Author Topic: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners  (Read 1438523 times)

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Offline WhizzbangK.C.

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #90 on: February 20, 2010, 11:29:36 PM »
Wobbly,

FWIW, last year we asked the same question in regards to Brian's XR500, and got the same answer that you're coming up with now. It seems that it's not so much a rule change as a clarification. The thinking appears to be that if you're going to go to the trouble of building a special construction chassis, why would you even think about running a production engine.

We didn't necessarily agree with that point of view, but it is what it is and we want to play the game so we'll go by the rules.  :-P Brian's just running in a class to get as many runs in as possible and going for personal best with the XR.

Our opinion on the matter remains that special chassis and streamlining is a valid means to increase speed, and doing it with an engine under "production" limitations is a fair challenge to anyone that wants to play. Not trying to beat a dead horse, because it's all been hashed out before, just agreeing with you. There are no records for any APS-P or PP bikes, and I guess it can make sense since P requires intake and exhaust to appear stock for the model of the bike, as well as the outside of the engine. Since by definition APS is special construction frame, there is no "stock" model bike to reference.

Hell, just build it and come play for personal best, you know you'll still have the time of your life, and it wouldn't be the same without you and the kids there.

Don't do RWB, go ahead and register for a class and get the unlimited runs on the longer course. Don't forget, RWB only gets 2 runs, and starts from the 1 mile instead of the 0. Better bang for your buck registered in a class.

See ya on the salt.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2010, 11:33:08 PM by WhizzbangK.C. »
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Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #91 on: February 23, 2010, 01:19:28 AM »
Thanks for the encouragement, KC, I will run in MPS-P, my favorite class.

There is another build diary, My Indian Low Tech Racer.  It has a recent post of albums by Mr. Frank Kletchkus, a professional photographer.  His work is very good.  A certain belly tank is featured in one album.  Another album, The Evolution of Mr Squiggles," shows several bikes on Lake Gairdner.  Many aluminum streamlining styles are used.  One has hammered and welded panels.  It is a good example of what can be done with this method.

Hammers are the primary tools for this work.  They should be smooth.  Any imperfections in the hammer face will leave marks on the work after every blow and polishing will be difficult.  Metal working hammers often have soft tempers and the faces are easily marred.  One photo shows a used dolly and one of my prize hammers  It was used by another team Go Dog Go member to pound a chisel.  This is typical damage seen on used tools.  Both items need to be dressed.

Dressing is when the tool faces are shaped to the desired profiles and polished.  It is used to repair damage and for other reasons.  Most often a different profile is needed.  Sometimes the hammer, as manufactured, is not profiled correctly.  Almost all of my hammers have been dressed at least once.

Softer hammers such as this finishing hammer can be filed to the correct shape before they are polished.  The picture shows it and a mill file with a bastard single cut.  This file type works well.  All of the imperfections are filed out and it is polished with emery cloth.

Some panels near the fairing nose required a tight curvature.  I did not have a hammer with a concave head of the right shape.  An air grinder and a lot of patience was used to make one out of a convex finishing head, as shown in the photo.  The final step is to polish the face.

Body hammers are easily damaged and they should not be tossed in the box or drawer with other tools.  Mine are lightly rubbed with oil after each use and stored in a large drawer where they will not bang into each other.  All of this post also applies to dollies.

.     

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #92 on: March 01, 2010, 12:11:52 AM »
The fairing was built around a crash bar.  The steering damper mounted to the bar and I tied the bike to the trailer using the bar.  Last year I saw how Tom Mellor ties down his modified partial streamliner.  He connects the tie downs to tbe bike's mid section and he runs the ties out through his leg slots to the trailer edges.  I will do the same.

The crash bar is an aerodynamic problem.  It is in exactly the wrong place.  Fast moving and highly concentrated air flow hits the bar as shown in the sketch.  The bar's exposed frontal area is small but aerodynamically it acts like a much larger obstruction.  It looks fruity, a crash bar on a land speed bike.  It must go.

The tie down hooks stretched the metal around the bar.  Metal smooth faced hammers are used to thin metal and they cannot shrink it.  A shrinking hammer will be used.  This is a Martin hammer.  The waffle end is for shrinking and the other end is a trim peck.  It is used to tap dents out of auto trim.


Offline Freud

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #93 on: March 01, 2010, 12:27:47 AM »
Wobbly.....I am impressed. That bar flow diagram was probably done with Hume CAD v4.0 r-e.

I'm overjoyed that the people that saw the presentation of that program jumped on the application

and are using it to design and explain complex situations.

Ms. Rack ordered a program for every student in her Pre-School class. As a reward I provided a

box of wash-off 16 color crayons for each child. 

FREUD
Since '63

Offline Stan Back

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #94 on: March 01, 2010, 11:24:55 AM »
Froyd --

What's the rubber end on the stylus for?

Stainley
Past (Only) Member of the San Berdoo Roadsters -- "California's Most-Exclusive Roadster Club" -- 19 Years of Bonneville and/or El Mirage Street Roadster Records

Offline Freud

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #95 on: March 01, 2010, 12:25:12 PM »
Measure once.....erase twice.

The basic premise of the program.

frYod
Since '63

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #96 on: March 02, 2010, 10:27:21 PM »
The Rev, Grumm, and Goggles are on their way to the lake with the belly tank, a new engine, and the Tasmanian computer chip.  They pulled it all together and are going for the big record.  They have plucky spirits and hopefully all will go well.

Stretched sheet metal is shrunk using compression force to thicken the metal.  This is difficult.  Smooth faced metal hammers are not used.  They thin the metal and this is not desired.  The first step is to anneal the metal using heat.  This softens it and it is an essential step.

A dolly is placed behind the stretched metal to provide backing.  A shoe dolly is used.  It looks like the toe end of a shoe, hence the name.

The metal is flattened using a mallet.  This Sears #38292 mallet has the right weight for most metalwork.  The two heads have different hardnesses and both are correct for many uses.

The highly stretched areas do not contract under the mallet.  The metal is reheated again and the shrinking hammer is used.  A few gentle pecks are all that is needed.  The mallet is used as backing.  I always anneal the metal before using the shrinking hammer.

   

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #97 on: March 03, 2010, 11:05:57 PM »
The Feb 2010 issue of the English magazine "Back Street Heroes" is on American news stands.  There is an excellent article about the BUB meet.  A familiar Triumph is on Page 103.

The final step is to tap out the last few irregularities with the pear hammer against the dolly.  Some scratches with coarse sandpaper make the repaired area look like the rest of the fairing.  This is the last sheet metal post for now.  The fairing is done for this year except for some mounting brackets.

This afternoon I watched a DVD "Shaping Aluminum with Hand Tools" about sheet metal work.  It is quite good and I learned a lot.  The DVD is available from www.covell.biz

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #98 on: March 06, 2010, 12:35:06 AM »
The little parts make a difference.  The crash bar was removed and brackets are needed to mount the fairing to the frame.  Life will be exciting if the new mount fails, so care is needed in its design and construction.  A single mount would work.  It would go between the fork tubes and it would connect the fairing to the frame.  The safer way would be to make two mounts, and to make them strong enough so that one could do the job alone, if needed.  In the engineering world, this is called "redundancy."  It is an extra safeguard against catastrophic failure.

Normally I use all sorts of scrounged up metal.  These are important parts so I use some new aluminum angle of known parentage.  The alloy is 6061 or 6063, I forget which.  This is no problem, either is OK for this application.  A good reference for alloys and their properties is John Bradley's "The Racing Motorcycle - Volume 2" ISBN 0 9512929 3 5.

The brackets must be cut to shape.  Square cornered cuts will concentrate stresses and this could promote metal fatigue and cracking.  A hole saw is used to make circular openings in the part at corner locations.  The cuts meet the hole edges.  These rounded corners do not concentrate stresses.  The plugs cut from the holes are saved for later use as spacers or washers.

The brackets are drilled for bolts and screws, sanded, and they are ready to go.

     

Offline Geo

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #99 on: March 06, 2010, 08:25:50 AM »
Wobbly,

Nicely done!  Thanks for showing us how you made the brackets.

Geo

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #100 on: March 09, 2010, 01:16:47 AM »
This build is a lot of farmyard engineering.  I am glad it helps, Geo.  Reading about the other builds has made a big difference for the better with our program.

The new Hinckley Bonnevilles are porky.  Triumph has tried to give them responsive sport bike handling by providing steering geometry with minimal trail.  A heavy bike with quick steering is never a good setup and this one was marginal for street use and terrible for LSR.  Weaving and wobbling were not uncommon.  A few years ago, the steering damper was in good condition and set at its hardest setting and the bike was hard to steer.  It could get into a tank slapper speed wobble.  Eventually the problem was fixed, and this is discussed earlier in this build diary.  The bike has not wobbled lately but I still do not trust it.  To me, the steering damper is important.

Years ago I made an aluminum mounting bracket.  I was in a hurry, aluminum is easy to work with, and it does not need to be primed or painted.  No design or calculations were done, as is typical with almost everything we build.  Unfortunately aluminum has some disadvantages.  Among metals, it is not the strongest or least susceptible to fatigue failure.  I asked myself the basic questions.

Is it redundant?  No, if it fails there is no backup.

What happens if it fails?  Major excitement for the Walrus.

Does it flex under load?  Yes, a little bit.

Is it subject to cyclic loading?  Yes.

The answer is to make a steel bracket.  It will not flex and this mild steel is extremely resistant to fatigue. No worries now.

   

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #101 on: March 13, 2010, 02:14:06 AM »
Lots of parts I make.  I enjoy it.  There are times, though, when I get really tired of fabricating things and I want to buy something fancy, a piece made by someone else who knows what they are doing.  Welded pipes are an example.  My welds look like bird droppings.  I am the world's worst welder.

Triumph commissioned Arrow to make them some pipes.  They are stainless steel pipes made from welded sections.  The ends unbolt so they can be run as open megaphones.  The two-into-two header pipes for Bonnevilles have 1.59 inch outside diameters.  This is perfect for land speed based on the handy chart at http://www.victorylibrary.com/brit/mega-c.htm  This pipe primary diameter is OK for up to 7,500 rpm for an 865cc twin and that is plenty for me.  I do not let the engine go higher than 8,000 rpm.

So I took off from work early and headed up to Beaverton to order a set.  They are big $ but they will bolt on and fit.  No welding, grinding, etc.  The shop had a display set hanging on the wall.  Customers had been fiddling with the pipes for years, taking them down off of the hooks and putting them back.  The lady behind the counter said "I'll make you a good deal on these.  There are some little dents and scratches."  Heck, my bike and I have all sorts of big dents and scratches.  No problemo.  I bought them real quick before she could change her mind.  Some times the moon and stars line up and the backwoods guy gets a break.   


Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #102 on: March 14, 2010, 08:45:22 PM »
The windshield has a large beaded edge.  The portion of the bead on the outside is in the path of high speed laminar airflow.  It has to go.

The bead outer part is removed with an air grinder.  This leaves a rough surface.  The surface is smoothed with a bastard cut mill file.  The double cut bastard teeth leave a distinctive scratchy pattern on the plastic.  The scratches are removed with a fine single cut mill file.  The single cut filing is done at a 90 degree angle to the bastard filing, and it is done until the double cut filing scratches are gone.

Sanding is next.  The sanding is done with 220 grit sandpaper at a 90 degree angle to the single cut file marks.  All file marks are removed.  Then, the sanding is repeated with 280 grit in a 90 degree angle to the previous coarser grit sanding.  All coarser sanding marks are removed.  This process is repeated through these grit sizes:  220, 280, 320, 400, and 600.  I use 220 grit carpenter's paper, and for the finer sizes, K&S Engineeering "Flex-i-Grit" sanding film.  The fine stuff is available at the local hobby shop.  I always wash and wipe all grit off the windshield and my hands before I start with the next size finer paper.

Now I use a cloth mop wheel loaded with black emery.  I make one pass buffing in one direction, then another pass buffing at a 90 degree angle to the previous pass.  This is done until the sanding marks are gone.  It takes a long time.  Now I switch to a finer mop and repeat.  One pass in one direction and another at 90 degrees to the previous.  Two passes per grade for those finer than black emery.  I use these in order, from coarse to fine:  black emery, white rouge, tripoli, green rouge, red rouge, and blue rouge.

Sears carries the emery and rouge sticks, along with the mop wheels.  I use a separate mop for each grade.  The mops and sticks are stored in individual sealed bags so they do not pick up abrasive grinder dust.  I wash my hands and the windshield when I switch grades.  This hygiene is very important.  Scratches from stray coarser particles can ruin a job and much rework is needed.

Finally, the windshield is polished with Meguiar's Mirror Glaze plastic cleaner followed by Mirror Glaze plastic polish.  I buy this at the airport.  The repaired area looks better than the rest of the windshield.  Job done.   

 

Offline Peter Jack

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #103 on: March 15, 2010, 04:15:21 AM »
Nice attention to detail Wobbly.

Pete

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Team Go Dog, Go! Modified Partial Streamliners
« Reply #104 on: March 15, 2010, 06:38:34 AM »
  black emery, white rouge, tripoli, green rouge, red rouge, and blue rouge.

Sears carries the emery and rouge sticks,   This hygiene is very important.    I buy this at the airport.

hey, I just took out some of what you'd written.....sounds like a big night out :-D :-D :-D.......however on a more serious note....those nicely radiused al brackets are fine , clever work...........I love this diary and love the writing Wobbly, thanks, keep it up.
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

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