new project aka "Molotov"

S

sojudave

New Member
I've accrued two mt bikes. A 26" chicks bike and a 24" dudes bike. Here are some rough mock up pics. I am going to use a 26" front wheel and a 24" in the back. I also made a strut to replace the spring on the lowrider forks. My biggest issue regarding the forks was with the spring anyway. I have to cut out the backbone and replace it so there will be room for an engine. Then there is the general mundane stuff... coaster hub, new spokes, paint, ect...

p_00001.jpg

p_00002.jpg

p_00003.jpg
 
So far I like the approach your taking with it....cant wait to see your mock up for the motor install.
Terry
 
OzzyU812 said:
That certainly answer the queston, "How low can you go ?!"
Click to expand...

3" at the crank housing. That's as low as I want to go. My neighbor is going to help me with tack welding the rear section on Wed. I still have quite a bit left of the other frame which will definitely come in handy.
 
Cabinfever1977 said:
thats kool,it should ride nice being that low,i think 3" is the shortest crank you can buy.
cant wait to see more.
Click to expand...

I plan to use a 4" crank eventually, but will weld the crank from the cut up frame a little higher up and on the front of the frame. After that, I should be able to use whatever length of crank I want. The thing is that I've never welded before, so my plan is to get some practice in on this arc welder I got and then tack everything in place. After that, I'll take it to my buddy's shop where he can TIG everything.
 
I got a hitch in my giddy-up. Arc welding and I don't get along. I think I'm going to put it up on Craigslist and then get a small MIG. I've heard that MIG is much easier to get along with.
 
sojudave said:
I got a hitch in my giddy-up. Arc welding and I don't get along. I think I'm going to put it up on Craigslist and then get a small MIG. I've heard that MIG is much easier to get along with.
Click to expand...

Arc welding thin stuff is a real pain!!!

If you can find a deal on a used TIG unit...you'll be REAL happy.

The MIG is great too, but it can also be tricky when welding thin material.

Jim
 
Okay gang, I have gotten more work done. I was having major issues with the whole process of arc welding. Seems that it's easier said then done. So I put my welder up on Craigslist and sold it and the electrode for 80.00 then I found a 110v mig welder for 50.00. My welds look like crap and they are by no means finished, but, here's my new rear section of 'Molotov.' The cool thing is that now I can fit a small cooler between the wheel and seat post....wait nevermind that, I don't have any chains on it yet. Oh well.

proj stage2-1.JPG

proj stage2-2.JPG

proj stage2-3.JPG

proj stage2-4.JPG
 
Creative Engineering said:
Arc welding thin stuff is a real pain!!!

If you can find a deal on a used TIG unit...you'll be REAL happy.

The MIG is great too, but it can also be tricky when welding thin material.

Jim
Click to expand...


You're right about that. I seem to have to keep it moving because even on low heat with a slow speed, it'll burn through the material.
 
got somemore work done to the frame today. I also bought a set of 16" apes, a 4" crank and sprocket from Longhorn Bikes here in ATX. They're on Ceasar Chavez Blvd. I talked to a neighbor and he just happens to have a 50cc pocket bike he's willing to part with for about 50.00. I'll wait and see if this works out. I hope it does. Anyway, here are some pics of the bike with the apes and the reshaped backbone:

proj stage3-2.JPG

proj stage3-3.JPG

proj stage 3-6 - Copy.JPG
 
A quick update. Last friday I went and got the apes, crank and sprocket. Yesterday I welded the section for the new crank and it's actually pretty comfortable. Afterall, I really just need the crank to start and stop the bicycle anyway, and even after buying a chain for a 21spd bicycle, it's still too short, so I'm gonna have to pick up another one this week. My engine options are as follows:

My neighbor has a 50cc pocket bike that he said he'd sell to me for 50.00. If this goes through, then that'd be optimal. Either that or I could pick up a 40cc 4-stroke kit, frame mounted, for 150.00, and then there's always the 2-stroke.
 
So I'm pretty much at a stopping point now. I got the pedal chain hooked up, it took 2 chains for a 21spd bike. I rode it as is to walgreens and back twice. It's about 2 blocks. The ride back was more fun, though I had to stop a la Fred Flinstone. Right now I have a free wheel on the back until I can pick up my coaster brake wheel next Tuesday. All the welds are holding together despite the fact they look like doodoo. Once I get my rear wheel, I'll finish up the welds and reinforce the rear part of the frame. I'm waiting to hear back from my neighbor on that pocket bike of his. If not, then I can get a deal on a 4 stroke frame mount kit. My bicycle guy is selling the rest of his kits at cost just to get rid of them. He said that the key on the drive shaft keeps coming out. I told him that a couple of small tack welds should hold it in place. Anyway, I've had fun just pedalling it around, but with the way the seat sits and the position of the pedals, I really want an engine on it.

later
 
Well fellas. This will probably be my final update on this proj. Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to keep it as a pedal bike for the forseeable future. I got my coaster brake wheel today and will finish up the the welds and get it bondo'd and all that over the next few days. I got a cool idea for paint. Nothing fancy, just some spray on bedliner. Yeah the rough stuff. I figure that since it won't have a motor, I will weld a rack so that I can fit a small cooler on the bike. I'm a little bummed by the fact I won't be motorizing it, but it's been very fun just tooling around on it.
 
Negative, Marsrover. The molotov is short for "molotov cocktail". It's a simple homemade weapon that is usually used during hardcore riots. The most popular version is a glass bottle filled with gasoline or another flammable liquid. A rag is inserted halfway into the bottle and then the cap put back on. The rag is lit on fire and then the bottle is thrown. The result is a large fireball on impact.
 
johnnyb said:
Negative, Marsrover. The molotov is short for "molotov cocktail". It's a simple homemade weapon that is usually used during hardcore riots. The most popular version is a glass bottle filled with gasoline or another flammable liquid. A rag is inserted halfway into the bottle and then the cap put back on. The rag is lit on fire and then the bottle is thrown. The result is a large fireball on impact.
Click to expand...

That's correct. I originally called it molotov because I was going to paint it a dark red, black the rims and some of the chrome parts on the springer. I've decided to not paint it red, but I still like the name. I do have some good news. I will be able to motorize it afterall, and I hope to get my kit on monday. Longhorn bikes has been selling 4 stroke frame mount kits at cost. He said he wants to just get his money back on them. Good news for me. He said that the key on the drive shaft keeps falling off, and he just wants to liquidate his supply. That means I can get one for 150.00. These are 40cc engines which is fine by me. I figure a couple of tack welds on the the shaft should take care of that problem. As for the color of the bike, this mainly depends on the what my buddy has in supply. No red, no lime green. I was thinking of avocado green, or pearl white. In anycase, the the rims will be blacked out using a can of spray on bedliner. The canned stuff isn't as textured as the roll on or professional spray stuff.
 
I think the term Molotov Cocktail came from the Russians using them in the 2WW.
The German tanks had a grate on top at the rear,that cold air was drawn through to cool the engine. The engine was not completely sealed of from the crew inside and the flames were drawn in by the radiator fan.

I can't even guess what the terror of being inside with a full load of ammo as well could have been like.

Steve.
 
So uh, I got the four stroke kit yesterday and today, I discovered that my frame doesn't exactly jive with it. The cool thing about this type of engine is that everything is compact. The only parts that aren't attached is the gas tank and throttle. BUT, if I had bought a 2-stroke there would have been no problems. So I got two choices, mount my engine in the frame, which would involve, cutting my down tube and moving the whole thing up an inch or two on the seat post, or cut a notch out of it. I would also have to remove my crank and move it down several inches but the pedal chain would still conflict with the engine. My other option, and the one I'm going with is to mount it to the lower frame rails between the rear wheel and seat post. This means no frame cutting, though I will have to weld a plate to the rails so I can mount the engine. I can still use the sprocket and gas tank that came with the kit but I'm going to have to get a really long throttle cable and fuel line. Plus the bicycle chain can be rerouted with minimum drama. I'll try to get some mock up pics later on this week.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top