Details

Tap dat ass.

Managed to install a Lambretra fuel tap today.  Sidey's are on.  It is all about the seat from here. 

Shiniest commode in Easey St. - With Catheter

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With time definitely NOT on my side, I decided not to wait for the German mail to bring (what appears to be) the only alloy rear GS flywheel shroud in the whole world.

I took a VB1 version, which is different in a few ways and 'adapted' it with the grinder, linisher, dremel, file and sandpaper. Now I have a cooling system that will suffice until either the mail arrives - OR I find another example.

Finally wired up the brake switch and am pleased to say my bespoke wiring based on logic worked perfectly. everything is in perfect working order and the engine starts first kick every time.

The maiden run was up and down the street, buzzing the Harley guys down at the Kustom Kommune, with my backside hanging in the place where the tank is supposed to be. The temporary tank was a piece of hose and a bottle.

Next thing is tank/seat and sidepanels. then it is proper riding time.

Media Blackout Approaching

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Things are going together nicely. Not without hurdles, but it does feel nice to have the front end together. 

Soon the custom stuff will begin and I will keep it under wraps until it is finished. 

BLOOD ON THE TRACKS

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Well I got the paint on. VERY happy with the consistency of the metallic. Big thanks to my mate up the road for the 'close mentoring' when it was crunch time.
The body work is not perfect by a long shot but I am very pleased with what I have achieved by myself. As I keep saying - I normally take my clients scooters to professional panelbeaters to be done perfectly. I reserve the right to have a play.

Anyway... floor rails are in , cables are in, wiring loom is in.

I am still in need of a brake pedal. The alloy rear flywheel cowl has gone missing in the post from Germany

Slapped a coat of paint on.

Finally got some silver on.  Still a bit bumpy but should be fine for the racer project

Prime AdMinister

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Originally I was going to use acrylicon this job, but as time went on and research done, I realised that 2-pack was the best option. The more I researched the less I feared the 2-pack. 

I blasted the drums again and started afresh. 

So far there has been three days sanding and the total materials and wages lost are well above getting this done professionally. l... But hey! it's about the experience.

As a professional restorer and mechanic, it is  a valuable exercise in understanding all the aspects of the work I send out to professional panelbeaters. The only issue will be avoiding clients considering this scooter as a showcase of what I can do with restorations. 

2-pac definitely not 50 cents

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Bought the paint today. And a gun.

Ouch.  

My first crack at 2 pack.  High fill primer.  

The good thing about working late on Easey St. Texas Bbq brisket from the Kustom Kommune. Yum.  

Blue velvet

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Past my prime.

Made a frame jig from an old large frame- wide body adaptor and some heavy duty pipe.  Came up dead on, with a single laser plane intersecting the rear light holes, seat pin, frame tunnel and running up the centre of a ten foot pole protruding from the steering column

Angry Ungulates

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Ok maybe I am getting too cryptic with the titles.
Anyway today I installed the clutch and flywheel which, on a GS or SS, go one two crank tapers.
The Vespatronic stator needs fettling to fit nicely on the cast boss of the GS case.
Likewise the original fan needed some time consuming but careful dremelling to fit over the boss on the vespatronic magneto.

The clutch I used is a combination of a specialty centre made to fit the tapir (oops) while allowing the use of a p200e 7 spring clutch. Combined with a 23 tooth DRT driving gear/bottom plate this raises the gearing slightly to improve touring speed.

Take a Seat

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Today I started work on the seat

.. and got a cylinder base packer CNC routed

And started the maths of port timing, squish and compression. 

Here's the kicker

Cases together. 

WHO IS THE MAN WHO WOULD RISK HIS NECK FOR ANOTHER MAN?

....... SHAFT

Drive-shaft

Secret Seat

Tonight I started the customisation of the tank.

sacrificed a Lambretta tank for the tap thread. 

At the 11th hour I realised that moving the filler forward would make it impossible to do up the nut on a vespa fuel tap from the inside. 

Special mention to Larsn Harsn for the lateral thinking. 

Decisions

This is where you get the idea of how I use blogs to gather info and remember my reasoning.

Options based on a bit of research
EDITS  - MAy 28 2015 in green

case - VS5

GEARBOX - stock gs150 - no choice

PRIMARY AND CLUTCH -

1.  Stock - have already. Stock 22 tooth vs3 clutch /stock cush gear 67 tooth
2.  Slight upgear - (in case I do get a little more power out of the motor) - need a VS5 clutch and adapt a p200e 23 tooth clutch cog. 
3. fancy base plate (DRT) made for a p200e clutch. This is 172 dollars but seems to be cheaper than finding a VS5 clutch. * needs more research - I WENT WITH THIS OPTION. It seems the German translations have created confusion, and the 23 tooth p200e clutch gear is too large a diameter to fit. I HAVE ORDERED A drt clutch cog so hopefully that will work. 
4. all out upgear kit requiring new clutches and rebuilding cush gear. not really necessary at his stage BUT worth considering the possible need in the future for some serious upgearing. 

TOP END

1. Remade 57.8 from scooter centre.  matched to a Grand Sport piston. 
2. As above with mild porting and enhanced port timings.... THIS ONE
3. crazy-ass Quattrini kit. no chance at this stage. 

CRANK

1. already bought a new standard crank. Most likely to use this due to time and money constraints. Yes I used this option.
2. A very tempting longstroke kingwave hand made crank - 400 euro

CARB - this is the hard part

1. stock - requires finding a carb (250-350 dollars) and praying it is half decent. Buying a choke mechanism, inlet manifold and airbox. Unlikely at this stage. 
2. put a 24mm phbl on a custom rear-facing 90 degree manifold. these manifolds are out of stock at SIP so here's hoping. STILL THE HOT FAVOURITE
3. The option I haven't thought of yet

EXHAUST

1. I bought a custom expansion chamber from a dude in the USA. I'll need to inspect it further and start planning appropriate port timing. This supports the more modern carb option. 
2. Stock/traditional sport is an option if the chamber robs the scooter of torque, especially if upgear option 2 or 3 are used. 

IGNITION

Vespatronic. only choice.

THis will require a special loom/harness which I already have. I may pop a non-used battery in there for touring use. 

I believe I also need a different key switch. No big deal as I don't have an original one anyway. 

RESEARCH

FLOORED

New tunnel patch is in and smooth. 

Floor is fitted snugly and spot welded in, awaiting butt welds where it meets the legshields. 

Started work on the rear skirt.

all's weld that ends weld

First patch welded in. Better and stronger than the original. 

Side tunnel patch this weeks and a few little one... then the floor goes in.

OK OK the engine.

Time to admit there still is no motor.
I have a case coming from up north, and some peripherals coming from the East coast.
This is good (he says) because it gives me more time to plan how to squeeze every possible tenth of a horsepower from a stock gs150 lump.

UMM... so I stopped typing this to find a pic of an engine when the postman popped in with this....

GAME ON

Patchwork and engine (what engine?)

Miraculously, the rust damage to this body is is specific spots that are relatively easy to patch. 

Even more miraculous is the fact that all the damage is on the outside and even under this yukky bit the steel on the next level is in really good shape.  TFFT.

This patch was made starting with a hand roller before cutting to shape. Next the shape was customised at the edges top follow the pressing shape of the original GS. Will be butt welded in this week. 

The inside of the tunnel is also in good nick. 100% steel in the centre. The left hand radius edge will be replaced before the legshield shape is prepared for the new floor installation. 

tunnel vision

Well I got the floor unpicked and the tunnel blasted. Great news is the tunnel held no surprises. The repairs I has already accepted as inevitable are still the only ones needing doing.

The steel cable conduits tidied up ok. The thick one was pretty much gone, so I refabricated a new end, flared the join and pushed it into place.

Next stop patch a couple of places in the tunnel and prepare for the new floor installation.

What's the point?

Ok now we are rolling I can set things up a bit.
For this who didn't click here from my website, I am the owner and chief mechanic at Scooterlabs, Collingwood, Melbourne, Australia.
We are a very busy classic scooter workshop specialising in engine builds and performance upgrades.
www.scooterlabs.net

We have built many engines for myself and others that have stood the test of time and endurance on events such as the Australian Scooter Mille Miglia and long distance treks to many National rallies thousands of KM's away.

Each year I try to take a different build to the National Rally/Mille including the famous
'free-range' (a p200e made up from donated and spare parts with grass floorboards), my Ratty series 2 225 lambretta (made it 2500km's without missing a beat) and even the 'limone Acido' a garbage px125 that went like a bat outa hell.

Body work is something I have avoided mostly due to my scooters having awesome original patina and the heritage overlay forcing me to leave them as-is.  A big part is also due to the time pressure as we approach rally season to get other peoples scooters finished and set-up.

THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT

This time I will be attempting some very serious body repairs. All welded and re-inforced, the frame will be a race styled Vespa so stiffening of the frame will be an unseen modification that will allow real racing.
The race against time starts now.

inspiration

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The scooter I will be starting with is a VS5 Gs150.

The floor needs to be replaced and the re is much panel work to be done. 

The idea at this stage is to make a race styled GS in keeping with the era, but hopefully adding a touch of individuality along the way. 

Currently I am making cardboard mock-ups for the seat area.

THE BEGINNING - planning for repair and designing

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Ok, so I'll use this blog to record this oh, so personal project.

A design is starting to formulate in my head (and cardboard), the welder has been dusted off and the hunt for a motor is in full swing.