Terra Cat Rebuild by Rxpo

[rxpo]

Hi all.
I introduced myself back in Feb 2009.
I wanted to fabricate a Super-Bronc type bike from scratch, but too many other projects have delayed this idea.

I just found a Terra-Cat on Craigslist and picked it up - it is a fat tire type minibike similar to the Super Bronc.

Here are some pictures. It looks close to being original. The fenders and chain guard are all fiberglass. It may be one of the later designs before Rankin Mfg. stopped producing them.

While I think this old-school design is cool, the quality is marginal at best. I plan to clean up the chicken-poo stick welds and add some gussets. I will keep it as original as possible, but use it as insipiration and a reference when fabbing up my own design.

 

[TeeksOffroad]

What an excellent find. That bike is pretty hard to find in that cond. Do not add any welds/gussets to it. A nice vintage bike like that should (MUST)be kept original.

 

[rxpo]

Well I finally started the rebuild.
And I found a set of tires on craigslist, being sold by a retired gentleman who also has an original Terra Cat that he bought new back in 1971.

He gave me copies of the manual, accessory list and parts list.
I scanned it for posting:

 

[rocketman]

Seat

Looks like the guy that recovered the seat had one good eye..

 

[jimh]

That is a rare find in that condition. Please don't grind and weld. Chicken poo stick welds are the type of thing that give old minibikes their character.:thumbsup:

 

[rxpo]

I wont re-weld anything. I have it all apart and took a good look at the welds.
They should hold up.

Here are some picks of one of the last Terra Cats made (I was told 1971 was the last year).

See how this one has the CVT with a direct drive:

Now look at mine, it looks like it is set up as a torque multiplier. I am missing the brake band...2.5 inch dia. Will need to find one. Anyone know where I can get one?

The seat is original, made by a company in NY and shipped to Rankin.

I got a set of spare tires this week, but one is to rotted to use.

I got a contact for a guy in IA who deals with alot of old small engines.
I will try to re-build the Clinton 5HP engine and keep this bike truly original.

 

[rxpo]

The frame is almost ready for sandblasting. I am not sure if I will have it powdercoated. I pressed out all 6 bearings - one was bad.

There is a bicycle kick-stand welded to the bottom base, and the rod is beat up pretty good. I will see if I can straighten it out.

Here is a few shots of the original Clinton engine. I need to find a pull-cord assembly and housing. I also need a air filter. I will pull the flywheel and split the case to for a checkout and clean-up.

 

[TeeksOffroad]

Looking good. Glad to see your keeping such an awesome bike original. How are you doing finding a set of High Flex's ?

 

[Modding_out]

Very, cool:thumbsup: This thing looks like a kissing cousin an El Burro, are they related some how?

 

[rxpo]

Not sure if it is related or inspired by any other bike design. I have two sets of high-flex tires, but one tire is rotted real bad and cannot be used, so I have 3 tires to work with. I search every day for these types of tires, the are very rare.

I emailed Charlie (clinton nut) and it seems like he will have the parts I need to rebuild the engine. I have it half-torn down now.

I can get the frame sand blasted and powder coated for $125. I plan on doing this next week. If powder coating these vintage bike is a no-no, let me know.
I am all set up for HPLV spraying if any of you think I should go this route... more pics soon.

Thanks for the interest!!!

 

[Modding_out]

As long as it's close to or an exact color match of what it was or could come in, no one cares.

 

[TeeksOffroad]

I agree with the powdercoat question. I have a High Flex tire that could pass for NOS. Bad thing is years ago before I knew what a good balloon was worth I had it on my Honda ATC90 that is a rider and while riding in the woods the hub ripped out of the center. That was about 8-9yrs ago and I still got it because it's such a nice tire I can't throw it away. You can have it if you think you can fix it.

 

[rxpo]

Hi Teeks, if the rubber is not damaged, maybe I can re-fit the hub.

I pulled the tires off the bike (hubs and axles) and threw them in the corner of the garage, along with the two I picked up last month. I have yet to examine them or tear them down, so I am not sure how these are put together, fitted hub or molded one-piece?

If you think yours is worth salvage I would like to have it.
I will see if I can get some garage time this weekend and take one apart.
I take some pics and post them...
Thanks,

 

[rxpo]

The frame, handle bars, footpegs, gas tank, and other misc. parts are being blasted and powdercoated by Ray's Rustbuster in Hazel Park MI. Should have it done next week, Dec 4th.

In the mean time, I am starting to clean and repair:

Picked this cleaning tank up 6 years ago and finally got around to cleaning it and fixing the pump assembly. The guy who had it before me ran some pretty toxic fluids in it....it was pretty nasty cleaning it up. It's all set to use now. I bought 2 gallons of odorless mineral spirits, but it wont be enough to reach the pump intake port. What a bitch...I should gone with the cheaper alternative: Kerosene.

Here is the driven clutch assembly. Not sure how to dissasemble it for cleaning. It is a Salsbury brand.

Here is the head off the Clinton engine. I could not find any part ID, except these numbers on the bottom of the head:

I have never done any Fiberglass repair. I am researching how to best repair gelcoat spider cracks and fiberglass tears:

Here is the orignal kick-stand that was welded to the bottom of the engine base plate. I removed it and drilled a hole to bolt-mount it instead. This allows me to find and bolt in a nice short one after it has been powder coated.

 

[rxpo]

I got the frame back:

This really pisses me off. I took the time to put a high-temp fiberglass tape over the serial tag, but the heat from the powder coat oven caused the ink to absorb into the tape adhesive. Plus the coater put tape of his own over mine and did not trim it right, so there is a patch not painted....arrgghh!
I had a feeling I should have carefully removed the tag and glued it back on.

I have alot of sandblasting done on the engine. I will paint this with a high-temp automotive grade white paint. I am waiting for Clinton engine parts to come in.

 

[rxpo]

I just received the pull cord assembly from Charlie, then sandblasted the entire engine:

Here is the gas tank...a beutifal gloss yellow, powder coat. Nice.

 

[apekd]

nice man. I work in a small shop and we get all of the machines we make powder coated the yellow. haha talk about funny lol

 

[TUBBUGS]

That bike is beautiful! (here's a pic of mine) I'm not nearly as original and there still seems to be debate over the wheels and tires. After seeing yours I might think mine have been retro fitted after the fact but some local guys say no, late production the one piecers were not available and these were used. My chainguard is metal as well. I.D. tag long gone but serial number on the engine plate, did my seat in glitter and chromed the bars (pitted yet but shiney!). Keep us posted, that is VERY nice thus far!

 

[rxpo]

Wow nice cat...I like the chromed handle bars and seat.
I see your drivetrain is like mine also...that confirms that mine is one of the later years, but maybe before yours because of the tires.

I have been concentrating on the engine.
The pull cord assembly I bought was rebuilt, but not repainted. And the cord hung up sometimes when it retracted. So I disassembled it, sand plasted all parts and re-painted it. Used a good quality grease on the coil and the levers that engage the flywheel hub.

Soaked the chain, sprockets, and part of the driven clutch.
I will wire wheel the rest of the rust off. The shaft in the picture is pretty worn out. I will probably need to order another, chuck it up in the lathe to cut grooves for the C clips.

Heres the engine after painting. All engine parts were sandblasted washed with TSP prior to painting or wiped down with thinner. Used White Universal engine paint good for 500 deg. F

I have a question about the governer linkage. I took a video and will post in the engine section.

 

[rxpo]

I pulled the bottom base on the Clinton engine.

It appears that the governer control arm is OK.
Besides, I would hate to repair it on this old design.
The crank and cam shaft would need to be pulled to gain access!

See the linkage in the upper right corner of the pic.
It uses a 6 sided hex nut on a "C" bend of the shaft to ride against the centrifuge controlled hub. The governer shaft is removed from the inside, after removing the cam and crankshafts - not something I want to do. I will post a small video of the governor shaft moving, in the engine section.

Got the front fork back after having Ray's Rustbusters touch-up the decal eff-up. You cannot tell there was ever a tag in the old spot. I found a few companies that can reproduce the original S/N tag.

Here is the base pan:

Here is the gas tank with the orignal fuel gauges and vent cap.