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| Paul Vignone Reading, Pa., USA
April 05, 2003 |
| Hi, Nick- I own a PPV that I'm trying to restore.
The most important things I want to make"correct" are the windshield
(At the moment I have part of it there) and the gearbox ( the one I
use now is an American replacement that is too high.) Thought maybe you have
come across some new info and contacts since you first started up this
site. If you ever get a hold of an exploded view, three view or any
diagram of a PPV let me know. So far it's been tough getting any leads. Thanks. |
| Paul, thanks for your message. I'll post it
on the web page - maybe it'll lead to someone who can get you a replacement
gearbox. What several PPV owners have done is weld a hangar in the
back for a bicycle hub and derailleur and remove the original transmission.
This gives you more gears in a wider range. It is also alot lighter,
more reliable and easier to get replacement parts for. However, I understand
if you want to do a 100% accurate restoration it wouldn't do. |
| Angelo Coletta Akron, OH April
03, 2003 |
| Hello Nick, I remember PPVs well. I used to
hangout at the biggest bikeshop in Akron Ohio-Jim's Bike Shop. Ole
Jim stocked about three or four of them and sold all but one. After he retired,
he had the "T" frame of one in his barn. A collector from Pittsburgh
came up and bought many of the pieces he had acquired and the frame went
with that lot. I know he sold one to a family in Copley Ohio. I used to stare at the transmission and try to understand how the gears worked. I distinctly remember reading literature that stated that the product was developed by two automotive engineers. They formed the company and marketed them. Hence the Automotive style tranny and the marketing via auto dealers. However, the only place I ever saw them in my town was at Jim's, no auto dealers. I wanted one, but it was a struggle to get the money up for the $69.95 Schwinn Varsity I owned then. I enjoyed your website. |
| Angelo, Thanks for your comments. If your
friend has any original literature (manuals, part lists, sales brochures)
please have him get in touch with me. |
| Jon Andrews Dallas TX 4
Feb 2003 |
| Nick, I noticed your website that has pictures of a PPV. I had one of these vehicles as a kid and am interested to find a similar vehicle for my kids. Do you have any ideas of where these are made or sold? Or do you have any information about other similar vehicles? |
| The closest thing that is currently in production
is from a company called Trailmate that makes a sturdy 2-seat side-by-side
trike called the Joyrider Double. It is similar in function, but doesn't
have a body. I've ridden one and it is a blast for getting around the
neighborhood. It is priced at $1250 and can be shipped to you for under
$100. You can find out more at their website: http://www.trailmate.com/productDoubleSpecial.cfm If you don't have a dealer in your area let me know and I can arrange purchase and shipping for you. |
| Joyce L. Koss Virginia Beach,
VA March 26, 2003 |
| Hey! It was really neat to see
your website. I have one that my Uncle gave me back in the 70's.
It is sitting on its rear in the garage as I type. Mine is green &
would be in excellent condition, would it not be that I had flipped it twice
as a child, racing down the hill my family lived on! :)
Go speed racer, GO! As I said, my Uncle gave me mine & if memory serves me correctly, they were a kit & he purchased several & sold all but the one he gave to myself & my siblings. & if my memory is correct, Ford had one when he was Vice President. As I grew up in Alexandria, VA & he lived not far from us at that time, I can recall seeing him wheeling about in his & thinking how cool - I had one too! My husband has done some work on mine, but w/the recent purchase of a 1994 jag xjs convertible, it now sits lonely in the corner..... maybe someday, I'll get him to work on it again! Anyway, very excited about your website & just wanted to let you know that we have one here in VA Beach, VA! I e-mailed the link for your website to my uncle also - Dr. Thomas Gault, hopefully you'll hear from him & he can tell you more than me! |
| (I misplaced the return email address for this woman
before I had a chance to reply. Joyce, if you read this please contact
me again) |
| Susan Osborne-Grant Medford,
OR March 23, 2003 |
| Hi, I have been looking for a PPV for a long time.
Do you have any Idea where I could find one? I live in Medford, Oregon.
I'll be hoping to hear from you. I really want a PPV. My B-Day is the 16th
of April this would be an awesome gift to myself. How Much??????? |
| Susan, In 30 years of looking I've never seen another one for sale but I will post something on the website to see if anyone else has. Since the first gas crunch was the original inspiration for the PPV it's possible that current events may inspire a new version. I've been sketching ideas of my own for a newer, lighter and better performing version that I would like to build but am currently unemployed and it's had to take a back seat until I'm back in a steady job. |
| John Cook Wichita Falls TX
March 24, 2003 |
| Nick, My family has owned a PPV for the last 25+ years. My uncle passed it to my Dad when I was 5. This past weekend my cousin was in town and we pulled it out of storage. My wife and I plan on riding it in the "Hotter than Hell Hundred" wich is a pro-am road race. We don't plan on going the full 100 but we hope to go the non-competive 25. My hood is in bad shape but my brother-in-law is a sheet-metal worker and we plan to make one out of lite gauge metal. Also I'm going to take it to a local bike shop for new chains. I found your web site on sunday because I was looking for information based on the sticker above the gear shift. It says it is a PPV MARK III. Also in the rear behind the gear shift there is a number stamped into the plastic. I'm wondering if the last two numbers, which are bigger, could be the production number. This one has 47. My uncle bought it in the late 70's used in Amarillo Tx. I live in Wichita Falls TX and I've never seen another one. I'll send you before and after pictures. |
| John, Thanks for your message last month. Sorry I didn't respond sooner. I've put a correspondence page on the websit - I've been quite a bit now that the site has been up a few months. Definitely send me those pictures when you get the thing finished and I'll add them to the site. |
| Katie DePriest
Watervliet MI March 16, 2003 |
| I am the one who bought the PPV flyer on Ebay. I
have a life size one that we found in a back yard of a friends home and asked
if we could have it he said sure. We take it to the NASCAR races and all
of a sudden we started getting all kinds of attention so we thought we would
try to find a few more (with out success of finding anymore) I just
looked and do about once a week to see if anyone wants to get rid of any.
I would be happy to make a copy of the flyer and send it to you. If
you find any sights related to the ppv or find were you can still purchase
one even if it is a remanufactured I would really be interested. I
do not have a way to scan in the flier I can fax it to you or mail you a
copy Thank you for contacting me so fast Please email me with how you would
like me to contact you and I will be happy to do so. Thanks |
| Katie, If you can still send me a photocopy of the flier I am still interested. You can mail it to me. |
| Reid Burch McDonough, Georgia
February 19, 2003 |
| Hello Nick, I have a green and white 3-speed PPV that is currently sitting in an enclosed barn. It was never ridden much when I was a kid in the 70's and 80's. I haven't laid eyes on it for a while, but if I remember correctly, the front tire had dry rotted and we had a hard time finding a replacement because of the odd size. The windshield had turned yellow and brittle, and the gears would slip some when you tried to pedal hard / fast. The PPV belonged to my parents. I just started thinking about it this morning on my way to work and initially did a search on eBay for anything related, which I came up empty-handed. I was thinking about taking it to a local bicycle shop to see if they could restore it to 100% working condition. It has always been stored inside, so there should be no deterioration of the metal or plastic. I would love to get this thing running again because I have two small kids that would enjoy it as much as I did when I was growing up. I remember sitting on the back of the PPV with my feet in the "storage" area while my parents pedaled me around. If anyone comes across somewhere that replacement parts can be ordered, please let me know. I remembered something else. The people that we acquired the PPV from told me something interesting once. They mentioned that when they purchased it new, they were offered an optional "paddle kit" that would turn the PPV into a paddle boat. They said that the rear wheels were replaced with buoys and the front wheel was a paddle that would steer the unit with the handlebars. They did not purchase the option, but I am wondering if there is anyone out there that has this kit and doesn't know what it is for. Keep me in the loop if you decide to offer parts through your bike shop or if you develop a new version. I would be extremely interested in either. |
| Reid, Thanks for writing, if you could send me some pictures I would appreciate it - as well as some "after" photos when you get it restored. Also it would be good to know where you are geographically since there might be someone else on this site in your area that could help you. The bad news is that there is no known source of replacement parts. The good news is that just about every part was taken from another common source, or is easy to fabricate. The front tire is a common bicycle size - 16x1.3/8 and can be found at Kmart, Target and a host of other nearby stores (or at a bicycle shop) for under $10. The rear tires are commonly used on mopeds and industrial lawnmowers and are available for $10-$25 each. Check the links on the web page at: http://home.attbi.com/~nick.hein/PPV/PPVOwners.htm for some tips from other owners who have done restorations. I've also listed their location and email addresses so you can contact them. (I haven't started restoring mine yet because it is still in original working condition.) Thanks again, and let me know how it goes. Nick Hein |
| Bob Rudy York PA February
05, 2003 |
| Hi Nick, Great to find your PPV website. I own 3 (Blue, Green, Yellow), the green one has a surrey top. My PPV's are kind of beat up because of years of building floats on them for halloween parades, but still very much functional. I have them hanging (yes hanging) in my garage. I will take digital pictures of them soon and email them to you. In addition, I have an original copy of the sales brochure that you tried to copy off ebay, it came with one of my PPV's. They were made in Sterling Heights, Michigan in the mid 70's. I also have a copy of an owners manual. I will see about scanning all the pages (when I get a chance) and get it to you. This manual will be very, very helpful to anyone who needs to do any type of maintenance on their PPV. I am looking for a place to purchase parts for mine. From what I understand, when the company went bankrupt, everything was auctioned off. I'll write more when I get a chance. I am the morning DJ at W.S.O.X.-FM "Oldies 96.1" in York, PA. You can check out my web site at: www.oldies961.com/maddogandrudy/main.asp My home email address is: bobrudy@epix.net Take care, Bob |
| (I replied to this guy, but can't find the message
since it was a while ago.) |
| Ed Portz Springfield, Oregon
December 02, 2002 |
| Thanks for the mail. Yes I need to find a hood for
the PPV. The rest of the body seems in fairly good shape. The front fork
however has had many incidents with curbs etc. by our kids in the early 70's.
The fork has been welded and re-welded and braced. Our kids are in their thirties with their own young ones. My goal is to restore the PPV to a condition that would be serviceable and be recognized as the one they enjoyed so much, and I do mean SO MUCH. The PPV is dark green, has a white hood in bad shape, is a three speed, and has been a barn resident for 20+ years. Will need all the info I can get to begin the re-do. The PPV that I have was a promotional prize winning from a 7-up distributor. May be possible to track down the Mfr. thru the 7-up national level. Just an idea. I removed the 7-up decals after obtaining the unit from a friend in 70's. Thanks, Ed Portz |
| Joe Emerson Florida November
20, 2002 |
| When I was a young buck (ie 1970) My boss had a new PPV.(People Powered Vehicle). Our local Chrysler dealer was giving them away with a new car purchase. Boss bought a fully decked out Dodge camper van and got this curious vehicle as a bonus. I remember playing with it but the hills of Vermont were not the place for such a rig. Now I am retired in sunny Florida and would dearly love to have one. I am legally blind but can still negotiate the bike paths, and a PPV could be easily modified to make it weathertight. Sure would beat taking a cab every time I wanted to go downtown. |