Cutting and Grinding

With the bike completely disassembled, it was time to get out the angle grinder and remove the tabs and brackets we would no longer need on the frame.

We used the cutting blade first to remove the big pieces, careful not to cut into the frame itself.  While this was going on, Mr. S was fabricating a bracket for the rear brake light switch.

After the tabs were removed, the metal that remained needed to be ground off to make like it was never there in the first place.  This take time, patience, and a bit of finesse... we don't want to leave any evidence that the tab was there (like a ridge left over from the weld bead), but we also don't want to leave a depression or gouge in the tube either.

A great result.  After powdercoating, you won't be able to tell a bracket was welded there in the first place!

The results...  we still have a lot of metal we need to remove, but we've made a good start.