V-Twin Ken-Bar Whirlwind

[Larry Rarus]

I picked up a Whirlwind roller some time ago. Oddly enough I picked up a 14HP V-Twin Vanguard too. I think they might complement each other nicely. The engine is currently totally disassembled. It has been thoroughly cleaned and will be rebuilt over the winter months. If I do go through with this I'll be using a torque converter to put the power to the back wheel.

 

[capguncowboy]

a TAV would be the right way to go, since that's what was on those bikes to start with. Have you considered painting the bike? I had one for a while and the purple is milky and just plain ugly. A metallic purple would at least look nicer.

 

[Larry Rarus]

Yes, the bike will likely be repainted. I may have to make some "adjustments" to the frame to accommodate the engine and that will destroy the current paint in that area.

 

[Stangrcr1]

You could enter it in the upcoming Build-Off. Just collect parts til Jan 1st and then go crazy!

Cool project!

 

[Bikerscum]

:detective: What's your plan for the O&R..... Tom Thumb?

 

[Larry Rarus]

:detective: What's your plan for the O&R..... Tom Thumb?

Wow, keen eyes. My plan for now is a paperweight. It's a beauty, and complete too. Too bad it's frozen solid. I've got much more stuff to do ahead of that. Aside from the Whirlwind I have an ARCO Bucanneer that needs a lot of TLC.

 

[Larry Rarus]

Well, the V-Twin project didn't go so well over the winter. Aside from Mother Nature continually dope-slapping us here in New England, I ran into another problem. The crankshaft on that engine needed to be reworked somewhat. Unfortunately, during the process it spun in the lathe's chuck and the crank got galled beyond repair. A new crankshaft is about $225. Ouch. Couple that with the cost of rings, an overhaul gasket set and carb rebuild kit would push the price of the engine north of $600. I can buy a brand new short block for that kind of money. Also, I simply don't want to spend that much on this project. I ran across a like-new Tecumseh 9HP for free. That's the right price! It fits like a glove, as you can see in the photo. Now I don't have to hack the frame. My next steps are to get a set of nice 1970-style mag wheels (the Ken-Bar originals are boring) and to re-work the exhaust. Where it's pointing now would make things...um...rather uncomfortable, to say the least.

 

[capguncowboy]

That engine looks like it was made for the bike. Nice choice. With the money you saved on that, you can get some nice wheel for it (I agree the stock wheels are really boring).

What color are you planning on, or are you sticking with the stock purple?

 

[Larry Rarus]

The current (original) paint job is shot. It's peeling off in a lot of places, so a re-paint is a must. I'm hoping to get it powder coated a deep blue.

I may be onto some mag-style wheels as well. I have to determine a nice way of mounting a new rear sprocket since the existing one is a rusty piece of junk on a rusty steel wheel.

My intention was to use an asymmetrical belt Comet TAV with the V-twin. That is still the case with this 9HP Tec.