My ATC 185s Project Thread

[Truck Norris]

Well guys im starting my 185s build. The trike im building is a 1983 185s. I picked it up about a year ago for $150 and a single shot 12gauge. Ive rode the hell out of it and love it. Ive decided i really like this bike and am going to go through it and do somewhat of a restoration but im not set on making it look original just mechanically sound and functional for me.

In this thread im going to post my progress with pictures
Im also going to try to keep all my stupid questions condensed in this thread so id really appreciate it if some of you experienced guys check out the thread from time to time.

I dont have any more pictures right now so i will post the pictures from when i first got it in this post and i will post more later.

It looks kinda different now. The plastics are destroyed along with the headlight. And that seat pan was rotted beyond repair.

[350for350]

Interesting paint job. It looks like the leaves are falling off your rear fenders. It must be fall!

[Truck Norris]

Haha whats left of those fenders is black now and the tank is on a different bike im trying to sell.

[Truck Norris]

Heres how it sits now. What im working on now is swapping the forks. The vin says the trike is an 83 but it has solid forks so they must have been changed. I have taken the forks off a 200s parts trike for the swap. Im going to put new bearings in the front axel and steering stem along with new brake pads. Im also going to change the fork oil and do new fork seals before i put them on.

Ive come up with a couple questions already. Does anyone know how fork seals are sold? I find sets of 2 seals for sale but i cant tell if its a oil or dust seal for each side or one of each for one side.
And im also wondering how i should clean the inside of my brake drum. There is a layer of rust around the whole inside where the brakes contact. I was thinking of polishing it up with the little stainless wire wheel i have for my dremel.

[Trackburger]

you can clean the rust out from inside the brake drum but it will just come back again. It will not effect the operation of the brakes as long as the area that the shoes comes in contact with is in good shape. If its heavily pitted or has grooves worn in it than you might want to get a new(er) drum or see if it can be turned down on a lathe and still be in spec. Doubt that a front drum on a 185 is going to have too much wear on it though. Just clean all the brake parts real good with brake cleaner, lube the pivot points and throw in some new shoes... good to go. Biggest thing is to make sure the o-ring or gaskets are good to prevent mud from getting inside as that is the biggest culpret to ruining drum brakes on these things.

My first Trike was a 185 as a kid... Loved it!!! Have fun, take your time and good luck!!!

[Truck Norris]

Well every part i ordered showed up besides the front wheel bearings. Ive hot the hub painted. The brakes are all cleaned up i checked the seals and they were good. I greased the camshaft and pivot post and replaced the shoes as well. If the bearings ever get here ill get the front axle all buttoned up.

The parts that did show up were front brake shoes, steering stem bearings and a pleated seat cover. The cover is supposed to hide craters in the foam up to 1/2 inch. My foam is less than perfect so i hope so.

I got the old rotted tire off the wheel now ive got to get it sand blasted and paint it the same color as the axle.

[Truck Norris]

I think ive got the front axle all done ive just git one question. Is there some sort of o ring or gasket to go inbetween the brake drum halves? Or do they just slide together?


I should have the front wheel painted by the end of the weekend then i hope i can pop in a valve stem as easily as youtube makes it look. After that ill have a tire mounted professionally.

Im having alot of trouble trying to get the fork legs out off the upper section of the forks. I have drenched them with pb blaster a few times and also have tried pounding a wedge into where the bolts hold the tube in but no luck. They wiggle a little but will not pull out. Any pointers?

[Truck Norris]

Well my progress has been slow because of hunting season. The paint job on my rim didnt go very well so im going to sand blast it and try again.

I just got a nice used bassani exhaust for pretty cheap and some nos foot fences on the way.




Today i got around to recovering my seat. I glued foam strips around the edges of the seat pan because last time the pan cut my cover. Most of the metal tabs were rusted off so i used some metal sctews with finish washers to secure it. I think it turned out great. The fit is very nice and the pleated part hid all the imperfections in the foam.

[TwoBobRob]

I'm following this thread with interest - I have a pair of 185s' to restore. One has been done by a previous owner to a poor standard and the other hasn't been touched in 30 odd years so is basically wrecked lol.