Dumpster Dive Bike

It was the best of times, it was the worst of.......wrong story. Anyway, call me Bobby, give me an old bike and an idea and I will build it. I have been building bikes since I was about 8 years old. I love it. Be it form, function, fashion or comfort, I will build a bike to suit the desire.
My first bikes were strictly work bikes. Paperboy needs transpo people. Later in life I built choppers for neighbor kids. Right now my passion is single speed track bikes with flip flop rear wheels. And since I just recently discovered (my wife encouraged me and set up this blog for me) that I could post my stories and bikes I decided to give it a try. My only regret is that I never took any pictures of my old bikes so what you are about read and see is right now.
A few monthes ago, while at work building a parking garage, I found this old frame and fork in a dumpster outside the dorms at University of Missouri-KC.

Pretty retro I must say.  My fellow ironworkers who saw me go get this thing kinda laughed but at the same time know my passion for bikes. So I get it home and it sits for a while. In the mean time I have been buying parts and paint.
Today I started the first phase of Operation Dumpster Dive Bike: code name TED.

That crappy college attempt at a paint job had to go. So I hired this "Stripper" friend of mine to remove the old paint.

She can also remove the chrome from a trailer hitch. Anyway, the old paint is gone and time for....

.

That whole can was used and now this...

is hanging in the garage drying. By the way, the bottom bracket threads were covered with Miller Lite 16oz aluminum bottle caps. See all things have more than one purpose. We're gonna let this old feller hang out for awhile before we let him meet his new color...

 

but you get to see it now. I know, I know Gray, but you'll see.
You're probably wondering, "What happened to that fork I saw in the first picture?" Well yesterday, while purchasing the new goose neck stem (I brought it with me for sizing) the Bike Stop guy pointed out how badly it was bent. So I found it a new home.

New carbon composite fork on the way.
Well that is about all for today. More to come.