Poor Man's rear Nerf Bar... It's been a couple years since I've had a project. I recently aquired a '29 sedan, so, I've been draggin' out all the parts I've collected the past 6 years. While the $$$ isn't there to purchase the big items I'd like to have (tires, spindles, radiator..etc... maybe Santa is listening!) I do happen to have time to work on "free" Stuff in the meantime. So here's how I turned a '79 CB750 rear turn signal bar into a nerf bar for no $$$. Everything was fabbed from leftovers from other projects. Including the CB turn signal bar that was laying out it the scrap pile from an ill-fated motorcycle that was given to me. First up is the light bar. Kinda homely with the ugly turnsignals. I held it up the to the back of the sedan and it was WAY to narrow to work as is. A bit wider would look better...and I cut the light bar in half and needed something for the middle. The Yankee accessory liscense plate light had been hanging on the wall for years and it looked perfect for this project. So, I made a cardboard template for a bracket that would fit behind it. I transfered it to some 3/16" mild steel and cut it out, bending the edges 90 degrees. Next I center punched the ends and welded in a few cut off 1/2 bolts to give me alignment pins for mounting.
Once that was done, I clamped it all to the car to see how things would look... and I kinda liked it. I put set screws in near the bottom edge of the liscense plate bracket to hold everything in place and then removed the unit for welding. Originally, I had planned to cut the brackets off that held the CB's turnsignals in place... but in my haste to see the piece on the car, I skipped that step. And I'm glad I did.
I had a couple '39 teardrops lying around for taillights, but wasn't happy with them. So may dad says, "why don't you run '32 lights and fab up some brackets off the edge of the body?". That's when the light (pun intended) went off. In the parts pile, I had one deuce tailight and I held it up to see if it would work in the CB 750 mount location.... it would work, with work. So, back to the scrap pile. I happened to find two pieces of 1/2" round tubing with a nice mandrel bend. I measured them and sliced and diced them to the right size and smashed the ends flat in my BIG OLE VICE. Making sure to make a right and left as both sides needed to slightly lean away from the rear of the body. Now I made a cardboard template of the mounting surface for the rear of the light. Again making sure to make a driver and passenger side (although they could have been the same, but I rushed my pattern a bit). Then transfered it to some 16 gauge scraps. Next I tacked the driver side tube to the drive side plate, making sure the light fit square both on the flange and on the car. Once this was done, I bolted the passenger side plate to the finished driver side (again, back to back to make an opposite) and welded it up. Then bolted my one taillight to it and tested it on the car to make sure the bracket was straight and everything looked right. (Does anyone have an extra taillight bucket..LOL!).
That looks pretty cool. I've never had much money to throw around and like the old saying I've been making so much from so little I can now make something out of nothing. I also think it really cool that you make it yourself rather than opening a catalog and writing a check.
It's tough to mount the plate in a new/creative way and make it look cool at the same time. Good job.
Very nice, a attractive addition. Nerf bars take the place of a bumper to pervent body damage in case of a nudge so that isn't exactly a nerf bar, but I like anyway. May steal your idea.
Good Job. Why I love this site> People thinking outside the box... I know a guy with a whole pile of old jap bikes,,,,, wheels are turning now, I thought my car was close to done for me anyway. Back to the drawing board???????
the price of 79 CB750 rear turn signal bar just went up. I have been thinking about motorcycle parts on hot rods latly. and just happened to be looking for some ideas for my rear plate/lights. im gonna have to dig through some motorcycle parts now. thanks alot for the idea
Thanks for the "kudos" guys... Guess I didn't think about it while I was cuttin' and welding... but my hot rod has Import parts That's bound to drive someone nuts. LOL!
That looks awesome very creative, not to steal you thread but I made this nerf bar from the side rails of a old hospital bed. I figured it relates to the subject.
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