| Assembling a Basket Case in One Day "Part 2" |
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Chuck Lipsky and My Old Stompin' Ground We hopped in the truck with another predestination destination on the map -- Galesburg, Illinois. When I was in high school and college, I became quite familiar with the Northern Illinois area. I'd get on my old chopper three-wheeler and cruise from town to town, in search of old parts. Back in the late 60s and early 70s, you could stop in to visit Harley dealerships in search of parts for these old bikes. Back then, they were anxious to get rid of them, and I was happy to take them. Over the years, I found many great treasures in that area, roaming from dealership to dealership, and meeting countless interesting folks along the way.  One day back in 1972, I stopped in Galesburg, Illinois to check out the local Harley-Davidson Dealer, and ran into a guy on an old Harley JD. His name was Chuck Lipsky. Chuck was a local -- born and raised in Galesburg -- and was in his 50s when I met him. Immediately noticing his old bike, I struck up a conversation, and we quickly became friends. Over the next several years, Chuck and I became good buddies, and I'd stop at his place from time to time when I was in the area. Chuck had been collecting bike and parts for decades, and had developed quite a knack for making his own as well. From early Indian parts to 30s, 40s, and 50s Harley parts, Chuck was into it all, and was happy to share his passion with a young guy like myself. He knew what kind of stuff I was into, and each time I'd come, he'd have a pile of parts laid out for me to pick from. I became somewhat of a regular, and through the years, we remained great friends. Then about four years ago, Chuck passed away. It was a great loss for the antique motorcycle community. Chuck was very active in the Antique Motorcycle Club, and was popular amongst new and old members alike. He was a regular at all the meets and road runs, and when he passed, his presence was immediately missed. We arrived at Chuck's old house where his son, Don, now lives. Don and I have known each other since Chuck and I became friends, and since his father's passing, we speak on the phone often. He makes sure to tell me to stop by on my way through the area each time I come, and this time was no different. As we arrived at Don's house, he greeted us to a cup of coffee and we made our way to his workshop.  In the shop, Don had all of the parts that Chuck had collected over his years in the antique motorcycle world. As Don and I had talked about the 46 Knucklehead build on Friday at Davenport, Don had set asided a several parts that might be of use. We rooted through box after box, finding several integral pieces for the build, and countless other parts needed for projects at the museum. After about an hour and a half, we'd got what we needed for the build and started a bit of prep-work on the '46 Harley. The frame was in rough shape, and over the next hour, we would take all of the steps to get it ready for the build. It was one heck of a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. We tapped out all of the bolt holes, put in the neck bearing cups, reemed the brake crossover shaft, and even cleaned up the threads on the fork stem to make Friday's assembly a little quicker and easier. By the time we were done, the frame was ready to go. We loaded everything back into the truck, said our good-byes, and headed out for the last leg of our trip. We had everything we needed to make this build a good one. Davenport here we come.
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