Hold on to your handlebars.  It’s time to “Chop It!”  Yep, it’s Part IV of “Chop It” with Big Mike and the crew.  In this segment, we’re going to take a look at the work done by Master Fabricator, Rick “Vac” Vecqueray. 

First, Vac puts the final welds on the tank and makes sure the rough edges are smoothed.  While he continues to perfect the tank, Big Mike and his faithful companions perform one of the most critical tasks in the “Chop It” process.  They go get lunch!  Pizza is the food of choice.  By the time Vac is finished with the tank, he receives his well-deserved share.  Wait a minute!  That’s just one piece of pizza, and it’s cold.  Well, being the creative talent that he is, Vac shows us an interesting way to re-heat pizza.  He uses his trusty cutting torch!

Now, with the tank complete, it’s time to move on to fenders.  For the rear tire, Big Mike wants to use a stock 8 ½ inch trailer fender.  However, to accommodate the oversized rear tire, the fender needs to be modified.  First, Big Mike insists that the fender needs to be “taken out” approximately 2 ½ inches.  In other words, the fender needs to be widened.  This task is accomplished by cutting the fender in half lengthwise and then inserting a piece of metal approximately 2 ½ inches wide in between the sections, welding it on both sides.  While Big Mike, Vac, and the rest are waiting for this job to be finished, they have time to complete another essential part of the process, getting more food!

After they return, they view the finished product and then start to work on the front fender.  Taking an old school front fender, they cut off the mounting supports and then attach some new custom supports that really give an awesome look to the front end.  Big Mike and Vac both agree that the cool part of building this bike is that it is being built just as they were “back in the day.”

That’s all we have time for today, but plan to come back and join Big Mike and the crew because they still have paint, pipes, wheels, and more to go before this bad boy is road ready!  Join us again soon to see how the “Chop It” bike turns out.  If you would like to know more about what goes on at Big Mike’s Choppers, and if you want to have a look at their bikes and accessories (including the “Chop It” bike), give them a visit on the web at www.bmcchoppers.com.

Back to Episode CRN10015