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After Part I and Part II of this crazy build, Bikernet takes a look at how Lupo, a French backyard wrench, managed to adapt a pair of reproduction ’57 Chevrolet steel fenders to his motorcycle project, without making it look like an anvil. It wasn’t as easy or straightforward as one would think… Check it out.
This is what things look like when you slap a pair of stock ’57 Chevy fender onto a Harley. That’s a rather boxy setup. The lines are weird, and it’s the best way to end up with a goofy looking cycle. Even though the car’s fender opening lines are great, they will need to be reworked and rescaled to blend into the narrow frame and seating area.
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To make the fenders flow with the lines of the bike, Lupo had to shorten them while considerably stretching the swingarm. He opted to make a swingarm from scratch and built his own adjustable suspension setup at the same time. “If you want it done right, you might as well do it yourself” says Lupo.
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Lupo made a new, scaled-down shape for the fender opening and sent the rear fenders and the wooden pattern to an expert body man. The guy is an expert at restoring antique cars and often works on basket cases that have more holes than metal left in them, so this assignment must have been a walk in the park for him. In the last picture of this row, see how much of the original fender trim and panel insert Lupo had to chop off.
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Another defining visual element of a ’57 Chevrolet is the shape of its front fenders and headlights. Here again, a considerable amount of massaging was done to preserve the lines, while altering the proportions of this unit so as to stay in scale with a motorcycle interpretation.
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Lupo wanted to run most of the exhaust inside the rear fender until it would exit below the taillight and above the ‘bumper’. That was easier said than done, especially when dealing with such pipe length, and the fact that it needed to fully flex at the swingarm. You get a good idea of how intricate the layout had to be when you see the assembled stainless steel system in the picture below.
Until next time, feast your eyes on one of Lupo’s creations: a Renault minivan with Big Block Chevy power. Lupo built it to perform running wheelies at drag races and other car events throughout Europe in the 90s. Enjoy.
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