My Aggie Bike makeover

[MTchevy1]

I decided it's long overdue... time to rebuild my old man's Aggie bike. He got this thing new when he was in junior high, passed it on to his cousin when he outgrew it, then got it back 26 years ago when he had me (an excuse to play with toys again!) He's no longer with me, which makes this bike all the more valuable to me. It's definitely seen better days, but nothing's beyond repair.

And, after about 2 hours with a wire wheel, this is what I've got-

After a quick hand polish, the front wheel looks pretty decent. I'm going to hit it with a polishing wheel, but the castings are pretty rough so I don't expect them to look like mirrors.

What I have to do before I can paint and reassemble the frame-

Unfortunately, the whole frame is a little tweaked. A torch and some ratchet straps will pull it back into shape, though. The pivot point where the front end connects to the frame is pretty loose. The holes are wallowed out from 40 years of use, so I'm going to weld some grade 8 washers over the holes on the bottom sides so you can't see them. Need to heat the foot pegs and bend them back straight. There are a few cracked welds on the motor plate and on the forks that I need to go over. The foot brake is pretty worn, so I will be welding on a new plate. Hopefully I can get this stuff done next week and start reassembly.

 

[1stlegendtx]

Looking Good.:thumbsup:

 

[Harleys Papa]

Looks Great keep the pics comin:hammer:

 

[supernova]

Looks great! Your Dad would be proud!:thumbsup:

 

[DesertResto]

Aggie Bike

Sounds like a nice project, with mucho sentimental appeal.


There must be a couple different versions of Aggie bikes. I'm doing one now, but the frame is different than yours. This one has an upper and lower frame sections. I had the frame powdercoated candy metalic blue, still need to clean up the rest of the lower frame. The wheels are the same as yours. I think thay are magnesium, by the way.

Keep us posted on your progress. Thanks !

 

[MTchevy1]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Desert I'm jealous, yours still has the sticker! I have the original owners manual around here somewhere. It has the model number on it, will have to dig that out. And thanks for the tip on the wheels, any difference in how you polish magnesium?

 

[DesertResto]

Aggie

I am not 100% positive, but I think the wheels are mag. I havent finished cleaning mine, but they seem to be about the same as aluminum as far as cleaning & polishing.

I wonder if anyone is reproducing the "Aggie" decal ?

 

[superflea]

Looks awesome. I can't think of a better way to honor your Pop. He definitely would be proud and happy.

 

[Fat Boy]

aggie bike??

I was wondering if anyone knows what model this Aggie bike is that MTChevy1 is building . I have had a bike like this for over 20 years and never knew what brand or model it was . After seeing this nice bike , I think mine just moved ahead a little in the line to be fixed . Fat Boy

 

[MTchevy1]

Fat Boy, glad to hear I may have motivated you to fix your Aggie... I love these bikes!

I just scored some motors on craigslist. I got a 3hp, 3.5hp, and 2 5hp's for $100. The 3.5 and one of the 5's already have clutches on them. All briggs motors. One of the 5's will be a parts motor. I now have 4 briggs 5's, will be combining them to put together 2 running motors(the other 2 have threaded cranks) One will be for the aggie and one for my ruttman.

Anyway, here's the motor that came off the Aggie. It's not really an IC motor, just has the shroud. I tore it down and found some problems. The valves have a LOT of play, not good. Other problem is that the cam has a really long journal, comes flush with the side cover. I bought an aftermarket cam, and it will not work with this side cover. Looks like I will be using this one as a parts motor, will reuse the 3/4" crankshaft.

Since I can never leave anything alone, even when it's fine the way it is, I bought a billet rod, a Dyno 94ss cam, a header, and a smaller flywheel from some members on this board. I think I will also buy a milled cylinder head to raise the compression a bit. This stuff will all go on the aggie.

Here are the motors I just picked up on craigslist.

 

[tommie d]

I was wondering if anyone knows what model this Aggie bike is that MTChevy1 is building . I have had a bike like this for over 20 years and never knew what brand or model it was . After seeing this nice bike , I think mine just moved ahead a little in the line to be fixed . Fat Boy

It looks like a Montgomery Wards "Aggie" series manufactured by King-O-Lawn.
Wards model ZKS 13970 B

 

[jeep2003]

are those 6" wheels? and what kind of tire is that front one? Im having trouble finding one like that

 

[MTchevy1]

are those 6" wheels? and what kind of tire is that front one? Im having trouble finding one like that

Yes they are 6", and the front tire is a Goodyear Super Rib. I haven't had any luck finding them, probably discontinued. Closest I can find is a sawtooth carlisle tire. Let me know if you find the Goodyears, I'm currently in the market for a new set!

 

[DesertResto]

seat

KB's8ball on this site makes nice seats. Also, look at : uglyseats.com for ideas.

 

[MTchevy1]

I found something pretty neat on ebay... a new old stock 5hp briggs shortblock. It was only $65 shipped! Can't rebuild and reseal my old motor for that price, so I bought it. It's got a different crank, so I will reuse my 3/4" crank from my old motor. This thing has a date stamp on the side, november of 1985! Been in the box for 25 years, still perfect shape. How cool is that?! Even came with a gasket kit and magnetron conversion.

 

[MTchevy1]

I also got my frame finished up. I strapped it down to a marble slab so I knew it was on a perfectly flat surface, and tweaked it all back into shape with ratchet straps and levels/straight edges.. I then welded up the motor plate, which was cracked at all 4 corners! Added a 1/4" piece of steel going across the frame under the seat, to prevent the thing from twisting up again. All that held the top frame rails apart were the flimsy little seat mounts. After that, I got it in primer.

Finally, got a few fresh coats of orange on it!

 

[Harleys Papa]

Looks great, is that Chevy orange

 

[MTchevy1]

Thanks. It's Allis Chalmers orange. It looks identical to chevy orange, I held the two side by side, but didn't want to use engine enamel.

 

[shoe]

Looking Good :thumbsup:

 

[MTchevy1]

I did end up getting this bike back on the road, though it's still not actually done (are they ever?). I'm going to switch the bulky looking I/C shroud on the motor for a regular 5hp one. Also going to get a set of reproduction briggs decals to give it a finished look, and am working on getting the Aggie 97 decal for the forks reproduced. I'm also thinking about pulling it back apart and having the frame powder coated for durability, but that's still up in the air. Need a new seat still, too, something black with orange trim. I drove it around with the new motor, and with the cam, header, and smaller flywheel it really winds up. Not sure how fast it is, but I have to slow down when my eyes start watering from the wind! Definitely a major increase in power from the tired old 5 horse.