Finished and sold

Well, I finally got the time and space to finish working on the trike the way I think Mark would have wanted it. I can honestly say I am satisfied with how it turned out. I do not have the space to store it, nor the time to ride it properly. This is not a museum piece to be shined on the weekends and shown off like a pet. I failed after taking it to the Rockerbox show, but I fulfilled his dream to take it there. I have no bad blood towards that, everyone has their own taste, and ours (Mark and Me) did not mean the Rockerbox way. So I am filled with relief to see it move on, and sadness to think I will not ride it again. I have plenty of pictures and memories to last me a lifetime, and know I will be better now.

Thank you Mark for the trike, the inspiration, the adventure and most of all the ride Bro.

Time Out

I came to a realization today, that perhaps my brother would prefer me taking a break and not hitting things so hard. I have had problem after problem, including missing pieces, wiring problems, paint issues. I believe my brother feels I shouldn't take the trike to the Rockerbox show tomorrow. These problems have not plagued just me, people who have assisted me have hit roadblocks as well. So I have decided to focus on my wife, and our pregnancy. Mark never took the trike too seriously, and I believe he is teaching me to do the same. So I will get to it when I get to it.

3 more days to Rockerbox 08

I have the paint finished for now, I still have to do some buffing and polishing. I have my new 18" black ape hanger handlebars on. I still have to figure out what to do with the engine, whether I will paint it or just let it ride. I am still working on rims and tires. Tomorrow I will reassemble the rear bumper with the lights. It's a race against the clock, but there is no room for rushing. I am throwing around the idea of emblems for the side of the fuel tank, one "idea" so far.

Wet Sanded and Painted

Today I wet sanded all of the parts with 320 and 400 grit wet sand paper. I sprayed the second coat of paint a little thicker than the first. I am very pleased with how the paint turned out. If you look close in the pictures you will see me taking the photo. The next step will be to wet sand again with even finer sand paper, probably 800 or 1000 grit. After that I will clear coat the pieces to seal the paint. I will put a couple layers of clear on and buff them out.

British Racing Green

Tom and his trusty Spray Gun (and a Pabst)

Today I used a Professional Automotive High Volume Low Pressure Spray Gun Kit to put the initial coat of British Racing Green, which is PPG's Delton (DBU 44524) Basecoat/Clearcoat paint system. The color looks beautiful and will really show off well with the rest of the trike. The spraygun was suprisingly easy to use, with VERY little overspray. I shot it with no runs. So tomorrow I will have to wet sand the paint to smooth it out, and either shoot it again, or clear coat it depending on how the paint looks. If it covered well, there will be no need for another coat, I can just seal it with a coat of clear. I am researching an artist to draw me a logo for the side of the fuel tank. I will put it on the tank and clear over it to seal it onto the tank.

Priming Parts

I cleaned the corrosion off the fork lowers. Removed the chrome from the front fender, and removed the ornament. I stripped and smoothed the rear fenders. I removed and wet sanded the fuel tank. All parts were primed, and ready for paint. I have to get plugs for the fuel ports on the tank, so they don't get clogged with paint. Now I just need to practice with the paint sprayer to make sure I am comfortable with the way it operates.

Forks Prep Work

Tonight I used a "scotch brite" style steel wood to smooth off the lower fork tubes. I used Norton brand medium course steel wool with Simple Greeen to remove all oils and grease. I removed the corrosion, and roughed up the smooth sections. I plan to take them to work to grind off the casting marks and rough spots that cannot be simply smoothed over. I also started roughing up the chrome front fender. I will need to aggressively remove the corrosion form the underside. I plan to remove the hood ornament and leave that chrome, when I paint the front fender so it will stand out more.

Disassembly

Today I began disassembly of the trike for paint. I still need to drain the fuel tank and remove the rear bumper section. I have decided to paint the front fender, fork lowers, fuel tank, rear bumper, rear fenders. The rest will be left dull black to draw your eyes to the green paint.

Start

Mark "Frog"

VW Trike

I have decided to finish my brother Mark's trike the way he would have wanted. I built fenders for the rear wheels. I have a set of rims being drilled out to fit the VW bolt pattern. I have the paint (British Racing Green) and clear coat to paint. Now I simply have to disassemble the parts I need to paint and prime them. The prep is the most important part.