Piranha build in Australia

**Jester** · 10-01-2011 07:43 PM

MattB the seat was actually pretty fun to make. There are free plans on Rorty Design http://www.rorty-design.com/files/Ro...%20Pattern.pdf

The way i did it was get a big sheet of ply board, mark out the 50mm grid squares and draw away according to the plans(this means i can make as many as i want as i have a template), cut the shape out with a jigsaw, fix up the edges and then trace it out onto a sheet of Aluminum, mark out where to fold it and sent it off to get folded. At this stage it looked like this:

From here i sent it off to an upholsterer to get covered and this is where it starts to get pricey. Luckily enough it was my brother-in-laws brother so he did it free of charge.

A tip for when you make this seat, cut out EVERYTHING it says to cut out. When i made it i decided not to drill all the required holes in the seat so it made it very hard for them to cover the seat

This is the finished result:

Any other questions please feel free to ask!

**daaboots** · 10-05-2011 07:18 AM

Wow!! Great work on the seat. Looks very professional

**Twigster** · 10-13-2011 06:29 AM

nice looking build, are you going to upgarde to double rear aswell? also how large is that fuel tank i was thinking of doing a similar thing? i am a similar age and almost have a roller aswell!

**Jester** · 10-15-2011 04:56 AM

Well i would have gone the double A arm but it's too late in the build for that, maybe if the engine wasn't mounted i would seriously think about it but for what i'm doing the double A arm really isn't a necessity.

The tank is roughly 14 litres and 15 with the surge tank. Not very big i know, but it's the biggest i could fit without doing some serious changes.

**Jester** · 10-25-2011 03:47 AM

Some more progress:

Front left upright is tacked together:

Much much stronger than the original!

Not long now until i have a complete front end.

Now, i have a question for you all. Can i run an escort rack and pinion as the pivot points ARE the same. Pros and cons?

**TheDoc** · 10-25-2011 06:22 AM

You can run just about any rack and pinion that will fit and allow your steering to work, Cycle it through full droop and max compression to make sure nothing gets stuck.

Great work Bob (Rorty) does great work.

**Martinm210** · 10-26-2011 12:23 AM

Nice! very high quality and beefy!

I've been running off brand racks, the only issue I've run into is having to modify them so the pivot point match the a-arm spread/mounting points. Also got to watch the suspension limits, but they have worked fine.

**Jester** · 05-11-2012 02:52 AM

Front end is done, minus steering. Currently working on the rear end changing from PTO shafts to CV joints as per EDGE conversion as the standard rear end is pretty shit. Also bullet proofing the rear carriage using multiple designs incorporated into my own design. Fuel tank has been pressure tested, just needs mounts welding on and final testing before paint. Exhaust is also awfully close to being finished.

Tomorrow i start machining CV adapters!

Now, could someone please tell me a good place to contact for a rear CV kit or know of anyone that has one? Type 2 CV's with 16 1/4" shafts. I've tried contacting Dan's performance parts but still no answer/reply.

Anyone who wants to buy some brand new completed PTO shafts please let me know as i need to get rid of them.

Pictures SOON!

**rob8420** · 05-11-2012 03:27 AM

Thought that seat looked very familiar

**Jester** · 09-21-2012 03:42 AM

Thanks for the help guys!
So I haven't posted anything in a while. But I assure you, I've still been busy! Mounted seat, new drive line design and now a running engine!

My tip for the day, never rush things! It makes you miss simple problems.

Spent the best part of the afternoon tidying all the wiring. Took me all of 10 mins to find that the fuel pump had been plumbed back the front. It was weird as the diagram said it was plumbed correctly. Applied some choke, pressed the starter and boom, started straight away. The engine hums away very nicely at around 1000 revs. Runs just as good as it did 3 years ago in the bike! Defiantly puts a smile on your face when you know everything you've designed, welded, wired, cut and so on works perfectly, first go!

Just a bit more wiring to do, fix a small oil leak in one of my fittings, get a temperature gauge sensor plumbed so I can see the exact engine temp (maybe an oil temperature gauge too) and the engine side of things is done!

Could someone please tell me how to bypass the clutch and side stand switch?

Also, how long does it usually take an engine to come up to temperature sitting at idle? I had the engine running for a good 5 mins and the temperature gauge on the bike dash didn't move. Maybe I've wired something wrong?

Cheers guys!

Surge tank setup completed in stainless braided hose

The mess I had to deal with

Fitted nice and snug on my mock-up firewall