I’m going to make the steering wheel ‘bearing’ for the rat rod out of a 1” thick chunk of cutting board type plastic. I think it is polyethylene, not sure.
@Nevadablue you are correct plastic cutting boards are polyethylene, it's a high density plastic, I've used them for many things. Sliders for under a sled, slider for chains, even made a dash out of one
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Age : 45 Join date : 2019-07-02 Points : 4545 Posts : 2385 Location : Ontario, Canada
Glad to see you start working on this rig again, is there a reason you didn't paint the flywheel?
Feels good to work on it again! Yup and I was going to paint it but then realized that it can't be seen under the grass screen at all (once the shroud is on) so I figured I'd be wasting time and paint, both of which I consider valuable! Lol
Well, it's been awhile since I worked on this old girl and because I stole the wheels for The Mud Duck she's been completely disabled sitting on a jack so I thought it was time to change that!
Late last year I came across a thread here on how to add front brakes to your lawn tractor and I just happen to have a parts ATV so I have been working on this in the background here and there as it wasn't a rush to do it but as of now it's the only way I'm able to get this ol' girl back on wheels and one step closer to being able to test drive it!
First thing I did was pop some 35mm x 15mm bearings in the drums to size it up and see if it will work which it looked like it would!
The spindles are 5/8" and the holes in the backplates are about 17-18mm so I turned down some 5/8" x 3/4" bushings and then cut them to sit flush with the backplates.
Back when I was working on the front end (reinforcing the axle and spindles) I decided to do another quick test fit with the ATV wheels, turns out the wheels need to be flipped inside out for clearance which widens the front track a little and luckily the valve stem(s) clears the brake drum although barely!
Now fast forward to today and they're on!
I still need to make a tab to hold the backplate from spinning but at least this beast is back on it feet so I can roll it in and out of the shelter so I can keep working on it. All I've done is work on it so it's going to be really satisfying to actually drive the thing eventually! Lol.
Hardy Har har! Lol. I do need it get it running and driving so I can test it and find it's weaknesses and it would be nice to actually drive it again, it's been 3 years or so! The Mud Duck will be down for a bit while I re-engineer the front bumper/winch plate (need to remove the motor and disassemble the front end) so I want to have this "motorvated" before I get into that, hopefully soon. I think I'll put some more work into it today, it's a holiday up here (Victoria Day)!
I did get some more work done on it today! The bumper/winchplate is fully bolted on but with the original grille brackets, I still need to make the new (extended) ones at some point as they will also be the mount for a skidplate so I guess I'll have to take it easy on it for now. I drilled the holes out for the winch itself and have mounted it with 1/2" grade 8 bolts, the winch fairlead and d-ring are also installed and I re-installed the grille/hood and side panels. All the VariDrive/clutch components have been cleaned up, re-installed and working smooth and I've also installed new belts.
Now that the running gear and body are ready the next step will be to mount the fuel tank, make an exhaust, hook up a kill switch and fire the motor for the first time since being freshened/upgraded then it's go time! Lol.
She looks real nice. Love the tire choice. Gives it a mean stance.
It definitely gives the illusion of a mean stance but it sits basically dead level! Lol. I still appreciate the kind words though!
She's getting closer and closer to a fire up and test run!
I made some tank brackets out of All Round and painted them as well as the bracket the fuel tank sits on and cleaned up the tank itself. I also installed the pull start, the starter/starter gear cover, plumbed the fuel system and filled the crankcase with oil (before I forget!). I worked on the intake snorkel too (sorry no pics yet) and that's almost ready to install.
All that's left to do for a test run is finish the intake, build an exhaust, install a choke cable, hook up a kill switch and add fuel!
Eager to get this thing running, yesterday after work I installed the original muffler (for now), finished up the intake (made from plumbing pieces), installed a choke cable and hooked up a kill switch in a temporary fashion...
...and go figure it doesn't want to start! It gave one measly little cough and that's it! It has spark, fuel and air and I feel confident I have the engine timed properly so I'm not sure what gives but I'm going to give it another go today.
I did remove the snorkel and had a friend spray in it, still no luck... oh welly!
Something is going on internally I can feel it when turn it over by hand so I'll have to revist it in the future and open the motor back up unfortunately. I had scored a full pressure lubed 16hp Kohler Courage (CV16S) for $25 and have been picking away at it so once I get it running I think I'll drop it in and call it a day! Lol. I would like to get it mobile so I can test it, find it weaknesses and have some fun with it so I'll probably get back into it soon enough!
If it's not a sticky valve try some more valve clearance. I bet you don't have a leak tester on hand?
I did an overhaul an an old beast a while back and I couldn't get it to start.. clearances the valves a bit more and it ran like a kitten. Afterwards I redid the clearance to factory spec and it did just fine
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Age : 45 Join date : 2019-07-02 Points : 4545 Posts : 2385 Location : Ontario, Canada
It sure is @Nevadablue but I have bigger things to stress about so no big deal, I'll definitely keep y'all updated but I'll do it in it's proper thread which also allows others who aren't aware a chance to catch up with what I've done!
As a matter of fact @Conqueeftador I do have one I made a couple years ago but until I find out what is causing the resistance/jamming while it's rotating I won't bother, good advice though!
Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions guys, I do appreciate it!
And the engine from The Trailblazer is officially installed, new sump gasket, oil topped up and all controls are hooked up!
I'm hoping to actually drive this beast tomorrow for the first time since starting work on it! Lol. I just have a little bit of wiring to do to hook up the push button start and the kill switch then quickly toss a battery in it and it's go time!
She's officially running, driving and doing pretty well over obstacles! I will need to limit the steering however, it can oversteer and get the tire into the frame but that should be an easy fix!
Something that did need attention right away was the clutch/brake pedal, I could push it into the tire before the belt was disengaged and brake would grab so that's a bit of an issue!
Notice the Sharpie marks on the side of the floorboard to show where the rod sits normally, where it hits the tire and where it needs to be.
What I did was cut the rod most of the way through, bent it and used vise grips to pivot it and check the clearance until I got it set then started welding the gap in!
I ground the welds down pretty smooth then painted it with bedliner.
Now it just barely clears the tire when at full steering and articulation but it will touch if I really press down and I expect when the tractor is really flexing it will also but it's not a problem anyways because I still need to limit the steering.
I think it actually looks really cool so I'll need to duplicate it for the front brake pedal on the other side!
I thought I'd take the steering wheel off so it's easy to remove to get the tractor in the back of my friends truck (has a cap) and go figure the bolt would snap! I thought it felt like it was loosening too easy! Guess I'll have to weld a bolt on or something.
It was so great to finally drive this rig and do some testing around the yard, I've been working on it (on and off) since October! First tractor project, last to run and drive, funny how that goes eh?!
Subject: 
February 3rd 2022, 3:14 am
