I love Husq tanks No.2

From WrenchMonkees

I love Husq tanks!!!

Saw it first on Attack Choppers. Originates from Mutiny Mayhem. Both excellent blogs.

Frame is painted. Kind of a gunmetal/cast iron color.

Brushed Aluminum Look

Getting the brushed aluminum look is simple really. Its like polishing minus the last 4 steps. Not being a fan of chrome and mirrored finishes, I like the look of machined surfaces and labored handmade pieces. I think it fits this bike perfectly.

The rim had been annodized gold. I sandblasted most of the gold off. Shortly after i found out you can use oven cleaner for 5 minutes and cut it right off. BEWARE, if you leave it on too long it will eat your aluminum like the Cookie Monster let loose on a girl scout bake sale. I ran out of sand (I know, I know, I live in a desert haha) so there is some remnant of gold left.


I used a blue scour pad to cut off the rest of the gold. These things are coarse and cut very deep. I wouldnt recommend this for going to a fine polish. It leaves directional marks. Fortunately, thats what I was going for. Be sure to get every nook and cranny.

Next step was the green scotch brite pad. Not quite as course but will still leave directional marks. I went around the rim with this about 4 times. each time it looks better and better. I never cut in enough the first time to remove the pits from sandblasting though. They can be seen up closely. It gives it a bit of a dull look. I like it and am going to go with it. I did all of this by hand. Power or air tools would have made the job A LOT faster. But, I like where it ended up regardless.

Final outcome. I might go over it with a 600 grit wet/dry paper to get the shine a little closer to the rear wheel. Either the pits make it hazy or the alloys are slightly different.

Rear wheel shined up nicely other than the pits that I was mostly able to get out. There wouldnt be any rim left if I kept going.

Polishing Aluminum

Ive been working on the wheels. I was going to paint them but decided that it was probably not a good idea since this bike will see only offroad use. I chose to polish them instead. I dont think I will take them to a mirrored finish though. Just a clean "brushed" look. The rear is pitted badly in one section, but I worked it out as much as possible. It wont be show quality, but it wont be an eyesore either. Here are some videos I found very helpful. Ill post some pics of the process of polishing the front rim.

Primed and almost ready for paint. A little fine sanding to smooth out rough spots.

Cleaning up the rear wheel while the rust converter does it's thing. The frame should be ready for primer soon.

New Toy

Well, new to the garage anyway. Yamaha DT175. Rusty, greasy, and in need of a lot of work as usual. Came with another DT tank, a seatpan, and a Husqvarna vintage tank. Hell yeah! Not to mention the possibility of another rolling frame. Ok, back to work on the TY.

More Engine Porn

Allison liquid cooled V12. Developed by the Allison Division of General Motors Corp. The design is that of a modern engine featuring overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, and single point fuel injection. It made at lest 1 HP for every pound it weighed. This particular engine coming from a P-38 produced 1,450 HP.

Engine porn #2

I was at the Aerospace Museum of California in Sacramento last week oogling various aircraft and engines. Should have been a pilot. Or at least an aircraft tech.

Engine porn #1

28 cylinder air-cooled airplane engine at the Sacramento air and space museum. The pistons are bigger than my head!

Zoom

My second favorite tool

The "metal make go awayer".

She's a true basket case now

Spoke too soon

A gift from UPS yesterday. The hub probably isn't going to work. Hooray for respoking wheels. I think it's time for a sandblaster as well.

Small crack on the ouside edge of the silver one.