98cc Villiers on a 1945 Sears Roebuck

Harold I totally agree that both Wret & you have absolutely nailed the proper look of early cycling. Great job by both you guys! Rick C.
 
Thanks gents. I'm always surprised by how long each little thing takes me but I'm determined to make it as close to what's in my mind as possible. Slow but sure....
 
As the old saying goes, The Devil is in the details. This comes from the days of sailing ships and the Devil was when the hull of the ship started to turn inward on the side of the ship. The details were the plans.

It has always amazed me that the bulk of the building is accomplished quickly and the fine details of the build that make it outstanding take forever to finish.

Steve.
 
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HMore details and still more to go. The devil for sure.
I tend to fiddle around with something until I run into an obstacle like not having a part and then jump to somethings else. It seems like nothing ever really gets done that way but at some point it will all come together. A few of the things I've started and haven't finished are the manual choke pull cable up by the bars, wiring the LED lights, and making a foot brake pedal. I bought this frame in October of 2014 and started this thread a year later. Maybe I'll have it running this October!
 
Nothing good happens in a hurry Harold. The bike shows your attention to detail. A fantastic build indeed.

Steve.
 
As always thanks for the positive feedback. Those are great examples of what I have in mind Ludwig. A 1923 Sun was listed for sale a couple years ago just a few hours drive from home. All original too. Broke my heart that I couldn't grab it! Lately it's been work getting in the way of garage time but there's a break in my near future and good weather too. I'll see what I can get done.
 
Thanks. I did finally get a linkage made that works although I need to get the shims / washer stack at the pivot right to take up the slop. It shifts better with drive spinning but then it was pretty much stuck when I got it. I plan to replace the lubricant before I go anywhere. When it's running I'll post a video and include a few gear changes. I'm hopeful it's before the snow flies!
 
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Been almost a month since I last checked in on my build thread. Just got a one liter can of Castrol XXL40 in the mail today so the next task will be flushing and refilling the gearbox. Maybe this weekend. Between last month and now I've managed to squeeze a few hours here and there in the garage. Lots of little things but stuff I want done. Made a rack and new brackets for the rear fender (again). I think I'll keep these. The rack is a handy and I think appropriate spot to mount the acetelyne tail light I'm converting to LED. I've moved the rear brake lever from the bottom bracket to a pivot bolted to the floorboard brace. The pivot came from a salvaged mountain bike rear triangle that I had stashed away. There's a linkage to a plate at the bottom bracket which will pull the brake cable. I still need to make a cable stop and adjuster to wrap that up. Made an exhaust from (black) natural gas pipe fittings, a couple salvaged tubes from the Schwinn Gladiator, a spent O2 tank from my MAPP welder, and steel tubing. A little more clean up and I'll paint it all black. Reworked the copper lines for the lights and made a battery holder and "manifolds" from PVC. The box used to be the textured PVC from my stereo cabinet. No such thing as "junk" I guess. Still more to go but getting it running and rideable are looking to happen pretty soon.
 
Let's see if this works. The link is a short video of the engine running. I can get it started but it won't idle without holding the throttle wide open. The bigger issue and most likely related is the backfire through the carb. Thoughts? Suggestions appreciated. I have good spark as far as I can tell. Exhaust leaks a bit but I doubt that's the issue. Carb was cleaned and the bowl gasket replaced. No leaks from case halfs or gasket. It's possible there's an air/case leak at the output shaft.

https://m.imgur.com/a/a66C1
 
Thanks again Curt. It has a lot more "character" today now that there's a bit of oil and such splattered around. I rather like it looking a little used. My mower is now a garage queen but I have no intention of pampering it. I did clean out the gearbox by running several little paper cups full of mineral spirits through it. First few cups looked almost like tomoto soup when I drained it. The drain plug is dribbling a little lube so I'll need to replace the fiber washer.
 
Harold it's a beauty! Once rid of the beast....
After checking through electrical/timing, coil especially. I'd suspect air leaks at the bearing seals/case gaskets. Also I'd replace the condenser even if it's brand new...I've had them fail on startup before, yet still start and run with effort.

You'll figure it out. As for a little oil here and there; just proves she's no trailer queen. "Ride 'em don't hide them". Rick C.
 
Thanks Rick. I plan to get a coil on order today just for a backup and see what I can find for a condenser. There's a bit of oil on the output shaft so I wouldn't be surprised if that was an issue. I'm hoping I can get away with a few minor adjustments and avoid a tear down. The splatter is really black so the jug might come off over the winter anyway just to check on the carbon build up.
 
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