Modern Vespa

If you do this, make sure you turn the aluminum tube in the bellows so that the slots are horizontal to match the two horizontal tabs on your intake tube when you tip the motor into place. Just leave that steel retaining ring out of the groove in the tube, it is unnecessarily redundant and most definitely troublesome

I'm sorry, I am still not following how all of this is oriented properly.

1. Intake Manifold
2. Inlet pipe union
3. Union clip
4. Air bellow
5. Firewall
6. Carb band
7. Carb

Any one have a picture of it all installed? Thanks.

First, this lip on the bellows is used to install it on the bodywork of the scooter. Then the aluminum outer sleeve can be inserted into the bellows. Then, the carb manifold can swing up into that. When the carb is installed, the carb clamp holds everything together.

Its not exactly the same manual, but it is a nice pictoral.

Easier to insert the aluminum sleeve into the bellows BEFORE you put them both in the frame, it's a tight fit getting it all the way in. Also the felt ring(#56) goes on the end of the manifold just BEFORE the carb, not before the sleeve as implied by that illustration.

Does #8 completely cover #57, when installed?

There's a lip and then the section for the clamp to sit on. I inserted it until that part was sticking out on the inside half of the bellows. So, the highlighted part here would be in the rubber part.

The diagram shown the bellows backwards, it goes on big end first.


Looks like this all together

The other end

There's a lip in the bellows that seats in the shallow groove in the tube

Great. Thanks.

Ok, I got the carb in (less the bellow which is on order). Hooked up the tank. Set the timing. And she won't start. Here is the current sitch:

Fuel: Fuel to the carb. Mix screw out 1.5 turns.
Spark: New B7HS. Nice blue spark. Flywheel holds a wrench.
Compression: Didn't put a gauge on it, but the piston, rings and PK125 jug are new.
Timing: Set to 24 BTDC, in theory. I followed the scooter west video but still hate timing Vespas and am not sure if its done right.
Spinning it up with a drill.

Any though on next troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Last edited by garncarz on Sun, 24 Jul 2022 11:48:56 +0000; edited 1 time

I put the ring clip in so the ends are open over one of the two slits. The it just stays in the frame with the collar and you swing the engine up or down to engage/disengage

It...is....ALIVE!!!

Got enough stuffed back in so that I could take it for a brief ride around the yard today. Definitely quicker and quieter than my '64 large frame.

Still need to:
1. Wire the headset, tail light and switch.
2. Adjust the clutch.
3. Figure out how to get the rear brake pedal assembly though both holes at the same time.
4. Install all of the floor rails and trim.

Thanks for everyone's help!!!!

I've got her cabled and and wired. I guess I am in denial about the bondo in the floorboards. I know its an issue but how bad? Should I just bead blast everything off to bare metals and see what I am working with? Does anyone even make a replacement floorboard for a smallstate?

Got her re-cabled and re-wired. (I hate cabling small frames.) Went for my first real ride yesterday. 25 miles with no issues. Way faster than my large frame allstate. The clutch slipped briefly, twice and the throttle seems to stick, otherwise all is good. Thanks for everyone's help with the build.

Its hard to tell how bad it is with the bondo still on there. I can see the holes in mine, and its not really that bad. The winter is long and there's time to investigate it. The problem is that if you start digging away at it, and its not that bad, then you'll have to cover it back up and repaint it anyway.

I saw a smallframe floorboard on eBay not long ago for a reasonable price. SIP also sells a floor. I guess that would mean drilling out out the spotwelds and cutting across the front of the floor to mate to the new floor.

I started on the floor rails today. Not sure if they are the exact right components but then I'm not really going for originality and that was what was in the box of stuff that I got with the scooter. What's interesting is that when I first got the scoot, I guessed that the PO had/collected 90% of the needed parts over the past 15 years to complete the project. Actually, 70% of what I got was for other Vespa models. Close but no cigar.

I used the pictures that r_fostoria sent of his small state as a guide and had to do some fab, but I think they look OK. Cheated with countersunk pop rivets under the rubber too.

Had my smallstate out for a quick ride in the rain today. 50 mph is fast in the wet. I still have to sort the missing lock and wire the CHT gauge but, I am calling it done at this point. My wife said its getting tight in the garage. I'll move her potting soil out to the back yard tomorrow. Thanks for all the good advice along the way!!!!

Looks good!