Bandit gave the entire staff books on grammar, spelling and punctuation. Whatta mess that caused. Every grammar book handles the topics differently. We couldn’t get it right before, and now we argue about the varied grammatical codes and still get it wrong. That’s not the case in the world of metal work. You either get it right the first time or keep hammering and welding until it’s correct. They’re only various levels of correctness, no rules. As a kid, with three brothers and no parents into bikes or hot rods, Josh Ewing drug a 220 Volt extension cord through his bedroom window, into his Tacoma, Washington, kitchen, pushed the electric stove out of the way and plugged in his stick welder. “I fired it up,” Josh said, “and it dimmed all the lights in my folks’ house.”
He started his craft after buying his first car at 16 years of age, a ’68 Impala. “I had no money to fix it,” Josh said, “so I did it myself.” He started with welding, then bodywork and mechanics. For three years he learned at his first job building hot rods in Auburn, Washington. “Then I spent another year and a half working from Wicked Fabrication,” Josh said. “I have no clue why or how I got into bikes and hot rods. My folks weren’t into it and neither were my brothers.”
During his time in the car shops he built bikes on the side and that end of his craft grew until he was forced to make a decision and opened his own shop in Sumner, Washington just 10 minutes east of Tacoma. His dad was an electrician for the Naval Shipyard and he’s the same age as Bandit, born in ’48. Josh is now 28, married and his first child is on its way. His shop stays busy with predominately metal fabrication. A customer, Marty Mitchell, hauled in this partially dismantled 1946 45 flathead and they started to rework the twisted chassis which led to a complete remake of the front chassis half, then Josh made the tank, the oil bag, the fender, forward controls, fender struts, license plate and taillight mount chain guard and center rear sprocket web. He cleaned and smoothed the stock springer front end and made the caliper mounts.
In addition to a variety of sheet metal working tools Ewing Kustoms house machine shop capabilities with a lathe and milling machine. He enjoys working on early rides but also deals with later bikes with big engines and billet wheels. “We’re predominately a metal fab shop,” Josh explained. They outsource paint, but make some of their seats, except when stitching is required.
We’ll watch as the Ewing shops grows and Josh develops new products, maybe a line of gas tanks and license plates brackets that might be sold through CCI. He’s obviously a talented builder and we hope to feature more of his bikes in the near future. That is, if the old Bandit will allow me to hammer out a story without picking it to death.
Regular Stuff
Owner: Marty Mitchell
City/State: Spanaway/WA
Builder: Ewing Kustoms
Location: 13701 24st East, Sumner, WA. Phone #253-826-6246 / Email address : ewingkustoms@qwestoffice.net
Fabrication: Ewing Kustoms
Manufacturing: Ewing Kustoms
Welding: Ewing Kustoms
Machining: Ewing Kustoms
Engine
Year: 1946
Make: Harley Davidson
Model: Flathead
Displacement: 45 cubic inch
Builder or Rebuilder: unknown
Cases: stock
Case finish: polished
Barrels: stock
Barrel finish: Unknown
Heads: stock
Head finish: Unknown
Carburetion: stock (polished)
Other: Distributor is a modified Mallory
Transmission
Year: 1946
Make: Harley Davidson
Gear configuration: 3-speed
Final drive: chain
Primary: stock chain without cover
Clutch: Barnett
Frame
Year: 1946
Make: Harley Davidson
Style or Model: Flathead 45
Rake: about 45 degrees
Modifications: Rebuilt backbone and downtube to lower the headtube of frame. Removed any mounts that were not necessary, which were most of them.
Front End
Make: Harley Davidson
Model: Flathead
Year: 1946
Length: stock
Mods: Shaved off fender & other misc. mounts. Powder coated and chromed.
Sheet metal
Tanks: Ewing Kustoms
Fenders: Ewing Kustoms
Oil tank: Ewing Kustoms
Other: Air cleaner, primary cover & shroud, chain guard, brake lever, wheel spacer/ brake caliper mounts, fender struts, headlight mount, license plate mount and frame, front spool hub, distributor cap, kickstand, kicker pedal, exhaust mount, upper motor mount, and fender mount are all handmade at Ewing Kustoms.
Paint
Sheet metal: Byers Custom & Restoration
Molding: Byers Custom & Restoration
Base coat: Byers Custom & Restoration
Graphics: Byers Custom & Restoration
Frame: Rainier Powder Coating
Wheels
Front
Make: Harley Davidson / Ewing Kustoms
Size: 16 inch
Brake calipers: Performance Machine
Brake rotor(s): Ewing Kustoms
Tire: 5.00-16 white wall
Rear
Make: Harley Davidson / Ewing Kustoms
Size: 16 inch
Brake calipers: Performance Machine
Brake rotor: Ewing Kustoms
Pulley: (sprocket) Ewing Kustoms
Tire: 5.00-16 white wall
Controls
Foot controls: Ewing Kustoms
Finish: Black Powder Coat & Chrome
Master cylinder: Modified Wagner style
Brake lines: Ewing Kustoms / Goodridge
Handlebar controls: Ewing Kustoms
Finish: Chrome
Clutch Cable: Ewing Kustoms
Brake Lines: Ewing Kustoms / Goodridge
Shifting: Modified stock hand shifter with Ewing Kustom mount and linkage
Electrical
Ignition: Mallory
Ignition switch: Sportster
Coils: Gill
Regulator: V-Twin (solid state)
Charging: V-Twin generator
Wiring: Ewing Kustoms
Harness: Ewing Kustoms
Headlight: Model A cowl light/ Ewing Kustoms
Taillight: Ewing Kustoms
Switches: Only an ignition switch
Battery: Centennial Battery Systems
What's Left
Seat: Ewing Kustoms
Pipes: Ewing Kustoms
Exhaust finish: Ceramic Coating
Gas caps: Ewing Kustoms
Handlebars: Ewing Kustoms
Grips: McFarland Upholstery
Pegs: Ewing Kustoms
Oil lines: Ewing Kustoms
Fuel filter: stock style
Fuel Lines: Ewing Kustoms
Throttle: Exile internal throttle
Throttle cables: Ewing Kustoms
Fasteners: Custom Chrome
Specialty items:
Comments: We prefer to hand-make as many parts as we possibly can and buy only what we can't make. We also guarantee that you will recieve the highest quality with each hand-made part we make.
Credits: Special thanks to Byers Custom, Jaime McFarland ( thanks for the leather ), Daron Gaenz ( thanks for machining the axles),Jeff Cortez (Ranier Powder Coating), John Leach for his support, and Marty Mitchell.
We’re fortunate to have a teaser on Josh Ewing’s next project. Some very smooth sheetmetal work here.
Watch for another feature on Bikernet.com in the future.
