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00:00Coming up on American Restoration.
00:02Oh, man, it's 88, 1929.
00:06Maybe this is an old Moonshine running bike.
00:08I'm hoping to get this thing done in 30 days.
00:10You get a ride.
00:11In our ride, in 30 days.
00:12Let's get this thing started.
00:14What the heck?
00:15Did I just see what I think I just saw?
00:17A big shoe?
00:19Check this thing out.
00:20Penny scale.
00:21That's pretty neat.
00:22A little bracket.
00:24All right, let's try it.
00:26Ah, .
00:28I broke it.
00:30Yeah.
00:32Across this country, five shops are breathing new life
00:35into classic American designs.
00:38From rusted out Mustangs to broken down Harleys
00:43and everything in between.
00:45Each job has a story.
00:47Love these things.
00:49Woo!
00:53This is American Restoration.
01:06Buzz.
01:07Hi, guys.
01:08Unbelievable.
01:10My old pal Buzz, we've been friends forever.
01:12He's the owner and publisher of American Iron Magazine.
01:15It's the magazine for anything Harley-Davidson.
01:17And when Buzz has a project for Dale, it's going to be special.
01:21Buzz really knows his bikes.
01:23I can't wait to see what this one is.
01:25Great looking JD, man.
01:26It's not a JD.
01:27Oh, man.
01:28JDH.
01:29What's the number on there, Bob?
01:3127.
01:3255.
01:3327.
01:3455.
01:351929.
01:36So, this would be one of the first 500 they ever built.
01:38Yeah.
01:39Harley-Davidson reinvented the twin cam in 1928 and 29, and they called it the JDH.
01:45It crushed the competition.
01:46The twin cam engine was really quite dynamic.
01:49It had valve timing and magneto ignition.
01:51It was the super bike of the time.
01:53Harley-Davidson produced the twin cam in very limited numbers.
01:56What that equates to today is value and rarity.
02:00Boy, has that got a nice feel to it.
02:02It's a tight little bike.
02:03How's it run?
02:04It doesn't run great, which is why I'm here.
02:05It's a put-together.
02:06It's a little hot rod.
02:07See, what I'm thinking is this bike was probably modified a long time ago.
02:10This was probably a road bike that was TT raced.
02:13You see how these three poles are in line?
02:16Yeah.
02:16That's 1924 and earlier.
02:18Yeah.
02:18So, they've taken a 29 motorcycle, put a 24 fork, and what that does is it's going
02:23to turn a lot faster.
02:24Maybe this is an old moonshine running bike.
02:26There you go.
02:27A lot of the two cams, these old JDHs, were run by the moonshiners.
02:31Yeah.
02:32And the cop cars couldn't catch them.
02:33Couldn't keep up with them.
02:33Yeah.
02:34So, I guess you want me to work on this motorcycle.
02:36Absolutely.
02:36I'll tell you, the first thing I would do is the bag's got to go.
02:39Yep.
02:40These lights in the back I don't like.
02:41The paint is a little bit funky, a little crusty for me.
02:45Yeah.
02:45And then the other thing, when you look this engine over, you know, it's kind of spray
02:49bomb black.
02:50Yeah.
02:50Bob, wouldn't you think nickel plating on some of the smaller parts would look good on
02:54this?
02:54But the first thing that's got to go is these hideous mirrors.
02:57Give me your wrench down.
02:58They are pretty bad.
03:00This is called field dressing.
03:02Yeah.
03:03Okay.
03:03That's two less things.
03:04Can I throw them in your tool bag?
03:05Yeah.
03:06Okay.
03:06So, Dale, it's not close enough to restore it to correct.
03:10It's a hot rod.
03:10It's a custom.
03:11Right.
03:11I agree.
03:12You just want to keep it cool.
03:14That's right.
03:14So every nut and bolt's got to come apart and it all has to be touched and put back together,
03:18providing the engine and the transmission's good.
03:20How practical is that?
03:22You know, I know what you're talking about, and it sounds like about 18 grand.
03:27Is there something I can do that makes sense where we can cut the price down?
03:31If you want to help us take this thing apart, every part of every part of every part,
03:36you know, we can take a couple thousand bucks off and that'll help you out a little bit.
03:39You good for that?
03:40You know what?
03:40Not only would I love doing that because it can save me some money.
03:45Yeah.
03:45But it gives me a chance to know the bike.
03:47Yeah.
03:48But I'm hoping to get this thing done in 30 days.
03:51You get a ride.
03:51I'd like to ride this on yours.
03:53In our ride.
03:53In 30 days.
03:55Next month is our annual ride up the Maggie mountain.
03:58I can't wait.
03:59But Buzz wants to have this bike ready for that ride.
04:02There's a lot riding on this.
04:03I know if I can get the bike done, he'll likely feature it in American Iron Magazine.
04:07It'd be some great publicity for Wheels Through Time.
04:10What this means is this bike not only have to be magazine perfect, but it's got to be running perfect
04:15in one month.
04:16Let's roll this thing in the shop right now.
04:18Let's get this thing started.
04:19Only 29 days to go.
04:24Grab a tool and let's get to work.
04:27Look at that baby spin.
04:29Put that in the paint strip pile.
04:32Battery out?
04:33Yeah.
04:33Oh yeah.
04:34One rear fender.
04:35That's what I'm talking about.
04:36This thing is coming down quick.
04:40Pull it.
04:41Pull it.
05:07Come on, Wiley.
05:08Come on Wiley.
05:08Get it.
05:10Boom.
05:11Hey.
05:12Bring back two.
05:14You're going to confuse them.
05:16What the heck?
05:23Did I just see what I think I just saw?
05:26A big shoe?
05:28Yeah, that's a giant shoe.
05:30Oh my God, it's coming in here.
05:32That's not something you see every day.
05:34Not since the 60s.
05:36Yeah, exactly.
05:38A size 200 shoe.
05:40Here it comes.
05:41Here it comes.
05:44Yes.
05:44Wow.
05:47That's awesome, aren't I?
05:49I think it's on a Volkswagen chassis.
05:51Is Steve here?
05:52Oh, there's somebody in there, too.
05:53You didn't think the shoe was driving itself, did you?
05:56You never know.
05:57Are you Steve?
05:58I'm Steve.
05:59Hi, I'm Earl Harris.
06:00How do you do?
06:00Earl, nice to meet you.
06:01I have a roller skating rink over in Rome, New York.
06:03And I picked this thing up over from a dealer in Clinton.
06:06I'd like to take my business advertising-wise to a higher level.
06:10And I'd like to see what you can do for this thing.
06:12Yeah, I remember seeing this.
06:14It's been sitting for a long time.
06:15Yeah, this has been sitting over there for a number of years.
06:17Back in the 70s, Volkswagen Beetles were affordable, easy to work on, reliable cars.
06:23So they made a great foundation for all kinds of custom projects, just like Earl's skate car.
06:27These were made by a fellow named Strickland down in Florida.
06:31He owned a chain of skating rinks.
06:32I'd like to have it redone and see what we can come up with.
06:34Well, you came to the right place.
06:36Good.
06:36In the 70s and 80s, roller skating was huge.
06:39It was a lot of fun.
06:40You could get together with your friends, have a great time.
06:42That's starting to come back around.
06:44People are doing it again.
06:45And this skate car is going to be great for Earl to promote his business.
06:49What I'm looking to do is to upscale this thing, like a nice paint.
06:53And I want this displayed outside.
06:55And also, I can use it for taking kids for rides around the skating rink parking lots.
07:00I mean, you're not going to be driving this in the snow, are you?
07:02I plowed a parking lot, so it won't be in two feet of snow.
07:05So we don't need to put a snow plow on the skate?
07:07No, no.
07:08But I would like to have, like, a toe stop on the front, the wild paint job, the bump stop,
07:14all that stuff.
07:14We can make that happen.
07:16The thing that concerns me is that it's been sitting for so long, it definitely looks like it's been sitting
07:20in water, too, doesn't it?
07:22Yeah, the suspension's going to have to be totally gone through.
07:25There's some rust under there.
07:26This fiberglass is busted up pretty good.
07:29Probably what we would do is sandblast the chassis, powder coat it, strip the whole shoe right down to bare
07:34fiberglass,
07:35like we would do a Corvette, you know, fiberglass body.
07:38Redo all the frame to this suspension.
07:41The engine's obviously got to be taken apart.
07:43So basically, when we're all said and done, I mean, you're going to have a brand new skate car here.
07:47You mind if we get in it?
07:48Go right ahead.
07:49Come on, Keith.
07:49You first.
07:51Thanks, Pete.
07:56Wow.
07:57How's the interior look?
07:58The interior has just got to be completely gutted.
08:02It's hokeyed up.
08:04There's a lot of work ahead of us here.
08:05I mean, it's not a small project.
08:08Let's say we could be somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000, something like that.
08:13How about I come up to $22,500?
08:15$22,500.
08:18We'll try to hit that mark for you.
08:20We'll do our best.
08:21Let's say we won't go over $25,000.
08:23How's that sound?
08:23That sounds like a deal.
08:24All right.
08:25Great.
08:25Very good.
08:25We're excited to get started on this thing.
08:28It's going to be a really cool project.
08:29It's going to be great.
08:30Let me out.
08:31We'll leave Keith locked inside of there and take it off.
08:42All right.
08:42You guys ready to get this thing inside?
08:44Tear it down?
08:44Yeah, we should probably check to see if it'll make it.
08:48Yeah, I'll grab the tape measure.
08:49All right.
08:50I'm going to see if I can figure out how to drive this thing.
08:52There's no repair manual for a skate car.
08:55There was maybe 27 of these made by a guy in Florida who wanted to promote his roller skate business.
09:01So there's no parts.
09:02You can't just pick up the phone and call your roller skate car dealership and say,
09:06Hey, I need a fender for my shoe.
09:08We're going to have to figure this one out as we go.
09:10About nine and a half feet or so.
09:12I don't know.
09:13I'll measure it when he gets up there.
09:15Hey, where's he going?
09:16I don't know what he's doing.
09:17Oh.
09:19What are you doing?
09:23Uh-oh.
09:25Hey, where's he going?
09:25I don't know what he's doing.
09:27Oh.
09:29What are you doing?
09:33Uh-oh.
09:36Transmission?
09:36I wouldn't go into gear, man.
09:38I thought it was in forward.
09:39Things freaking went backwards.
09:40I thought I was going over that freaking bank, man.
09:43You could have.
09:43Could have hit the power pole, too.
09:45Earl's skate car is really cool, but it needs a ton of work.
09:49I get it into what I thought was first gear and just feather the clutch and the throttle a little
09:54bit.
09:54Next thing you know, the throttle's stuck to the floor.
09:56I'm trying to pick it up with my foot and the thing's in reverse and I'm flying into the woods
10:00we're just towing this thing in the shop because it's got to be taken right apart and started from scratch.
10:10Let's put a toe strap up to it and see if we can get it in.
10:12All right.
10:17All right.
10:19All right, go ahead.
10:24Here we go.
10:27We can make it.
10:39Let's get the body unbolted and grab a couple of the guys.
10:42Can't we use the lift?
10:44It's not that heavy.
10:45It's fiberglass.
10:47Beat's got tools.
10:54Here's your first curtain, Keith.
11:09I think that's all the body mounts on the underside.
11:12We're going to have to pick this thing up.
11:18Ready?
11:20Keith, you've got to watch the back.
11:22Keith?
11:23Yep.
11:23Watch the lights.
11:25Yep.
11:32Easy.
11:34Go ahead, let it go.
11:35Everybody clear?
11:37Yep.
11:39Yeah, it looks like a shoe.
11:41How's the chassis looking?
11:43Looks like a mess right now, but...
11:45It is a mess.
11:47Look at the wiring in this thing.
11:50Why do they have all this junk in here?
11:52I imagine at one time there was a lot more to it.
11:55Stuff got sacrificed along the way.
11:56What's that there, Pete?
11:57This block of wood.
11:58That's body mount.
12:01All right, well, let's start tearing this thing apart the rest of the way.
12:17Check this thing out.
12:19Check this thing out.
12:19Penny scale.
12:19The Fair Oaks Pharmacy commissioned us to restore this whole penny scale for their 100th year
12:24anniversary.
12:25This pharmacy with a classic soda fountain attached to it sits on Route 66 in Pasadena.
12:30A piece of Americana like this is the perfect addition.
12:33This thing is awesome.
12:35Early 1900s penny scale made by C.R. Kirk & Company in Chicago, Illinois.
12:39These things were big money makers back in the day.
12:42They were in pharmacies, they were at the fair, they were everywhere.
12:45Not only a penny scale, but a guess your weight scale.
12:48You put your penny in the slot, you guess your weight, you step on the scale.
12:52If you guess your weight correctly, you get your penny back.
12:55We're just going to put it back to original.
12:57Looks like it's all there except for where you put the pennies, right?
13:00We may have to make something.
13:01Let's start taking it apart.
13:04Wow, look at that.
13:09Looks like this was supposed to be a glass sign.
13:12The lights would light up behind it.
13:14Wow, look at this wiring.
13:16Don't plug it in.
13:18That doesn't look too good.
13:20Oh, look at this.
13:22The mother load.
13:28Oh, it's full.
13:32Look at that.
13:33Woo-hoo.
13:34Penny rich.
13:35So someone was actually using it not too long ago.
13:38This thing consists of a lot of intricate moving parts.
13:41Some of the mechanisms work, some don't.
13:44So we're just going to have to dig further into this thing to see what's really wrong with it.
13:49Ha-ha.
13:50Yep, there you go.
13:51Look at that.
13:53It's been stuck for a while.
13:54What'd you hit?
13:56A little arm over there.
13:57Oh.
13:59You set the red arm, and then when you step on it, this is supposed to lock the red arm
14:06selection into position.
14:08Okay, now step on it, Mitchell.
14:11And there it is.
14:12That's the arm that trips it.
14:14Okay, so now it just hit it, but somehow, someway, this has got to be connected to this to allow
14:20the penny to...
14:21This, I push that up by hand, something needs to pull this arm up on this side.
14:26There's like a rod that goes down here.
14:28The scale's mechanism seemed to be in great shape, but when Mitchell stood on the scale and we tried to
14:33see how it works, it wasn't working properly.
14:36So we're going to have to figure out what it's actually missing to make this thing work.
14:41I want a schematic by morning.
14:43No problem.
14:55Probably the most unglorious part of restoring motorcycles is stripping paint.
15:00Buzz's bike, it had a lot of paint.
15:02Black and white, red and blue underneath.
15:04I'm just getting down to it.
15:06Bob and I are getting Buzz's 29 JDH ready for paint.
15:09I'm stripping, Bob's blasting.
15:12If this bike was original, we wouldn't be doing all of this, but we realized early on, this bike is
15:17far from original.
15:18You know, it's pretty obvious that the last person that painted it was not quite as ambitious as I am.
15:24They just painted over the old paint, several layers.
15:27The thing you have to be most careful with on the JDH tanks, these are made out of steel and
15:33they're soldered together.
15:34If you break the lead seam with a razor or a knife, you're going to have a tank leak.
15:39I use a particular scraper, it's got a couple of hooks and gadgets on it.
15:42You're getting all the small parts.
15:45It takes a certain amount of, I'm going to get this done attitude to do one of these tanks.
15:50Second gallon of stripper.
15:52You know, all of these machines have layers of history.
15:55I'm just scraping them off.
16:00That's a lot of goop.
16:02That's coming out nice.
16:04Once the paint's off, in the blaster, off to the painter.
16:09And, uh, maroon it is.
16:14And I'm done.
16:15Get those nasty things off.
16:22You know, if you bend this frame past the point and it tweaks and kinks, you're done for.
16:29Okay, go!
16:34A lot of hoo-gabs and thingamajigababobs in there.
16:37The penny scale that we're restoring for the Fair Wilkes Pharmacy on Route 66 is loaded with moving parts.
16:43Kirk has taken on the task of pulling this thing apart and keeping track of all the parts so that
16:49when we put this thing back together, there's no problems and it's functioning properly.
16:53There we go.
16:55Next thing to do is make sure that we hammer out all the dents, fill any holes, and get this
17:00thing ready to go out to the paint department.
17:03Not only do we gotta get all the old paint off, but we also gotta get the rust off as
17:07well.
17:07This is old steel, it's not stainless steel, so it's more prone to rust and corrosion.
17:15This black.
17:16Black.
17:17This blue.
17:19Okay.
17:19While I try and crack the code on the mechanicals of the guess your weight scale, I'm having Alex paint
17:24the super cool 1930s period correct color scale.
17:27The green.
17:28The antique green.
17:30And here's the tricky one.
17:31Oh, that's that one.
17:31This one's black.
17:33And then green.
17:34The one green in the middle, right?
17:36Yeah, alright.
17:36Thanks, man.
17:37In a few hours, ready for assembly.
17:42We want to put the blue one first.
17:51So now we want to paint the black at the bottom.
18:00Now the green, that's going to be the last color.
18:08It's going to be nice, beautiful.
18:10After all three colors are sprayed on, Alex is sanding off the paint on the graded footstand, so that reveals
18:16the aluminum underneath, so it gives it a real nice 3D depth look to it.
18:20This thing's going to look awesome once the clear is sprayed on.
18:22I love it, and he's going to love it too.
18:40Well, me and the guys have been finishing the body work up for the skate car.
18:43Keith has been wrenching on the engine and transmission.
18:45This is a 72 Volkswagen Beetle, so it's a cool project just to start, but it was in bad shape.
18:51So he had to completely disassemble the engine and transmission, just like we did the rest of the project.
18:55Now, the rebuilt engine's going back in the chassis, so let's see how this thing matches up.
18:59We're excited.
19:00We'll destroy the transmission if it doesn't go in at the right angle.
19:05There it goes.
19:08Excellent.
19:08Nice job, folks.
19:11Wouldn't it be nice if all engines went in and out like this?
19:15Got that right.
19:17This 1600cc VW motor, it's very simple.
19:21It's a four-cylinder, makes about 50 horsepower.
19:24It's not a lot.
19:26It was one of the bigger Volkswagen engines until it went water-cooled.
19:30Okay, so now that we have the engine and the transmission bolted up together, we've got to start hooking up
19:35the fun stuff.
19:36Start wiring it up.
19:37Fuel lines run.
19:39Get everything hooked up, and then we'll see how Keith did putting it back together.
19:42Yeah.
19:43Well, boss, what do you think?
19:45That looks cool.
19:46The red matches the tires.
19:48Great.
19:48I'm going to keep rolling on the body work.
19:50We'll get the battery.
19:51Okay.
20:01Right over here.
20:02Come on.
20:03Oh, you got the old tool out.
20:05Yeah.
20:06I don't know what I'd do without this thing.
20:08It's essential on a ground-up restoration, you start with a perfectly straight frame.
20:12Bob noticed on Buzz's 29 JDH, the frame might have a slight bend.
20:17I have the perfect tool, a 1920 Harley-Davidson frame straightening table,
20:22that'll allow us to straighten this frame, all the metal, all the pieces, with our bare hands.
20:28This checks your fork alignment.
20:29Right.
20:30But this neck is bent.
20:31Right.
20:31And we're going to run a straight edge from here to here to here.
20:34Right.
20:34And we'll know it.
20:34So what this has is a very heavy-duty straight steel rod.
20:38So you put that guy in there like that.
20:40How does that look?
20:41It warped.
20:42Doesn't look bad.
20:43It's warped, though.
20:45That's over an inch.
20:46No, not quite, but it's close.
20:50Oh, no.
20:51Right, right, right, right, right.
20:53We've got some serious movement to do.
20:55That's bad.
20:56If it's an inch down here, by the time it got to the front wheel, it'd be two inches.
21:01Right.
21:01The JDH frame is bent in two places.
21:03It's likely it's been in more than one wreck.
21:06It's a high-speed machine, so a bent frame can be extremely dangerous.
21:09It'll be mishandling, and it won't go straight.
21:13Bend frames, they'll kill you.
21:15I think this frame has a compound bend.
21:17We've got a bend right here.
21:19Right.
21:19We've got a bend up here.
21:21Right.
21:21This is what I use to straighten the fork.
21:23This is a straightening bar.
21:25Right.
21:26It'll probably take all you and I have to straighten this frame.
21:30Okay?
21:31Bring your end down.
21:32Okay?
21:34You got that?
21:37Okay, go.
21:39More.
21:40Go past it.
21:41That did it.
21:42You're moving.
21:43Bob is using the straightening bar on the upper tube of the frame.
21:46I'm holding on to the other tool for dear life, counterbalancing what Bob is doing.
21:51If either of us lets go, it'll be a sure disaster and the frame will not be straightened.
21:55And again.
21:56Hit it again.
21:56One, two, three.
21:58Yeah.
21:59I'm going to check it at the front wheel again.
22:04It's a lot closer, Bob.
22:05It's a lot closer.
22:06It's half of what it was.
22:08Let's try it again.
22:09Ready?
22:09Two.
22:11Three.
22:11And one more.
22:12One more time.
22:13We don't want to over bend it.
22:15I can see it moving.
22:15Go ahead.
22:17And one more.
22:18That's it.
22:19All right.
22:23I love this tool.
22:24I think we got it.
22:27Yes!
22:27I can live with that.
22:30Let's get this thing off here and get it to the painter.
22:34Dale?
22:35Yeah?
22:35Come look at this.
22:36Your Kickstarter.
22:38It ain't gonna pass.
22:39It's not gonna clear.
22:40Not at all.
22:50How's it going?
22:51Pretty good, I think.
22:52The 30's penny scale looks amazing, but we're still having a problem with the guess your weight function.
22:57It's not working properly.
22:59We're not getting our penny back.
23:00Which is bad news because we got a hard deadline.
23:04This thing is supposed to be there today for the Fair Wilkes Pharmacy 100th year anniversary.
23:08It looks like we're just missing one bracket that would bolt right here on the back of the slider.
23:12It pushes on this arm, I think.
23:14And then when you pull it back out, it'll pull this arm down, which releases the whole mechanism.
23:20You want me to help you make a bracket?
23:21Uh, yeah, that'd be great.
23:23So I can finish bolting all this in.
23:24It would save me some time.
23:26And it's gonna go that way and up, right?
23:28It's gonna push and pull.
23:29Okay, cool.
23:31Even if I had the time to scour the internet for a piece that's missing for this rare scale,
23:36I can still come up empty handed.
23:38The best thing to do right now is just to fabricate the exact piece we need so that we know
23:43it's
23:43gonna work properly and get this thing done in time.
23:46So I cut my little piece from my bracket and now I'm just gonna put a break in it.
23:53Should be good to go.
23:58This plays a pretty big part.
24:00I know it's just a little piece in the penny machine because this will activate one lever
24:05and if you've guessed your weight correctly, this will pull back and hit another lever
24:10which will release your penny and you get it back.
24:17All right, dude, I think I got it.
24:19A little bracket.
24:23Right thread?
24:24Yeah.
24:27All right, let's try it.
24:30Ah, .
24:31I broke it.
24:32Yeah, we're gonna have to drill that other hole.
24:34It should come out and then grab that on the way back.
24:38It didn't.
24:40Now you're gonna have to make that hole a little bit bigger.
24:43We'll just have to use a nut.
24:44Okay.
24:45Trial-on-error fabrication on a custom part for this intricate mechanism could take days.
24:50Mitchell says he's got it.
24:52I hope he's right because we gotta get this thing done.
24:55All right.
24:56I think that's enough.
24:57Yeah, let's see.
25:00I think we're onto something here.
25:02That's awesome.
25:09Let's go.
25:19Let's go.
25:20All right.
25:21I'll go get the owner.
25:22This is a big year here at the Fair Oaks Pharmacy in Soda Fountain because we've been in business for
25:26a hundred years now.
25:27I want to do something special for Zara, the owner.
25:29So finding this penny scale, getting it restored by Bodhi was absolutely critical.
25:34Right about there.
25:35That's good.
25:36Yeah, that'll work.
25:37Bodhi, I got Zara for you.
25:39Hey, Zara.
25:39Hey, nice to meet you.
25:41Nice to meet you.
25:42I love the place, man.
25:43This is awesome.
25:44This is a perfect home for this.
25:46So I'm assuming that this is like a historical landmark for Pasadena.
25:51Oh, absolutely.
25:52It's right on Route 66.
25:54Wow.
25:54So you can imagine over the last hundred years how many people go through this place.
25:59Well, I love what you've done to it.
26:01I believe this is gonna fit right in.
26:03I hope so.
26:03Pretty cool.
26:04Wanna check it out?
26:05That's great.
26:05Yeah, let's check it out.
26:06Let's check it out.
26:08Here we go.
26:09You ready?
26:12Oh, my God.
26:14I love it.
26:15Wow.
26:16That is awesome what you've done with it, man.
26:19Doesn't look nothing like it did when you dropped it off, right?
26:21As you can see, we've gone from top to bottom.
26:24Everything is like brand new.
26:25Everything works.
26:27You paint new glass.
26:28The whole piece behind here is all new.
26:31Remember there was just an old piece of plywood here.
26:34Yeah, yeah.
26:34Bodhi, what is this?
26:35That's the new sign.
26:37It was missing before.
26:38We made an old vintage sign.
26:40So you got the coin thing now because you were missing that.
26:43That's right.
26:43So we got a new one of those.
26:45That's right.
26:45We made it fully functional.
26:47You can put your penny in.
26:48You can guess your weight.
26:49And if you guess correctly, get your penny back.
26:51Wow.
26:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
26:52Can we try it?
26:52Yeah, try it, man.
26:53It works.
26:54I think I have a penny or two.
26:55First, you're gonna wanna guess your weight.
26:57Okay.
26:58Best you can.
26:59So I turn this knob in?
27:00Turn the knob.
27:01Alright.
27:02I'm gonna close this to your weight.
27:04I'm gonna close this to your weight.
27:04With the 132.
27:05We'll put your penny in the slot.
27:07Alright.
27:09Push it in.
27:09Push it in.
27:11Alright.
27:12Perfect.
27:13Now go ahead and step on the scale.
27:15Put your own.
27:19No way.
27:20Wow.
27:21And you got your penny back.
27:23Oh wow.
27:23Look at that.
27:24It's incredible.
27:25It actually worked.
27:26Back in the day, that would have made somebody's day.
27:28Because you got your penny back and then you head on over to the soda fountain and you get yourself
27:32up.
27:32Amen.
27:33Roop your float or something.
27:34It made my day just to see that it works.
27:37Thank you, buddy.
27:38You did a tremendous job.
27:39You got it.
27:40Anytime, you can have a free float.
27:42Really?
27:43Yes.
27:44Now?
27:45Why not?
27:46Why not?
27:46Let's do it.
27:47Alright.
27:48Awesome.
27:50Dude, wait until you see what I got.
27:55Holy moly, man.
28:00Mmm.
28:00You want to guess my weight after eating this waffle?
28:14Look at these fishtails on this thing.
28:16This thing's going to sound magic.
28:18I can't wait to hear it.
28:18Dale?
28:19Yeah?
28:20Come look at this.
28:21Your Kickstarter, it ain't going to pass.
28:24It's not going to clear.
28:25Not at all.
28:28The 29 Harley is coming together beautifully and we've got just a small punch list of things
28:32to go.
28:33I've got the pipes installed, but now we have a problem.
28:36The pipes don't clear the Kickstarter.
28:37If we can't get this Kickstarter to clear the pipes, we're going nowhere fast.
28:41The bike won't start.
28:43Can you bend the pipes?
28:44No.
28:44You can't bend that pipe.
28:45And if you bend this rear one, you're too close to the tire.
28:48This one, see they're slapped right up next to each other.
28:50This is the way it has to be.
28:52Ah.
28:55You know what?
28:571936, the VL has the same kick arm, except it flares out.
29:01It would get around that pipe.
29:03You got one?
29:04Yeah, I got one.
29:05I think I know exactly where it's at.
29:06I'll be back.
29:07Somewhere in the mid-30s, Harley Davidson used a bigger muffler on all their motorcycles,
29:12requiring more of a kick out in the kicker arm.
29:15Putting one of these on Buzz's bike would fix the problem, and he'll never know the difference.
29:20Interchanging old Harley parts is nothing new.
29:22It's kind of what we do when we build old bikes.
29:24Look, look, look, look, look.
29:26That is the exact fit.
29:27Get all that stuff cleaned out.
29:29I'm going to get this arm changed.
29:32We'll have those pipes on in no time.
29:33Unbelievable.
29:34The 36 kick arm was slightly larger in diameter than the original 29.
29:39It was going to take something to open that hole up.
29:41In my menagerie of unusual tools, I found a stone grinder that was the exact fit.
29:46I didn't have a steel reamer, and this was the last chance.
29:50Gotta do it, Beal.
29:56Woo-hoo-hoo!
29:58Right through.
30:00Bendy over the tab, and away we go.
30:03Look at this.
30:04Right in there.
30:05Right there.
30:06Right there.
30:07Right there.
30:08And in place.
30:08Let's do the double check, Bob.
30:10Kick that thing over.
30:11Oh, yeah.
30:11Look at this.
30:12We've got space, too.
30:13Lead.
30:14Yeah, we've got plenty of room.
30:15We've got a lot of room.
30:16Excellent.
30:16We're going to get Buzz's bike done.
30:21Something's coming.
30:22Something's coming.
30:23Here it comes.
30:24Wow!
30:26That's fantastic.
30:27It really looks like a roller skate now.
30:29It does.
30:34Earl's skate car came to us looking like one of those 1970s roller skates that you don't want your mom
30:40to buy you from a garage sale.
30:41We needed to redesign this thing and make it look wild, cool, still retro, but just something that everybody is
30:48going to want.
30:49So the most crucial part of that is going to be the paint job.
30:52Every cool-looking roller skate is stitched together, so our roller skate needs stitches.
30:58And we thought the coolest way to do it would be to hand fin strength it.
31:01I've ran these tape lines as a guide so that I can have all of my stitches be exactly the
31:08same measurement all throughout the shoe.
31:10Because we didn't want just straight lines from the stitches, I'm rounding the ends of every stitch.
31:16I'll brush that round in first by just twisting the brush to get that curve, and then I'll add the
31:22straight line of the stitch.
31:23When this paint dries, you're going to see just a very faint brush mark, and that's actually going to look
31:29like a stitch.
31:30So it's going to really add to the whole effect of the stitches on the shoe.
31:34When I peel the tape off, I'm going to actually peel it backwards and at an angle, and that's going
31:38to actually cut the paint for me.
31:40Just like a razor blade.
31:42After this paint dries, we're going to mix up some clear coat and get this thing looking shiny.
31:55Earl wanted us to restore his 1970s roller skate car.
31:58It's something that he could use to promote his roller skating rink.
32:00He's going to be picking this thing up fairly soon, so we need to get moving and get the job
32:05done.
32:05The guys in the front, once we get over the table, are going to have to drop it down so
32:10the guys in the back can get it up high over the seat well.
32:14You ready?
32:17Watch the board.
32:21Watch the board.
32:22Pete, how are you looking on the steering column?
32:24I'm good right now.
32:28I think we're looking good.
32:30Just like that.
32:32Doing alright, Petey?
32:33Yeah, I'm good.
32:35We're getting close.
32:42Somewhere right about there.
32:44That is wicked cool.
32:49Hey Earl.
32:50Hi guys, how you doing?
32:51Good to see ya.
32:52Something's coming, something's coming.
32:54This skate was sitting in a junkyard for a number of years, and everybody go by, and they're like, what
32:59are they ever going to do with that thing?
33:00Well, now we're going to find out what they're going to do with that thing.
33:03Here it comes.
33:11Wow!
33:13That's fantastic!
33:15What's going on here?
33:16Steve, this thing's fantastic!
33:18Unbelievable!
33:20Unbelievable!
33:22I see the skate coming around the corner, I can't believe it's the same skate!
33:26I mean, it's unbelievable!
33:27The job that he did?
33:28Without words.
33:29Without words.
33:29I just don't have words to express myself.
33:31Oh wow, you guys did a fantastic job.
33:34That is absolutely beautiful.
33:36Absolutely beautiful.
33:37How'd you get the toe stop on there like that, huh?
33:39Good to see you, Earl.
33:40Good to see you!
33:41Isn't that the best part of it?
33:42That really makes it look like a roller skate!
33:45Yes, it does.
33:45Like it's porcelain.
33:46I mean, it looked like a beat up old shoe.
33:48It was in rough shape.
33:49We wanted to make it look like a skate.
33:51It really looks like a roller skate now.
33:53It does.
33:53Love the tires and wheels.
33:55These tires are awesome.
33:57Roller skate wheels, as you know, are a solid color.
33:59So we actually found solid color tires to match the paint scheme.
34:03We got chrome smoothie rims to look just like a roller skate bearing.
34:07Yup.
34:07It looks a little different up here, right?
34:09It was a high top skate before.
34:12We made it a low top skate.
34:13Yeah.
34:14We actually had to re-fiberglass the entire bottom of this shoe.
34:17So we flipped the shoe upside down, reshaped the whole sole of the shoe.
34:21Then we did the same thing in the back, fiberglass resin and mesh.
34:25Then we spray polyed it, body worked it, just like we do any one of our show cars.
34:29Then we put a custom white pearl paint job on it.
34:33Sanded all that down.
34:34It needed a little more pop, so we added a red and black Prismatique pearl.
34:38All the new shakes are coming out with stuff like that now.
34:41Exactly.
34:41Check out this engine.
34:42Sounds like it runs real good.
34:44It runs great.
34:45We rebuilt the engine, all new chrome pulleys.
34:48Painted everything red to match the body.
34:50Fixed the clutch.
34:51Before it wouldn't shift.
34:52You didn't even know what gear it went into.
34:54No, you didn't.
34:54So now it's safe to drive, which is a big thing.
34:57You gotta hop up in here and check out the interior.
35:00I'm gonna.
35:00I'm gonna.
35:00I just can't believe it.
35:01You're gonna be blown away when you see that dash.
35:04Oh, wow.
35:05Oh, wow.
35:06This is unbelievable.
35:08Look at this.
35:10Volkswagen gauge.
35:11All custom glitter dash.
35:13That is really neat.
35:14How do you like the shoelaces, Earl?
35:16I think they're fantastic.
35:18That's three different color ropes that we actually braided together.
35:21There's over a hundred feet of rope.
35:23We stitched them right through just like your shoes would be laced.
35:26Yeah, exactly.
35:26They look just like it.
35:28It all just kind of ties in together.
35:30I mean, everything just looks so perfect.
35:33We try to do that on every job to make sure that it's gonna all match and blend together
35:37and just be what it's supposed to be.
35:40The skate, when I get it back to Rome, everybody's gonna go crazy over this thing.
35:44It far exceeded my expectations, so I'm sure that when people see that in a lot, they're
35:49gonna like, oh, what's that thing out there?
35:51That looks like a roller skate.
35:53A driving roller skate.
35:54Yeah, that's what it is.
35:56This is just awesome.
35:57It's a little overwhelming, really.
35:58We're looking at doing some parades, gonna have my skate people skating around it.
36:03Awesome.
36:03And it's gonna be fun.
36:05And I will tell everybody who did the job.
36:07Oh, I appreciate that.
36:08I hope you have a lot of fun with it.
36:10Yeah, we will.
36:10Maybe we'll come up and do some skating.
36:12All right.
36:13Well, I gotta get going down the road.
36:15I gotta get to work tonight.
36:16Sounds good, Earl.
36:17Okay.
36:17Have fun, man.
36:18Yup.
36:18I hope I don't get any speeding tickets.
36:22You ready to see it?
36:23I'm more than ready to see this thing.
36:25Ready?
36:25Woo!
36:27Oh, my God.
36:34I'm gonna take these screws out.
36:36What's holding the gas tank up right now are the oil lines and the fuel line and the shifter.
36:39So we're gonna have to use some extreme caution.
36:41Buzz's legendary 1929 JDH is almost ready, but the ride is today and Maggie Mountain is waiting.
36:48If we don't get the bike done, there'll be no American Iron Magazine story about this bike and Buzz will
36:54miss his ride.
36:55So when I bring the other tank over here...
36:58Right.
36:58I want you to get all the way underneath here.
37:00Watch your thumb prints on the pinstriping, man.
37:02I got you.
37:03Okay.
37:03And you're gonna raise that up until I tell you to stop.
37:06And then I'm very carefully gonna slip that tank in.
37:08All right.
37:09Here we go.
37:09The close point is going right underneath.
37:12Okay.
37:13I've got...
37:13You're up off of the frame.
37:15Yeah.
37:15You got it?
37:16I've got those.
37:17Don't move it.
37:21Okay, fantastic.
37:21Step back.
37:22All right.
37:23I just want to regroup before I put these bolts in.
37:26Ooh!
37:26Yeah.
37:27Good gracious.
37:27Look at this.
37:28Just amazing.
37:29While I'm doing this, I want you to go check the nuts and bolts up around the front wheel.
37:34Every nut and bolt that you can find.
37:36I want everything tight.
37:39Maggie Mountain it is.
37:40I love that mountain.
37:41I think it's seven miles at 11 degrees.
37:44If you've got an old machine and it'll go up that hill without smoking, blowing, grinding,
37:51you've got a good bike.
37:52Check this out, Bob.
37:53This little spark plug widget will hold the spare spark plug.
37:56The last thing you want is being on the road with a foul plug.
37:59Right.
37:59And if you do foul a plug, the first thing you want is one close at hand.
38:03Just make sure if that bolt comes out, we don't lose it in the wheels, folks.
38:06I got you.
38:08Okay, you're the seat guy.
38:09You know how to do it.
38:10No scratches right now.
38:13I'll tell you what I'm looking forward to is seeing Buzz seated on this machine going
38:18down the road.
38:19I want to ride with this guy.
38:21After you spend a couple hundred hours and it looks this good, it's pretty hard not to
38:25be excited.
38:27Yeah, we're coming through.
38:30Oh, yeah.
38:31Excellent.
38:31I got a coil screw loose.
38:33You know what happens when the coil falls off?
38:36Dale doesn't get paid.
38:38The bike stops.
38:40Buzz and the rest of the guys, they're going to be here in a minute.
38:42We both got a lot to do.
38:44Oh, Lord.
38:49I'm nervous.
38:49I really am.
38:50Are you ready for this?
38:52The gang's all here and they're ready to ride up Maggie Mountain.
38:55Different story with Buzz.
38:57He's waiting to see his 29 JDH roar to life.
39:00It better meet his expectations or there'll be no ride and there'll be no story in his magazine.
39:05Hey.
39:06I got your bike.
39:09You ready to see it?
39:11I'm more than ready to see this thing.
39:13Here we go.
39:14Here we go.
39:16Oh, my God.
39:17Woo.
39:19Oh, my God.
39:21What do you think, Buzz?
39:23Unbelievable.
39:23I want to show you some of the details on this bug.
39:25Yes, please.
39:26Here.
39:26Right there on the front fender.
39:28Whose initials are those?
39:29BK.
39:29Hey.
39:30Hey.
39:31Yeah.
39:31And right down here.
39:33What's the name of your company?
39:34Yeah, American Iron Magazine.
39:35Look at that.
39:36There you go, buddy.
39:37Look at this pinstriping all the way around.
39:39Staggering.
39:39Yeah.
39:40We painted everything.
39:41All your black paint up on the handlebars, headlight.
39:44The bike was a love affair from the start.
39:46From the front to the back, we reworked, rebuilt, repainted every aspect of this machine.
39:52From the custom dual exhaust to the miniature spark plug holders, every detail of this machine has been well thought
39:58out.
39:59Down here on the motor, a lot of cadmium plating, a lot of nickel plating.
40:03Now, I'll tell you one thing that was Bob's idea.
40:0629 twin lights right there.
40:08Look at that.
40:08Yeah.
40:09Then you got your big dog right there.
40:10Back over here, we got your genuine Harley tail light with the stop light.
40:15Put a spark plug mount?
40:16You don't have one in your pocket.
40:17You got a pair of them right here on your bike.
40:20Excellent.
40:20They're on there forever.
40:21Throw your leg over that thing, bro.
40:23Are you kidding me?
40:24With pleasure.
40:25I love these bars, man.
40:26The bars you had, everything was so fouled up and they were up a little higher.
40:30I just brought it down and it comes out real nice.
40:33Unbelievable.
40:34I love the way it looks.
40:35I love the way it feels.
40:37Yeah.
40:37Let's hear it right.
40:38Give it one kick.
40:39I think your bike's going to start right up.
40:40What do you guys think?
40:41One kick?
40:42One kick.
40:42No pressure, huh?
40:43No pressure at all.
40:45I know Buzz loves the way his 29 JD Ace looks.
40:48And that will bode well for a multi-page story in American Iron Magazine.
40:53But what would really impress Buzz is if the bike started on the first kick.
40:57Buzz is a lot about style, but he's more about function.
41:01Okay.
41:01One kick.
41:02One kick.
41:03This is where I get nervous.
41:06Amazing.
41:12I love it.
41:14Unbelievable!
41:16Looks good.
41:17Sounds good.
41:20Woo!
41:21This thing is beyond belief.
41:23It's what a master mechanic in the 20s would've built out of a JDH.
41:27Man, thank you.
41:29What a compliment.
41:30Next big challenge, get out on the road.
41:34Everything leads to the ride.
41:37Unbelievable!
41:39It's a ride!
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