My First Restoration (CAT 400x i think)

#1
There's so much good stuff on this forum that I wanted to see if I could contribute. So, here is what I've done so far. This would not be possible without the help I've received from a bunch of you.

Here's how I bought 'er:
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I responded to an ad on Craig's List which was for a minibike parts lot. I got this Cat with the rebuilt/hot rodded 5hp B&S, a chopped up Bird Duck roller, and three boxes of parts which had some usable stuff and some rusted engine artifacts. There's an old piston and connecting rod that I may use to decorate my Christmas tree. I paid $140 for the lot.:punk:
 
#3
I just finished the last clear coat on the frame today. I went with Pumpkin Orange Krylon, and then sprayed glitter for a '70's look. Don't fret, I painted all the parts separately.
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You can still see the heavenly paint cloud.:nuke::stuart:

I haven't started on the handle bars yet. I'm going to paint them Aluminum. I can't really afford to re-chrome them.
 
#6
I just finished the last clear coat on the frame today. I went with Pumpkin Orange Krylon, and then sprayed glitter for a '70's look. Don't fret, I painted all the parts separately.
View attachment 19028
View attachment 19029

You can still see the heavenly paint cloud.:nuke::stuart:

I haven't started on the handle bars yet. I'm going to paint them Aluminum. I can't really afford to re-chrome them.
Looking Good Man, keep up the good Work. :thumbsup: :smile:
 
#10
Still Work to be Done

Here are some minor tasks that I have to complete:

View attachment 19140
I need to unmount the original Carlisle "Double Indians" since they are cracked and dry-rotted. Then, I'm going to clean and sand the wheels. I want to paint them Aluminum to match the handle bars. I don't think I'll put the stars back on, but I'll keep them if I decide to one day.


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Someone did a booger weld to the handle bars; I can't figure out why. I'll have to clean this up before I can paint.:grind:


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Here is the original kick stand. I'll give it the Ole wire wheel and polish wheel routine, and it should be good to go.
 
#11
Here are some minor tasks that I have to complete:

View attachment 19140
I need to unmount the original Carlisle "Double Indians" since they are cracked and dry-rotted. Then, I'm going to clean and sand the wheels. I want to paint them Aluminum to match the handle bars. I don't think I'll put the stars back on, but I'll keep them if I decide to one day.


View attachment 19141
Someone did a booger weld to the handle bars; I can't figure out why. I'll have to clean this up before I can paint.:grind:


View attachment 19142
Here is the original kick stand. I'll give it the Ole wire wheel and polish wheel routine, and it should be good to go.
Those booger welds are pretty common on Cat handle bars for some reason.. :shrug: They must get abused a lot because they seam pretty tough really.. You're making good progress.. You'll be happy with it when it's done.. Cats are nice bikes.. :thumbsup:
 
#13
Looking real good! Any idea what's been done to the motor?
Oh yeah, i forgot about the motor.:blink:

Well, it's a 5hp Power Plus Briggs & Stratton, so vintage looking it is not. The head has been ported and polished; it has a cam with better lift and duration; and I think it has electronic timing (no points). It fired right up when I bought it, but it needs paint. I'm going to try and expose the heat sink on the head, and polish it. We'll see.
 
#14
Sounds like it should make some power! If you don't have one, you should put a header on it. I found some dyno charts on a kart racing site, and with a header alone they gained .5 horsepower!
 
#15
Update

After I sold the old Carlisles to a forum member, I was finally able to finish up the wheels. While I was at it, I finished the handle bars too. Now I'm waiting on the rest of the parts to get here, including a seat made by kbs8ball.

View attachment 19356 Blasted


I used this Stainless-colored appliance epoxy on the wheels and handle bars. I'm hoping for some rust protection.
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I also rigged some angle irons cut to the original 15.75" length, but these are a bit taller to fit a pair of Showa 12" shocks I found on E-bay. The finished wheels are in the background.
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:rockon:
 
#17
Oh yeah, i forgot about the motor.:blink:

Well, it's a 5hp Power Plus Briggs & Stratton, so vintage looking it is not. The head has been ported and polished; it has a cam with better lift and duration; and I think it has electronic timing (no points). It fired right up when I bought it, but it needs paint. I'm going to try and expose the heat sink on the head, and polish it. We'll see.
Yeah !!!!!

Briggs 5 Baby !!!!!

No substitute.:shrug:
 
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