to use both line retainers for the rear line to keep it away from the shock and wheel.

My front brakes had been very mushy due in part to the replacement MC I had gotten 5 years ago before I knew about the difference between ones designed for 1 caliper vs. 2!

But much to my amazement, the new lines gave the MC a rock hard sensation! I just bled them the regular way, except that I took the calipers off the forks, wedged some plywood inbetween the pads, and positioned them up just barely below the MC!





Then once they were bled, and feeling rather snug, I then was able to position them back onto the forks, the slid on easily since the spacer I used was a bit larger/wider than the front rotors!





I haven't finished replacing the headlight and gauge buckets, yet. As I've said before, this is a "Rat" bike, and my chrome parts had gotten bit pitted. I had used some bumper chrome type paint before, but then had also put some clear over it, but the clear had yellowed badly! So...I used my carb dip cleaner and cleaned off the old clear and chrome paint, and then reshot it with some newer Duplicolor brand Chrome finish! Below is my shelf with the headlight, gauge bucket, front turn signals, all repainted with that stuff, along with an actual pitted chrome gauge bucket. The chrome paint isn't as reflective as real chrome, but it's still silver colored, and much cheaper than getting the stuff rechromed, or finding NOS parts! Like I said, it's a RAT BIKE, not a showroom machine.

T.C.

[Ken Talbot]

Hmm, not bad there for a Ratbike, TC....

[GNEPIG]

.. not bad at all, i was wandering how those bits(gauge housings and headlight bucket) would look painted the same color as the gas tank, fenders and new brake lines

[TopCatGr58]

Thanks Ken, Gene,

They would probably look okay, but with the addition of the color in the fenders, and the lack of time(patience) in getting the new paint...my "other" project, and the cost of that paint, I decided to go back with the pseudo-chrome....but either NOT putting the clear coat on, or I'll be doing a test paint on some other spare metal, and allowing the chrome paint to "cure" a few more days before doing the clear test to see if it will coat okay, or if it will cause the chrome finish to DULL, like it did the first time I tried it! I have Duplicolor Clear enamel with Ceramic. The chrome doesn't say it's an enamel or an acrylic!? I just remember that the "old" chrome paint seemed to come off on my hand as I would handle it after it had dried. This newer chrome seems to be a bit better. The clear enamel says to put successive layers of it on within 1 hour of the previous, OR if after 1 hour, you need to wait 7 days! So I guess I'll wait till next Saturday to try that test clear over the chrome.
T.C.

[MartyA]

Wondering the same thing myself.