anyone know the history on this racer?

[racerone3]

got the racer home today and got into it a little. the seat was first to go and with the cob job mounting i was a bit scared of what i was getting into. 4" carrage bolts through a 1/4 fiberglass seat, and 1/4 steel plate... left a lot of rusty bolt to run the nuts off! then i yanked the floor out and vacumed out dirt and leaves older than me. the machine doesn't look too bad for sitting as long as it has. the body it thrashed. it will need a new tub if it's ever to go in water again. there are a few cut wires here and there but the solenoid and starter work (jumped from battery) it will need a lot of attention to get the switch working again. engine spun over great and has good compression.

now for the areas i need help.

1) no spark. i'll find and try cleaning the points tomorrow. (where are they located on a jlo twin? under the side cover on the pull starter side?) the rectifier is loosely bolted in place. how does it work, what does it do???? sorry. i'm NOT a 2 stroke guy!

2) left front axle is locked up. it's not the brake or chain which means a (or both) bearings. how do i break this loose. i've been hitting it with pb blaster, but can't really get there with a torch without putting another hole in the tub.

while i'm asking newbie questions... where do i begin on trying to make this body look any better. i would just like to get it closer to one shade of yellow.

for those helping with the history hunt. does the name Donald Hofmann ring any bells? the machine came with the owners manual and that name is written on the back. thanks again for youir help guys. more pics to follow soon

[monstermudder]

you need the rectifier to convert the jlo's electrical output from ac to dc,if you dont use it the battery wont charge.

[LarryW]

Hey, nice find and congrats.

For the body, it depends. It is abs if it is a '71-72. To test put acetone on a spot that dont matter and see if it melts the plastic. If that is the case then sanding will bring the color back. Start coarse and go to fine sanding then wet sanding. I have experimented alittle with wiping acetone on with a brush which softens the plastic. I then was able to scrap off the top layer and left it the yellow. I am hoping that might shave of some sanding time because I am not that patient when it comes to sanding. If the acetone dont affect it then it is a poly body and I am not sure you can bring the color back but I am pretty sure that year was abs. Which is also easier to fix but also easier to crack?

[Don]

Even with a bad body, it's a great find! That's an ST400 by the looks of it, and it will be an ABS body. It would have been C stock class in the NATVA. The chassis will fit in any of the later bodies, including HDPE.

The points are under the flywheel on the recoil side of the engine. If there's no spark at all, you may have to pull the flywheel and change the points/condensors, but they can be cleaned and adjusted through the slots in the flywheel (still not easy, especially with the engine in the machine).


The bearings will probably have to all be replaced if it's been sitting outside all this time. You may have a job getting them all out without a torch, but if you're going to trash the body, it makes it easy.

Good luck on the project.

[racerone3]

whipper, i doubt that you will let this fly (pun intended) for a shot on the air bud's wall, but this will serve as my formal request to use it as my place holder. this baby is gonna fly!

[racerone3]

getting into the ATTEX Racer. the sprockets look really good, chains and bearings are junk! i'm going to pull the frame and blast it, as well as a trany/ driveline rebuild. engine has good compression, so spark and fuel should have it running. where do i find parts? carb kit, fuel pump, chain, bearings, drive belt, fan belt (JLO twin). what does the T-20 rebuild kit cost from RI? unless someone has one for sale cheap i'm going to patch up the tub as well as i can.
to you guys who have done a few of these, can you give me a ballpark price on a rebuild as described above? i'm going to do all the blasting, and paint on the frame myself. also, if any of the attex experts on here are willing to talk me through some of this, please let me know so i can pm, or call and not bore the rest of the board with posts about things that are common knowledge.
thanks in advance for all thehelp i know i'll get on this.

[whipper-ag]

whipper, i doubt that you will let this fly (pun intended) for a shot on the air bud's wall, but this will serve as my formal request to use it as my place holder. this baby is gonna fly!

If you don't mind it as a place holder, consider it done. After all, Jeff's got a similar place holder. Now the only question will be, between the 2 of you guys, who will be the first with a true Air Bud shot? I'll have it posted tomorrow.

Whipper

[racerone3]

this thing is far from race ready so it may take her a while to get in the air (for real) i plan to have it ready for a trip to ohio next spring. hopefully i can have it going by late summer have the fall/ winter to shake it down and get in a few test flights!

[boncrshr]

Hey Racer,

The T-20 re-seal kit is about 30 bucks...so provided there are no hard parts damaged, it is a cheap fix. For bearings, I would highly recommend Buffalo Bearing 716-874-1721. Mine were very reasonable, plus they are triple sealed!

As far as your other questions...others may have some better suggestions than me. Good luck, does not sound like your rebuild will cost too much.

[whipper-ag]

Sounds like a big project a head of you. One of your biggest hurdles will be getting the axles out. sound like they've been in there a long time. Do you have a sawsall? You may need it. Don't be intimidated by it. There is nothing on it that can't be fixed or made.

Whipper