Restoration of the "Twins" ( Taurus 650 )

[MattDragontamer]

So a while back I posted about the two Taurus 650's that I bought.
I started soon after to tare them apart and have been working on restoring and acquiring the parts
needed to rebuild them.



So as of now (12/21/2013), both have been torn down to their frames.
I have acquired the new parts I needed and I am still searching for a driven clutch to replace the one
I have to chop up... sad few days that was...

But anywho... I started with the rebuild of one of the engines. I had it board .010 over and it runs...



I will update as things go on.... as near or far as they may be...

[Dave8338]

AWESOME work on the engine rebuild and detailed painting. Looks PERFECT !

I didn't realize that Briggs were put in wheeler's in a twin format. GREAT engines and very reliable.



This will be a fun thread to follow.

[kb0nly]

Looking sweet! Good old Briggs motors... I have dealt with them many times, but not on a trike!

[bigdaddyvw185]

looking good man! the twins will be looking fresh!

[MattDragontamer]

Thanks, yea, I want them to look new.

[fabiodriven]

Awesome build man. Tauruses make Big Red's look like 200S's. Good for you for bringing them back.

[aldochina]

those are beasts! They are impressive in person! Great work on that hog of a motor. looks top notch.

[King Trikester]

this is the first ive ever herd of a taurus 650, super cool, they look great, they must be rare great job on the build so far. I will be following this and hope to see a video of them in action

[JasonB]

man you clean things up nicely! your first Taurus build thread was great, im sure this wont fall short

[MattDragontamer]

Just a few little updates on the progress...

I blasted most of the parts needed for the rebuild. Painted some and boxed them up.
I am still working on the rear gear boxes, got them all cleaned up, just need to get them
blasted. I tried my self on one buy making a makeshift outdoor unit out of plastic bins... worked
ok until the axle broke through. You have to take the gear box apart to replace the axle.

If you should so need a new front axle or adaptor like you see in the pics below, feel free to pm me.
I can get some made...

[Ghostv2]

I never seen a rear end like that, that is cool. Did anything else have anything similar? Or was it unique to them?

[MattDragontamer]

I never seen a rear end like that, that is cool. Did anything else have anything similar? Or was it unique to them?

Nothing that I have personally come across... but you never know... new finds on little unknown trikes are found now and then.

[oscarmayer]

next time, please do not use a screwdriver to pry apart your cases. get yourself a nice brass blade like a scrapper only thicker and sue that, it will help keep the gouging in the gasket sealing surfaces from being too bad. you can typically find them at most hardware stores.( thick paint scrapers is what they usually call then) i have even used plastic ones once i got a thin brass inserted.

[MattDragontamer]

next time, please do not use a screwdriver to pry apart your cases. get yourself a nice brass blade like a scrapper only thicker and sue that, it will help keep the gouging in the gasket sealing surfaces from being too bad. you can typically find them at most hardware stores.( thick paint scrapers is what they usually call then) i have even used plastic ones once i got a thin brass inserted.

Yea, it's not a screwdriver (but I see how it does look like one...) it's a sharp point chisel/pry bar. I only used the little one to help
pry open the case evenly. This way it kept open and gave me leverage when opening the case.
I used the mudding trowel to crack the bead and open it enough to get the pry bar in there.
The casing was glued shut. I spoke with the guy that I bought the parts from.
He informed me that unless I wanted to build a custom even puller rig, that the only
other way is to carefully spread the case apart and file down any spurs that show up from the separation process.
This gearbox was made to be heavy duty and not easily replaced.
To replace the axle ( if ever needed) you have to open the case. No other way.
So I thought it would be a good time to take a look see and know what is involved. Now I know.
The case is rather hard to put back on. But a little heat and grease, and little convincing taps with the soft mallet and all went well.
I took about 6 hours, but I eventually got it open with a little help.
The insides looked to be in good shape, I found the reason why it didn't shift properly and fixed the problem.
Turn out a ball bearing fell out of place from the shifter arm from someone tampering with it in the past.

[MattDragontamer]

So a small update... I have started on the second engine... waiting for parts.
I cleaned up, blasted and repainted various other parts.

And a couple of months back I dropped off some parts to be re-chromed.
After a grand later I finally got the parts back... boy do they look good!