Dragged an A+ 70 out of the woodwork!

[blackout08]

So I caught wind of this roller when I sold an 86R basket case last year. The planets finally aligned and I was able to go and look at it today. It's a little rough, but I couldn't be any happier about bringing home this amazing piece of history! It's got both tensioners, some exhaust setup, a foot brake (cable), and a headlight and guard. So of course the rear shock is blown out. And the rear is setup for a drum brake? I didn't do much of a look over this evening when I got home as I've put in 400 miles in the books in the last two days and I'm exhausted. So I just put it up for the night.
I'm definitely going to need help and advice on restoring this thing to it's former glory, as I have fairly limited knowledge of the A+ and pk suspension frames. As is, I can't ever see myself getting rid of this bike.
The first question I have is, should I have the original shock rebuilt, or should I find one more suited for an adult? (only 145lbs, lol)

[Jmoozy27]

Nice find!! Lucky dog!!

[Jwheeler]

Great score!!!!!!! You will have fun building that trike.

[90nut]

Nice find! My pk 70 has a new pep shock with a 180 lb spring on it. Works great.

[blackout08]

Thanks guys, I feel VERY blessed. I know there aren't a ton of them out there, and I'm just glad I can say I own one. As much as I love trikes, Ive got a soft spot for anything with history from the time period when trikes rules the land. I wasn't around then, so that kind of stuff fascinates me. Yesterday I got a chance to check out a 200x that was fully worked over by white brothers, it was just too cool.
90nut, do you have any more information on pep shock? I just checked out their site a bit, but I'm not sure exactly what I need here. As much work as I've done on trikes in the past, I know nothing about restoring or replacing shocks. Do I need to measure out length of mine, and such? I'm a newbie in this aspect so any details you'd be willing to share with me would be awesome. Also, I'd love to see that pk, do you have some posted somewhere?

[90nut]

The shock was on it when I purchased it. Not sure on the exact details on it. There is a thread on page 2 I think about mine.

[90nut]

Here's a pic of the shock.

[Mr. Clean]

A+ exhaust, foot brake, nice score. A little rough but complete enough.

Great score.

[torker]

Most of the important parts are present. That, and a little help from the guys on the boards should make for a very fun build.
Enjoy.

TORKER.

[blackout08]

I just dropped the frame off at a welder today to have the engine mounts re-welded. They were only being held on by the swingarm pivot bolt. Decided to have the subframe gusseted while I was at it. It'll get a fresh powdercoat after its all said and done with, after I strip the old paint, of course. Since this build is going to be a rider, and not a museum bike, I was thinking about selling the a+ triples, forks, and axle bolt to upgrade to spanglers triples. Any input or suggestions would be nice. Do I need to keep the old bearing races from my current triples, or do the spangler triples come with everything needed to mount them to the frame? Also I know I've got to use 45mm forks, but since I don't know much about suspension components or doing fabrication, what are my options as far as usable forks go? Do I need to buy the spangler axle as well? The more information I could get on the spangler triples the better, I know quite a few people are using them. I would like to get the suspension figured out before I get too deep into this build.

[Joseph Farrow]

Me personally I would be hard pressed to use anything other than the way it sets now. I like keeping them period correct but that's just me. It's your bike to make however you want. Either way it's going to be a Cool Ride! Keep us posted.

[blackout08]

That's what my plan was originally, but there is alot of sag in the front, and I had a shop tell me there's not much to be done about having them built for a heavier rider. I've also had another a+ builder tell me the same thing. If I could figure out how to get a heavier preload on these I'd probably use them. The problem is the front and rear suspension I've got were made for children.