1955 Schwinn Wasp Whizzer Build (pics)

[jbcruisin]

Woo Hoo! Just "won" this one- the pics are tiny, so I hope it is not too trashed. Anyway, I got one I think the original vintage springer will be a good match for this bike. My wireless connection was sputtering out towards the end of the auction, and I said, "oh great"... But it worked when it counted.
The Worksman wheels showed up on my front porch today along with the wide crank set. I plan on re-lacing the front wheel using the drum hub that I got from koolwhizzer next. I can't wait to see how that turns out, it looks like a nice hub that will be perfect for this application. I have never laced a wheel before, so it should be a fun learning experience. I saw that there are a few youtube vids on the subject, so I plan on checking a few of those out first.
I''l snap some pics when that comes together.
-Mike

That was a good price. I have forks like those on 5 of my bikes.

 

[Quenton Guenther]

Hi Mike,


Finished your cylinder & head work. I had to enlarge the intake valve chamber as it was never machined to match the valve seat I.D. I also re-cut the valve seat "block" with a special tool and now the valves seal 100% [liquid tested with alcohol]. Milled head .068", and made a custom .010" copper head gasket to fit the head combustion chamber.

Hope to ship tomorrow morning.

Looks like you are locating some quality vintage parts, lookin' good.

Have fun,

 

[Mikkojay]

^^^ That's some great stuff there- thanks Quenton
I snapped a few pics so everyone could see the "before" situation of one of these typical botched NE5 China factory jobs.

Here is the cylinder that has the valve seat insert block. The outermost hold down bolt/screw is not flush:
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz2003.jpg"></img>

One of the results (how could this ever seal?):
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz2004.jpg?t=1336806431"></img>

Starting the decking process via belt sander- note how the bolt heads reveal how high they are. Actually, note how far from flat this whole situation is:
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz2012.jpg"></img>

Here is some raw video in case anyone ever wondered what decking a cylinder via belt sander looks like- don't judge the commentary, I was just winging it- and I actually recorded the video before this project actually had some direction:
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PK3g1gFiN9Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Final product, prior to a final hand sanding:
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz2014.jpg"></img>

Thanks to everyone who has chimed in with info and encouragement so far- I can use all I can get.
-Mike

 

[Mikkojay]

Nothing fancy on this one, but I thought I would share a few pics of lacing a drum hub into a Worksman front wheel. It was a little tricky, and I need to true it slightly, but I think it will work.

One spoke removed from the original hub- here we go...
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz_wheel001.jpg"></img>
More dismantling..
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz_wheel003.jpg"></img>
I had to use the drill press to enlarge the holes in the new drum brake hub just a tad to accommodate the 11 gauge spokes. Thank goodness for instructional youtube videos on how to do this, they were an immense help. I used what seemed to be referred to as a BMX 3 cross pattern.
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz_wheel004.jpg"></img>

Done!
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz_wheel005.jpg"></img>

 

[Quenton Guenther]

Here are the final pictures prior to packing for shipment.


Have fun,

 

[Mikkojay]

^^^ Thanks Quenton, looks beautiful
Man, I cannot wait to get that baby fired up!

Tonight I dismantled my Troxel seat and realized the upper pan is rusted to oblivion. I was thinking of recovering it with black sheepskin, but now I need to decide if I want to attempt cobbling a new pan out of a piece of sheet metal or not. Hmm...

 

[chainmaker]

Looks like some care was taken on that head, nice!! Hopefully I can find a 300 head and send it off to Q for some love.

 

[Quenton Guenther]

Hi Chainmaker,

If you don't have any luck finding a "300" head, let me know as I might have one with minor fin damage I could part with. I only use 100% perfect parts on my personal show bikes, and just might have one close to perfect you could use.

Although installing a "300" cylinder on your "H" motor would also add additional power, the valves could be replaced in your "H" cylinder with similar results.


Have fun,

 

[Mikkojay]

Springer Update

Well good news and bad news on the forks-
Good news- They showed up and at first glance, don't look too bad.
Bad news- The base of the steering tube appears to have been re-welded at some point, and the steering tube is too flippin short!

I'm not too sure about what stock lengths are on these things. I was mainly hacked off about the Billy Bob welding job- heck, I could have done better than that.
EDIT: I just asked the seller for a refund. After looking at the brazing, I just don't know what to think. For all I know, some hack (even worse than me) could have blobbed some brazing over a serious problem in his garage with a propane torch. I think I would feel paranoid riding a bike, especially a motorbike, with these installed.

The pics:
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz_fork001.jpg"></img>
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz_fork002.jpg"></img>
Stock length anyone?
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/tn_whiz_fork003.jpg"></img>

Edit: I thought about welding up some kind of fix, but I am going to attempt a refund first. These forks give me the creeps.

On a lighter note, I received my cylinder and head in the mail today too- thanks Quenton, they look great!

-Mike

Edit2, I found another steering tube with a 6 1/8" length as well. Does this mean that this is the typical steering tube length for these vintage Schwinn springers? The column on this bike looks like it is going to need 7" in order to accommodate all the hardware. Hmm...

 

[Mikkojay]

I messaged back and forth with the seller and his kindness was a breath of fresh air. I think I am going to try one of these:
<img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z406/mikkojay/Whizzer/steer_tube.jpg"></img>
It was about 20 bucks and has the length I will need. Since the pivot bolt goes through the middle of the whole assembly, it seems like it should be pretty stable. It might make a small change in the geometry of the fork, but I am willing to try anything at this point.
Now that the forks have reverted back to "waiting for the mail" status, I think I will start on the engine mounts.
-Mike