Post by: synthpunk on 31 Oct 20, 02:02 pm
Ive decided to take the plunge and start building. Initially I wanted to do a GN but because of Springs based reasons ive decided to do a Riley- the composite springs i have arent really suitable for quarter elliptics so riley it is.
My chosen car is the White Riley of 1933. Nice lines, lots of history and lots of quite detailed photos on the net.
Parts aquired so far; 2 sheets of plywood for the chassis and tub. I dont have a welder and ive been a guitar maker for twenty plus years so wood is my specialist chosen subject/happy place. Ill be laminating the chassis up in strips, so i can get the swoopy lines.
4 carbon composite springs of various strengths, sourced from ‘pro jump’ jumping stilts
A dashboard clock from a Mig fighter jet
Lots and lots of offcuts of metal
A single headlamp that i found in the woods next door. (This was of more relevance when i was planning on making the GN Jap...)
And quite a well equipped, if slightly small workshop with a lathe, drill press, mini mill, bandsaw and a family of mice.
I've made a 1:6 scale model of the chassis and tub out of modelling ply in order to plan the cuts and work out the forming process. I think it might just work...
Im planning on sourcing the rest of the bits over the winter, ready for test running next year. I live on a farm, theres a mile of private road up a hill next to the house. Hooray!
Pics to follow!
Cheers
Rich
Post by: StefanN on 31 Oct 20, 04:10 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 31 Oct 20, 04:46 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 31 Oct 20, 07:20 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/6kcgbTS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/j1sIFzf.jpg)
Its quite useful, you can sort of feel the bendiness being built out of it as you add bits, or decide youve gone down a blind alley and need to back up a bit without generating loads of excess sawdust.
Hopefully after a few days of trial and errorin on this ill have a cutting list and dimensions together and can make a start on the big sheets..
Post by: synthpunk on 31 Oct 20, 08:10 pm
Im using 6mm baltic birch furniture ply laminated together to make 1” rails. The rails have 2 bends on them, so ill make a jig and laminate both sides at once. The rails will be joined by two solid longitudinal trusses, one at the front, one at the back between engine and driver. Theyll be morticed into the rails, and secured via bolts secured via a method that will probably take another post to illustrate, once I've drawn a picture. Im trying to rely on the strength of the wood in any particular joint, using glue and bolts to just hold it in place. Ie no relying on the strength of a glue joint to guarantee a join, but having the strength intrinsic to the structure.
The back end may change, depending on how my experiments over the next few days go. The original car rides fairly low at the back and high at the front, so i initially tried replicating that by hanging the chassis off the axle, rather than passing the axle through the chassis rails. Im going for a 5 Inch ground clearance. Ideally id like the engine and axle and brakes etc to be built onto a steel subframe so they can be removed as a unit. So im going to play with the Chassis design with a focus on that for a bit.
Im also pondering changing the tub - the seat is the main source of rigidity within the tub, its basically two triangular section trusses joining the sides together. Very rigid, very strong. The front end is less so. Its just 3 bits of ply glued together. going to try and rework the design with some more strength enhancing structure at the front end.
Generally though im a big fan of models during the design phase. Im terrible at CAD etc so i tend to make physical models but i find that having something in hand helps with sketching out the next phase immensely.
Cheers!
Rich.
Post by: RhysN on 31 Oct 20, 09:45 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 31 Oct 20, 10:26 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 02 Nov 20, 04:22 pm
The plan is to make a master pattern from MDF and rout all the laminations to exact size using a pattern following bit in the router. Then glue them up, and then start on the seat, the framework of which will lock the two rails together, then build the tub round that.
Another exciting thought I had over the weekend was prompted by seeing a Wolsely Hornet at the local garage- namely that a Riley Elf grille and badge look like they’ll be exactly the right size for a Riley cyclekart. Ace...
Cheers all, stay safe...
Rich
Post by: synthpunk on 04 Nov 20, 10:46 am
Post by: synthpunk on 06 Nov 20, 09:40 pm
Im trying to leave enough space in the design for the engine to sit as far forward as it can. Im leaving 10 inches forward and aft of the rear axle to allow for experimentation when i get round to doing the axle mounts and drivetrain.
I think im going to mock the tub, seat and dash up full size in cardboard first to check if i can actually get in and out of it though....
In the meantime, heres a rough sketch and the MiG clock...
Post by: synthpunk on 09 Nov 20, 06:29 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 09 Nov 20, 07:12 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 09 Nov 20, 08:29 pm
Post by: jim on 09 Nov 20, 09:38 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Nov 20, 07:15 pm
Im presuming this is a good idea.... i know a reasonable amount about boats and guitars but bugger all about cars. ;c)
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Nov 20, 07:43 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Nov 20, 07:53 pm
Post by: StefanN on 11 Nov 20, 12:20 am
Post by: Chris Brown on 11 Nov 20, 09:33 am
Post by: synthpunk on 11 Nov 20, 01:03 pm
Box section rails, box section tub made of triangles, hopefully ill be able to get most it from 2 sheets of 8x4. Most of it still needs finessing.
Post by: synthpunk on 11 Nov 20, 06:26 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 12 Nov 20, 04:28 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 13 Nov 20, 08:10 pm
I also got my Riley Elf radiator surround, which I made a grille for using a scrapped PA speaker. I also appear to have annoyed the cat.
Post by: synthpunk on 13 Nov 20, 08:12 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 14 Nov 20, 09:38 am
Post by: synthpunk on 14 Nov 20, 10:11 am
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 14 Nov 20, 11:26 am
Post by: Chris L on 14 Nov 20, 12:27 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 14 Nov 20, 10:43 pm
Some trimmed roughed out bits of seat, the rails, and some pine for pattern making for the seat
Post by: synthpunk on 14 Nov 20, 10:54 pm
There will then be a load of glue and loads more screws attached.
Ive had an idea regards driver comfort, so the bit of the seat you can see here is basically just the support. The actual seat will be woven Shaker style using 25mm nylon webbing and suspended just above this bit from four 1” wooden rails, connected at the corners. We had a baby this year during lockdown 1.0 and i made mrs Synthpunk a shaker style rocking chair for feedin the minime and drying socks on. the tape woven seat is very strong, comfortable, and springy, which is wot gave me the idea..
Post by: synthpunk on 14 Nov 20, 10:55 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 14 Nov 20, 11:23 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 15 Nov 20, 10:10 am
Post by: RhysN on 15 Nov 20, 11:25 am
Post by: sjc56 on 15 Nov 20, 01:18 pm
It looks like you are building along the same lines as I am. I’m going to post my progress later today.
Stuart
Post by: synthpunk on 15 Nov 20, 08:15 pm
I also did a load more on the seat, im pretty pleased with it so far, its pretty comfortable. Im doing a curved back on it, we’ll see how well that goes!
Tomorrow im going to glue the other side up, trim both rails to finished dimensions, build up the tub sides, finish the back of the seat, drill a million more holes in everything and buy several more dozen boxes of screws and then hopefully ill have the best part of a composite monocoque racing car chassis sitting in my garage by about wednesday...
Apart from the glued up rails everything else is being dry fitted for the time being. Ill glue it all up and start playing with glass cloth and epoxy in a couple weeks.
Ill try and take some pics in a bit, im being pretty lucky so far this evening and missus Synthpunk hasnt quite fully twigged yet that theres a half a small racing car chassis sitting in the front room. Surprise!! ;c)
Post by: synthpunk on 15 Nov 20, 08:31 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 16 Nov 20, 06:15 pm
Theres a racing car chassis hiding in my shed. Quite literally; Just what ive always wanted... thanks Cyclekarting!! :D :D
Post by: synthpunk on 16 Nov 20, 06:24 pm
Pretty isnt it? Its all going to get hidden under a layer of epoxy glass, 2 pack epoxy truck bed paint and then some white rattlecan paint. Hooray!
Post by: synthpunk on 16 Nov 20, 07:25 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 16 Nov 20, 07:26 pm
Therell be more layers of either bendy modelling ply or veneer. Ive got loads of rosewood veneer that might be fun to do the insides with. On the other hand, im also debating about covering the vertical inner faces of the cockpit/seat back with some ‘tweed guitar amp covering cloth’, which i have loads of. Like a late fifties Fender champ, or guitar case. Its yellowish when new, but can be aged with dilute stains or washes of shellac, and then sealed to waterproof with varnish or lacquer. As long as the substrate is waterproof with either glass fibre or varnish itll be fine, and look Ace, and very vintage.
Post by: synthpunk on 16 Nov 20, 07:43 pm
Post by: jim on 17 Nov 20, 06:16 am
Post by: ChrisS on 17 Nov 20, 07:52 am
Post by: synthpunk on 17 Nov 20, 10:03 pm
Its technically an English sports car, so that means it *will* go rotten in the sills. Im trying to delay that as long as possible... ;c)
I had been debating about drilling some holes in the hollow parts and injecting them with expanding foam. Definitely wont sink then...
Post by: synthpunk on 21 Nov 20, 07:28 pm
Ive been thinking about how to get my carbon fibre springs mounted to the rails. Ive got some 50 mm long/13mm OD 304 stainless threaded sleeves in M8 and M10 flavours, that ill weld or braze into the end of some suitably sized steel tube and mount them through the rails with metal plates either side.
I need to make some eyes and mount them on the springs as well. Ill document that process over in the tech forum under the ‘jump stilt springs’ topic.
Im not sure how much ill get done tomorrow, ive trapped a nerve in my neck this morning, so i might end up spendin the rest of the weekend lying flat on the floor complaining alot.
Post by: synthpunk on 22 Nov 20, 05:16 pm
And also thank you Hitachi for inventing the M12 series of routers. pretty much the Toyota Hiace of woodworking machines. Noisy and indestructible.
Ive started notching, rebating and generally going a bit woodworky on the starboard side boxing.
Hers a pic.
Post by: synthpunk on 24 Nov 20, 02:16 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 24 Nov 20, 06:41 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 24 Nov 20, 07:20 pm
Up until recently i was a roadie, which is one of the reasons that this little car is probably going to incorporate a lot of random bits of repurposed music gear ive accumulated over the years; thats mostly whats in my spare junk box..* If i make the bodywork detachable, i was planning on locking it in place using the heavy duty recessed Penn-Elcom recessed, lockable flight case latches that are fitted to pretty much every proper flightcase ever. I also thought that a couple of similarly recessed sprung Penn flightcase handles mounted in the outside of the boxed in sections of the chassis (that im currently making the first of,) placed at the cars Centre of Gravity, which i figure would be useful both for lifting/pushing it onto a trailer and then securing it to said trailer with load straps.
* for instance i think it will be fun to make a cycle kart incorporating a bit of aluminium for the dash that at one point in its life was part of one of Kraftwerk’s synthesizers... the bonnet straps will be held in place with some brackets from some leather handles salvaged from a broken flightcase that belonged to Pink Floyd. And so on and so forth. The company i work for nowadays is based in Scottsdale Arizona, where i beleive they have a cyclekart GP through the streets in normal years. I could probably get official approval for affixing one of our lovely chrome amplifier logos to the front grille to go with the Riley one.. almost certainly if i go for my plan of also doing the interior in luggage tweed..
Post by: synthpunk on 24 Nov 20, 07:21 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 24 Nov 20, 07:32 pm
That is an impressive weight so far! you should have a light (and therefore fast out of the corners) cyclekart! im really enjoying seeing how you are doing this as its very different
Cheers!
I do like to dive right in. Im keeping this journal updated with my thoughts and ramblings as well as actual solid progress reports, i think itll make for a more interesting read if theres some blind alleys and two steps back moments as well...
I race model steamboats and hydroplanes when i get the chance to head up to london in the summer, in Victoria Park. Im fairly well known in the club for making some fairly idiosyncratic but good looking boats that have never actually finished a race. They either sink or catch fire or both. Im tryin particularly hard not to let that happen with Little Car... ;c)
Post by: Chris Brown on 25 Nov 20, 11:19 am
Post by: synthpunk on 27 Nov 20, 07:13 pm
I’ve been working on the internal support structure for the torsion boxes on the outside of the rails, I’ve decided to make the lattice out of blocks of balsa. They’re just there to provide some glue surface to stick the ply to, all the strength is in the ply skins. Easy to work with as well, although the sawdust is a bit grim. Doors are commonly made as plywood torsion box structures, with an inner core of cardboard honeycomb, so the balsa will be more than adequate.
Post by: synthpunk on 01 Dec 20, 07:38 pm
A fair amount of progress has been made over the weekend. Ive finished the boxing and skinning for the right hand side, and then copied the relevant cuts to the left and started fabricating a set of mirror image parts for that side. The chassis as a whole has moved to the sprayshop at work, where it is warmer and drier than my shed, ready for glueing and epoxy/glass coating at some point in the next fortnight.
Ive been recommended to use Bucks Composites products https://www.bucks-composites.com/ by one of the chaps i work with who does lots of aero modelling.
Im going to order some 200g/m2 cloth and Bucks GB epoxy resin, and some tape for reinforcing corners.
The right hand side now weighs 5.8 kilos, complete with a new torsion box extension down towards the very rear to keep the engine mounts from twisting. Im very pleased with the final form its all taken, although i neglected to take any pictures so ill have to post some later.
Ive also solved my welding problem- i made friends with the owner of a local engineering firm who makes parts for cyclotrons and other high energy physics experiments... so truly world class welding. Hes also car mad, and so is goin to do the welding for some suspension bits for me in return for my rewiring his guitar. Bargain! ;c)
Cheers!
Rich
Post by: synthpunk on 02 Dec 20, 06:38 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 02 Dec 20, 08:37 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Dec 20, 02:44 pm
I started the glueing process today- in work an hour early and an hour for lunch has seen the seat structure dismantled, all the parts sanded to final size on the big belt sander (thanks employer!) and glued and screwed back in place.
I’m still in two minds about filling the void spaces with expanding foam. Plus side- cheap, and will make everything even more rigid. Minus side- messy, and if water does get in it’ll suck it all up and then go rotten, so I’d have to be extra careful to ensure everything is *really* well sealed and watertight.
Hmmmmm...
I’m gonna order a front axle and bits from Gemini karts this week, I’ve got some questions about pit bike Wheels and associated stub axle diameters and lengths, I’ll start a thread in the tech forum on the assumption that someone else might need to find the information as well, rather than bury it in all my wittering on in this thread..
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Dec 20, 09:11 pm
Making shaker style woven seats is fun (because making furniture is always fun), and pretty easy as long as you remember to make all the angles add up to 360. As the seat is angled in or out at the edges, (Dependin on weather its a front or back corner) the angles for the stretcher and runner rail mounting holes must be drilled at exactly the right angle into the corner pieces so everything adds up properly. Some angles are acute, some arent, and nothin is exactly 90 degrees, so having access to a pillar drill helps.
The front and back seat rails (stretchers) are 1inch diameter hardwood, and the side to side rails (runners) are inch and a quarter.
This bit of wittering on is definitely going to need a picture. I can tell...
Post by: Adrian on 04 Dec 20, 10:08 am
I am a modelmaker myself and was at one time big into lifeboat models (Speedline Models) so I may well have seen you at some show or other. In any case we will no doubt be meeting soon since we are now on the road to social recovery. I think we have a couple of interesting new venues in the offing.
I was going to ask you about the springs you are using. I looked on the web for jumping springs and must say they look to be a very good choice because they should give you fast-reacting, softish suspension which is what is needed to help with the battle against the dreaded understeer. Any idea where you can get the carbon fibre spring parts from?
Keep up the good work and hurry up! I can't wait to see this build.
Post by: synthpunk on 04 Dec 20, 11:33 am
My modelling interests are almost entirely nautical- steam launches, flash steam plants, tethered hydroplanes and Edwardian style straight running. I inherited a rather incredible collection of marine steam engines and boilers some years ago, which somewhat catapulted me into the fascinating world of model engineering. Oh and a little bit of free sailing 36rater pond yachts. I miss pond days. The club I belong to hasn’t really had the chance to do much this year. :c(
I got my springs from Ghostbikes- if you ring them up, ask for Sarah. I bought the last set of 36kilo springs they had, but they’ve got some 37s left- https://www.ghostbikes.com/3057-junior-pro-jump-f-series-f30-black-springs-(pair).html
The ones I got are child size springs. Some of the adult ones are longer and possibly straighter, but might not be available in the lower weights which appears to be wot we need.
If you can find some 30kilo springs I’d imagine they’d probably be the best.
Post by: Adrian on 04 Dec 20, 12:21 pm
I have bought some (37kgs was all they had) just to see what they are like. They cost me £37 for a pair and if they are OK then the spring issue is sorted!
Post by: synthpunk on 04 Dec 20, 02:52 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 04 Dec 20, 05:59 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 05 Dec 20, 08:06 pm
I need to work out steering, and pedals, and suspension mounts and stuff. Ive got a vague plan as to where everything goes and how to mount it all to the chassis, but the arrival of the axle will help solidify those vague ideas.
Its also the single most expensive part of the whole vehicle, as far as i can tell, so i should probably get round to telling mrs synthpunk about the race car hiding in the shed.....
My bathroom scales have continued to prove their worth- all the bits so far still weigh just under 20kg. i reckon im on target for a finished chassis and bodywork to come in at 30kg or less. 40 for the engine and back axle bits say, 10 for wheels, another ten for assorted steering and braking gubbins and so maybe 90 kilos total for the whole thing? Certainly less than 100 seems achievable. Im six foot three but i only weigh 80 kilos after a good dinner.
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Dec 20, 02:19 pm
It’s a bit of a brainmelter to look at the weave pattern too closely- sort of reminds me of a Bridget Riley print... so that’s the world of modern art and vintage cars seamlessly woven into a dreadful pun that you can sit on... ;c)
Post by: synthpunk on 20 Dec 20, 09:32 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 24 Dec 20, 10:04 pm
Most excitingly i had a couple of very enjoyable conversations with Rhys over the last few days which has sorted loads of things out design and theory wise, or at least got me going in the right direction.
Ive also bought a pair of US buggy springs off him, as ive decided that designing and building a cyclekart for the first time as well as experimeting with some unproven method of doing something fudamental like suspension when maybe i dont have the basics down yet is asking to get hurt. Luckily the c/f and buggy springs both match in eye to eye measurement, but with a different, less extreme arch on the buggy spring. one would work as under axle and one as over. So thats nice. I can make it work, and then play around with Science later.
Ive got both rails complete, and skinned, and filled with expanding foam in the cavities. Ive also decided to raise the seat by an inch and make the lower floor another torsion box structure. As it was, it was a bit floppy in the middle due to only being 6mm at its thinnest. I may also look at moving the seat (And scuttle, and generally everything in the middle) forward by 3 inches. And then maybe either shorten the wheelbase to closer to CK spec and have the engine after the axle, or just leave more space for mid mounting the engine and have it as much in front of the axle as i can. Im also going to add some width to the seat with some more plywood on the tub sides in order to widen the rails at the front, to make up for the change in plan on how i mount the springs- theyre no longer hanging outside the rails, so i can make the chassis a bit wider to compensate. Ive been through about half a dozen schemes for mounting the springs, and in the end ive decided to go with the simplest method and just hang them off the rails, rather than try and directly replicate the Riley scheme. This will work better with the new springs as well.
Heres a pic of the lattice that makes up the inside of the new torsion box under the seat. It’ll probably get filled with foam as well.
Have a merry xmas everyone, Cheers!
Rich
Post by: synthpunk on 30 Dec 20, 08:47 pm
Anyways, ive also managed to glue up the bits of wood i cut out for the seat bottom the other day, And added a bit more. Its now nicely flat- had a bit of a twist before. Also i filled the voidspace directly under the seat with more expanding foam.
But most excitingly, i Made Something from Metal for a change.... i attacked some 5mm thick aluminium with the bandsaw and a flap disc on the angle grinder and so now i have 4 suspension hanging plates for the front horns. i also experimented with making some m8 threaded spacers as part of the design on my lathe, which was fun, but took ages. Its been so long since i turned it on last i spent most of the time getting distracted by fixing the rusty spots i kept finding, or hunting where id stashed the tool bits i needed...
Pics->
Post by: Adrian on 30 Dec 20, 09:43 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 30 Dec 20, 10:09 pm
I did the guitar making course at London Guildhall uni in the 90s, one of our regular classes was technical drawing and instrument design. Once wed got taught the maths behind how and why music and instruments work (fibonacci numbers, euler spirals, french curves and the Golden Ratio) we were allowed to go and design something. Wierdly, most of the guitars came out looking like strats. Turns out Freddy Tavarres (the original strat designer) was a big fan of french curves.... ;c)
I remain a fan of french curves to this day. Dont tell the missus..... :D
Post by: Adrian on 30 Dec 20, 10:14 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 30 Dec 20, 10:24 pm
/trying not to chortle suspiciously as Mrs S wanders past/
Post by: synthpunk on 30 Dec 20, 10:46 pm
Following on from another conversation with Rhys (cheers mister! Much appreciate your time!) ive decided to forgo the GRP cladding on this one, as the cuprinol should stop it rotting, and a good yacht varnish should protect it. Im also thinking about forgoing the whole unibody idea and basically building it as a Modular design, more akin to a Stephenson kart. So instead of the seat being glued to the sides and eventually turning the whole car into one structure, im thinking of keeping the two side rails removable (bolts) and building a whole actual tub that incorporates the seat, scuttle, footwell etc.
Pros: if i mess it up, or break it, it will be much more repairable. And modifiable. Hooray!
It might also then fit in my car in a dissassembled state, which could be useful. Drive through the night to Stretton, arrive at 6am and then play with Meccano till its a car again, hopefully by playtime.. ;c)
Cons: its going to require another sheet of plywood, thus making it 1 sheet of plywood heavier.
It may also end up being a little bit less rigid. We shall see. Im keeping all the patterns ive made for this one, i reckon i could build a second identical one in a fraction of the time now ive got the router patterns and drill guides made. Id quite like to make a PDF when its all done that includes all the patterns in printable format, just in case anyone else wants to build a wooden, Riley 12 shaped cyclekart chassis using a router, a drill and a jigsaw. When i do build another one i reckon ill go for Marine grade ply rather than furniture ply (which will cost more but then wont need Cuprinol), and also make the rails from an 18mm centre with 6mm skins rather than all 6mm, just to save on time and glueing. Its an awful lot of G-clamps!
Post by: synthpunk on 13 Jan 21, 08:40 pm
Its remarkably comfy- i sat in it for an hour last night whilst watching a documentary on youtube, its actually more comfy than my studio chair...
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 14 Jan 21, 01:47 pm
Post by: Adrian on 14 Jan 21, 05:15 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 15 Jan 21, 10:57 pm
Ive invested 50 quid in an 8x4 sheet of 6mm marine ply for the rest of the tub, rear end, floor and scuttle. Hopefully ill get some time this weekend to get said parts cut out and dry fitted..
The marine ply is nowhere near as pretty as the Baltic Birch furniture ply that the rest of the bits are made from. Is also noticeably heavier- it looks and smells like something pretend mahogany like from the phillipines, but im not sure what species it is yet. Its brown and hard, but its not teak or nyatoh.
/edit- i think its Meranti ply. Or maybe lauan but im veering towards meranti because its heavier than expected, quite coarse, and seems within range for colour, and also the smell... I wouldnt want to use it for a guitar but i reckon itll do for the tub.
Post by: RhysN on 16 Jan 21, 09:33 am
Post by: synthpunk on 17 Jan 21, 06:07 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 17 Jan 21, 06:08 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 17 Jan 21, 06:58 pm
Post by: sjc56 on 17 Jan 21, 07:28 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 18 Jan 21, 10:53 pm
Ive trimmed down the sides of the tub to what i think is the right height to take the lines from the radiator grille backwards to the scuttle and seat, and started the CAD (cardboard aided design*) process.. its occurred to me that one thing i absolutely hate doing is mixing, applying, sanding , filling and painting fibreglass, so i might cheat and do the outer skin in fabric. Ive got a load of Obeche planks (a type of denser but still incredibly light and strong balsa wood- possibly most famous either for being the wood that DeHavilland Mosquitoes were made from, or as being what mike rutherford from Genesis’ double neck shergold guitar was made from) that i reckon would be good for forming the curves at either end of the bonnet, and then with some stringers and bulkheads to stop it from sagging in the middle. The weight is currently piling on incrementally with each extra bit of the structure that im adding, so maybe doped linen or sailcloth could be a good idea. Then lace it down to the chassis, either side. Hmmmmm....
*this joke is copyright Rhys Nolan 2020 ;c)
Post by: synthpunk on 27 Jan 21, 11:17 pm
Totally looking more like a car and less like a wheelbarrow now ;c)
Its way too cold to go glueing anything at the moment, and shes now too big to glue up inside the house so any permanent bonding will probably have to wait till its a bit warmer in the shed but that doesnt mean i cant still cut out bits of ply and temporarily screw things in place to check fit...
Ive also now decided that her name is Bridgit, just to continue the whole Bridget Riley pun ad nauseam...
Anways- scuttle, bonnet and rear end now taking shape...
Post by: Applejack on 28 Jan 21, 08:41 am
Post by: synthpunk on 28 Jan 21, 10:58 am
Post by: synthpunk on 31 Jan 21, 06:18 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 01 Feb 21, 06:25 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 02 Feb 21, 10:41 am
Post by: synthpunk on 02 Feb 21, 11:12 am
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 02 Feb 21, 01:43 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Feb 21, 08:44 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Feb 21, 08:46 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Feb 21, 08:53 pm
Ive got a bag of missile lock switches somewhere, with flip top guards suitable for the kill switch. Neat!
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Feb 21, 08:58 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 04 Feb 21, 08:56 am
Post by: synthpunk on 04 Feb 21, 10:34 am
Post by: synthpunk on 04 Feb 21, 02:30 pm
Post by: RhysN on 06 Feb 21, 02:59 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 09 Feb 21, 10:23 pm
Anyways- the snow is nice and pretty but my word it’s cold outside, so I’ve not really been up to much. I did manage to glue up the cockpit floor structure, although it still needs it’s outer skin cutting out and attaching. I’ve latticed up most of the insides using some 12mm basswood strip, the bare bit at the skinny end is going to have a core made of 12mm ply, as it’s where the pedals will get bolted through, so it needs to be solid in case I decide to have movable pedals for in case missus rich wants a go, or get the position wrong.
Post by: synthpunk on 09 Feb 21, 10:24 pm
Post by: RhysN on 10 Feb 21, 08:39 am
I would now recommend having them on a plate of some sort, flexi brake line if using hydraulics, and bowden cable throttle cable. Bolt the plate into the car, so that you can play, and have a removable access to the set up.
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 10 Feb 21, 10:55 am
Marek
https://youtu.be/u7sc41ISOBY
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Feb 21, 07:58 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Feb 21, 08:28 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 18 Feb 21, 07:38 pm
Its my birthday this weekend, so as my birthday treat to myself ive decided to take 2 days off work, and then spend them at work.... i took the chassis in today, and have spent day 1 unscrewing all the tiny screws and then applying glue and screwing it all back together. Its really warm in the warehouse, and we have a nice woodworking machine shop and a lovely big bench so its made final assembly of both sides much more pleasant, and also all the glue joints should set properly, which they wouldnt in my unheated shed workshop at home. Its all gone together rather well, and tomorrow im hoping to get both sides and the cockpit floor actually finally glued to the seat structure, hopefully by lunchtime. Then apply a first coat of yacht varnish to the cockpit and insides of the lattice structure that makes up the scuttle and bonnet to dry over the weekend. Im not entirely sure how ill get it home on monday morning, but i spose i can have part of it sticking out of the boot of my citroen for the journey home, as i only live half a mile away.
I also took in a set of scales, to weigh the assorted bits... it weighs more than i initially expected the finished chassis to, but then its not just a chassis any more, as it effectively also now includes a large majority of the body work, seeing as its all built as a combined structure. The left and right sides weigh 13kg each, and the seat weighs 9kg, so along with the cockpit floor and dash etc shes got an all up weight so far of 40kg, before any of the metal bits get bolted on. The Meranti marine ply weighs roughly twice what the Birch furniture ply weighs for a similar sized sheet, so not too bad considering. As the skin is going to be 4mm birch which wont weigh very much at all, i reckon im still on course for my target weight of somewhere around 90 kg once the wheels, engine, brakes and steering are all added. So roughly 10 kilos more than me.
Post by: jim on 19 Feb 21, 07:01 am
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 19 Feb 21, 01:24 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 19 Feb 21, 10:35 pm
Today was really good, progress wise- finished the lattice, finished the inner cockpit floor, worked some other bits out, and then managed to secure a lift home in a van with the whole thing next week, which spurred my into glueing up the whole lot, adding some filler and varnishing all the bits that will get filled with expanding foam, in order to minimise water ingress and associated rot. Its all drying out over the weekend, so i can hopefully finish the front end and skin the cockpit floor on Monday lunchtime and do another round of filler and varnish before it heads back to cold/windy shed on tuesday or wednesday... hurrah!
Post by: ChrisS on 20 Feb 21, 08:49 am
Post by: synthpunk on 25 Feb 21, 09:12 pm
One thing i have been doing is panicking about my lovely monocoque structure coming apart at the seams if it gets a shunt, or goes over a bump in an assymetrical fashion so ive drilled various holes through the sides to accept some 10mm studded rods that pass all the way through from one side of the chassis to the other, to be tightened up to keep everything together. Theres one in the footwell, one just in front of the seat, and currently 1 going through the seat back, but that might change to 2- one at the top, one at the bottom. I might pass one through the actual seat bottom as well,if i can work out where to drill the holes. Wish id thought of doing that before id glued the sides and seat together but oh well, heyho... live and learn.
The scuttle and dash are still just screwed together, because i need to work out how to mount the steering column and still leave space for wiring the instruments up. Ive got about 60% of the idea sorted out so far. The front end has several longitudinal threaded rods as stays that hold the suspension shoes on, i might co-op one of them to hold the lower end, via the magic of brazing some other bits together to make a bracket and hanging it off one of the front stays.
Ill post some pics inna bit, its dinnertime now...
Oh yeah,, one last thing- i bought a book called ‘how to build a cyclecar’ from 1913 (reprint by the bloke who built the Grafton GN a few years ago)- its very good! Tenner on ebay, worth every penny.
Cheers,
Rich
Post by: synthpunk on 28 Feb 21, 04:42 pm
Ive cut the skins out of some 4mm birch ply, next i need to treat them with cuprinol on the insides.
This will take a few days to dry, but its definitely worth doing. I left a piece of my original 6mm birch untreated as a test, and left it in the shed since the beginning of the project. It got a bit wet at one point, and has now gone black with mold, yuck.... the car, which has been fully treated, remains pristine.
Whilst im waiting for that to dry ive started the steering wheel- i got a 5mm thick 300mm x 300mm aluminium plate, marked off and centre punched the centre, and then started playing with a set of dividers and a scriber to mark out the spokes, hub mounting holes, etc. Then i drilled some clearance holes in the waste portions between the spokes and jigsawed the waste quadrants out. Then i carefully bandsawed out the outside. Next step was to fit a 40grit flap disc into my angle grinder, mounted it into my workmate and screwed the wheel via the centre hole to a piece of scrap timber and used that to position it on the flap disc. Safety specs on, then power up the grinder and carefully feed the jigged up wheel into the face... about 5 minutes of careful work later i had what seems to be a pretty nicely finished off, round wheel. Next stage will be to dig out the mini mill and rotary table and try and sort out the inside bits...
Post by: jim on 01 Mar 21, 05:35 am
Post by: synthpunk on 01 Mar 21, 08:51 am
Post by: dunworkin on 01 Mar 21, 09:25 am
Post by: synthpunk on 01 Mar 21, 08:52 pm
Whilst i love my lathe, i havent used it in ages and therefore id forgotten how much FAFFING ABOUT goes into setting it up for a simple operation. My mini mill is made from a unimat SL spindle and headstock mounted in some other bits that bolt to a spare saddle that sits on the tailstock end of the bed, thus allowing me to use the main lathe saddle and leadscrew for x/y adjustments.. having spent a couple hours hunting out all the bits and the rotary table and bolting things together and discovering i need more hold down bolts and etc etc ive decided to just hand file the inner radius, which is now 1/3rd done and taken ten minutes.... however its freezing cold out there again so ive sort of lost the will to carry on.... buggerit ill do it at work at lunch tomorrow....
Lathes and milling machines are brilliant things, but sometimes its easier to forego the faff and just pick up a file and get it all close enough for jazz....
Post by: synthpunk on 08 Mar 21, 08:57 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Mar 21, 09:19 pm
The solution lies with some more threaded rod i think. Beef up the sides around the top of the scuttle on the insides of the torsion box structure befor the skins go on to take it up to around 3/4” (3 layers of ply) and then pass a threaded m10 rod through, and hang the top steering bracket off that. I might generally beef up the whole top of the scuttle in a similar way, and pass several rod & tube combinations through in a similar manner to the previously mentioned front tubular cross member. Ie central threaded m10 rod with an outer piece of either square or tubular ally or steel, thus combining threaded rods in tension and tubes in compression = nice and strong. This pic might make the idea a bit clearer- imagine the rod bolted through the scuttle sides an inch or so below where its sitting in the pic and having a steering shaft support bolted to it in the middle, and you have the general idea....
Post by: StefanN on 11 Mar 21, 07:10 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 14 Mar 21, 06:28 pm
My idea has gone through a couple of design evolutions but its pretty much there now - im going to use the spare 8mm ubolts i have to hold a couple of nylon bushes in place on the steel box section cross members, via an intermediate plate to hold the Ubolts which will be itself riveted to the box section steel.. The one at the bottom end will be pretty much exactly as shown in the pic below, and the top one will be split to allow the shaft to be completely removed if necessary. Theyre both made from some sort of nylon bearing material i got in a job lot of bearings, bushes and shafts from a house clearance, but whatever it is it machines very well and seems like it will do the job nicely. I realise you can just buy split blocks from Gemini amongst others specifically for this task but i felt like having a play with the lathe ;c)
Post by: synthpunk on 14 Mar 21, 06:34 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 15 Mar 21, 08:19 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 07 Apr 21, 09:44 pm
Im still waiting for the weather to get hotter so i can finish glueing and painting and stuff.
Longer update- ive made new brackets for the top and bottom of the steering column out of L angle aluminium, machined up some hub adaptor plates for my c90 rear wheels, bought a rear axle and sprocket, started making some front suspension shackle mounting brackets, and am getting closer to finalising the engine bay. It might even end up only involving 4 simple welds that even me with my stick welder will be able to do.
Having the rear axle with the two wheels in place on the back end has given me an enormous boost in excitement, cos its all looking really really good. Wider and squatter than i thought, and staring at the back end with my imagination head on i can start to visualise what the rear end/engine cover will look like. Which is nicely exciting. Im hoping to have it all on wheels in the next few weeks. ACE.
Ive also finally worked out optimum positions for all the dashboard instruments and switches and actual blinkenlichts and stuff; tach counter/hour meter, ammeter, speedo and clock L-R along the top. Engine Kill switch on top right, switches and fuses for Kipple, Frivolity and Unnecessary Complication down the bottom, L-R.
Post by: synthpunk on 07 Apr 21, 10:58 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 08 Apr 21, 09:46 am
Post by: synthpunk on 11 Apr 21, 08:36 pm
Post by: Marek.Z.N on 11 Apr 21, 10:32 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 08 May 21, 10:17 am
Im still astonishingly pleased with all the progress i made up until about a month ago. Having a chassis on wheels in the garage is a great feeling; it no longer feels like im building a huge, expensive rabbit hutch...
..
.
I say ‘building’....
Tbh i havent had the time to do very much else with it since then, as Mrs Synthpunk’s maternity leave has ended, and is back doing nights at the NHS, so im now primary childcare during daylight hours when im not at work and most evenings, so available tinkering time has dropped off to about an hour an evening, max. Which is quite often spent nursing a beer and trying not to feel so tired, staring at things, trying to work out what to do next. Im not complaining; the tiny synthpunkette unit is a wondrous beastie and i am loving spending so much time with her, but its deffo made progress on dadprojects much slower.
Having said that; the chassis is pretty much there now anyways. Needs its skins putting on, as the biggest job that remains undone, then painting etc of course. Ive been working on the metal bits; pedals, steering, engine bay. I now have a Lifan engine with electric start, and a TAV should be turning up today, so thats all the major purchases made now except for the bits to make the tailcone.
The pedals im also quite pleased with so far. They are mounted onto an aluminium sub frame that bolts in via the existing stays and bolts for the steering and suspension, so no extra holes needed in the chassis members. I didnt like the ‘throw’ of the accelerator under foot, so ive made a new pedal to actuate the mechanism, and modified the mechanism to give me a linear push/pull on the throttle cable without bending it round anything, or snagging it anywhere, with adjustable end stops and the ability to tweak both the throw of the pedal and the travel of the actuator independently. Ill post a pic in a bit.
Ive also started servicing the brakes. I got em second hand (cheers Rhys!) and they were basically blocked up solid with dirt so a good clean later and theyre looking much better. At some point im going to make a handbrake to go with it.
So there we are- still progress, just nowhere near as fast. Im now hoping to get her finished by the end of the summer, realistically.
Cheers!
Rich
Post by: synthpunk on 12 Jun 21, 12:54 pm
Ive worked out the engine mount. Its a sheet of 8mm thick 6082 aluminium, that can slide backwards and forwards under the aluminium angle of the main rear ‘subframe’ thanks to some cunningly shaped bits of ally ‘Z-rail’ i found in my parts bin. Once upon a time they were part of a very expensive Calrec mixing desk that was installed in BBC Radio Norwich. Anyways, therell be a belt tensioning mechanism that involves moving the engine plate backwards and forwards and then bolting it down.
The skins should be going on this weekend. I could potentially then paint the whole thing white. However; id quite like to wrap the whole lot in epoxy glass first, which brings up a problem- the Cuprinol the whole structure is doused in might well stop the epoxy from penetrating fully. So- im going to veneer the whole car first. The veneer will glue to the cuprinol fine, and allow the glass to stick properly. I bought a joblot of veneers some years ago from the estate of a friends uncle. Ive got enough veneer to do about 3 cars, or an entire dining table and chairs with matching side tables... Indian rosewood, brazillian figured mahogany, ripple Sapele, walnut, figured english oak, figured maple (american) and English Sycamore. There is a strong temptation to make a high speed regency chest of drawers; all flamed mahogany and rosewood, but i think ill go for Sycamore bodywork, figured oak chassis and walnut and rosewood dash/cockpit trim. So even with just the epoxy glass applied, shell be pretty white even without paint.
Veneer has a reputation for being fiddly. It is. But i think this job will be pretty simple as far as veneer goes. No bookmatching, no inlay, just a load of glue, some clamps, and an ordinary household iron... the the veneer will be applied in strips angled at 45 degrees over the carcass, so compound curves are no problem. Should look like its been cold moulded, hopefully.
Post by: synthpunk on 26 Sep 21, 02:33 pm
Its not that I haven’t busy, it’s just that most of what I’ve been doing is getting frustrated with the weather and basically tidying up things I 90% completed months ago, which makes for boring forum reading IMO… So basically I’ve been radiusing edges, shaping the cockpit cutout, reinforcing and then radiusing the edges of aforementioned cutout, filling holes, sanding off the outside of the whole thing to get rid of the cuprinol coating, and also adding the lower skins to the whole thing. 1/4” Keruing marine ply now covers the underside of everything. And then glassing the whole lot with at least 1 layer of epoxy and glass, or at least epoxy, to seal the surface and prevent it from going mouldy in the shed. All the right angles are either radiused to 6mm, or filleted to same depending on wether they’re external or internal. So folding the cloth round the edges has been very successful, and as a result the Unibody structure as a whole is strong, waterproof, and as a bonus the ply skins are totally bonded to the underlying framework. Result!
The test piece of birch ply I left untreated a year ago is now totally black with mould, it’s minging. I should prolly bin it, it is almost certainly a health hazard.
So anyways, the existing structure is now finally mould proof, and I’ve also added another torsion box behind the front grill, and changed the way the grill mounts. It’s bonded in with epoxy, and reinforced with more glass tape and epoxy, as now are all the other torsion boxes in the structure. Nice.
Next job is epoxying some stainless bushes into all the subframe mounting holes, to stop the mounting bolts from wallowing around and oval-ing the wood. Then glueing all the wooden faux louvres onto the bonnet and scuttle, more filling, and yet more epoxy and glass if the weather permits, but tbh I dont think ill be doing any more glassing till springtime now, itll just be too cold and wet outside… same maybe goes for fibreglass primer. I’ll just leave it woody looking till springtime.
Anyways. Even if it will look like a mobile rabbit hutch, it’ll be fuelproof and waterproof enough to bolt the engine and brakes in and take it for a test spin round the farm next month. Yay!
Post by: synthpunk on 26 Sep 21, 07:46 pm
So everything’s been wrapped in glass. It’s about 300G/m2 on the undersides and up the sides of the chassis rails, the body sides are a layer of 80G, and the scuttle and seat back are 300 again.
Ive decided to trade some of my weight advantage for strengthening things up and paying attention to end grain. The undersides of the chassis rails were quite a lot of endgrain, this has now had a 6mm layer of marine ply epoxied underneath it, so the endgrain problem has been minimised.
The front suspension mounts have had a layer of 6mm ply on the inside face added to bring the overall width of the front horns to 36mm, so i can fit some of the group buy springs when they appear.
I’ll dig through my phone and add some photos.
Cheers!
Rich
Post by: Adrian on 14 Oct 21, 09:20 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 11 Jan 22, 08:50 pm
I decided to take a 2 week break from the internet which got indefinitely extended when I realised that life is sometimes much better without it. Definitely worth trying.
So anyways, the cyclekart….
She’s basically remained pretty much untouched since October due to a combination of the weather being very bloody cold and miserable on the south downs, and also my shed trying to kill me. The door (up and over garage door from the seventies, all galvanised steel) fell off one dark and raining evening, missing my head by a couple of inches… the cantilever pivots had rusted through and collapsed, and the honking great balancing springs shot off like grenades. Loud and scary. So I had to lock up the shed as best I could and then completely change the way the door is mounted when the weather improved. Its now a sideways opening barn type door. Much better….
The short story is that it took till december to fix the door, then christmas happened, so ive done nothing on the car itself. On the plus side ive finished some other projects, and also got to look at the car with fresh eyes once I finally got in there again last week. I need to remodel the back. The radius is too tight, and the shoulders of the seat are wrong. Easy enough to sort, as its all still just bendywood strips tacked onto a bulkhead frame.
I’m still thinking about what to skin it in, and something I’m going to investigate is using the framework that I’ve built as a former, and skinning it with cross ply layers of gummed brown paper tape. And trying to impregnate it with thinned epoxy, then a layer of glass, then filler, then paint, etc. Easier and cheaper than veneer, and lighter too. Its a method used to make model racing yachts in ye olden days, ive played with it in the past. In the thirties the resultant shell was waterproofed with shellac, in the 60s you used varnish. So I reckon epoxy will work well… If anyone knows the name Vic Smeed, well he definitely did some designs in gummed paper…
Ive also been messing about with a stylus on my iPad, trying to work out whether or not to add some wings…. ;c)
Post by: jim on 12 Jan 22, 06:13 am
Post by: Seven racer on 12 Jan 22, 10:01 am
Perhaps attach them with bolts and wing nuts so they detach on those occasions you really want to try hard!
Lots more work, but as a retro fit they can be done at any time in the future, well worth the extra effort.
Peter
Post by: synthpunk on 29 Jan 22, 07:59 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Apr 22, 07:00 pm
Courtesy of several trips to the local tip, many binbags, and my trusty garden incinerator I now have 8 feet by 10 feet to work in. I’d say there’s enough room to swing a cat but he doesn’t really like it when I play that game so Ive not tested it yet…
Let the madness (re)begin!!
Post by: David F-R on 04 Apr 22, 08:21 am
Space is very much at a premium for me too but you seem to have **** it.
Post by: synthpunk on 07 Apr 22, 07:34 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 07 Apr 22, 07:39 pm
Post by: Jimr1999 on 07 Apr 22, 08:12 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 29 Apr 22, 07:13 pm
That’s Plan A.
Plan B involves the cradle I’m building for plan A, and adding a couple other components, and in return getting a limited amount of suspension for the rear end. It’s a bit wierd and the parts I’ve cut up and shaped are away being welded at the mo so there no photos till next week but I reckon it’ll work. It’s sort of inspired by the 2cv and the mini, in that there’s rubber cones involved. Also speedway bikes and mobilette mopeds because there’s also rubber bands.
The notable feature on the design is that it minimises the unsprung weight by moving the engine to above the ‘pivot point’ of the system, rather than having it sitting on the axle, and also that almost all the weight of the suspension cradle and half the engine is either at or below the height of the axle.
Axle location is via a Watts linkage. Careful placement of this will allow me some control over the roll centre height. Apparently this is a Good Thing.
All this extra effort is because the Riley has NO flex in it, unlike the average steel rail chassis CK, I’m guessing. So I want some flex and twist in there to stop it from just skidding off sideways at every corner like a badly setup scalextric car. An inch or so should be fine. It’s for handling rather than driver comfort.
Post by: Adrian on 30 Apr 22, 04:40 pm
You need the chassis to be as rigid as possible, always.
Set the front suspension fairly soft......and tell you what, Rhys, tell the man!
'>)
Post by: synthpunk on 24 May 22, 11:21 pm
Anyways, I got a friend to help me with the welding bits, but I cut up a load of 30mm square 2mm wall tube and got some hanger plates from Gemini and cut it up acceptably square and true. It still needs some capping welds in some places, and gussets and the whole engine mount bits and also a whole load of other stuff but it’s sort of a good visual hint as to where I’m going…. The brake calliper is floating on the axle, but braced at right angles to the engine mount (I might not have explained that correctly but it should be right) and the engine CofG will be probably/hopefully over the pivot point, and yes very much rubber bands, springs, bushings and mounts are all going to be involved somewhere..… as far as my meccano experiments have gone, I think it should work, at least as far as within the fairly limited amount of movement I need/expect from it. It’s not an off road quad, after all.
You can sort of see where there’s space for a Watts Linkage at the front, I’m thinking that I can either have some chunky aluminium tabs welded on to the existing ally plates, or just bolt some steel ones on to mount the chassis side links to…
Post by: synthpunk on 24 May 22, 11:43 pm
The watts linkage pivot is going to be below the axle, which will set the Roll Centre for the back end about 2 inches below the axle height. I have no idea if this is a good thing or not, but I think it might be. Yay meccano.
Post by: synthpunk on 30 May 22, 01:25 am
Anyways- heres a pic of my rear end.(fnar fnar) I think you’d possible describe it as a leading arm rear suspension. The engine will sit on top of the pivot point at the rear(the rod end), thus minimising the unsprung weight. It’s all just finger tight at the moment whilst I measure up all the spacers I need to make…
Post by: synthpunk on 30 May 22, 11:46 pm
The rubber bands will connect to the square frame, and loop to transverse ally tubes held via U bolts on the underside of the ally.
As many people will point out, rubber bands are great in one direction but rubbish in another. If I were to leave it at this point, I’d have just one more job todo and that would be to paint ‘miss deathtrap’ down the side….
So I’m not doing that.
As far as I can tell, suspension as a whole is a complex 3D process, with many variables, and dynamically changing loads that ideally need to be balanced out.
From a guitar makers perspective, it’s almost exactly like designing a tremolo bridge system for a guitar. Lots of dynamically changing loads that need to be balanced out and damped so the system reliably returns to an adjustable zero point, with dynamics and feel to be adjustable by the end user.
Also needs to account for different playing conditions, heavy/light strings, different scale lengths and tunings etc….
Various solutions exist, consisting of all sorts of leaf spring, coil spring in tension, coil spring in compression, and torsion bar designs…
All this needs to be fitted to a lightweight, resonant yet quite astonishingly strong and by turns, rigid and flexible structure….
Omg it’s a racing car isn’t it?
Heheheheeh…
So anyways. Just like on a guitar tremolo, The springing forces need to be balanced in both directions… so they can take heavy deflections in various axes and return to an adjustable loaded zero point with a suitable sort of damping action…so in this case, positive (upwards) deflections of the axle are taken care of by rubber bands… negative (downwards) deflections are taken care of by a couple of conical rubber dampers, situated under the square structure, facing up.
The more towards the centre line these dampers are situated, the livelier the suspension will be.
The more towards the chassis rails, the more rigid it will be.
The cones will be adjustable vertically via way of shims, and horizontally via a selection of mounting holes, from centreline outwards…. At ‘loaded neutral’ ie with me in the car but not going anywhere, the cones will be positively but not excessively loaded. I’m expecting to find a sweet spot with them both closer to the centre line rather than towards the chassis rails.
The cones are available in a huge number of sizes, hardness ratings, spring rates, materials, maximum weight ratings etc. Mine are rated at 116 kg each, and 57 shore hardness, natural rubber and M8 stud mounting. Roughly 50 by 50mm.
This entire idea was inspired by the various works of Alec Issigonis (rubber bands and conical rubber springs anyone?) and also several excellent phone conversations with Rhys, hopefully once I post the pics it should make a bit more sense. Anyways. I reckon it’ll either corner like its on rails or else I’m going straight into the hedge at the end of our lane on first test run….
Post by: Jimr1999 on 31 May 22, 06:10 am
Looking very neat sir. The Juno 106 in the background could probably fund an entire CycleKart ;D
Post by: synthpunk on 31 May 22, 10:56 am
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Jun 22, 11:30 am
Spent the latter part of the evening yesterday bouncing up and down on the rear end to see if I could break it. I couldn’t. But I still reckon it’ll need some more work to get everything balanced and happy.
Post by: synthpunk on 03 Jun 22, 10:07 pm
I drilled out the caddy frame holes to 12mm, so the Volvo transmission mounts that previously bolted onto it via some m10 long nuts now slide over those same long nuts. Bolted into the end of those are some m10 bolts, with washers and some compression springs. Hilariously enough, these are Bigsby guitar tremolo balancing springs, from a tremolo system invented by a motorcycle engineer, who used Crocker motorcycle valve springs whilst designing his tremolo system. They’re not quite long enough but are good enough for illustrative purposes so I’ve also ordered some land rover valve springs, which are longer and a bit stiffer..
These aren’t expected to handle all the positive excursion on their own, that will come with a combination of rubber bands and some conical rubber springs acting in the other direction, which will be adjustable.
That’s a 12mm stainless long nut sitting on the chassis rail for illustrative purposes. Basically an internally threaded, A2 stainless tube.
I think that for the negative dampers at any rate, this design is evolving some elements of ‘sliding pillar’ suspension. Except at the rear. Yay… always happy to be the wierdo…
Post by: guest274 on 04 Jun 22, 09:12 am
Post by: synthpunk on 04 Jun 22, 11:24 am
Ive had a bit more of a think and done some more reading and I reckon it should be more accurately called ‘sliding axle’ geometry rather than sliding pillar.
It’s not completely unknown to have it at the rear. Some Altas used it at the rear, apparently.
Post by: synthpunk on 06 Jun 22, 08:47 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 06 Jun 22, 08:50 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 08 Jun 22, 11:35 pm
So: 1 moving part, a total addition of less than 5 kilos in weight to what I started with, all the added weight being well under the axle centreline, a definitely defined roll centre, the previously mentioned sprung/unsprung weight shift, and the ability to go from spec cyclekart (no rear suspension) to full suspension just by adjusting 2 bolts. Win.
When it stops hooning it down with inclement weather I’ll roll her out of the garage and shoot a video of me jumping up and down on the drivers seat in order to demonstrably put my money where my mouth is.
Possibly the biggest unforeseen side effect is that it squeaks like dancing at a goth club when the PA cuts out….
(It’s lots of quite tightly stressed rubber parts, all squeaking away….)
Reminds me of being 21 again….
Post by: synthpunk on 08 Jun 22, 11:40 pm
But anyways..
Simplicated and lightenised….
Post by: Jimr1999 on 09 Jun 22, 06:28 am
Quote
Possibly the biggest unforeseen side effect is that it squeaks like dancing at a goth club when the PA cuts out….
A friend (Ahem) tells me that talcum powder is the way to go for rubber squeaking - or at least that's what I thought he said through the ball gag ;D
Personally I use silicone grease.
JimR
Post by: synthpunk on 11 Jun 22, 10:41 pm
I sacked off the Volvo transmission mounts and replaced them with 4 rubber cones handling the rebound/negative loads.. there’s a single cone in this pic that’s handling the positive loads, which eventually got replaced with 2 cones, quite close to the centre…. The dampers are held relative to the axle via some stays anchored to the axle bearings made of m8 studs and female rod eyes. Anyways. It worked really quite well, and I should have been more than happy, but by this point I’d already come up with another idea….
Post by: synthpunk on 11 Jun 22, 10:57 pm
The compression springs are 3” motorcycle ‘Bobber seat’ springs.
Post by: synthpunk on 12 Jun 22, 06:41 pm
Wheelbase has increase a couple inches from 68 to 70, and ride height is about 3” when loaded.
Post by: Chris L on 12 Jun 22, 07:04 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 14 Jun 22, 12:26 am
*I’ll probably swap the service revolver for a torch and the brandy for a fire blanket tbh….
Post by: synthpunk on 16 Jul 22, 03:36 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 17 Jul 22, 07:34 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 26 Jul 22, 08:20 pm
Post by: StefanN on 26 Jul 22, 10:23 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 27 Jul 22, 12:12 am
Yeah, you, me, and my missus too!
“Is it bl**dy finished yet?!?”
‘Ummmm… yeah? Nearly!….’
Post by: Jimr1999 on 27 Jul 22, 07:35 am
Post by: synthpunk on 27 Jul 22, 12:47 pm
I’m planning on having it all painted, detailed, done n dusted by September 16th, as that’s the due date for our next child to make his grand entrance. Then I’m planning on being really busy and also incredibly tired all the time, running around after a toddler and new baby.
We’re lucky enough to live on a farm in the middle of nowhere, so I’ve got about a mile of private road to do testing and tweaking over the autumn/winter, so she’ll be all race ready for next year. I’m planning on buying a trailer for transporting it to events to save money on van rentals, so all being well I’ll be attending as many of them as I can.
There is a lovely steep hill with concrete paving leading up from the farmers house to our cottage, so I get to have my own little Shelsey Walsh hillclimb/time trial whenever I’ve got time on the weekends. ;c)
Post by: synthpunk on 22 Aug 22, 11:00 pm
…
..
Transportation.
Bridget doesn’t fit in the back of my mates van any more, seeing as she’s now 9 inches longer than the 8 foot space he had available, so I’ve been looking on eBay/gumtree for the last few weeks at motorcycle transporter trailers and small car trailers, in the region of 8x4, that I could modify and extend to fit her on top.
I’ve just got back from Andover, having picked up a single axle plus jockey wheel, aluminium checker plate bed 10x5 that I got off gumtree for the bargain price of 140 small gold coloured beer tokens. Result!
The (somewhat rotten) wooden sides are made of ply skinned OSB so they were peeling off in the slipstream on the way back to Sussex, but I’m going to just remove them altogether. The chassis itself is in great condition, and there’s obviously more than enough room for Bridget to perch on top. It’s even got 6 welded on tie down points for ratchet straps fitted already. brilliant! The electrics even mostly work, as long as you only want to indicate stopping and turning left. I came back via B roads and managed to completely avoid being stopped by Hampshire’s finest men in black, so a little bit of rewiring on the rhs lights cluster and we should be good to go.
I am obviously very pleased with my purchase; this was the last major banana skin I could see in my way to joining in with actual racing with the rest of you lot, rather than just pootling round on the farm. Seeya at Brooklands next time for sure…
Wahey!
Rich.
Post by: Chris Brown on 23 Aug 22, 04:30 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 23 Aug 22, 07:32 pm
Tbh I reckon I’ll end up replacing the whole lights system in the end. These ones look like they’ve been swimming in the Thames for the last few years.
I’ve been on the DVLA website to reacquaint myself with what’s required to legally tow a trailer. I might just end up starting a whole new thread on the transporter build. I don’t think it’s heavy enough to require a trailer safety permit thingy, but I will take it for a trailer safety check at the place down the road. Apparently it’s free. I like free.
The wheels both look new. All the metalwork looks pretty good in the cold light of day, but there is no safety chain so I reckon it’ll deffo need one of them.
I’m also thinking of replacing the unsprung axles with sprung ones. I need to work out how much it weighs both unladen and gross I guess.
Post by: synthpunk on 21 Sep 22, 11:25 pm
I settled on Ivory white gloss marine paint for the topcoat. It’s basically magnolia, but nice magnolia. 9 coats of epoxy GRP primer, undercoat and topcoat on the bottom, and the ‘chassis rails’ with it turned upside down, then flipped right side up and onto a dolly for final filling, sanding and detailing on the topsides, then painting undercoats, sanding, and then topcoats and more sanding till the paint runs out.
Post by: Jimr1999 on 22 Sep 22, 06:19 am
Paint seems to take forever, I have a new respect for it now I have done mine. It will be worth it in the end. :)
Post by: TheGiantTribble on 22 Sep 22, 10:28 am
Post by: synthpunk on 26 Sep 22, 09:05 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 04 Oct 22, 09:29 pm
Ive done three coats of undercoat and two of topcoat before running out, but it’s all looking better than I expected. I’m leaving it for a week to pull back and harden off before doing any finish sanding and re polishing. I’ll probly buy another tin of topcoat next dear and do some more coats but I’m happy with it for the time being..
Next job is finishing off any metal bits that still require fettling, and then painting them and refitting them. then it’s time to buy a suitable length of 420 chain and take it for a spin round the farm for a test drive :c)
Ps we’ve also had another baby so tinker time in the shed is now down to mere 5 minute chunks here and there…. Oh well…
Post by: Moogie38 (Noel) on 04 Oct 22, 09:39 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 25 Feb 23, 11:44 am
No.
Definitely not.
I haven’t posted much because children. Blimey, they’re quite time consuming, aren’t they? ;c)
I’ve spent every odd evening over the winter that I could spare freezing my t**s off in the shed, slowly bolting things together in sub zero temperatures where it’s so cold that you don’t notice you’ve gashed your thumb open till you’ve painted the engine bay of your lovely white car a rather gruesome red….
And when I wasn’t outside, I’ve been playing with meccano and string, and basically reading the internet, at least as far as steering, handling and suspension goes.
It’s been to cold and wet to play with epoxy, so no woodwork has been done. The structure of the body has survived the winter really well, even including 6 weeks outside under a tarp in the back garden. The shaped bit of the scuttle is laminated Obeche blocks glued over the main stress bearing torsion box. Anyways, some of the laminates have delaminated. No biggie, but I need a hot day to fix it. From the outside all you can see is some lines in the finish that didn’t used to be there.
But basically I’ve been playing with nuts and bolts and files, making sure that every nut and bolt is the best one for the job, and the right length, and the right yaddah yaddah blah blah.
Almost every thread on the car is M8. So that’s a 13mm spanner I need to stick in the toolkit. Call it 2.
Some threads are M10x1.5. So that’s a pair of 17mm spanner.
Some threads are M10x1.25. That made me cross. And some of them are Left handed. Aaaaaaaargh.
Still the same size spanner though. So that’s ok.
I’ll also need some Allen keys of 6 different sizes.
And a flat blade and a Pz1 and PZ2 pair of pozidrive screwdrivers.
So that’s the toolkit sorted then. Should be able to squeeze all that into something suitable.
I’ve TOTALLY CHANGED the steering. For many many many reasons, mostly due to not being able to say;
persuade one piece of solid matter pass through another piece of solid matter, both of which need to exist at the same point in space at the same time.
Arse…
…
..
So it’s now rack n pinion. And I did have to drill some holes in the body to make it work in the end, rather than break physics just to build a cyclekart…
I’ve adjusted the wheelbase to 68” to take account of the club rules, whilst adjusting the spring mountings and shackles on the front end.
And I have of course, continued tinkering with my rear end.
:c)
The rear subframe is now about 90% complete. I need to take it all apart again at least once, drill 4 new holes and then stick it together at full race spec. It only takes about 10 minutes to remove the whole thing completely if you need to work on it. All you need is a bit of wood 5 inches high, 2 inches wide and 2 feet long, a trolley Jack, a PZ2 screwdriver, two 17 mm spanners and two 13 mm spanners. ;c)
The front subframe is now totally different, due to the change to rack n pinion. I need to remount the pedals,but I’m thinking of changing them to a different design that’s articulated from the top rather than the bottom. So more like a car.
I’m currently in the midst of a massive tidy up and clear out of the shed, and seem to have created another 120 cubic feet of space round the car which is nice. Almost enough space now to fit two ck’s in the garage. ;c) with any luck I’ll be able to reorganise the workshop end into something resembling a nice place to work. The lathes been broken for about 6 months, it needs a full dismantle and clean and rebuild, with a new motor mount. I haven’t seen the workbench top for 6 months either, so lots of tidying needed.
Anyways. Membership application and monies soon to be inbound, I’m planning to be finished for Brooklands. Tbh what with the tiny kids I’m unlikely to be able to attend too many other events, but Brooklands is a must. Pics to follow, once I’ve swept up the big pile of rubbish currently blocking the door… :c)
Cheers!
Rich
Post by: synthpunk on 26 Feb 23, 09:20 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 26 Feb 23, 09:27 pm
Post by: StefanN on 26 Feb 23, 10:18 pm
I’m interested to see the position you’ve attached your steering links to the yokes. In the photo, they look like they’re quite a way beyond the pivot point and I was wondering why?
Post by: synthpunk on 27 Feb 23, 09:48 am
Post by: synthpunk on 19 Mar 23, 09:56 pm
I just tried to post to it, and it told me I didn’t have permission to post or the topic had been deleted, so I rebooted my browser and now I can’t find it at all…
Goddamnit I hate computers.
Anyways- hooray I fixed my steering
Post by: synthpunk on 19 Mar 23, 09:58 pm
Arrgggg it’s all been deleted hasnt it?
Post by: synthpunk on 19 Mar 23, 10:04 pm
Post by: StefanN on 20 Mar 23, 01:24 am
Post by: synthpunk on 20 Mar 23, 09:47 am
Post by: synthpunk on 25 May 23, 09:23 pm
I’m trying to get her ready for Brooklands, and the trailer too. But she’s getting there. I’ll post more pics over the next week or so but the metal bits are finally moving from ‘sketchy’ to ’quite proud of that, actually’ so that’s nice. The chain fits, the brakes should work, everything lines up so I just need to drill some more pilot holes through the chassis sides, take everything apart again, drill lots of bigger holes, epoxy a load of stainless steel bushes in place through said holes, and then bolt it all back together.
And then test drive it.
And then presumably tweak it to perfection….
Errrr…..
Simples!
…
..
.
Errrrrrr….
Post by: synthpunk on 18 Jun 23, 02:12 pm
It’s made of a type 12A Switchcraft Jack socket, a Jack plug (wired open- no connections internally) and part of an old guitar strap. The tip shunt of the socket is wired to the ground terminal, the whole thing earths to the rear subframe.
Post by: synthpunk on 20 Jun 23, 06:26 pm
took her for a first spin last night, started off slow to get a feel for the throttle and brakes, and after a quick fettle decided to gun it up my own little Test Hill, running between the main farmhouse and our cottage. Got up to 19mph up the hill according to the GPS speedo, was effing terrifying, but fantastic fun. The steering’s a bit twitchy, I think because the toe in alignment hasn’t been set at all, but overall it was a very satisfactory first test run. I have no idea what events I’ll be making it to this year as the trailers still buggered but whatever- very chuffed.
I’m going to ask Alan the farmer if there’s a field he won’t mind me giving it an off road test on next. Weeeeeee!
Post by: synthpunk on 20 Jun 23, 06:29 pm
Post by: Jimr1999 on 21 Jun 23, 05:43 am
Post by: NewbieNick on 21 Jun 23, 06:54 am
Cheers Nick
Post by: synthpunk on 21 Jun 23, 09:50 pm
Okay so a post test flight tear down has revealed that I had the drive belt on backwards, which resulted in only using half the travel on the TAV,and lots of bits of black drive belt rubber all over everything at the back…..
and I’ve moved the engine back a bit to tighten up the chain. Seemed a bit too loose after the first couple runs.
Some of the rubber bands are showing signs of degradation, I don’t know if that’s due to accidental contact with brake fluid, or heat induced. They’re a bit odd, I can’t decide what they’re made of, but it’s not proper rubber.
I’m thinking of replacing them with bands made out of cut up inner tubes.
Post by: bsaNick on 21 Jun 23, 10:51 pm
Nick
Post by: NewbieNick on 22 Jun 23, 07:25 am
Anyone know torque wrench settings for clone torque converter?
Cheers Nick
Post by: Jimr1999 on 22 Jun 23, 12:02 pm
Oil sensor. Hi guys are you removing/ bypassing oil sensors on your engines?The only torque setting I could find was for the bolt on the driver unit to the engine shaft. Comet say this should be tightened to "20lb. max." in this document...
Anyone know torque wrench settings for clone torque converter?
Cheers Nick
https://www.eccarburetors.com/assets/images/Comet-30-Series-Manual.pdf
I would probably read that as 20 ft/lb.
The rest was a mystery to me.
I left the oil sensor in and trimmed the wires to it. Others remove it and then the oil capacity increases. The hole that is left will need sealing.
Post by: Andy Dunn on 22 Jun 23, 07:11 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 23 Jun 23, 11:00 pm
Post by: NewbieNick on 24 Jun 23, 05:41 am
Looking forward to seeing it.
Post by: synthpunk on 25 Jun 23, 09:53 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Jul 23, 10:46 am
Now I think it’s time to address the front end again- namely the twitchy, all or nothing steering. The short rack and pinion I have seems okay, but I think I’ve positioned it wrong. Basically there’s a limited amount of travel on it, so I took that distance, divided it by two, and then found the point on the steering knuckle arm that would translate that amount of movement to the full travel of the knuckle. I think this might be too much- the turning radius is impressively tight but I think it might be too much, as when pushing the car backwards in a circle to get it back in the shed the angles get so tight that the inner wheel folds itself round the axle almost.. I’m going to re engineer the front sub frame so I can move the rack backwards an inch or two, which will require removing and re siting the brake master cylinder.
One thing I have noticed is that the Gemini front axle and knuckles have a certain amount of play in them via the kingpins which is a bit annoying. Seems to be the holes drilled in the knuckles have a bit too much clearance. On the assumption that this is an issue only because my configuration is not stock, I’m going to try using the stock control rod hole locations, and see if the steering rack has enough travel to make everything move.
Onwards and upwards though, it’s damn good fun working through all the bugs I’ve identified on the test drives… got her up to 25 mph cross country over rough fields before the steering twitch got too much for me, so my 4 inch ground clearance seems to be not too much of an issue.
Once I’ve re sited the rack I’m going to start on the suspension friction dampers, and also a damper for the steering.
Post by: Ian L on 10 Jul 23, 05:37 pm
Having looked at how well your CK body shell turned out I have decided to go for a fibreglass over ply for my design.
I was always going for mainly ply but with the glass I can laminate up profiles and I feel get a better shape / finish and more waterproof overall
So to my questions….
What resin and glass are you using?
If poss can you post a link to the supplier.
I have some fibreglass experience but from years back, but not with ply.
Any pointers you can give on the process you have used are would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Ian
Post by: synthpunk on 10 Jul 23, 06:39 pm
I used araldite blue for bonding, and for laminating resin and glass supplies I used Bucks Composites. Recommended to me by some aero modeller friends.
https://www.bucks-composites.com/
I used their formula GB and formula 50 resins I think. Good stuff,not too expensive, but sadly not in stock at the moment. I know the man behind the company has been having problems getting the stuff made due to supply chain problems.
I know he’s a very helpful chap though, so it might be worth ringing him up for a chat?
Post by: Glynn on 10 Jul 23, 08:33 pm
Easycomposites.Co.uk
Have some great “how to” videos too.
Post by: Seven racer on 10 Jul 23, 08:58 pm
Seemed to be pretty good on cost when I compared them to others, and quick to process the orders.
Peter
Post by: StefanN on 10 Jul 23, 09:58 pm
One thing I have noticed is that the Gemini front axle and knuckles have a certain amount of play in them via the kingpins which is a bit annoying. Seems to be the holes drilled in the knuckles have a bit too much clearance. On the assumption that this is an issue only because my configuration is not stock, I’m going to try using the stock control rod hole locations, and see if the steering rack has enough travel to make everything move.This might help: https://cyclekartsgb.createaforum.com/build-journals/bugatti-type-37-build/msg1442/#msg1442
Post by: Ian L on 11 Jul 23, 12:02 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 11 Jul 23, 01:42 pm
Tell you what, someone could do with writing a Haynes manual on building these things…. ;c)
Post by: StefanN on 11 Jul 23, 02:17 pm
Hi Stefan, I would say the Gemini axles have evolved since your sketch - the upper and lower bearings are pressed in to the outer housing and the crush tube then supports the inner race, I have a washer top and bottom to close the gap with the stub axle but all in all it feels a good fit, hopefully this will be prove the same tomorrow! you will see it tomorrow and we can chew over the pros and cons. Cheers Ian
Just different versions Ian. They still sell the version with bushes rather than bearings. Which version are you using Rich?
I've used a couple of axles with the bearings too. The same principle applies - you've got to figure out which bits should be connected firmly to which. On the bearing version, the yoke, washers, inner race, crush tube and nut and bolt all move as one.
Post by: synthpunk on 11 Jul 23, 02:48 pm
Post by: synthpunk on 15 Jul 23, 07:02 pm
The play was coming from rubbish chinese rod ends being rubbish, and the amount of leverage being too much.. So I’ve sorted that.
I can’t move the rack back any more without re engineering the whole front sub assembly, pedals and brakes and throttle and all. Which I want to do at some point, but not right now. For the time being I’ve simply run the control rods back to the stock holes on the ends of the yoke arms. This looks to have increased the turning circle, and presumably made the steering less sensitive cos it doesn’t do so much anymore, and also introduced a small amount of anti Ackerman. There’s possibly a bit too much toe in now, I think I’ll take it for a test drive and see how it compares in a bit.
I have a feeling I will achieve maximum steering happiness with the rack moved back a bit, and some holes halfway between the ones I’ve used so far. And probably toe in being somewhere between the none that it was before, and the slightly too much it is now.
/edit- I’m also going to remove the key from one of the rear wheels and give that a shot for a while at some point soon.. I have a plan, it involves grease and some thrust washers and some big fibre washers.
Post by: synthpunk on 15 Jul 23, 09:23 pm
I’ve corrected the toe to about 1.5 degrees in on both wheels, tightened everything up but not really changed anything else and now it seems to have perfect Ackerman, exactly 1 turn lock to lock, and the turning circle I’d been hoping for…..
Erm…
…
..
.
Yay?
It’s 50 odd mile an hour winds outside so I might blow out taking it for a spin on the top field, but wow, yeah. Hooray! Wierd. What? Erm……
Is the staniforth book about suspension and steering any good? Ive got his terrapin book, I might take a chance on one on eBay.
Post by: synthpunk on 15 Jul 23, 09:42 pm
Is there anything bad about this? Given it suffered from 100 percent bump steer twitch aaaaaaAAARGH last time I took it out, it can’t get any worse, surely?
Post by: synthpunk on 16 Jul 23, 06:44 pm
The steering is MUCH better. I made a video, I was going to put subtitles on because I hate the sound of my voice, but I couldn’t make the software work, so there’s no commentary. There’s a couple of test runs- once up the hill, and once down it. The poured concrete surface is VERY rough. Like all the worst bits of the Brooklands track laid end to end, with no smooth bits. Nice hill though.
Here’s the video- youtube appears to have processed it to buggery, it was relatively in focus before. Oh well…..
https://youtu.be/qu5AfWo7eGs
Post by: synthpunk on 25 Oct 23, 11:33 pm
In the quite literally nanoseconds during the day when I’m not looking after toddlers, working, being asleep or wishing I was still asleep, I’ve been playing with carburettors, and exhausts, and dremels, and stuff. Trying to get the engine away from ‘lawnmower’ to something a bit less…. Agricultural.
This has led me to the realisation that I have shrammed the belt on my TaV the last time I took it out, which led me to another rabbit hole of ‘what belt fits my kart?’ Which should hopefully resolve next week when a new one arrives. My throttle pedal design also seems to have too much slack and play that I can’t seem to tune out, so I’m going to shorten the cable run by changing it to a rod operated system, that then connects to a cable about half the length of the current system. It can’t get any worse than it is now, so why not? ;c)
In other news I’ve applied decals, built an aeroscreen, added rear view mirrors, installed a tach and a speedo (gps) that required various electrical wirings to be fashioned, installed a battery holder that takes a wee little Bosch 12v/3Ah rechargeable power tool battery to run it all, laced up a loom and fuse box, made a new dashboard, and have been been thinking about what else needs doing. First and foremost it needs the pedals repositioning or revising as there’s a slight lack of room for my 20 league legs and clownfeet, and the steering rack could do with moving as well. All this is for the wintertime to tinker with.
One thing I’ve finally worked out is what annoys me about the front end- ive sloped the bonnet line down towards the front too much. As designed I was going to go for axle over spring at the front, and so built the bonnet accordingly, so it sat horizontal with respect to ground level. As it’s turned out, it’s had to go together as spring under axle due to clearance issues with control rods, so the front end slopes downwards. not a huge problem, I just need to get some more foam and build up the front of the bonnet and radiator area a couple inches higher, re glass it, re paint it and reattach the chrome radiator grill. I may or may not do this over the winter, I haven’t decided if it’s critically annoying enough yet.
All told, I’m still enjoying having my tiny racing car in the shed, even tho I’ve not done any racing in it yet. Blasting up and down the hill on the farm I live on is fun enough for the time being, and so I’m going to put it out there that yes, I’ll definitely be turning up for some events next year, family holidays and work obligations and gig obligations allowing. Ive no idea how she’ll respond on a kart track, but for Test hill at Brooklands I reckon I should be able to put on a good showing.
Onwards and upwards, greetings and good vibes to all…
Rich