General Category => Restoration Projects => Topic started by: kartjockey on May 17, 2018, 06:48:43 PM
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So here is what I am working on. Bought this while at Portland last year. For now I have pretty must been referring to it as a 1958. Still understanding the changes these had. It came with some side covers that were hand cut and since buying it I have found and original one. Shown in these pics. Just recently I repopped them off of the CNC plasma cutter at work. Took a little doing because had to measure and then draw them into the program but they turned out nice and right on with the original. I plan to have one set original and louver up the other set for fun. Then switch them out as I wish. Anyhow, this resto is well under way!
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Looking good To! Did you decide on an engine yet?
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Looks like a fun project , Tom .
Seems to be plenty room in there for a decent go fast motor ... electric start , too . ;)
Maybe a small block Chevy ? LOL
Pete . :)
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Cool scoot. Though the Simplex cycles were quite common here in Indian Territory when I was a lad during the 1950"s; I don't recall ever seeing a scooter by Simplex, though I've seen them in other locales later in life. Western Auto sold Simplex cycle in Oklahoma re=branded under the Western Auto trademark "Wizard". These were identical to the Simplex except for company badging. Does anyone know if they also sold the Simplex/ "Wizard" scooters at their numerous retail outlets or only the cycles? Rick C.
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I don't recall ever seeing a Wizard ( Simplex ) scooter , just the bikes .
Pete . :)
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I don't recall ever seeing a Wizard ( Simplex ) scooter , just the bikes .
Pete . :)
I agree with Pete. Wizard was only a 1 or 2 year deal, and was all over before Simplex brought out the scooter.
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Thanks guys, I was afraid I'd just forgotten the scooter (Old guy) & also the short duration of the Wizard in Western Autos inventory. That brings another round of questions. Was 1957 to '59 or '60 about right for the Wizard & did any other associated merchandisers have private label deals with Simplex...perhaps using a name other than Wizard, which Western Auto used for a wide range of their products car automotive parts & batteries etc.?
Most of the Wizards around here were red or dark blue, but that might have just been what the area dealers ordered in.
Rick C.
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After buying this I have sice bought a roto tiller with a genuine like new GC190 on it. But pretty sure I will be running what is in the box!(?)
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You didn't buy a diesel, did you? That would be pretty cool!
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Because of the nice side panels you fabricated I'd guess & hope it's got an electric start feature. Rick C.
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Here is Travis removing the motor mount that had been added at one point. Plus some other extraneous intrusions to Treen's excellence. I get him to do all of my dirty work! LoL. From here it's off to the sand blaster. And hopefully I can get a set of those side covers out to be louvered this coming week. It is the same place that roll our tank material for us at my work plus the guys son works with me so should be good! Parts are off to the chrome shop and I have confirmed delivery but have not had a response from them yet. Been about ten business days.
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Who’s shop is that?
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At my work place.
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It appears the tanks on these scooters changed a bit from year to year. Or at least from 1957 to 1958. The shape changed. I found this tank and it matched some photos of a Scooter. However, It was 3/4" to long and had the wrong filler neck. So I unsoldered it. Removed the 3/4' from the non-seam side and resoldered it back together. Then added the correct filler neck. I made a quick die to form a chamfer around the hole on top to allow the solder to flow down in around the neck. This is the way the neck I took off was made. Maybe for added strength for the solder to fill in deeper. After this it fits between the frame pipes as it should.
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Even though the first pics here of this restoration looks somewhat complete the original frame purchase wasn't much of a roller. It didn't have the seat with it but I found this one that is pretty close. I sand blasted the springs and repainted them and will reuse the top padding, Probably will add some more padding on the sides. Plus I have the welting for the edge and marine grade Naugahyde.
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Here are my reproduction side covers I made. I had to measure the original I found and draw up a blue print then transferred it to the CNC plasma machine and burned them out. I made two sets as I plan to have one set louvered for a custom look just for fun and keep one set original looking.
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CNC Plasma, now that sounds like cheating! Seriously, they look great. How are you going to retire and give up those cool tools? Lol
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Travis told me I will have to work part time there to keep using the stuff but am considering a hobby size CNC table(PlasmaCam) for at home one day.
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Always nice to have the right tool for the job
Kinda jealous , Tom .
Pete . :)
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Added a little more cushion and stability.
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Tom ,
It looks like you missed a couple of rows . ;)
Pete . :)
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So I had wheel color matched from the inside of rims, I buffed the inside to get as close as match as possible to original cream color. Paint inside was like new. So it won't be long and I will have wheels painted. I have the hardware for them but still need to clean up hubs. Frame is blasted and ready to move forward with new engine mount. Covers are being louvered and parts are at the chrome shop. Hoping they make it in time for Portland. I had handle bars and stem chromed but not terrible price like other place. $ 85 for bars and $35 for stem.
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Hubs are pretty heavy duty looking. Bolt holes instead of spokes and about 3/8" thick. Brake drum looks the same except no spoke holes and bolts on. Bearings and shafts look the same. Will post more when I get them apart and cleaned up.
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Point taken PD! Figured I may as well add foam where I can.
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Point taken PD! Figured I may as well add foam where I can.
Looks comfy!
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Hubs are pretty heavy duty looking. Bolt holes instead of spokes and about 3/8" thick. Brake drum looks the same except no spoke holes and bolts on. Bearings and shafts look the same. Will post more when I get them apart and cleaned up.
Tom, do they use a sealed bearing?
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Point taken PD! Figured I may as well add foam where I can.
That looks more complete . Have you tried it out for 'posteriority' ? LOL
Pete . :)
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Hub comparison. Quick check with calipers. Bearing tubes and bearings look all the same. Axle is longer on scooter. About 6 1/2" on Servi and 8 1/2" on scooter.
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I thought I would show how the wheel pulley is attached to the rear wheel. It is butt welded then welded right to the wheel.
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I guess ya don't have to worry about it spinning , Tom .
At least not without the wheel spinning , too . ;)
Pete . :)
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Just as a side note, some were welded, other years bolted on. I bet they welded them as it save steps drilling and hardware to bolt them together. We all know Simplex was always trying to save a penny here and there.
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Received the louvered side panels yesterday. Custom look for sure. Maybe they need some chrome! First pic is my drawing showing all dimensions taken from original panel. Next is that info entered into SolidWorks cad drawing. Then I emailed to a vender for plasma cutting and louvers.
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Tom ,
The louvers definitely add to the plain panels .
For some reason I had pictured the louvers longer , front to back and fewer in number . I don't know why , just did . Could be I saw something similar in the past .
Maybe I was dreaming ??? LOL
You gonna put chrome Simplex in the center , maybe on a bit of an angle ?
Pete . :)
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Tom, don't chrome them, as that will retain heat. I think with the motor enclosed like that, you would want all the cooling you can get.
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Not really wanting to pour much more money in to them but my buddy at work that drew them into SolidWorks program wants them chromed. Our vender only offered 3" and 4" louvers. I chose 3" then plan to still put the decal in the original spot. And also to offer additional cooling, however, I will be running an engine that will be fine anyways.
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It'll likely look great either way .
Pete . :)
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I picked up the wheels today for the scooter. Paint should be a pretty darn nice match as the paint on the inside of them was just like new. So I had it color matched. Once the wheels are back together I can re-install the rear one onto the frame and begin to line up the pulleys and then I will know where the motor mount will be.
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You gonna pinstripe those wheels , Tom ? ;)
They look pretty good already .
Pete . :)
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Probably wont pinstripe the wheels but am hoping to see some authentic scooters while in Portland. Originally side covers and fenders were pinstriped though I believe. I really need to gain a little more knowledge about these to reassemble it decently. The frame had some cross braces removed that I need to get corrected as well as possible.
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Seriously , I don't think the rims were pin stripped .
Don't know if this will help you , but , here's a flier that shows the pin stripping ( don't see any on the wheels ):
(http://pixdaus.com/files/items/pics/9/88/303988_9b8d7c00fabdc08d4c56892efb7d524c_large.jpg)
I couldn't find any frame only pics .
Pete . :)
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I believe this to be a 1957. The tail pipes are a bit longer and the fuel tank is more elliptical. So I noticed that the my 1958 has pipes that don't go so far back. Maybe to the back of the metal rim portion and not the tire as your picture shows. And the later fuel tanks a more squarish.
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Here's another you may not have seen :
(https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images1/1/0507/27/new-simplex-sportsman-for-1960-motorbike-brochure_1_3eb01df3c568aca63c6e79ccb6a07161.jpg)
Pete . :)
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Pete, do you have a better quality copy of that picture you could post? I tried blowing it up but could not get a clear image.
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Nice find PD! Haven't ran across that one yet. Not much out there on these scooters. Where in the "wide wide world of web" did you find it?
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Sorry Rick . That's the only one I've seen . I tried finding a bigger / better copy , but no luck .
That brochure , along with a Sportsman brochure were sold on Ebay a while back , from what I can tell .
I wonder if maybe rldebuse picked them up for his 'collection' .
Pete . :)
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Tom ,
I borrowed that pic from : https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/new-simplex-sportsman-for-1960-motorbike-brochure .
Pete . :)
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Thought I would try this clutch. Looks to be built well.
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I've read that those Hilliard clutches are pretty good. Can you get different engagement springs for them if needed?
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I've read that those Hilliard clutches are pretty good. Can you get different engagement springs for them if needed?
They do look impressive .
Looks like a pretty good range of springs are available , from 1200 - 3000 RPMs .
https://www.ombwarehouse.com/mini-bike-go-kart/clutches/hilliard-clutches-and-parts/
Pete . :)
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So I bought a parts scooter of the clubs facebook page. Called and paid for it immediately through Paypal so the purchase would be secured. All done without a plan of getting it picked up. Just didn't make these things for enough years to warrant worrying about how I was going to get it home at that point!. Thought I might be able to have a salesman of ours get it while passing through but that didn't work out. Plus I just wanted to go there anyways.
The story goes he bought it 20 years ago but then sold it to his neighbor whom never did anything with it so he ended up buying it back. Then even he decided to not bother with it. Lucky me!
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So yesterday I was up at 3am. Got ready and left by 4:30am. Blew down to Zanesville, Ohio which is an hour east of Columbus. Got the goods and shot back north. Made it just shy of 12 hours round trip. Very nice guy to talk with.
Pinstriping definitely matches cream color of wheels I would say. I had heard this but now I am sure. So happy to have this stuff!
Plus I bought a buddy rack/seat bracket from Lloyd out of Florida. Came yesterday.
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It does look to be in nice condition .
You couldn't (re)produce any of that stuff in 12 hours , Tom . ;)
I think you done good .
Pete . :)
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Those fenders are looking good! Tom, is that the last piece of the puzzle?
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Should be everything I need. Had a whirl wind weekend. After making it back from Ohio we took an hour break then went to a birthday party at the Moose lodge. Closed it down! But my passion for Simplexes prevailed and I managed to get out today to clean up one of the tires and a couple of other things I had to do on the mill.(also restoring a 40s tricycle for granddaughter). Will get the rear wheel assembled tomorrow night and trial fit on the frame to match up where the engine mount needs to be. After that the only piece left to make is the spring arm to make the kick starter still function as a kickstand.
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Tom, do those tires have any Simplex markings on them, or did Simplex buy tires from another source?
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Good Year 4.50/4.00-12. These were on both of my scooters. Both had Good year innertubes. I see Jim Lokai's scooter has Coker repops. They say Coker on the side instead of Good Year
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Scooter innertube
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How about this switch!? Key is the same as a Simplex and has OFF-ON-START positions. Perfect for my electric start. Plus it has a terminal to hook lights to. And to top it off I found some .250" hardened balls for the wheel bearings.
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Found this stop light switch on Ebay. An exact match to drawing in the scooter manual. Bears the Cole-Hersee name and insignia.
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As seen in the scooter manual
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I have all of the fabric and welting to sew my seat and have the seat springs and bottom ready. These pictures are from the inside of the original cream colored seat cover.
"US Naugahyde- The finest in vinyl upholstery"
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I have been working pretty diligently on my scooter. The motor mount and kicker bushing are back in place. Also the lower rear fender mount. All of these had been previously removed before I got it. I found the correct flattened expanded metal for fresh air intake in front of the engine. I have all the parts gathered that will be black and hopefully all will be painted this week.
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You do nice work , Tom .
Pete . :)
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3rd generation do it yourselfer!! LoL
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Ha . That's probably enough to get you a degree , all by itself . ;)
Pete . :)
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The seat has been sewn! Big thanks to my Mom! She is visiting from Georgia so I had the opportunity to have her sew it for me. Kind of tricky with the welting.. Now I can staple it on to the seat bottom and finish it up.
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Looks great. That lady has game!
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Looks like Mom is a pro .
She does nice work . ;)
Pete . :)
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So I took Monday off to do some work on the scooter. I will be taking the side covers, fenders and tank to the powder coaters. I have a small crease in my tank that probably isn't a 1/16" deep. Powder coater says to use Lab Metal as it can withstand the heat of the oven when he bakes the parts. Even says right on the can!.
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Looks like some pretty potent stuff , Tom .
Take proper care when using it .
Pete . :)
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More work done on the scooter. Need to run out to buy a loooonng throttle cable! Brake rod was easy on this. Just straight and thread both ends.
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more
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Looking great Tom, can't wait to see it in Portland! Only 2 1/2 weeks to go.
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Beautiful work as usual and I hope it gets a trip to Portland!
Rick C.
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It happened today! Picked up the parts from the powdercoaters.
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Blue ... my favorite color and shiny to boot . ;)
You probably won't have to worry about any lights , Tom . LOL
Pete . :)
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My scooter is farther along than these photos. Wiring is finished. LED converted headlight! I will assemble the throttle and grips to the handlebars tonight. And working on 'kickerless' kickstand mechanism.
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Looks great Tom. You will be rolling in style next week in Portland!
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Tom ,
Your craftsmanship is showing , again . ;)
Very nice .
Pete . :)
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So back on the scooter. Going rogue for 'Outlaw' Portland! Just kidding. I took the sheet metal off to finally pinstripe it. Plus I have the rack test fitted and painted. I will put in on after the fenders are back on.
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So back on the scooter. Going rogue for 'Outlaw' Portland! Just kidding. I took the sheet metal off to finally pinstripe it. Plus I have the rack test fitted and painted. I will put in on after the fenders are back on.
Tom ,
Sweet machine .
Please post a pic or two of the scooter after the pin stripping is done and you have the rack mounted .
Pete . :)
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The deed is done. Now allow ample drying time then can begin reassembling.
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Looking good , Tom .
Hold long did you practice with that Beulger ?
Pete . :)
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About 30 minutes. Just a little practice on how much pressure to put on the wheel to ensure it keeps turning. Practiced on separate piece of sheet metal. Used same paint as I used for the wheels but without the accelerator.
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That's about how long I practiced , too
I don't think the paint I used had much if any accelerator .
I recall being able to cleanly wipe my mistakes away without leaving traces .
The Beugler sure helps the job look professional . ;)
Pete . :)
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Nice job Tom! I like the Buegler, makes the job relatively easy.
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More progress!
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Lookin sharp! Is the outlaw Portland still on. Wasn't sure if we could still get by with it. Bob
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Full view
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Tom, that looks beautiful in any driveway! Bob
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Lookin sharp! Is the outlaw Portland still on. Wasn't sure if we could still get by with it. Bob
Still on Bob, you thinking about coming.
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Trying to fit it in. Got a lot going this year. Hey Rick, how's the 55 coming, almost done? Ready for the next project. Hope retirement is working out well for you. Bob
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Bob, retirement is great. I haven't done anything on the 55 lately as I got sidetracked restoring a South Bend 13 lathe. I also got a new, bigger trailer, which I have been urethaning the floor and will put e-track into. Portland 2021 will debut the 55 and maybe the 1939 also.
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Glad things are going well. I would enjoy seeing you guys at Portland. Not sure if I will be able to get away yet. Bob