Whatsup everyone, new to the forum, not so new to fabrication, off road mowers, and such. A few years back, i built a 73' wheel horse, dubbed the red rocket. Now i've decided i need a second for friends to ride.
SO, i found a 1966 or 67 ford lgt 100, for $50 with no motor, four mismatched tires, and no steering linkage. It has a 5 speed transmission (granny low, 1,2,3,R), which is solid cast iron, with 1" axle shafts, and roller/ball bearings all around. I put in a short days work last week, and made some steering linkage from snowmobile tie rods and scrap steel, mounted some 25x8x12 atv tires, and also mounted an 8hp tecumseh for the time being. Yesterday i made a little more progress.
She runs goes and stops
8hp Tecumseh
hooked up gas pedal
custom made tensioner
Hood is painted
Diff is welded
Overall pretty good, the belt slips in higher gear, may need to re-angle my spring for better tension. The transmission is solid, with the exception of one gear which is pitted from rust, where it didnt sit in oil. This transmission is extremely rugged, it has removeable axle housings, with roller bearings to support the carrier/axle, and roller bearings to support the axle at the hub. The granny gear first is EXTREMELY slow, which is awesome, should be great for crawling. Should be picking up a 16hp v-twin this weekend which will be the new power plant if i can make it fit. Next top priority is to address the clutch, clean and paint the seat pan/fenders and make a seat for it, and weld the front axle so it doesnt pivot.
Tensioner setup, hard to tell but both pulleys actually pivot, on the same fixed plate.
Custom steering arm, snowmobile tie rods, steers pretty nice.
Transmission, gear looks worse than it actually is. This thing is HEAVY.
Diff locker done the right way!
Red Rocket Specs:
Locked diff
25" atv tires in rear, snowblower tires up front
18hp kohler opposed twin
welded front axle pivot
pulley swap (does about 25, with governor)
gas pedal
brake upgrade (new lining, removed spring from linkage)
Hood latches from a snowmobile
Diamond plate dash, custom
Had duel stacks in video, now it has a glass pack with a downpipe
Headlights
Suzuki samurai alternator
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMdE7pd0oqQHere are the most recent pics i have of her