Hello again folks!! I am glad you could join me again for the GRV-2 jet bike project. I have been busy this week working on a suitable bike stand that will allow me to work on the GRV-2 more easily. Having the bike up at a decent working height will save my back and speed up the build process quite a bit. I decided I would build my bike stand out of a 2 x 4 wood frame so I precut a set of “doug fir” 2 x 4 pieces for the frame.
The 2 x 4 pieces were screwed together with 2-1/2” long deck screws. I debated whether or not to add gusset pieces to the inside of the frame but ultimately decided to leave them out. The frame turned out to be rock solid without any bracing (especially with all the screws I used :0).
At this point the stand is ready for me to add some wheels for mobility. I went to my local Harbor Freight store and picked up some roller bearing caster wheels. I bolted the 3” casters up to the bike stand with 1/4” lag bolts as seen below. These rubber clad cast iron wheels can support a lot of weight.
I used some gray carpet to cover the bike supports which should help keep the bike in place on the stand.
A 3/4” plywood shelf was cut to fit the bottom of the bike stand.
The shelf was screwed into place and the stand was complete. I now have a good working platform to build my bike from. Not only will my back be happier I will be able to work on the bottom side of the bike with ease.
The next step was to prepare the GR-7 for its assimilation into the GRV-2. To do this I needed to remove the mobile control box from the engine frame.
All of the control wiring was removed form the control box along with the pressure gauge tubing. The EGT gauge which will be later relocated to the jet bike’s control panel was removed from the box and stored away.
I installed a set of pipe caps on the engines pressure tube manifold to prevent fuel/oil leaks during the build. The control wires were coiled up out of the way as well.
It was now time to remove the engine from it’s stand and place it on the bike stand. For this I used my 800 lb electric hoist which easily picks the engine from the stand.
The GR-7 was now safely on it’s new stand. From this platform the bike frame will be built.
I was now able to remove the 3/8” hex nuts that were welded to the engine frame for use with the old engine stand. The nuts were ground off and the bare metal was repainted in preparation for the rear wheel assembly.
The lower shelf of the new bike stand is a real convenient place to store bike parts :0)
It was now time to start on the rear wheel assembly. The rear wheel of the GRV-2 will bolt directly onto the GR-7’s engine frame. To do this I needed to build a square flange to bolt up to the GR-7 engine frame. From this flange the rear wheel frame will be welded. I decided to use 1-1/4” x 1/8” mild steel angle iron to build the flange.
Using my TIG welder I tacked the angle iron together for a fit check on the engine frame.
Once I was satisfied with the fit against the engine I welded the iron together with my MIG welder. I used the flap disc to smooth out the welds for a perfect fit to the engine frame.
Using a set of C-clamps I held the flange to the engine frame so the mounting holes could be drilled. 3/8” holes were drilled into the frame right through the flange which will guarantee perfect alignment of the hardware.
3/8 x 18 bolts were used to temporarily hold the flange to the engine for mockup of the rear wheel frame.
I set up the rear wheel on a temporary stand to see where it would “sit” in the future bike frame. From this point I will need to fabricate the steel that will support the wheel and bearing assemblies.
Well I didn’t get too far along on this week but I did make progress and that is what counts. Hopefully I will be able to finish the rear wheel assembly next week and move on to the forward frame assembly.
Join me again for the next installment of the GRV-2 “Turbochopper” project!!!
