Danford1's - Sears Puddle Jumper - (Vintage Open)

#21
I bought a cheap $22 gas tank from Ebay. I was very happy to when I got it. The quality seems very nice. The metal seems nice and thick also. (3L) 0.8 gallon capacity.
49cc 66cc 80cc Engine Motorized Bicycle Fuel Gas Tank W/ Cap 3L | eBay

The tank has 4 mounting studs. I cut the front 2 off and welded a bolt on for the front attachment. I welded on another strip of metal to the rear mount on the frame and drilled 2 holes for the tank studs.. The tank fits well and is very, very secure.


Danford1

 
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#22
I purchased some old Benelli hydraulic shocks from Ebay. I took them apart and to my surprise the hydraulic portion was leak free and works great!
I sandblasted and wire wheeled the other pieces and they are ready for epoxy primer.

Danford1
 
#24
I put the roller together yesterday. Now I just need to talk to Karen about making a seat for it.
I bought new seat foam from Black Widow for my Rupp's. The foam fits perfectly on this Sears model.


Danford1
 
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#25
I talked about welding the side plates in fully and grinding welds flat in my previous posts, about post 8. I did that to all the side plates etc.
Here is a finished picture of one area. I used a lot of Mig wire, Mig gas and time to grind it all smooth. No Bondo was used! I'm happy about that.

Danford1
 
#29
Thank you all for the nice comments. I appreciate them. I work in the garage on my builds 9 to 11 hours everyday. I put in a lot of time and effort to make them look and function good.
Once I have all 4 bikes built as rollers, I can start redoing and painting the engines :)

Thanks again.
Danford1
 
#32
I made the wood portion of my seat today. The Rupp seat foam is nice and thick and firm. It will be perfect for this build.
The seat tilts at an angle. I used a strip of metal on the inside and two smaller strips on the underside to hold the shape.
I made it extra long yet I still have room to grab the rear lift bar I added.
Here are some pictures.

Danford1

 
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#36
That's looking great Dan and the rear grab bar will be super useful!! :thumbsup:
Yes it will ! It comes in handy already even though it is a roller. I have 4 minibikes in the build off and I'm always moving them around in the garage so I can work on something. I put grab bars on all 4 of them :)


Danford1
 
#37
It is really close to done :) All I need is a seat (I'm waiting for it to get delivered).
I installed the engine and torque converter. Hooked it all up and fired it up. I even went for a short ride! Very short as there is still snow on my driveway. I only "rode" it for Maybe 100' slipping and sliding in the snow. I parked it before I hurt myself :)

I still need to put on my Briggs and Stratton Animal engine decals too. Oh, speaking of decals, Does anyone know what the Sears Puddle Jumper Logo or decal looked like? I need to have something made for it.

Danford1
 
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