Rupp Hustler 1972 Restoration

[Runninlate]

Rupp Hustler 1972 - Restoration Project


Here it is, the beginning of my addiction, a before picture of a 1972 Rupp Hustler.



As mentioned above, it all started with a 72 Hustler that I found locally on Craigslist. After driving 60 miles each way it was in the garage ready to come back to life.

The Hustler was a good start for a restoration project. After all, it hardly ran, had quite a bit of rust on the mag wheels, and the red tank mounted on a black frame with one of the Hustler decals all scraped up was enough to convince me that this was the one to restore.

[Runninlate]

Off with the front/rear wheel and next separate the wheel halves. The fun part was taking the tires off the wheels. However, heating up the mag wheel with a propane torch made this process go fairly smooth and I was able to save the tires. I found that applying uniform heat on the metal wheel and being carefull to stay away from the rubber worked the best. I do recommend that you either do this outside or use a box fan to ventilate your work area.

Below are some pictures of the front and rear wheel sets. These are the 10" Mag Wheel used on the Hustler and Scrambler. I believe that the scrambler is the same wheel set up minus the front brake.

Front Mag Wheel - With 3.00 x 10 Pirelli MT-74


Rear Mag Wheel - With 3.00 x 10 Carlisle


The pair of 10" Mag Wheels are ready for a road trip to get media blasted and powder coated. Chrome plating was considered being that there were no rust-thru spots. However, these wheels spent enough time outdoors to make them good candidates for powder coating.

[Ratbike]

Never thought of using heat to loosen up the tires on old rims...had to cut some tires off in the past!! LOL!!

[richs]

look like you have a good project and the nice thing is its all there

[Runninlate]

Heating the wheels really worked well. The side grinder was my next tool of choice.

Next was to take the TC Cover and engine off the frame. The engine is not original but it's a nice Tecumseh HS50 off a snow blower with the slanted 20 degree intake manifold.

Tecumseh HS50




I was able to find a better blower housing (minus the primer)



With the engine off the frame, the Jackshaft and Driven next.

[Runninlate]

TC Belt, Jackshaft, Driven and Sprocket are ready to come off the frame.



Looks like these parts were recently replaced



The Sprocket is a 10T



And the Torque Converter Driven only had two of the three Wear Blocks. The spring and wear blocks were replaced.

[The Restore Kid]

I've heard heat is an old guy secret trick and does work very well. Stands to reason.. get it hot enough it will burn off. lol

[minibikedude]

Coming along nicely, Are you keeping it the original color.

[The Restore Kid]

Your engine is pretty well the same motor as the the HS50's that belonged in some off the slanty Rupps. The only BIG difference is yours might be electronic ignition, and the blower motors have the bulkier shroud and iron flywheel. You can get the rounded shroud and throttle stuff and aluminum flywheel on Evilbay but it might be pricey as hell. Those ones usually go high for some reason. I'd say run what ya got. Looks pretty great to me. The HS50 slanted intake is a nice piece by itself. People would kill for that thing.

[Runninlate]

Thanks Minibikedude. Yes-all original red tank and rear fender and black frame.

I decided to keep the original red tank and found another good tank with the typical handlebar dents on the front top sides. Below is the Fuel Tank and Fender after making a trip to get media blasted.

Tank and Rear Fender Before Paint


The inside of the tank was fairly clean and I used Acetone and Drywall Screws to free any rust and old gas. I also pressure tested the tank and noticed that there were two small leaks on the front seam. I was able to repair the leaks with 50/50 bar solder and careful use of a Mapp Torch. I highly recommend to pressure test a tank before paint. The last thing you want to see is a new paint job and decal set lift of the tank after you fill with gas!!

If you've never used a torch and solder on fuel tanks I recommend that you either have a radiator shop do the work or buy a few extra tanks to master the skill. Also REMEMBER to remove and wash out any gasoline from the tank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was concerned about protecting the tank from rust so I did some research and decided to line the tank with Red-Kote Fuel Tank Liner. This product is red in color and fairly thick, almost like straight 50 weight oil on a cold day. Before lining the tank I cleaned the inside with Acetone. I also thinned the Red-Kote with Acetone when I was ready to line the tank.

The Red-Kote sets quickly and to get a neat even application I thinned the product in a dixie cup with just a splash of Acetone. I later used a small paintbrush to apply the Red-Cote on the inside portion of the Tank Fill neck, plugged the tapped fuel outlet in the bottom of the tank, poured in the thinned Red-Cote and quickly moved the tank side to side to spread the product. I first coated the bottom, rolled to the sides and worked on the inside top last. When finished I set the tank upside down leaning towards the seat side of the tank so that any remainder would not lump up i an area visible to the eye.

This product really works well and from what I read does not flake off like some of the other fuel tank liners.

Tank and Rear Fender - Before Paint