ST4 restoration of Frankie the Frankentrac

[Jphoenix]

Put the race car away for the winter and started working on the Frankentrac, my wife named it Frankie of course. It appears to be a McLarty rig, two-band, big wheel contraption with disc brakes - that I got from Woodchuck, previously Sno-Surfers ride. Needs a few things to be reliable, primarily new sprockets, a clutch, has a low cylinder (#3 of course) and needs a new steering wheel, some tires and eventually new track belts and restored grousers. The steel sprockets have not been kind to the grousers, so I’ll have to build up some weld on those some day when I replace the track belts. Also needs s complete re-wire.

Good news is it’s all here and the variator is in very good condition, plus it runs drives and steers. First step was to remove a hundred pounds of extra steel from the front and get access to the brake master. I have all new brake masters, booster and calipers to go in, plus new brake lines and a new reservoir. Gonna need some new aluminum - and eventually some paint.

I’ll post more as I go along. Stay tuned.

 

[PJL]

Welcome back Jim.

 

[Sno-Surfer]

Fantastic! Great to see this getting a make over. Looking forward to seeing more as you go.

 

[Jphoenix]

Thanks guys, this is going to be fun. Got the engine out this morning, needs a new exhaust and maybe an overhaul while I'm in there/ I have a new 69mm crank left over from my formula see days, so here we go.

I think those fenders measure out to be .071 thick aluminum, might be thicker, need a clean edge to measure better. Love these old single port motors, dead simple.

Down below the fuel shutoff solenoid you can see the manifold vacuum port - plugged by a hose with a bolt stuck in it - for the power brake booster.

 

[Jphoenix]

Disassembled the engine, looks pretty good, nice AS41 dual-relief case, all nominal. Had 85.5mm cylinders, going back in with 87's and all new bearings. Cam and lifters look perfect, crank is good. I ordered new exhaust valves, I'll cut the seats and lap them in, check the lift etc. Should be an easy rebuild. Going to pull the transaxle and variator, clean everything up and paint the engine bay before putting it all back together with a new muffler, new heat boxes and other shiny stuff. Cidertom recommends new axle seals - so I'll be disassembling and resealing, installing new bearings as needed.

 

[Jphoenix]

Looks like the variator and transaxle are next to come out. They've been leaking, so I'll need new seals, anyone have a part number for the axle seals just inboard of the sprockets? I have the bearing numbers from the manual, but can't cross the Aktiv seal number yet.

Also - I see some damaged sheet metal up behind and above the transaxle, looks like it may have moved and crunched the firewall there, I'll know more when I get the trans out. And... a new throttle cable

 

[Snowy Rivers]

The seals are metric (Common) measure the Bore it goes into and the shaft size.....Go online to a seal reference chart at one of several mfg......(National.....Garlock....Chicago rawhide or ???)

You will be able to come up with a size and style that will fit.

Many manufactures use/have used their own part numbers....But the item is likely not a bastard size......

Service parts business ya know.....
Grab your Vernier calipers and switch it to metric.....

Most numbered bearings are actually metric....and the seals that are used with the them....
You can measure them in inches.....But they are metric.....Like a 3208 is used on a 40 mm shaft and has an 80 mm OD with a width of 30.2 mm
Bearings and seals are pretty much standard worldwide.....(There are the occasional odd duck specialty..but I doubt Aktiv did that)
What you need is out there....Just take a little digging.....One of the other members here with similar machines should be able to help....

Good luck

Project is looking good

 

[Jphoenix]

Thanks Snowy, I’ll get the calipers after I get the transaxle out.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Just a heads up...
Many of the Available seals may not be exactly like the original .....Singe seal...Inner and out type that seal oil/grease in and also have an outer seal surface that stops debris from getting past the seal and into the bearing or????

Overall thickness....Completely metal clad.....
There are a lot of different types.....Many of which can be substituted for the application...

Good luck....

 

[m1west]

Are you going to sell it on here when done like the last one you did?

 

[Jphoenix]

Nope.

 

[Jphoenix]

Got a bunch of parts today. Need to finish cleaning stuff first. Got the Variator out, looks very good, one bearing on the top left sheave looks a bit dry, I’ll go back in with new ones. More cleaning is in my future for the weekend.

 

[Jphoenix]

So far so good - nothing that can’t be fixed or freshened up

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Looks good....Great pictures.....

Is that belt a standard item????

 

[Jphoenix]

Looks good....Great pictures.....

Is that belt a standard item???

Here's the belt part number. I believe it correct from what I've read here?

 

[Jphoenix]

The fiber lock nut on the left side sprocket was not run down all the way - has chewed a hole in the side panel, but apart from an extra hole, no harm done. Im[possible to see with the Variator in and the chain on.

Feels like it may be cross-threaded, I'll remove it carefully and see what's going on there, going to replace seals and maybe bearings anyhow.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Yeah....
Clean up the threads carefully....I assume the machine has metric bolts and threads ????

Or somebody tried to thread on an SAE nut and thats why it stopped where it did....

 

[Jphoenix]

Nut came off, I'll use my thread file on it - no problem.

Got the Variator apart, some of the bolts were loos, not sure why. Otherwise no problems, new seals and bearing on the way. Lots of cleaning completed, more cleaning

to go...

Engine case cleaned up and painted with high heat paint, I plan to add a good external oil filter. After I finish cleaning all the various engine tins, variator bits, disassemble and clean the gearbox. Lots of blasting and degreasing still to come. Then I need to figure out why the right side is "longer" than the left side. Both chains same length, but the right chain was pretty slack - even with the sprocket and housing adjusted all the way forward - time to get out the measuring stick.

 

[Puckle]

all looks in great condition - few new seals and bearings it'll be as new - they were very well built those variator assemblies and don't seem to wear much unless neglected.

 

[Jphoenix]

Well, that was quite a rabbit hole - the steering wheel on Frankie has seen better days, in fact it's been re-bolted, re-welded and the shaft spline/dia. are an odd combination never seen in any Volkswagen. So off to the land of google to find a replacement steering wheel with a 100mm 6 bolt mounting pattern and they appear to only be used on the Land Rover - a Mountney wheel. To replace the hub with a more common type would require replacing the shaft and column, so it was getting expensive - no wonder the old wheel was patched together. I recall reading a thread here where Ice Queen mentioned the steering wheel on someone's Mclarty rig was a Land Rover bit - it all rings true. Jaguar power brake booster, VW Golf brake calipers, Land Rover steering wheel, wonder what I will discover next?

Finally landed on a forum in the UK that sent me to Rimmer Bros. who have the wheel I need for USD$50 plus lots of money for shipping, but that's typical these days whether shipping from Oregon or France - all the shipping seems to cost the same. A new Mountney wheel is on the way . I found great prices on new genuine SKF bearings and seals for the Variator from France (123bearing, very responsive folks) and with shipping, less expensive than getting them from Houston.

New intake valves arriving tomorrow so the engine re-assembly shall begin this weekend. Still cleaning lots of Variator grease off various parts, clothes, fingernails, etc.

 

[Sno-Surfer]

I remember going down that rabbit hole with that steering wheel! I still have the after market wheel and adapter that didn't fit! Like you, I also realized why it was patched together and therefore I treated it gently. Great to see all this work on it. I remember most of these details about the machine and it's nice to see someone really getting after it.

 

[Jphoenix]

I remember going down that rabbit hole with that steering wheel! I still have the after market wheel and adapter that didn't fit! Like you, I also realized why it was patched together and therefore I treated it gently. Great to see all this work on it. I remember most of these details about the machine and it's nice to see someone really getting after it.

Yes, I was spring-loaded to buying an aftermarket wheel and hub to make it fit - but it just kept piling on, even the steering box is not the typical bug box, nor is it a new version (Superbeetle) it's a VW box alright - just not a very common one, so the steering coupler is different, of course.

But it is fun!

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Gotta love it when everything is a bastard child...
Can you cannibalize the splined hub (Machine it) and adapt a common (Readily available ) wheel.
Since you have the splined hub and it looks like there is plenty of material to work with.....

Lots of fun

 

[Jphoenix]

The bushings in the variator lower spring pack were frozen, both sides of the lever arms would not move, so after soaking in Freeze-off and lots of heats, got the bushings out, but as noted in Lyndon's write-up, the arms won't come out of the assembly without disassembling the spring, so I'll clean it up, paint it and leave it, at least the arms will pivot again like they are supposed to.

Then returned to cleaning, blasting, wire-wheeling, scotch-briting parts agin all morning. Painted the engine tins with high-heat blue because I ran out of gloss black and then started on the heads with new stainless valves, cut the seats on cylinder #3, the intake seat was bad, but cleaned up nicely within limits, then lapped them in. I shall continue with head work tomorrow, then assemble the new counter-weighted crank, should have the engine together by the end of my long weekend.

 

[Puckle]

Nice, What's the blue stuff? - crack testing or checking for valve leakage?

 

[Jphoenix]

Nice, What's the blue stuff? - crack testing or checking for valve leakage?

Puckle, the blue is machinist's blue (aka Dykem Blue) to reveal the cut of the seat to make sure all imperfections are removed during cutting and so I can measure the width of the 45 degree cut.

Then I reassembled the heads and started o the crank and case. Today I'll modify the case and oil pump for a full flow system - just adding an external filter, not another cooler. I'll use the original oil cooler.

 

[Jphoenix]

Tapped and installed the oil galley plug and the return line fitting for the full flow oil system. Got a new CB Performance oil pump with the outlet fitting in the cover. Then cleaned the cases (again) and assembled the halves, crank turns nicely after torquing it up. Then I spent an hour adjusting the shims to get .0045 backlash, just about perfect. Ready for pistons and cylinders next.

 

[Jphoenix]

P&C's installed, deck height set, heads on, valves adjusted, moving on to tins, distributor, etc.

 

[Jphoenix]

Fit the front tin this afternoon, my measurements worked out very well, the oil return fitting clears the pulley nicely, ready for the rest of the bits to go on. New muffler lines up nicely.

 

[Puckle]

very colorful !