Project Raucous - NPS450t - Updated 11/17!!! ;)

u4ictheory · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:55 am Post subject:

composimo,

-does your dad drool over the ruck as much as everyone on here is?
-any plans in the works for mass producing parts and if so, which parts?

your project is coming along well, good luck and i hope to see more coming out of your shop.
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BARC

S2 · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 11:04 am Post subject:

Great Fab Work!
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ComposiMo · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:08 pm Post subject:

u4ic: LoL... funny you should say that... the gallery on my website is the only thing my Father has seen so far of the project (has not seen anything in person yet), and yes, he does drool over it on a daily basis... right now, things are happening behind the scenes that i can't take pictures of (like spending 2 hours on the phone earlier today with both the wheel manufacturer, and a hub/brake manufacturer sourcing out a custom front and rear wheel setup for this project)... can't take a pic of the phone convo, but it kept me from doing anything else to the Ruck today... lol! But its ok, the end result will be worth it.

Tomorrow is a day to work on Tuesday Clubs Ruck, so there will likely be another day without anything done to this Ruck... but its all good... TC's Ruck is going to be even MORE bad-ass as a result of it Razz

As for mass-produced parts, yes, there are plans in the works for a small handful of products... the big thing right now, is getting a few of these custom things done first. After this Ruck, i have my personal Ruck, and more than likely one or two other customer Rucks in the planning stages... Keep in mind, the primary business model is still car-parts, and doing things like motor swaps, turbo kits, etc on cars, so i still have all of that to contend with as well as these Rucks Wink

But as far as hints... well, it may be a bit "longer" before i can really do that, so "lower" your expectations, because time won't "warp speed" any "faster", and no matter how much you dream of what is to come, your won't be able to "widen" your mind quite far enough to comprehend the "brilliance"... Razz

skangele: Thanks! Smile

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John.W
www.NPS450t.com - 450cc Turbo Ruckus Build Thread

bassinface · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 9:31 pm Post subject:

huh?

S2 · Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject:

i fab everyday for a living, i can appreciate your talents & vision.

the hardest thing for me to handle is time management.

your doing cars, rucks, and lord only knows what else.

once again man, great work!
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rattmobbins · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 10:19 am Post subject:

SANDERS · Junior Mint Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Posts: 87 Location: OKIE

well said! Cool

ComposiMo · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 10:37 am Post subject:

Well, after working on TC's Ruck yesterday, and not having worked on this project in the last few days, i figured i'd better get back on track Smile

Today, i wanted to get the rear swingarm carriers fully welded in place, install the Swingarm bearings, and then begin doing some aluminum work to the main chassis!

So, first things first, it was time to weld the Swingarm Bearing Carriers in place. Up until now, they have just been tack-welded in place. So, i broke out the TIG, and just finished the welds:

Once the welding was done, i pressed in the bearings, and installed the safety snap-rings

So now, i can begin construction of the rear swingarm, which is the biggest single hardest part of this entire project... it has to support the rear wheel, the motor, the brake, the chain drive, the nitrous bottle, and it'll have mounts to hold the turbo and other components.

With that done, i could start looking at the aluminum chassis now... it is my goal to smooth this whole thing out, and have it really looking sharp! I did a test a few days ago to see how the aluminum would be like to weld to, and i came to the conclusion that while the aluminum wasn't perfect, it was good enough to weld to for cosmetic purposes... I wanted to do more structural, and modify it a lot more, but for now i think that this'll be enough.

So, on this round of changes, i first wanted to make a floorplate. So i found some cardboard, and began tracing...

Then, i did the same thing for the front neck, since i'm planning on closing it all in and making it be nice and smooth

I then decided to weld the neck in first, so it went over to the welding table to become better Smile

Heres one side down...

Then it was time to do the other side...

And of course the finished product...

Now, as nice as i think aluminum welds are to look at, for this project things need to be smooth... so, i had to now pull out the trusty grinder and flap disks, and carefully shape and smooth down the welds.

When all the smoothing was done, this is what it looks like:

I still have some welding to do.. there are some small gaps that need to be filled in a bit more so that i can grind them all down smooth enough without going TOO far in some spots... but for the first pass at smoothing it out, it sure came out NIIIICE!

Next up, its time to tack on the floorpan, and get it ready for welding it on...

And that is where i stand right now... just got back from lunch, and i'll probably be trying to finish the floorboard today Smile

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John.W
www.NPS450t.com - 450cc Turbo Ruckus Build Thread

seansean · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 10:52 am Post subject:

Damnit Janet! That closed in look will be so slick. Nice updates. You must never sleep and always be jacked on coffee cause I'd never get 1/4 of what you get done even with 4 times the free time. Very Nice
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stickler64 · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 10:59 am Post subject:

Looks cool. Are you going to do something to strengthen it? Chinbone?
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Toddjb · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 11:00 am Post subject:

ComposiMo!

Thanks for the great step by step updates of your build. I really enjoy your posts as I am living vicariously through them. I don't have the skill or tools to do anything even a 1/4 as cool as this so it's really fun to watch.

Everyone's posts with their projects are like candy to me!

So far I have removed a bolt from my ruckus and then reattached it along with a windshield! It was awesome!
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-Todd J. Brown

Zya8187 · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 11:01 am Post subject:

You quality of work is amazing man. It shows you really take pride in what you put your hands on.

BTW, I also commend you for stepping out side of the box and almost all of the stuff you are doing. Very well done. I'm def going to stay tuned for the reast of this build.

aone · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 11:13 am Post subject:

damn damn damn Shocked

this is gonna be one bad mamma jamma! looking forward to seeing this when its done.
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sanjuro62 · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 11:42 am Post subject:

I've thought about enclosing the front neck of the scooter like you have done, but don't have the skills for it. Excellent execution of it all Very Happy

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ComposiMo · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 1:50 pm Post subject:

Ok, so i spent a bit more time after lunch fitting the aluminum plate in a bit better... i want it to sit almost exactly flush with the underside of the chassis, and it wasn't quite there before lunch. So, after a bit of work, this is how it was sitting:

Alright, now it is time to WELD! It took a little while, because i had to weld small sections at a time, but in the end, here is what she looked like:

Then, it was time to grind it smooth... So, i moved it over to the table, and set it up...

And ground it smooth with the Dewalt:

So, that is how i am going to end the day with this project... its bloody hot in the shop, and i've got other things i need to get done today as well Smile

All in all, it was a pretty productive day. Maybe tomorrow i'll start working on the main rear swingarm Wink

Oh, and here is the "Little Dewalt That Could".... if you can only buy one power tool for yourself, make it one of these...

It makes projects like this possible!

Dang, that was a good plug for Dewalt, wasn't it?... Anyone from Dewalt want to sponsor this project? hahaha!
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John.W
www.NPS450t.com - 450cc Turbo Ruckus Build Thread