The Voodoo Smallframe

[GT6MK3]

A bloke known online as Voodoo, one of the regulars on a Vespa forum I frequent, recently offered me a free, slightly dinged up Vespa 50 frame.  These are unobtanium over here, so despite the fact that I don't need it, don't really have an engine for it, don't have time to work on it, and I'm gonna be in trouble if/when Management finds out, I of course jumped at it.  I did a little paperwork to get an import authority, and put a hurt on my Fedex account, while Voodoo made a big box.

US to Aus in 5 days.

Inside, a 56 year old lump of Italian steel.

 

Which sat in the corner of a mate's factory for a few months while the Covid 19 work frenzy was taking me away from having fun.

 

Last week, it was time to look at that ding.

Up onto the smally jig.

 

And away we go

 

Hmm.

 

I think it's fair to say that's had a resonable whack. The sides of the spine bulge nicely under that lump of megawelded patch.

From underneath, besides the rust. you can see where a slot has been cut in the spine, a clople of nuts welded in to spread the bent bits back out, then that big ass plate has been used to close the wound.  That wont pass tech to get it back on the road.

Time to make sparks.

Yurgh.

With the plate gone, it's apparent that the walls are buckled and weakened.  On both sides.

Time for more surgery.  "Scalpel".

Thats the slot opened up, 

Those walls are'nt gonna cut it.

Now that's a hole.  Time for some pressure, some heat, and some hammering.

.

 

Followed by a little laser action and some tweaking

Time to close.  

Remember Buffy?  Luckily, I still have her remains.

 

And, while she was quite rusty,

the part I need is quite solid.

and covers the hole on both sides.

 

Thje challenge now was cutting a 3 dimensional piece to fit as snugly as possible, with no available referece point to work from.  Cue a whole day spent slowly cutting, filing, grinding, fitting, hammering, bleeding, and swearing.  Good times!

But,;progress was made.

and, after a few thousand fitups, it was time.

With everything straight, some internal bracing is puddle welded in to the sides and top for strength.

and the patch is finally ready.

Gently tacked in

Then generously TIG'd down tight.

Nice...

Out with the MIG, and some deep puddle welds to tie it to the bracing.

Time for a few hours of careful grinding and sanding

on both sides

and a little grey primer.

From Hole to Whole, just like that. 

Time to build a Voodoo Rat Rod.

 

 

[Nick Jones]

Wow...… serious surgery!  Came out well - almost invisible.  Good to go again.

Presumably the original "dent" was actually a fold caused by the whole structure bending from a substantial frontal.... errr…… mishap?

Not quite sure how many this is now...….. but I think it's fair to say that you've not been taking your pills...…..

[PeteStupps]

Cool! Lovely job there.

I had a couple of small-frame Vespas in my teens, fond memories. 

[mpbarrett]

Thats very nice work. With that much damage is any thing else out of alignment? It must had a big ding to bend that part...

Mike

[GT6MK3]

Cheers Guys.  I enjoy the problem solving that comes along with something like this.

Mike - the jig is the one I used to build the last frame, so I pulled it into shape using that.  Looks ok with the laser, riding it will be the real test.

Nick - Yep.  Didn't need it, but love the challenge.  Need to get the garage cleared  out so I can find the Sixfire again...  

Got a plan for a bit of workspace over the next few months, might even be able to find that lovely silver project before too long.

[GT6MK3]

Lots more welding practice happening with this one.

No such thing as too many clamps

And lots of grinding practice too...

Dry fitted it up today to see how it will all work.

I think its fair to say it will be a beast

Happy fabricator.

Tomorrow it all comes apart for more welding.

[Nick Jones]

Monster indeed.... that exhaust .  Would it be wrong of me to suggest that the ....err..... finish actually looks quite purposeful and menacing as it is.  Rat look.......

Meanwhile, looking at all the space around you in those pics...... didn't you use to have a GT6?  Or even a Sixfire.....? Both having had huge effort invested already and just needing a final push to see the road again.......

This pic posted just over 3 years ago.......

I know the last 20% is the hard part - particularly to the ocd afflicted....... but 3 years?!  She's begging to be finished 

[GT6MK3]

Quote

didn't you use to have a GT6?  Or even a Sixfire.....?

Guilty.  Keep nagging.  I need to find a way to get one there.

Today's work.

Firstly, lots of wire wheeling.  No blood loss is the major achievement here.

Then, lots of bending, measuring, clamping, swearing, re-bending, re-clamping, etc etc.

Half way  there on stiffening up the legshield older than I am by bending and rolling in 6.3mm rod.  Not fun.

[mpbarrett]

in the first picture Is that a magnet from the motor inside a Hard drive.. they are very impressively strong magnets

Lots of work going on very impressive. What engine will it have in it when you finish it?

Mike

 

[GT6MK3]

Good eye.  I often have to pull apart drives to render the data on them unrecoverable when they go out of service, and I always keep the magnets.  They are indeed impressively strong.  This one is keeping an unobtanium captive nut safe for me till /i re-install the rear brake.

The Smallframe  series came out of the factory in various guises.  This 1964 one had a whopping 50cc, 2.6Hp, 3 speed motor capable of lugging it's rider along at all of 29mph.  It can be made considerably more fun by changing out the internals for a 4 speed, adding a longer crank, a 144cc direct reed cylinder, a ridiculous expansion chamber and a variable ignition.  That combo will go a long way towards moving the decimal place in the Hp figure one place to the right, and will see a new top speed capable of fracturing the limit on most highways.  The interesting trick there is that you actually down gear the ratio for 4th, so that you can get it to rev right to the end of the 5 figure rpm band.  The addition of a disc brake and better shocks is highly recommended... 

Finished up the stiffening/reinforcing rod today, amazing how much it's stiffened up the legshield.

I think I broke my own clamp record

[GT6MK3]

A little machining so I can fit a serious cylinder to the power plant.

Clocking that up was truely a bitch.

[Hamish]

Saw this and thought of you. 
 

https://www.handh.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-502---1949-cushman-model-62-roadking/?lot=55827&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=514&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=0&pp=48&pn=1&g=1

 

 

[Nick Jones]

6 hours ago, GT6MK3 said:

Clocking that up was truely a bitch

Ah yes…. Any fool can remove metal….. removing just, exactly the right metal and no more….. that’s the clever bit.