General Category => Simplex Trucks => Topic started by: Ricks on February 04, 2018, 11:18:32 AM
-
My latest project is a 1954 Truck. I am building this one with a stock motor and automatic clutch, unlike my last project that used a honda clone motor. I have gone as far as converting to sealed bearings front and rear, as Simplex did on the trucks. I replicated the brake system in the late style, which I believe started on the 1953 model.
-
Great start. I really like the trucks! Rick C.
-
I'm jealous .
Pete . :)
-
So, did you start with just a standard frame from a bike, and then cut and fab the rest of the whole rear end, etc. by copying an existing truck you have Rick S.?
-
Now I know why you asked me for those dimensions! That’s looking great. Keep us posted with your progress. Vince
-
I do not have an original Truck. The last Truck I built was powered by a Honda clone, and I did not build it to original specs, as at the time I did not have them. That said, I did have a factory measurement for the box, and estimated the rest from there. I no longer have that truck, but I bet I was within an inch or two in most respects.
For this build, I asked Vince for some measurements from his beautiful original 1952 Truck, which he graciously provided. Thanks again Vince!
I started with a 1954 bike frame, and have fabricated the rear half. I built a tubing bender using a JD2 bender, and converted it to air over hydraulic. I used this to bend the rear frame, as well as replace one side of the crash bars that were banged up.
I'm still working a ton, so progress has not been as fast as I would like. I hope to at least have the rolling chassis at Portland this summer.
-
That's some nice work there.
-
I knew you had something special up your sleeve. Looks like another cool project to me. Bob
-
While I will not have this ready for Portland this year, I am making progress.
I had the wheels and frame and all the rest of the black parts power coated. I used new stainless spokes and assembled the wheels.
It took 2 tries, but I now have the correct belt size.
The brake system has all been fabricated, but I have not installed the linkage yet for the final time.
Next, I need to order a few parts from Wayne to get the engine together, and then on to the front fender. I have already fabricated the rear fenders. I left them long for now. When I get the box built and installed, I can determine the proper length.
Hope to see all of you in Portland in July!
-
Lookin' good , Rick .
Why is the left rocker arm closed and the right open ?
Pete . :)
-
You said this was all about the builds. Looks like your working hard and having a good time doing so. Already looks first class and very nicely done. The Oklahoma boys will definitely be in Portland, reservations in place. Can't wait!
-
Lookin' good , Rick .
Why is the left rocker arm closed and the right open ?
Pete . :)
Good eye Pete! The closed one is a genuine truck rocker. Simplex used them on some of the trucks because there is more pressure on the axle in turns, as these are steered and not leaned. I had thought about welding a regular one closed and remachining it, but haven't got around to it yet. When I do, i will change it out. I used 1/2 axles on my build, and they are captured, as the slot is only 7/16 anyway.
-
You said this was all about the builds. Looks like your working hard and having a good time doing so. Already looks first class and very nicely done. The Oklahoma boys will definitely be in Portland, reservations in place. Can't wait!
Looking forward to seeing you guys! Hopefully good weather this year.
Have you and Mike been working on anything?
-
Lookin' good , Rick .
Why is the left rocker arm closed and the right open ?
Pete . :)
Good eye Pete! The closed one is a genuine truck rocker. Simplex used them on some of the trucks because there is more pressure on the axle in turns, as these are steered and not leaned. I had thought about welding a regular one closed and remachining it, but haven't got around to it yet. When I do, i will change it out. I used 1/2 axles on my build, and they are captured, as the slot is only 7/16 anyway.
I thought maybe they used closed rockers because of possible towing behind a car . The trucks being heavier and maybe loaded , open might allow the axles to be pulled out of the rockers , if the nuts loosened much .
But , the turning reason seems to make sense , too .
Pete . :)
-
Hey Rick, I've been too busy to do much. Still picking up parts and adding to the pile. Someday? Mike picked up another Sportsman from hear in Oklahoma. Almost complete with all the hard to find parts.Another project. but aren't they all.
-
Really nice progress Rick!
-
That's a nice keyway you put in that shaft! Do your pulleys have the other set screw hole also? I know sometimes manufacturers do not add the second hole. It is good to lock the key in place with one then another set screw to lock the pulley to the shaft.
-
There is only 1 set screw in the pulley. I didn’t know about using 2 of them. I think I will add another to the pulleys before I have them
powder coated.
-
Installed the handlebars and throttle assembly. I don't know why, buy sometimes the throttles go together easily, sometimes they fight you. This one was a wrestling match!
-
Do you ever use alcohol or something to remove any slippery residue from the mold release before you hair spray the handle bar and install the grips. Then use the wife's good hair spray!
-
Do you ever use alcohol or something to remove any slippery residue from the mold release before you hair spray the handle bar and install the grips. Then use the wife's good hair spray!
I use a paint pre cleaner. I have found that Wayne’s new left handgrip is too large. I had to use 4 wraps of tape to get a good tight fit. I found the same thing last year when I restored the 1955. I should ask him if the mold was made slightly too large on the id.
-
That answers a lot for me. I had ended up with two right grips through a bike purchase and picked up two lefts while in Portland. Kind of thought I got two more rights.
-
I took Tom's advice and added a second set screw to the drive pulleys. I don't know how I ever worked without a mill, it made the job so much easier.
I installed the brakes and front wheel and she is now a roller. I have some engine parts on order from Wayne, and hope to get that done later this month.
I have a few parts to send to the powder coater, and then I will move on to making a front fender and the box.
No chance to have it at Portland this year, but I am trying to have it running by the end of the summer.
-
I took Tom's advice and added a second set screw to the drive pulleys. I don't know how I ever worked without a mill, it made the job so much easier.
I installed the brakes and front wheel and she is now a roller. I have some engine parts on order from Wayne, and hope to get that done later this month.
I have a few parts to send to the powder coater, and then I will move on to making a front fender and the box.
No chance to have it at Portland this year, but I am trying to have it running by the end of the summer.
Looking real nice , Rick .
Can we expect it to be in Portland NEXT Summer ? ;)
You'll likely have a different bike there , then .
Pete . :)
-
I took Tom's advice and added a second set screw to the drive pulleys. I don't know how I ever worked without a mill, it made the job so much easier.
I installed the brakes and front wheel and she is now a roller. I have some engine parts on order from Wayne, and hope to get that done later this month.
I have a few parts to send to the powder coater, and then I will move on to making a front fender and the box.
No chance to have it at Portland this year, but I am trying to have it running by the end of the summer.
Looking real nice , Rick .
Can we expect it to be in Portland NEXT Summer ? ;)
You'll likely have a different bike there , then .
Pete . :)
It will be at Portland next summer for sure! Now, that doesn't mean it may not come home with me. lol
-
Ya can't just keep 'em all . I mean your garage would have to be a lot bigger . ;)
Pete . :)
-
Test fit one of my homemade front fenders. It needs a little more work, but is close. We need a source for new fenders, as these take quite a bit of time to get right. I once saw a video of a fender rolling machine a guy in Australia built to do motorcycle fenders, but it was pretty elaborate.
-
Rick ,
To an untrained eye , that fender looks perfect .
Heck , it looks pretty good to me . But , I don't have it in hand .
Reese has a press . Maybe we could encourage him to do some fenders , along with the tanks . ;)
Pete . :)
-
Rick ,
To an untrained eye , that fender looks perfect .
Heck , it looks pretty good to me . But , I don't have it in hand .
Reese has a press . Maybe we could encourage him to do some fenders , along with the tanks . ;)
Pete . :)
I'm still waiting on those tanks!
-
Maybe we can get Reese to take a sabbatical from his job and concentrate on doing a bunch of tanks and having a couple fender molds made up . LOL
Pete . :)
-
Rick you're becoming quite accomplished on the English wheel! Rick C.
-
I was building the engine and realized I didn't have a connecting rod to crank screw. The easy thing would be to call Wayne and order one, but I was impatient. I looked through my hardware and noticed a 3/8" carriage bolt had the correct diameter head. I put it in a 3/8" collet on my lathe, spun the shaft down to .25" and faced the head flat. I then put it in the mill and slotted for the screwdriver. The only pain in the ass was threading it, as I couldn't figure out a good way to hold it. What I wound up doing is just using a large screwdriver and threading it into the die. It wasn't elegant but it worked.
-
Any port in a storm .
Nice going , Rick .
Work with what you have . If you have the tools ... LOL
Pete . :)
-
Restless energy at work! LoL
-
Restless energy at work! LoL
Tom ,
He's just getting anxious for Portland . ;)
Pete . :)
-
I test fit the engine, clutch and drive. I used a link belt to determine the length needed for the drive belt. I was hoping it would be a BX25 belt, as I have a few of them. It was not to be, as I determined it to be a BX26. So close yet so far! LOL
Here's some pictures. If anyone sees something amiss, please speak up!
-
Lookin' pretty nice , Rick .
I see you use the horseshoe 'method' when mounting springs . Ends up to catch and hold good luck . ;)
Pete . :)
-
Everything looks very cleanly done. Obviously there are bell cranks in each corner but did you make each arm equal lengths or is there some mechanical advantage in them.
-
Everything looks very cleanly done. Obviously there are bell cranks in each corner but did you make each arm equal lengths or is there some mechanical advantage in them.
The brake arms are about 2" different in length. I based the system on the latest style that Simplex used. They seem to work really well, much better than the straight bar style I used on my previous truck.
-
Everything looks very cleanly done. Obviously there are bell cranks in each corner but did you make each arm equal lengths or is there some mechanical advantage in them.
The brake arms are about 2" different in length. I based the system on the latest style that Simplex used. They seem to work really well, much better than the straight bar style I used on my previous truck.
Why do you think that is , Rick ?
Pete . :)
-
Everything looks very cleanly done. Obviously there are bell cranks in each corner but did you make each arm equal lengths or is there some mechanical advantage in them.
The brake arms are about 2" different in length. I based the system on the latest style that Simplex used. They seem to work really well, much better than the straight bar style I used on my previous truck.
Why do you think that is , Rick ?
Pete . :)
I haven't the slightest idea. I don't remember how long the brake backing plate arms were on the other truck. Simplex used several lengths over the years, and longer would give better leverage. Maybe that's the difference.
-
More leverage makes sense .
I first thought maybe the amount of joint friction , but , there really wouldn't be much difference there .
Pete . :)
-
I finally got back to work on the truck. I don't have a sheet metal brake, and since I needed a 4' model, a cheap Harbor Freight one isn't big enough. I would have loved to buy a nice finger brake, but they are expensive and I don't really have the room for something I would use infrequently. I started searching the internet and decided to build one. I found a guy locally that has a lot of recycled steel so I picked up most of the metal cheap. Here she is and the box all bent and mocked for welding.
-
Looks like you did a nice job on both the brake and the box , Rick . (http://www.cb750c.com/modules/Forums/images/smiles/thumbsup.gif)
-
Wow. Looks good. Did you put the X bend in it with your new brake.? I need to follow your lead and get back to work on my rides.
-
Wow. Looks good. Did you put the X bend in it with your new brake.? I need to follow your lead and get back to work on my rides.
I did, was very easy to do. Just bent it about 5-6 degrees. I spent about 20 hours building the brake, and it only took about 2 hours to bend up the box!
The one thing that took a long time while building the brake was milling the flat edge on the bending bar. I had to make 4 setups as I only have about 15" of table movement on my mill.
-
So , you have a tool that does what you want and will last long after you can't use it anymore , for the price of scrap metal .
Yup , I'd say you done good . ;)
Pete . :)
-
Welded up the box and test fit it. Looks pretty good. Next up is to make the top, and then the plywood inserts. Only 6 months to Portland!
-
have you been following some of the pointers we got from Lokai's trucks?
-
Rick the box is a really nice piece of sheet metal fabrication & I know your truck will be epic!
Rick C.
-
have you been following some of the pointers we got from Lokai's trucks?
Yes I have. The problem is that Jim’s trucks are all slightly different. I am modeling it as close to Bob Legron’s as I can, as I believe that to be an original.
-
Rick the box is a really nice piece of sheet metal fabrication & I know your truck will be epic!
Rick C.
Thanks Rick! Any chance you are coming to Portland this summer?
-
Rick I'm discussing doing just that with a friend who's an interest in hauling a few bikes up and staying several days in that general area. We'll see how it goes. Rick C.
-
Seat is here. The black one is for the truck, the other for a future project. I figured I would get 2 done at the same time and save about $50 on shipping back and forth. Heather's Leathers also gave me a $19 discount for being a repeat customer! They were super quick this time, left my house and returned in 10 days!
-
That's what I'm talkin' about!
-
That's pretty leather work!
Rick C.
-
Nice , nice , for sure .
Pete . :)
-
I haven't gotten as far as I would have like as I had a injury that took about a month to heal. I feeling better now, and the weather is nice for painting.
Here are the parts in polyester primer. I will block them out this week and hope to get some color on in the next 2 weeks. Only 6 weeks to Portland!
-
6 weeks! The race is on for me.
-
Hope you guys get both of your projects ready. Lots of time and effort. But I'm sure they will both be awesome as usual.
-
Hope you guys get both of your projects ready. Lots of time and effort. But I'm sure they will both be awesome as usual.
Bob, are you guys bringing any riders this year?
-
Don't know yet. Playtime has been almost non existent for awhile. So much for being retired.
-
In paint. I will wet sand and buff it over the next week or so.
-
Not so sure , yet , but , I think I like that green . ;)
Looking good , Rick .
Pete . :)
-
That's glossy! Hey that looks like a wide bar frame back there.
-
Gaining on it!
-
Looking exceptional , Rick .
I see you must have spent all your money on that rig as you can't even afford slippers . ;)
Pete . :)
-
Wow Rick, that looks great. Nice job.
Maybe I just missed it but I didn't see the wheelie bars?
-
Another fine outstanding project! Warning, if you bring it to Portland we're going to drool on all the beauty. Congrats! What's next? I know you've been stashing parts. You turn out something new each year. Going to be hard to beat this one though. See you in a couple of weeks. Bob
-
Awesome truck!!
Rick C.
-
Rick,
That turned out incredible. Wish I was going to Portland this year to see it in person.
Vince
-
Thanks everyone. The paint isn't quite as nice as I would like, but it is more than presentable. I will not feel as bad after it gets all dirty in Portland this year! lol
Vince, is that other Truck that is for sale in California anywhere near you?
-
Super!!!!!!!!!!!! Mike
-
Rick,
If it’s near Stockton or Modesto it’s about 5 hours from where I live. If it were a little closer, I’d go check it out. Vince
-
Did you happen to keep & compile all the measurements, tools used, techniques, information gained, your research, etc. into a collective format others could use concerning such a project as this? In other words, a book???? Or, something that could sold or shared in a "book like" format? I would be interested in something of this nature. I am NOT as intuitive (innovative?) as someone like yourself. If you kept all your "notes" concerning this project, I think it would have a degree of marketability. What sayest thou?
-
Did you happen to keep & compile all the measurements, tools used, techniques, information gained, your research, etc. into a collective format others could use concerning such a project as this? In other words, a book???? Or, something that could sold or shared in a "book like" format? I would be interested in something of this nature. I am NOT as intuitive (innovative?) as someone like yourself. If you kept all your "notes" concerning this project, I think it would have a degree of marketability. What sayest thou?
The only dimensions I had I got from Vince. Everything else I built from looking at photos and other Trucks at Portland. This is the second one I have built, the first one had a 6.5 hp Honda GX200 motor.
I have a well equipped home shop, and did everything myself, with the exception of the powder coating and leather seat.
Besides the common hand tools, I used a mig welder, mill, lathe, tubing bender, built a sheet metal brake to bend the box.
If you are considering a project like this, I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.
-
Okay. You already answered my question to a degree. If you had to use a metal lathe & mill, that puts a project like this out of my league. I could handle everything else, but the expense & time of learning that much metal working skill is beyond my scope for now. I have watched literally hours of metal lathe "shop class" with mrpete222 on YouTube aka TubalCain. He's a (retired?) high school shop teacher that makes really good videos on anything imaginable concerning metal work. He even shows steps in smelting & forging a small steam engine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuZEQe4Q3g4&t=13s
I really wish you had made an extensive YouTube video for you second truck. That would have been great fun to watch an educational video concerning the details of all the steps & fabrication(s) involved.
BTW... Which part(s) did you have to fabricate to the extent you used a lathe & milling machine on them? Just curious. Thanks
-
I made my own sealed bearing hubs which needs a lathe, and I made my own brake backing plates on the mill. I built the first truck without either tool, but I used regular Simplex parts for that one. I was trying to make this one as close to an original as possible.
Read through the thread on my other build for ideas.
-
Truck is for sale. Asking $7700. As seen at The VMBC show in Portland. The only change is the seat is now the English Tan leather.
-
Rick
Looks good. I'm studying your design.
-
Rick
Looks good. I'm studying your design.
Mike, I followed Simplex’s design! 😂