650 Mod's 78 Fighter Build

practice makes perfect !

leon

Not the prettiest, but they'll work

your getting there.
remember that when tig welding on old tubing that you can't clean inside(i.e. motorcycle frames)of.
to try not to use enough heat to burn all the way through the material.
you only want like 90% penetration.because if you make a 100% penetration it will pull all the impurities from inside the tube and contaminate your weld.
when welding on sealed tube it is good to drill some small (1/8") holes so the air that is heated and expanding has a place to go instead of blowing a hole in your weld.
if you are slick you position the vent hole to where the very end of your weld bead will fill the hole.

nothing beats practice,tig is the most unforgiving to learn.

leon

Awesome tips Leon! Those are all things I didn't think about. My welder did let me in on the hole drilling to let the frame vent out.

I got the headlight sides sealed up today to hold the new turn signals, and welded the cap I need to onto the old tach cable threaded base to seal the tach output off, keeping oil off everything. Last thing to weld- the new ignition mount. I'm thinking somewhere under the tank so it's hidden ...

All the frame welding is done, and the frame is getting sand blasted tomorrow. Frame will be off to the shop for powder over the week. Question for everyone- does anyone know if/where I could get a replica VIN sticker made? The one that goes right by the steering stem has to come off for powder coating.

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationThis is the only place I know of for the VIN stickers

Looking awesome! Thanks for all the info

Kaw - thanks! I'll have to see if they can make one up for me. Rick- no problem. Hopefully you can use some of the info and tricks on your build if you're doing one.

Awesome build. You had a lot of stuff going on..wow!
little off topic but still in your favor.
Just wanted to add a tig tip or two as well. Leon is 100% on the under/inside nasties coming out while welding dirty God awful with old cast items. Wire wheel on an air or electric drill then wipe or spray with a cleaner(I use a mix of rubbing alc and brake cleaner)make sure it's dry before you weld too. I'll sometimes hit the surface with some map gas to burn off any little rag lint left behind and or to dry off my spray.
If your welding path while holding your torch is a little wobbly, try holding your breath. May or may not help..

Thanks, Tig! The frame and other bits are going in for powder coating today, so i'm hoping within a week or a week and a half i'll be tuning the carbs with everything back together
Those are awesome tips! Thanks for those. It's all a matter of time/practice/tips from other people like you and Leon that make the process easier and cleaner. I'll have to start another build so I can practice up a bit more with the welding

The frame and all the parts that need to be powder coated are at the shop now! Should be a week until I have everything back and she can start to get pieced back together

650, can't wait to see her all together!