Dorothy, Heald VT-7 (anything goes) project ...

#1
I got a VT-7 to use as a project bike.
https://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/mini-bike-discussion/142149-home-heald-vt-7-pics.html
Jeep4me christened her "Dorothy" because of the basket ... good working name ...

The motor was shot .. https://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/tecumseh/142188-h70-scoring-stuck-pushrod-pics.html no problem!

A few notes about this project ... It's has no end game ... if I don't like something it will get changed.
I am shooting for a rip snorting bitch!
beekeeper says I'm gonna break parts ... GOOD!!
If I had to describe it in one word ... VIOLENCE!

Stripping the frame chemically was meh ... a 90 degree grinder with a wire wheel got her down to metal.


The wheels got baked and sand blasted by beekeepers friend at NAPA .. clean as a whistle!


Here is a pic of most of the parts for the project .. wheels are out being powder coated gloss white. The front tire is on its way ...


Have a few parts on the wall for it ..


The motor is a NOS Tecumseh Motorsports 5hp, I had to do a little assembly, comes with the parts but the factory dosent install them .. it should put out about 9hp in stock form and hit 7000 RPM. Comes with a new Tillotson carb .. I know nothing about these.

The clutch will be the 3D Manual clutch for .. hole shots, wheelies, breaking parts and bucking me off!
 
#2
Looks like a Kool project!...........Looking foreward to helping you upgrade your jackshaft/mounts and bearings as your going to rip them clean off with the manual clutch!.............LOL...............Tom.
 
#3
I was asked about the rear tire ..
It's a Goodyear Rawhide Terra.
Goodyear Rawhide Terra ATV Tires

This and its sister tire the Terra Compass are repops of older tires.
The Terra Compass fit the Heald, you could fill them up to 10lbs and be able to adjust them the full range front to back without hitting anything.
I have bought 3 in the last 2 years.

I'm guessing the Rawhide will fit like the Terra does.
 
#4
The front tire came yesterday ... I was shooting for a similar tread pattern but functional as a front tire .. not lots to choose from in the size I needed .. I'm happy tho ..


The 90 degree grinder with a wire wheel gets down to the bare metal in short order.


A little primer will help keep the rust at bay until I'm ready for color ...
Schmucked the tank a bit ... meh ..
 
#5
The 3D manual clutch came with a #35 sprocket, I ordered a #40 and put it on ... I want the stronger primary chain ..


I located the motor and jackshaft setup ... looks like the sprocket will be outboard a bit .. I will need to brace the end of the shaft hanging in the wind. I ordered a 12t #40 sprocket for the jackshaft.


The issue I needed to address is the jackshaft mounting slots in the mounting plate. I don't want slots, I think it will twist in the slots ...


I welded them up and put the 5/16" holes back on location ...


This should keep the jackshaft in place ..
 
#6
Looks good. The easy way to weld up a hole that is slotted and end up with a round hole is to locate the hole with a piece of round brass rod and weld around it. Then grind down the weld and you have a round hole. Quick and simple.

Doug
 
#7
Looks good. The easy way to weld up a hole that is slotted and end up with a round hole is to locate the hole with a piece of round brass rod and weld around it. Then grind down the weld and you have a round hole. Quick and simple.

Doug
I used a brass plate under the slot, welded it up mostly to the end, I left part of the hole to use as a witness, flipped the frame over and filled in the brass side. I used stainless rod.
Then I chucked up the frame in the mill, used a 5/16" carbide end mill to pick up the hole end and milled it out.



I like your way of doing it too! I will go that route next time.
 
#8
I used a brass plate under the slot, welded it up mostly to the end, I left part of the hole to use as a witness, flipped the frame over and filled in the brass side. I used stainless rod.
Then I chucked up the frame in the mill, used a 5/16" carbide end mill to pick up the hole end and milled it out.



I like your way of doing it too! I will go that route next time.
I had to repair the lower control arm mounting holes in the subframe of the 1968 Firebird I restored a few years back. The bolts had been left loose and all 4 holes on both sides were elongated. I bought a 36'' 1/2'' round brass rod and slid it through all 4 holes as they are all in a line and welded the holes up. Worked like a charm and made them all line up as they should.

Doug
 
#9
The Jackshaft sprocket came in ...
I also made a brace for the end of the jackshaft that would otherwise be spinning in the wind.
I will make spacers to hold the outer bearing and sprocket in position.

 
#12
$65 later I have 2 powder coated wheels ... I will get them mounted tomorrow ...
The red goober is on my phone lenses ... I HOPE!! :crying:

Use WD-40 to mount them. It will disappear and not leave anything behind. Its the only thing I use when mounting or dismounting a tire anymore. A run of duct tape around the edge of the rim will help protect it.

Doug
 
#13
I paid Discount tire to mount them ... they got the rear tire on backwards after I discussed with the boss what I wanted as well as wrote tire sizes and directions in the inside of the wheels in sharpie ... I waited while they turned it around.
I could bitch more but if I thought I could do a better job I would have.

Here they are mounted up ..



 
#14
Sorting out the Carb ....

I wanted to use the Tillotson that came with the motor but it also came with a number of issues that would need sorting out. First it needed to be run "upside down" and that created a couple problems, linkage and access to the adjustment screws around the hot exhaust. It also would need an air filter and adapter and likely an intake to lower it below the motor mounted gas tank I will be using. Also there is no choke.

After pondering this for a few days I decided on switching carbs might be easier so I started looking into that.
Stock carb was workable but that really defeats the performance of this build.

I did an OldMiniBikes search on carb options .. I cant find the thread but this Mikuni kit on ebay was suggested .. 22MM MIKUNI CARB KIT PREDATOR 212/GX200/GX160/HONDA CLONE. Drift Trike, Mini Bik | eBay
It seemed to be the answer as it had most of my issues solved and maintained performance and maybe even improves it a bit.

I got it in the mail quickly ... it looked nice with the exception of the intake ... the exit side of the carb is 1", the intake I.D. is .904 as well as it is not even centered in the carb ...

The air/fuel mix slams right into a wall ..
I'm gonna need to make an intake ....

I needed to make flanges ... I chose to make them out of round stock but it would have been faster to make them out of flat stock .. I'm just retarded sometimes ...

6150 in the lathe ...


1" Hole in it ...


Slice and slab ...


Scribe and mill the mounting holes .. I also scribed the carb so I would be able to best orientate the flange to mill the holes in the correct place


I used a chamfered 1" tube in the flange to locate center for scribing ...


A 12" PSA sticky-back (12" sanding disc) stuck to a flat surface is great for deburring flat surfaces quickly and accurately.


The mounting holes in the Mikuni flange are not centered with the hole .. this is one reason the "kit" intake wouldn't work.
You can see the flange is now slightly bigger than the carb.


I made a cheezy stand from scrap to mimic how the carb will be when mounted to the motor.
The motor side flange is made and bolted to it.


Looked around the shop and found this DOM 1" I.D. tube for the intake tube.


I cut the length, tacked it to the motor flange and milled it to the angle I wanted for the carb flange to mount to.


Here it is completed and mounted on the stand.


This side shows the intake and my sketchy welds.
AGAIN, my welds are serviceable. In this case the TIG we have is for larger stuff and gets tricky when welding small stuff epically a thick flange to a thin walled tube ... but I didn't blow out the tube and its sealed ... win-win for me!


Mocked up on the bike ...


Top view


Also got a Flex-jet for on the fly tweaking ...
 
#15
I mounted the wheels and forks .. all nuts, washers, spacers and bushings are new. The threads on the axels were chased with a 5/8-18 die.
Here it is with the motor and its new intake/carb all mocked up ...

 
#16
Looks good. Is the small offset hole in the face of the carb needed??? Its there for some reason. It is outside the O-ring so it is not vacuum. It must be a vent. Maybe drill the flange for it to breathe freely?

Doug
 
#17
Looks good. Is the small offset hole in the face of the carb needed??? Its there for some reason. It is outside the O-ring so it is not vacuum. It must be a vent. Maybe drill the flange for it to breathe freely?

Doug
Yep, I thought about that ... The "kit" intake had no provision for it and the spacer/gasket below came with the carb and that has no provision for it.
If I was to take a WAG I would say its for fuel pump vacuum if the tank is lower than the carb ... but I don't really know ..
Maybe someone with knowledge will chime in ...



I will start another thread and ask .... *EDITED*
 
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#18
I am going off memory, and I get memories confused with flashbacks, so I could be wrong. I think the little hole is for air to the idle circuit or the choke circuit.
 
#20
Kevin,
I am really enjoying your build thread and watching the bike come together. As a fellow Super Bronc owner (1974 VT-8) I am especially interested in this performance build you are doing. I believe it is precedence-setting, at least on this forum, as I have never heard of anyone doing this on a Bronc before. I will candidly admit I am VERY envious of your fabrication skills and easy access to specialized equipment! I doubt that are any parts that you cannot make. Please keep the updates coming.
Michael
 
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