Rupp Tri-rod

M

mark_buis

New Member
#1
#1
I was lucky enough to find a Rupp Tri-rod in good shape and fairly complete but mickey'd up quite a bit. It's got a diff, both band brakes and torque converter. The brakes are both tied to a single hand lever with what looks like jb weld and bicycle cable. The torque converter setup is much worse off. Looks like one of the cam buttons broke and to keep the driven from eating belts somebody turned the driven into a pulley by bolting both halves together. Also the driven is 3/4 symmetrical but the driver is 3/4 asymmetrical and it has a 5/8's industrial belt. It came with a 5HP B&S "fun power" that runs most of the time.

My plan is to get it "reliable" before snow hits. I picked up a HF 212cc and ordered a new throttle cable. Looks like I'll have to measure and order bulk brake cable to fix the brakes. I'm ordering the new torque converter but my setup is so butchered I'm not sure what the Tri-rod should have on it. It currently has a 6" symmetrical driven and a asymmetrical driver both 3/4. The jackshaft is 3/4 and the driver has the bronze bushing in it.

Could somebody who has a Tri-rod take a look and let me know what size driven it has and if its a symmetrical or asymmetrical setup? Also does anybody know the name/model of the 3/4" bearings pictured below?

Worse case I'll default to a 6" Comet 30 setup but I'd like to know what should be on it.

Below are some pictures.. overall its in pretty good shape. I think this thing will be a blast in the snow!


Tri-rod front: http://i.imgur.com/PR10d.jpg
Tri-rod side: http://i.imgur.com/c1zUI.jpg
Bearing front: http://i.imgur.com/qV0vG.jpg
Bearing back: http://i.imgur.com/A4n9V.jpg
Driveline: http://i.imgur.com/d8rpx.jpg
Jackshaft: http://i.imgur.com/zrdA7.jpg
Diff: http://i.imgur.com/Tkayf.jpg
Drive front: http://i.imgur.com/RrB0x.jpg
Drive side: http://i.imgur.com/syVI3.jpg
Driven: http://i.imgur.com/dF98P.jpg
Driven cam: http://i.imgur.com/lEG6O.jpg
Driven markings: http://i.imgur.com/kJy6Z.jpg
Whole system: http://i.imgur.com/ZxCRi.jpg
 
M

mark_buis

New Member
#4
#4
Oh yes BGW dunno why I stuck rupp in there now I'm mixing multiple projects :)

I also picked up a Go Joe and what looks like a Chevy JR/Monza all from the same guy. They are pretty rough and it will probably take the better part of the winter to get them sorted out.

Thanks!
 
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M

mark_buis

New Member
#6
#6
Thats a great video and looks like a lot of fun!

I don't think my boy would let me sell it plus its in terrible shape and missing a few things. Kinda a funny story on how I ended up with this stuff. A few months back I bought a 427 side oiler from a guy in Tennessee and me and my son went down to pick it up. When we got there this guy had stuff stacked up everywhere sanford and son style. So we go into his pole building to get the motor in the corner was the Tri-rod, Go Joe, Chevy JR, and a bunch of other stuff. Most of it looked like it had sat there for 50 years and was in pretty rough shape.

Anyhow it took every bit of 2 minutes for the boy to pull me aside and ask if we could get that "3 wheeler thing". I talked to the guy about it for a bit and he said make him an offer on the lot of it. So I did and 5 minutes later we were loading up the trailer with all sorts of stuff. I honestly had no idea what most of it was at the time but I'll do about anything to get the boy off the xbox and into the garage :biggrin: plus I love old american stuff from that era.

I told him we'd start on the Tri rod first because out of everything it was in the best shape. His mother thinks all I brought back was the side oiler and that "3 wheeled death machine" and she's gonna :001_9898: when she finds out the trailer's still 3/4 full.. But hell now I've got enough projects to keep him away from the xbox until he figures out what girls are for which I hope is still many years off. :smile:

I'm near Altoona PA thanks.
 
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gumpit

gumpit

#7
#7
Well the Rupp is worth a lot more than the Tri-Rod so don't give it away.Is there a kart with it or just the body? If so I there an engine with it? Which one? Randy
 
M

mark_buis

New Member
#8
#8
No motor and the body looks like somebody tried to fix it with fire... It's also missing some tires and wheels. I have a friend who does some really nice repro bodies and panels mainly for high end guys who restore old open wheel race car type stuff. Being rear engine and all I've been toying with the idea of having him make a daytona coupe body for the frame. Otherwise I'll try keep everything as close to original as possible so if a future owner wanted to put the correct body on it they could.
 
M

mark_buis

New Member
#10
#10
Thanks - I'm new to the Rupp/BGW/Alsport/etc world.. I get sent all over the country for work and wont be back home for another week but when I get back I'll empy out the trailer and take more pictures. Who knows there might be another gem in there. The go-joe body is complete but its missing handle bars and the tires are shot. It has a engine but doubt its original looks like a snow mobile motor!

It's really a shame nobody in the US makes anything for the "kid fun toys" market anymore. Most of the new kart's and minibikes I see are all chinese made.
 
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