Cat 400 "Fur Ball"

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

Ok, so I couldn't resist diving into the Cat 400 that I found on CL for $40. Today was spent undoing the scrub brake, losing the 3hp engine, and tackling the handlebars. The front lowers are bent and the left tube is broken away, so I found a set on ebay for $35 and they arrived today.

The grease is thick on the frame and motor mount and loads of CAT hair is stuck to it; hence the name "Fur Ball." Underneath the grease and flat black paint is the original candy apple red.

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

Hacking off the Scrub Brake

The scrub brake was tacked on and the fittings were 1/4" steel plate. I cut through them with the sawzall and ground them down with the angle grinder.

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

Handle Bars

I took the handle bars off, they were repaired by someone who could strike an arc but that was about it. I used the angle grinder to clean up the welds and bring it back to "almost original" shape. The chrome was peeling off in sheets, so I used a 60 grit disc to get most of it off. Through all that, the bars are basically straight and I was able to salvage the original grips. I'll need to file some to get square corners, and use some bondo to clean them up a bit. They are not really re-chromeable.

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

A little Drano please...

Started degreasing and losing the fur on the frame. Don't know if the engine is salvageable, the fuel tank is rusted clear through. I do have another carb/tank to test the engine. The frame is not too pitted, and I think stripping will be pretty easy. The wheels have the "mag" covers, but I don;t have a front fender. So, far so quick...this was just 2 hours of work.

 

[capguncowboy]

Looking good so far. You've got the bug in a bad way! It's a good thing

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

Looking good so far. You've got the bug in a bad way! It's a good thing

Just living my childhood all over again (except I never had a mini bike...always dreamed of one--now I have 5!). ;-)

 

[capguncowboy]

Just living my childhood all over again (except I never had a mini bike...always dreamed of one--now I have 5!). ;-)

Same here. I always wanted one, and dad was on board, but mom said no. Fortunately, my wife is cool with it. We'll see how she reacts when I get one for our son though :laugh:

 

[buckeye]

Cool.
My Cat 400x is one of my favorite daily riders.

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

Cool.
My Cat 400x is one of my favorite daily riders.

I'm looking forward to this one, it's bigger than the Manco and my Night Hawk. What is the length of the shock? 12"? You can see the Fur Ball had motorcycle shocks on it.

 

[manchester1]

I could use that skanky 1" grip on the throttle side if your not going to use it. :laugh: I need it for a cat survivor. Thanks

 

[Havasu Dave]

I took the handle bars off, they were repaired by someone who could strike an arc but that was about it. I used the angle grinder to clean up the welds and bring it back to "almost original" shape. The chrome was peeling off in sheets, so I used a 60 grit disc to get most of it off. Through all that, the bars are basically straight and I was able to salvage the original grips. I'll need to file some to get square corners, and use some bondo to clean them up a bit. They are not really re-chromeable.

The bars came out good! Everything is re-chromeable. I wouldn't mess with filing them with bondo, just paint and re-assemble, until you're ready to get stuff chromed. Good job on those bars!

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

The bars came out good! Everything is re-chromeable. I wouldn't mess with filing them with bondo, just paint and re-assemble, until you're ready to get stuff chromed. Good job on those bars!

thanks! I was worried the welds were going to break--the tacked on scrub brake mounts broke off on the clutch side with a good whack. A little more filing and I'll get the rest of the chrome off. Appreciate the advice!

 

[Havasu Dave]

thanks! I was worried the welds were going to break--the tacked on scrub brake mounts broke off on the clutch side with a good whack. A little more filing and I'll get the rest of the chrome off. Appreciate the advice!

There's no reason to remove the chrome. If you're going to paint it, a good sanding is enough. If you're getting it rechromed, they'll do it anyway, and you don't save any money by DIY. Fairing welds will save you $$$ by the way.

I cant see any welds on the bars in enough detail to promise how solid they are. The bars on these bikes were not that strong. You see a lot of them are bent when you get the bike home. Chrome- they'll sand it down, and fill any large holes with weld. Then they'll start copper coating, then buffing, to get a solid and blemish-free surface. This is labor-intensive and the reason for high chrome costs. After it's smooth copper, they'll start with the chrome cycle, buffing between each application until it's smooth. You can give them a cratered piece of iron, and they can chrome it. As I said, a set of Cat bars run me $125 for chrome.

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

There's no reason to remove the chrome. If you're going to paint it, a good sanding is enough. If you're getting it rechromed, they'll do it anyway, and you don't save any money by DIY. Fairing welds will save you $$$ by the way.

I cant see any welds on the bars in enough detail to promise how solid they are. The bars on these bikes were not that strong. You see a lot of them are bent when you get the bike home. Chrome- they'll sand it down, and fill any large holes with weld. Then they'll start copper coating, then buffing, to get a solid and blemish-free surface. This is labor-intensive and the reason for high chrome costs. After it's smooth copper, they'll start with the chrome cycle, buffing between each application until it's smooth. You can give them a cratered piece of iron, and they can chrome it. As I said, a set of Cat bars run me $125 for chrome.

That's good advice. I've got some chrome flakes that are being troublesome to get off. The welds appear to be fairly strong.

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

Delousing the CAT

Not a whole lot done today: rained this morning and my other half was named professor emerita at the college's retirement ceremony at noon time, so I attended that (that was a no-brainer!). I had to cut the fork bolt as it was bent and the axles seem to have been fabricated from axles way too long. I pulled the rear fender off and was surprised at its condition. Cleaned up pretty well.

 

[manchester1]

I had to cut the fork bolt off my 300x yesterday. That's pretty funny. You think you have a 5 minute job with 2 wrenches. Next thing you know, every tool you own and 2 hours later.:laugh::laugh: Looking good. Your going to be my teacher on this bike. I'll be doing one of these soon.:thumbsup:

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

I had to cut the fork bolt off my 300x yesterday. That's pretty funny. You think you have a 5 minute job with 2 wrenches. Next thing you know, every tool you own and 2 hours later.:laugh::laugh: Looking good. Your going to be my teacher on this bike. I'll be doing one of these soon.:thumbsup:

That fork bolt was bent 1/4"!!! I couldn't believe it and I was on my last metal blade for the sawzall. Never expected that...you're right, out came the impact gun, then a ball peen and a driver, and then the saw.

What's up with the rust bucket? I was following that project too?

 

[manchester1]

If you mean the Rupp rust bucket, I can't get the flywheel off. I got mad and moved onto another project. :laugh: I think I'm going to throw a predator in it and work on that engine another time. Everything was going better than expected until I lost spark.:glare: This week I have been working on a Cat 300x I got. Trying to keep it pretty original. I have been putting a engine together the last few days. Looks like a Franken engine, but runs pretty good.:laugh: I have parts on the engine from 4 different Briggs. :laugh: When I get the gas to stop leaking, I'm going to paint it black.:thumbsup:

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

If you mean the Rupp rust bucket, I can't get the flywheel off. I got mad and moved onto another project. :laugh: I think I'm going to throw a predator in it and work on that engine another time. Everything was going better than expected until I lost spark.:glare: This week I have been working on a Cat 300x I got. Trying to keep it pretty original. I have been putting a engine together the last few days. Looks like a Franken engine, but runs pretty good.:laugh: I have parts on the engine from 4 different Briggs. :laugh: When I get the gas to stop leaking, I'm going to paint it black.:thumbsup:

Wow, that bike looks nice (those grips will definitely finish it!). I have a 5hp briggs that I took off my tiller (bad tank) that I had planned on using until I discovered it had a short pto. Everybody wants a mint for a decent crank...so it sits with a NOS updraft carb (so I could use external tank and the governor) and me debating whether to fork over an arm for a new one. Have 2 - 3 hp Briggs and a Greyhound sitting--one will go on my ARCO when I get to it.

Flower beds look nice--my mom said her flowers have yet to bloom yet--she's over in Scotch Plains.

 

[Dr. Shop Teacher]

Engine Plate/Disc Brake bracketry

Once the grease, sand fleas and cat hair came off the engine plate, I noticed additional holes that look original to the bike. Others were from the scrub brake hack job. You CAT folks need to weigh in on the four (4) perfectly aligned 3/8" holes next to the 5/16" slotted holes...another engine or for the TC model?

I also need a clear photo of how the disc brake is supposed to look--especially the cable mount. I have a Kelsey Hayes from my ARCO that I thought about using, though the ARCO was completely original with that brake. Is the direct replacement OldMiniBikes #1 or OldMiniBikes #2?