Thread: Headlight ears K3 chromed or painted

Don,
I'm grateful for help and advice from anybody at anytime and I do appreciate Bob's comments. No where in any of my posts have I mentioned reparing headlight ears that why I was a bit lost when I got a massive amount of info on how to fix them and all the in's and out's about the chrome, flasher storks (don't know what brought this on?) and finish of the metal. Anyway not a problem. As for chrome, I don't know what the rules are where you are but there a four chrome plating shops around my area. I do a lot of car restoration work and would be lost without them. As a guide, all the chrome on the CT70 will be around $200 ozzie dollars. Remember Vegemite is for men (made from yeast scrapped out of beer vats), peanut butter and jelly is for little girls !!

Originally Posted by powerage440

My opinion is , You should take Racer's quote as it was meant, Bob is probably the most knowledgable person on this site and has helped many people along the way, he is stating a fact as to what most people will go through to get a nice piece for there project, count yourself lucky to get a set, I gave up finding a good set when I was doing my '74, and I live in the States! I imagine the regulations might be a little more lax in Austrailia as far as chroming is concerned(I might be wrong) but we are stuck with what we get and it's not cheap. Also IMOP Vegimite stinks! LOL!
Anyway, have fun with your resto and please post pics.
Don

Originally Posted by pigsy

Don,
I'm grateful for help and advice from anybody at anytime and I do appreciate Bob's comments. No where in any of my posts have I mentioned reparing headlight ears that why I was a bit lost when I got a massive amount of info on how to fix them and all the in's and out's about the chrome, flasher storks (don't know what brought this on?) and finish of the metal. Anyway not a problem. As for chrome, I don't know what the rules are where you are but there a four chrome plating shops around my area. I do a lot of car restoration work and would be lost without them. As a guide, all the chrome on the CT70 will be around $200 ozzie dollars. Remember Vegemite is for men (made from yeast scrapped out of beer vats), peanut butter and jelly is for little girls !!

Not that any further explanation is due, but your situation is vastly different from what I've seen from 99.99%+ of riders in this hemisphere. Chrome headlight ears, turn signal stalks & light assemblies are hard to find, harder to repair and chrome shops have been almost completely regulated out of existence here in the divided corporate states. Cyanide copper & hexavalent chromium are treated like fissile nuclear material here...complete with storm troopers at the ready to raid plating shops on a moment's notice. Less than 5 years ago, the chrome on your model CT70 could have been redone properly for around $500USD; now, the $1K is getting damned close. Yet, most still expect to get perfection, on the cheap, and delivered yesterday. It's completely unrealistic, yet closer to being the norm than your specific situation. You'd be surprised at how many conversations involve inquiries along the lines of "well, how much to just make them look okay? I don't need show-quality perfection". So why all the verbiage? Simple education in the hope of injecting a dose of reality into the proceedings.

As for the culinary observations on both sides...
That's drifted into a roiling sea of dangerous over-generalizations. So far, I've seen nothing mentioned that makes me feel hungry. Of course, I don't shop at walmart either. If that name is, as yet, unfamiliar in Oz, consider yourself fortunate.

Originally Posted by pigsy

Thanks everyone for the help with the headlight ears. I was posted a set this week in mint condition, no dents, twists or damage. And the best part, I only had to pay for postage and a small present from Australia.

I am so jealous, I have been looking for a nice pair since I purchased my ct70 and found nothing. If you happen to spot another pair please let me know. I would be very very happy

JP, Im on to two sets of them here in South Oz, only trouble is I have to do an 8 hour round trip up bush and they guy is not sure if he want to sell. I was working up there two weeks ago and got onto a guy who has two CT70's. I tracked him down and he has boxes of parts, frames etc and two really good sets of headlight ears. I'm trying to buy all the parts off his son but it's hard work he doesn't seem to want to sell. Funny thing was the father gave me two complete engines, 1 CT70 and ST70 and said he just want to get them out the shed, can't figure it out but hey they were free. I'm still working on him, if I get them I will send you a set. I also came across a Honda mini trail 50 all complete but rusty behind an old shed. The guy said it's not for sale, but I will try and flash some cash in his face next tiem I'm up there and do a deal. Don't know what to offer him.

Hey Racer,
The only thing we know about Walmart down under are the pictures we keep getting sent to us at work showing really fat and strange looking people showing their bum cracks and wearing weird clothes !!

Dave,
That would be awsome if you could score both pairs. I would be sure to compensate you in some way for a set, weather it be sending you parts or some good ol american currency. Let them know their is a friend in need in the states...this has become a worldwide matter. I found this set CT70 1974 CHROME HEADLIGHT EARS FORK COVER BRACKET : eBay Motors (item 250607632516 end time Apr-07-10 19:09:28 PDT) Are the ones you found better condition? the price on these are going to skyrocket because the bidding for them is worldwide.

Walmart is pretty much how it has been show to you down under. Some of the strangest and most obese and uneducated people hang out at walmart...at night at the one by me there are people lined up to buy paint cans to huff and get high in addition to light bulbs to smoke crack out of. It is sad that it shows us Amercans in a bad way overseas.

BTW one of my close friends grew up in melbourne australia he taught me alot about your country...only person i know of here that has vegemite in their kitchen lol

Originally Posted by pigsy

Hey Racer,
The only thing we know about Walmart down under are the pictures we keep getting sent to us at work showing really fat and strange looking people showing their bum cracks and wearing weird clothes !!

Yep, sounds about right and part of the reason I wouldn't be caught dead in a Walmart. Just missing the photos of the clapped-out pickup trucks (with 60% "hecho en Mexico" parts content) bearing "buy American" stickers in the rear window, just below the obligatory gun rack.
As for Vegemite & Marmite, I've long known (like 35 years) what they are. Our Aussie neighbors down the street insist that it's a love-it-or-hate-it proposition... virtually not worth trying unless you were raised on the stuff. Thinking that all Americans live on McDonalds hamburgers & Budweiser is as silly as believing that all Australians subsist on nothing but Vegemite-slathered bread and Foster's lager. Semi-funny stereotypes that just don't quite square with reality. McDs only on a long road trip and starving, end up paying for the next day.

As for the CT70 stuff, probably worth grabbing. You never know what you might find. There have been some unique CT70 variants over the years that appear to be specific to the Oz market. I've seen pix of a couple of 1977 models that were both light blue as-delivered new. Who knows what other rarities exist?

If the set on ebay ends up being not too bad price wise, it would be worth buying them as the one on the right side of the picture is in very good condition. The two sets this guy has over here are pretty good, 1 set is painted and the other set is chromed, I think one of the chrome ones was slightly damaged. There is also a yellow headlight ear on ebay at the moment in good condition, even if you start collecting odd ones, sooner or later you will have a good set. If I come across a set I will send them over to you, don't want any money, happy to help out.

Originally Posted by pigsy

...even if you start collecting odd ones, sooner or later you will have a good set...

If your projects depend on rare parts, this is the most painless way to get them...as they become available, over time.

Dave,

I bid on the ebay fork ears but did not win so I am still looking for a set. they went for 88.50 shipped!! which is higher than my estimate and they were not even close to perfect. I am onto another set though. since mine have straight ears but dented tubes i might just buy up a pair with straight tubes and have Bob (racerx) make a good pair out of the set.

Any luck for you on the Aussie front?