Hack mounting points for CB550F -Need ideas to keep OEM exhaust intact

On the way home I thought of something else that might work.

I could fill in the area between the nut and 3/4" shank with weld till it is one continuous even cylinder. That would eliminate any possibility of adjustment at that point.

To alleviate the adjustment problem, I could cut the 3/4" rod in the middle and find a split sleeve to join the 2 pieces and allow for axial adjustment.

Just a thought.

I think that butt weld has the potential to be a massive failure. Would hate to see an injury related to that. I'm all for a frugal build, but not when it comes to safety.
Any farm implement supply will offer different length threaded struts for a reasonable price.

The biggest hurdle I face around here is finding threaded rod that will fit that heim joint. A lot of the stores that are old standbys are closing up or have nothing in stock. (grainger, fastenal, etc...) 'Oh we can have it shipped to you in 3-7 business days'.

Another idea? Would a male hiem joint and a female thread sleeve welded to the inside perimeter of a steel square tube work better?
** scratch that **

Dang it, everything grainger has been offering has gone down hill. All of their threaded rod is class 1a.... shit...

I'll check out Union Bearing in town and see what they have to offer.


In regards to that butt weld, I'm going to build weld up 90 degrees to the butt weld joint. I'm using a 400 amp welder that can blow through that rod if I really wanted to. The penetration on that butt weld is pretty deep on the practice joint I tried earlier. There is a reason why the rod is blued 3 inches from the weld.

I decided to lay down another layer of weld around the butt weld. I didn't grind it smooth this time. Just a little wire brush action...

That Miller sure does lay it down pretty nice...

After doing more research, I'm going to redo that butt weld again.

Stay tuned...

After reviewing my work on the strut and digging through some old notebooks I have for reference. I came to the conclusion my original buttweld was complete shit.

First mistake was over welding the F out of the steel with multiple passes. I had forgotten about the effects of the 'Heat Affected Zone' and the resulting embrittlement. 2nd mistake was prepping the joint as a square edge butt joint.
The correct prep is to grind the joints into chisel ends and leave a 1mm gap for maximum penetration on the 1st pass.
Set the welder to 25 volts and wire speed to 225. Strike that first weld and watch the magic happen. The puddle pulled a nice little buttonhole void ahead of the arc. This told me the native metal was being pulled into the puddle. Success! Finished the 1st pass and had a bit of warping but the 2nd pass on the opposite side warped it back to the correct alignment. It took just 2 more passes on each side to fill the crevasse and the weld was even with the rod width. This method was a lightbulb eureka moment for me. I used to weld a lot but had forgotten some of the subtle things that make the process go like butter.
No pictures this time but it looks the part with minimal HAZ bluing. I polished the whole piece with a roll-loc disc to remove as many stress risers as possible.
Primed with self etching primer then top coated with black engine paint.
Both ends will be attached to heim joints so the majority of the forces will be axial
compression and tension.

I'm sending off the front lower velorex strut to Jay at DMC do I can have some real adjustment available for wheel lead and the like.

Sounds like an excellent plan, carry on!

Update:

Spend some money on bits for connections. Waiting on the products to be shipped. In the meantime:

Prep n' paint! Ooo... Purday!


Acid Etching primer


Cleaning threads and collets


Shock tower. This thing was Nasty!



Sidecar frame with final coat. I hit it with a flat black 1st coat then top coated with gloss black. I like the semi-gloss finish.

The hack transformation will be very soon. Just waiting for the big brown truck!

Awww yeah!!!

The subframe fits very nicely. No kludging required!!

Had you fitted the chair on the correct side, it would have been so muc easier!

Great work though.

I'm always trying to be positive, so I must keep the sidecar on the 'winning' side!

Update..... It is alive!







Plunked the tub on the frame to see how she'd look.. I'm liking it.

I took it for a spin around the block and it all feels tight. It needs higher rate springs on the tug but it'll get ya somewhere! I set the toe-in and lean out to generic specs. The sidecar wheel lead is exactly 9 inches. A super easy adjustment to set when you have an 18" rear rim. Just point the axle to the rim.

Now it's time to work on the body n' electrics n' suspension bits.. Oye.. Details...

I think I have my first volunteer....





'If you F this up, I'll eat your soul!!' ..:huh