Davidadro Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 (edited) She has new motor and components under the hood, repainted stripes, and siding repair. i have decorated her with Harley Davidson parts and signs, and completely revamped the interior, which some posted photos are in another topic. I love how she turned out! Here are some images of my dolphin, the first 2 are from before I started: These are ones of my current progress: I have 21 photos on facebook, if you wish to see, friend me, let me know you are from this fourm. My profile name is David Lessard Edited May 29, 2012 by Davidadro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samatman Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) Love the buried in snow photo! Couple of questions: Did you swap front wheels or just blast and powdercoat? Are you towing the 100th anniversary 1200 sportster custom behind it? Ok, that begs a third question... isn't the 1983 a 1/2 ton rear axle? One more, you're not sleeping in the trailer's tent, right - that's just to protect the bike when you stop? --Sam Edited May 31, 2012 by Samatman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) Love the buried in snow photo! Couple of questions: Did you swap front wheels or just blast and powdercoat? Are you towing the 1200 sportster custom behind it? Ok, that begs a third question... isn't the 1983 a 1/2 ton rear axle? One more, you're not sleeping in the trailer's tent, right - that's just to protect the bike when you stop? --Sam Hey Sam, it was a bad snow for sure, and my little Dolphin was wasting away for years in the back yard. Faded, leaking, and not running. I decided to save her, as she had saved me many times in the past, so I revamped her from engine compartment to exterior and interior, to some paint, and Harley decor. I still have plans for a solid rubber roof and new carpet and seats and door panels in the cab area. You can find some inside pictures in another post I have listed here if interested! To address your questions: The front wheels were on the Dolphin when I bought it, and are hub extender wheels that lug onto original lugs, giving it a wider stance. I had them sand blasted, and I repainted them, then put some 14 inch beauty rings around the rim edge. I think they came out pretty nice. Yes, I do pull the Harley behind the Dolphin with a rented U-Haul motorcycle trailer. They are low, light, reasonable, and tow easily. With my fresh motor upgrade, carb, and components, she can pull the works at and over 65 depending on terrain, but I rarely go more than 60 when pulling. Even on hills, it rarely pulls under 55, unless its a mountain, ya know! My Dolphin had the full one ton floating dual rear axle on it when I purchased it, so I don’t know when or how it got it on there, just glad it had one on it, or I would have got a different one when I was in buying mode. Yeah, I use a pole canopy top over the trailer to keep the weather and birdie poop off of my baby when she's not being ridden and when tucked in for the night. I don’t drive with it on there, just set it up in camp. I appreciate your interest and questions Sam. Thanks and Peace! Edited May 31, 2012 by Davidadro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samatman Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) The front wheels were on the Dolphin when I bought it, and are hub extender wheels that lug onto original lugs, giving it a wider stance. I had them sand blasted, and I repainted them, then put some 14 inch beauty rings around the rim edge. I think they came out pretty nice. They look great!Yes, I do pull the Harley behind the Dolphin with a rented U-Haul motorcycle trailer. They are low, light, reasonable, and tow easily. I have been having mixed feelings after having a rear generator platform put on my 1987, but I suspect that there is more capacity here than we arealize, as long as we don't mind driving slowly. My long past experiece was with my dad weighing and figuring out how many cases of beer he could load in when we were kids. After the overhead compartment (with a case of beer) came down on my brother sleeping in the rear dinette I started to take weight limits overly seriously. Clearly they apply mostly to liquids stored in overhead compartments. I'm on a crash course of "worry less, play more" this summer. With my fresh motor upgrade, carb, and components, she can pull the works at and over 65 depending on terrain, but I rarely go more than 60 when pulling. Even on hills, it rarely pulls under 55, unless its a mountain, ya know! Yeah this... I'll be getting used to this soon. There is a slight adjustment from passenger car mode to "I'm towing and I'm pulling over at the next truck lane". I'll definitely be looking for ways to pull a Sportster+sidecar. It's only 750#. How much slower can we accelerate anyway? Edited May 31, 2012 by Samatman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galvanized Knight Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 That is a pretty cool stripping packing on the cab of that yota. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) That is a pretty cool stripping packing on the cab of that yota. I thank you, did it myself! There were areas where the paint was peeling off from sitting in the sun for years. When I decided to make a commitment to fixing her up, I thought the stripes would look better than trying to spray and match the white, and I appreciate the kudos! Peace! Edited May 31, 2012 by Davidadro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Here's more shots of the inside, hope you like! Peace! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 Heres a couple more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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