Velocars and other interesting vehicles.

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

I hope the Deacon watches this Paul Elkins video.
...He'll see at 3:00 in the video how even a quad is tippy and lifts a wheel, abt to tumble even at the slow pedal speeds. The rear wheel set is narrower than the front track... why he did that, I just don't know!
Fun little pedal car, though... he sure seems to be enjoying it!
That corroplast it GREAT stuff ! ...comes in a number of thicknesses, and 4 x 8ft sheets.
It flies well!

Best
rc

The original Mochet quad had a narrow rear track to avoid the use of a differential. Also the problem with a side by side two person velocar is that they can be tippy if driven by just one person. There is quite a good video clip on U-tube of Mochet Velocars being raced which shows that when properly setup the design is quite sound.

 

[fasteddy]

If it's the velos on the Youtube clip I saw they were moving at a really great rate and the way they took the corners was interesting to say the least.
The narrow rear end managed to keep them upright but I did think that some of them were going over.

Think mine will be like the blue single seater you posted with a definate
1930's feel to it.

Steve.

 

[cannonball2]

Been resisting posting pics of my cyclecar. I completed this 18yrs ago. I drove it, summers mostly for about 2years. Took it to a couple of car shows where it won trophies. Guess I figured it had met my goals, and it sorta fell by the wayside to aircraft rebuild projects. Hasnt run in many years. It was/is a great driver, handles extremely well. Top speed with two adults is slightly over 50mph, cruises nicely at 45. Powered by a B&S 18hp v-twin through a CVT. Sounds like a Harley going down the road. Now it shares the garage with the tiller and generator and the cobwebs.

 

[fasteddy]

Cannonball2,
That is a wonderful car. I admire you for keeping in the garage for all these years because if it was mine I'd have run the wheels off it.
Thank you for showing it to us.

Steve.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Cannonball2,
That is a wonderful car. I admire you for keeping in the garage for all these years because if it was mine I'd have run the wheels off it.
Thank you for showing it to us.

Steve.

Amen to that! Now you go out to your garage and take that great little car out for a drive along a nice winding country road to blow all those jaded cobwebs out of your head.

 

[azbill]

very cool little car

 

[silverbear]

Cannonball,
You are a very talented guy! I'd be riding that all over, weather permitting. P;ease share more details, photos if you will. Perhaps a thread of it's own it you have many photos of the build in process. It certainly deserves to be seen.
SB

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

If it's the velos on the Youtube clip I saw they were moving at a really great rate and the way they took the corners was interesting to say the least.
The narrow rear end managed to keep them upright but I did think that some of them were going over.

Think mine will be like the blue single seater you posted with a definate
1930's feel to it.

Steve.

Well it's just like piloting a sidecar outfit isn't? - you know you're having fun when you're leaning over as far as you can go across the sidecar while cornering hard and the wheel is still lifting off the road

Oh yes that blue single seater is seriously nice and I'm sorely tempted by it myself. So if you don't make one I will.

 

[silverbear]

Intrepid Wheelwoman,
Having lost a fair amount of sleep due to visions of three wheeled sugar plums dancing in me head, I have you to thank for that. In the wee hours of the night thoughts of a moped based three wheeler came into view... fuzzy at first and now more clearly. I'm considering a major change in plans if it will work. I have in process a strange build using the frame of an AMF moped mated to a 50cc Tomos A-35 engine with a two speed transmission. Thanks to the efforts of Fasteddie this past summer, the engine is mounted and with help from Tinsmith this afternoon, dropout extensions now permit a larger wheel in back, a 26" tire if wanted. Now I'm thinking about Fasteddie's tri car front end and using the other half of a Grumman canoe which has already yielded the body for a sidecar for my Indian Hiawatha build. With the bow of the canoe to the rear of the bike, the shape is reminiscent of the three wheeled Morgan which I think is wonderful... Driving a Morgan Three Wheeler - YouTube... (this is a little video showing an old one in use). The front of the body would be roughly squared off as on the Morgan or a T series MG. I'll have to confer with Fasteddy about whether or not this could be made to work... could be that a different frame would be needed, but if using what I have will work, I'd like to try it. It would be street legal at 50cc with lights, horn, turn signals and the two speed should be enough to push it along at a reasonable speed. Oh boy...
SB

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Intrepid Wheelwoman,
Driving a Morgan Three Wheeler - YouTube... (this is a little video showing an old one in use).
SB

Ooooooooooooooo!

Crazy Frog 1949 - YouTube

Oooooooooo I want an engine out front with valve rockers that go, 'winky, winky, winky.....' Where can I get a winky winky engine?! Ooooooooo I want one soooooooooooooo badly..................

Seriously though.... (straightens collar and cuffs and puts hat back on straight).... I think your idea for a street legal motor assisted velocar sounds absolutely corker and I shall be watching your progress with great interest.

 

[cannonball2]

I hope the Morgan influence can be roughly seen. My first real job was working on English sports cars at the age of 19. My boss at the time imported all manner of older English sports cars into the Atlanta area. I traded around and bought my first 4 wheel Morgan, one of several I would own. Shortly after that, he imported a three wheel. I was blown away by it. I set about to sell my four wheeler and buy it, but it sold before I could swing the deal. Never really got a chance at another. This is a rough interpretation cut short, the engine was originally set to be in the area that is the grille, cylinders to the wind with the flywheel spinning wildy out front. Life has a way of changing your course, so it was easier to end it up as it is. Still have all the parts to finish it that way but not the desire.

 

[rustycase]

It's very nice, CB2.
I'd like to hear more abt it...
Best
rc

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

We're having an unseasonably cold and wet day here so I've been doing a little research indoors instead of lurking in my garage workshop. I've mentioned wooden velomobiles before and I'm sure some folk are doubtful about wood as a material and would rather play with various types of dense foam sheet and Coroplast and the like. My Dad was a sheet metal worker by trade and my brothers were tradesmen in the metal trades as well so I got to learn all about cutting and shaping metal, and welding and running a lathe, using grinders & etc.
All very exciting when one is younger and being a rebel and the like, but now I'm older I like my workshop quiet without any great streams of sparks and hot smells and flames and RRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrr! noises. Besides such things disturb the workshop Pixies too and then they do things like sneakily drink up my tea when I'm not looking or hide my pencil and measuring tape.
Working with hand tools is nice and I like it and woodwork is just perfect for quietly doing it by hand.

I found these pictures of a totally original condition French 'bentwood' pedal car made in the 1940s and while it's only around 51 inches long everything about it is perfectly adaptable to building an adult sized velocar. Yes it's a quad, but for those with anti-quad laws just build a three wheeler instead for goodness sake.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

More pictures:

A while ago I made a 1/3rd size wooden cyclecar body to test out some construction ideas and perhaps it's time it stopped decorating my bedroom and was put to use as a 3D plan; - which is why it was built in the first place!

 

[NEAT TIMES]

Hello I W

And welcome, we have not had any Lady`s for some time, think a couple of them have health problems, sad to say.

I must say, this is all amazing. To start with Cannonball2, Fast Eddie, and Silver Bear are all good friends of mine, we email regularly.

A couple days ago I emailed Cannonball2 = Ben, pics of my workman trike that will make a good recumbent trike, he thinks so also. Did not know untill tonite it would be an enclosed one!!

Already have the dual wheel drive using free wheel sprockets for turning figured out. Am using the 26" workman front and a rear for my stretch cruiser. But will use the 24" workman trike wheels on the recumbent trike.

Will bolt on longer side plates for the rear axle mounting points to allow larger axle sprockets for the gas motor drive system and lower the frame a bit more. Will add a shorter suspension front fork and smaller front wheel to level frame more. The seat post will be removed for a recumbent seat mounted on the main tube. Now tonite, am even thinking of converting the JoyRider to single front wheel to be legal. And I thought I was done building!!

Had looked at Paul Elkins enclosed trike before, thinking of modifing his plan to fit my much lower, more stable Workman recumbent idea.

This thread has me inspired, as my plans are to trave in remote area`s in 2012.

Oh, I recently watched the movie of your fellow countryman, Burt Munro "The Fastest Indian Alive". An aw sum movie and true story! And he still holds the class record of 201 mph with a 1920 Indian Cycle that was a 46 yrs old when he set the record in 1967.

Ron

Ps. Seen your post after I posted , so edited this in, That is super cool, aw sum!! I could live with a trike wheel under the hood to be legal.. Very rich looking, reminds me of the 60`s model MG Midget Rag Top I owned around 1970, it was fun.

Ron

 

[fasteddy]

I"ve had about 4 hrs sleep a night the last two nights myself.

My velocar is done except to make up my mind if it will be alumunium or mahogany covered. Of course it will have to be built but from where I am now I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. Yes, it true sometimes the waves of reality don't wash up too far on my shores.

Winky, winky valves? That was solved about 4:22 this morning. Two well used China girl cyclinders with heads on their crank cases which with some metal surgery to make it look like one motor could be placed on front of the velocar. Oh the winky, winky valves.
Well it would have a small electric motor or two in the empty crank cases spinning a rod going up to a make believe rocker arm and valve spring. A small battery in the car to run the electric motors.
Exhaust pipes could run down the side of the car.

I think that if we both built our version of the blue car the world be a far better place.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

kiddie cars | Hemmings Blog: Classic and collectible cars and parts

Just thought of this group that I'd saved. When you get to the bottom, click on the older entries.
There are a bunch more worth seeing.

Steve.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Hello I W

And welcome, we have not had any Lady`s for some time, think a couple of them have health problems, sad to say.

I must say, this is all amazing. To start with Cannonball2, Fast Eddie, and Silver Bear are all good friends of mine, we email regularly.

A couple days ago I emailed Cannonball2 = Ben, pics of my workman trike that will make a good recumbent trike, he thinks so also. Did not know untill tonite it would be an enclosed one!!

Already have the dual wheel drive using free wheel sprockets for turning figured out. Am using the 26" workman front and a rear for my stretch cruiser. But will use the 24" workman trike wheels on the recumbent trike.

Will bolt on longer side plates for the rear axle mounting points to allow larger axle sprockets for the gas motor drive system and lower the frame a bit more. Will add a shorter suspension front fork and smaller front wheel to level frame more. The seat post will be removed for a recumbent seat mounted on the main tube. Now tonite, am even thinking of converting the JoyRider to single front wheel to be legal. And I thought I was done building!!

Had looked at Paul Elkins enclosed trike before, thinking of modifing his plan to fit my much lower, more stable Workman recumbent idea.

This thread has me inspired, as my plans are to trave in remote area`s in 2012.

Oh, I recently watched the movie of your fellow countryman, Burt Munro "The Fastest Indian Alive". An aw sum movie and true story! And he still holds the class record of 201 mph with a 1920 Indian Cycle that was a 46 yrs old when he set the record in 1967.

Ron

Ps. Seen your post after I posted , so edited this in, That is super cool, aw sum!! I could live with a trike wheel under the hood to be legal.. Very rich looking, reminds me of the 60`s model MG Midget Rag Top I owned around 1970, it was fun.

Ron

Hi Ron and thanks for the welcome, the split drive method works well on tricycles; - my own very traditional appearance Hercules tricycle uses a similar method with the right hand rear wheel being driven by electricity via motor hub and the left hand rear wheel being pedal powered via a Duomatic two speed hub. I was told by all sorts of folk that I would have problems with the setup, only I never did and it's been completely reliable in every way.

I think the Joyrider would better off with a decent sized single front wheel. As soon as I saw those little front wheels I thought of some of the fearsome sized potholes we have on the back country roads around here. They would drop right in and never be seen again

Personally I think a bodyshell on a recumbent trike or quad makes a lot of sense. Certainly makes the resulting Velocar look a lot more fun than being a semi-lie-down pedalling machine. As a woman I think naked recumbents plain look undignified without a bodyshell and I wouldn't be seen dead riding one.

I forget how many times I've watched 'The World's Fastest Indian'. I've got it on DVD and I always enjoy watching it. Bert Munro's approach to low tech engineering methods is something of a Kiwi tradition that still manages to survive despite this modern throwaway age. I certainly grew up with it and the notion of fixing things with basic handtools and parts made from scrap was something I often saw my Dad and my uncles doing on a regular basis.

 

[Ibedayank]

who said the lowtech make do with what ya got is dead...not where I am sitting it's not

 

[Ibedayank]

if you go with seating thats to low seeing in traffic will be a problem