Another biker familiar with Mike's work.

 

That's what i would do. Build it together with him. Relive the memory's so to speak.

 

You're right about the frame. The Amen Saviour frame (as in save-your-***) was a plunger frame much like the late Springfield Indian frames...and the back wheel could wobble back and forth under certain circumstances. There's a reason they are not produced anymore.

The style of this bike was kind of at the end of the chopper era of the '70s: King-Queen seat, girder front end, dual headlights, etc. Fat Bobs and bobbers came back into style shortly after.

Choppers, of course, have come back in the last few years, but in more of a bobber thing. No KQ seats, long front ends, etc. Constant state of flux.

 

Go for it, like you say you want to do it with him then he can help out with any of the hard stuff, and after having done it before he can show ya a lot of short cuts and some things he might have done a bit differently then the first one. As for the cost by taking some time finding what you need and hitting up swap meets, E-Bay and other places for used good used parts I would guess and this is only a guess say at the high side you're looking at 10-13,ooo. The hard part is going to be finding that amen savior frame those things are few and far between.

 

I could be wrong, but it sounds like he is rebuilding the bike his Uncle built years ago. Shouldn't that bring the price down? I agree with another, build it with your Uncle. Just because he is in a wheel chair doesn't mean he can't roll around the shop turning wrenches and teaching you how to build a chopper.

 

If you want a complete bolt on kit, here is a link I found. You can do it in phases. all for around 13K. This gives you a ballpark idea on how much everything will cost you.

http://www.brassballsbobbers.com/new/phases.aspx

I'm pretty sure there are other kits out there but this kinda caught my eye.

And you are going to need to take a welding class if you seriously want to straight up build a bike yourself.

If you are on a budget, then you are going to have to start thinking creatively and somehow have connections to get sheet metal, speicalty tools, and know all sorts to people to get to what you want.

 

I had a similiar bike back in the 70s . Girder front end and K/Q seat - very 70s

 

Not mechanically inclined it would be a huge project.All my bikes from the early 80's have been groundup (starting with bare frame) builds.All labor of loves building them for me is theraputic.The secret is have a place to build it,a plan,know a little about what parts will interchange,have a parts manual,(it shows you exploded views with part numbers even bolt sizes).Most important you need patience.Either way good luck and a great looking chopper.

 

My son built this bike from the ground up. He is a machinest and did have to fabricate some of the parts for this build. He also built it for much less than a new bike. Just about everthing came from e-bay except for the S&S 113 engine. He did all of the work himself including paint. So it can be done, and did a lot of cool stuff that you won't find on most bikes. His belt drive is on the right side, and the sprocket doubles as the brake disc. Also has dual discs on the front.

I think e-bay has made it much easier to find cheaper parts than in the past, and much to choose from. My son started his with a stretched Duece frame from e-bay, and went from there.

Having said all of that, he has the skills and equipment to do this kind of thing, which makes it much easier than most, but if you stick with what you can find, you should be able to do at least most with bolt on parts.

 

Nice bike. But if you're not mechanically inclined it will be hard to see this project to completion, for you and EVERYONE else who will be walking you through it. I've spent my career working on cars and motorcycles, I've seen hundreds of new guys come through the different places I've worked. Some guys "have it" and some don't. Almost anyone can figure out how to change a spark plug, it's the things like rusted threads, old bolts, knowing the difference between the "thrust side" of a snap ring and the curved side, when to use anti-seize and when to use thread locker, what side of the seal faces out....etc....etc.

We've hired guys that had no real mechanical aptitude. Unfortunately all it turned out to be was a real waste of time and energy for everyone else in the shop. The same dude coming up to you every 5 minutes. Holding a broken off bolt with that confused look on their face.....shop manual open trying to figure out how some part comes out..asking you where some gasket was supposed to go as the car on their lift is blowing oil all over the floor....on and on, all day long.

I'm a mechanic not a brick layer. If I need block work done I know the best course of action for me, is to DO what I know how to do, make the money, and pay the mason.