Indian Tadpole

[MEASURE TWICE]

I know I mentioned it before, but seems like if a suicide knob was illegal, could this description of making a turn also be? My bro and I were in a VW Bug in the Winter with snow on the streets.

The emergency brake is in question to be used legal to do a 180 degree turn and then shift from forward gear into reverse and give it a lot of throttle. Meanwhile looking over the shoulder through the rear window and keep going in a line loosing no speed or control.

You see when the emergency brakes are not self adjusting and one side of the rear drums grabs move than another, then you can pull the emergency brake lever and do 180's. Me in the passenger seat, I watched as I was actually partly more forward in the forward motion as my bro. The snow bank by the curb I was moving away from and the whole vehicle spun counter clockwise.

Another one of these 180's and the gear quickly went from reverse to 2nd after the clutch was let go and throttle up. No one was around much so I guess that makes it legal!

 

[fasteddy]

Rick, that was one of my favorite winter sports and it was only illegal if they caught you at it.

Steve.

 

[curtisfox]

I can remember a friend of my brothers would do something like this on bare pavement. Out hot roding around and get chased by the cops, get far enough ahead and do a broody and be going the other direction, when the cop went by. This was back in the 50's..........Curt

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

I was thinking it could give you a way to be heading in the opposite direction in a space that would be otherwise impossible to have enough turning radius. The difference on the pavement is burning the tires. But to get away I guess the guy would either brake after the 180 and then gun it to go the other way, or just gun it right away and let the tire smoke a bit more before it was going the other way. Stuff used in movies.

 

[curtisfox]

Not sure how, and am sure after a couple times the cops got smart, LOL............Curt

 

[indian22]

The evasion technique described had a name attached to it during prohibition days, "boot legger turn" & indeed is quite commonly still depicted in action movie chase scenes. Practice on ice was almost mandatory when I was a kid...school parking lot was the safest, but not the exclusive location for my practice and just the fun of it. Rick C.

 

[curtisfox]

Here in Brainerd we have a back water above the dam, called Lum Park, and lake. Was our play ground on ice before we got to much snow. Had A 4 X 4 JEEP station wagon, hang on the bumper with our boots, turn broody's, rope with skies, go-karts with slick ( that was a ton of fun) That was back in the 50's, not to many fish houses, and the like to get in the way. Some years we got to much snow before safe ice, but always found something to do..............Curt

 

[indian22]

Curtis a frozen lake...perfect. Not only for fun but we gained a great feel for vehicles pushed to the limits of traction & how to recover from slides and spins as well as control the car at the edge of the envelope...all induced at safer reduced speeds & in an obstruction free setting. Great way to learn drifting and racing techniques as well. Rick C.

 

[curtisfox]

Yep great teacher, learned to drive the right way doing it. Never spin a wheel, if you brake traction it heats and forms ice.........Curt

 

[fasteddy]

The big sport for us was ice racing. Usually in January, February into early March when the ice was at it's thickest on the lakes. These were organized races on Saturday and Sunday with a track plowed out of the snow covering the ice. A lot of us had summer race cars that were fitted out with studded tires for the winter races. The open car guys payed an awful price with the 30+ below 0 temperatures waiting for exposed flesh but we closed car types running sedans had it made.

Morris and Austin minis were the preferred sedans with their front wheel drive. One chap raced a 1955 Chrysler and Heaven help anyone who was caught between him and a snow bank in the turns. There would be a shower of snow and the latest victim would be sent over the snowbank and at a good rate of speed.

Steve.

 

[dogcatcher]

As a military dependent in the early 60s we raced on a frozen lake near the base we were stationed at. We had all kinds of vehicles running, a 1957 Ford Fairlane, a Renault, several Volkswagens, Austin Healy Sprite, an MGA. Set up mainly as a road coarse, ice fishing shanty's were the "pylons".

 

[curtisfox]

Yes we had ( think they still do ) the ice racing here also, and every little town around. Then snowmobile racing com along, Minnesota is land of 10,000 lakes ( actual 23,000 i believe ). So lots of big events were held on the bigger lakes, we now have the big fishing extravaganza, were people fly in from all over to get in the fishing contest. Top prize is new pickup. Me old now stay home were it is warm. LOL..........Curt

 

[fasteddy]

It's Thanksgiving day here in Canada today. I'd like to wish all my fellow Canadians a wonderful day of enjoyment.

To my American friends who find that having Thanksgiving this early unusual you don't know the half of it. Here we now have Black Friday months as the stores and car dealers try and work it for all it's worth. I've seen Black Friday Month sales extended into January at some car dealers.

Steve.

 

[curtisfox]

Black Friday Month sales extended into January at some car dealers. Same here Steve, only here don't start till after thanksgiving here. But still have before sales..........Curt

 

[fasteddy]

If this is your first time here or your stopping back to see if anything is happening there isn't much as I'm waiting on the clutch to do the final assembly. However Photobucket seems to have restored the photos so I'll post a link to them again and see how long that lasts. There is a warning though. There are well over 800 photos so you may want to prepare yourself.

While I'm waiting for the clutch I've started building an electric tri car out of the shelves of parts I have. I'll post it in the Electric Bikes section of the forum in the trikes but it will be a few days until I have photos ect up.

Steve.

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/ab228/speedydick/Indian Tri-car Build/DSC_0016_zpsulcot4lt.jpg

 

[indian22]

Great news all 'round Steve, photos back up. I've been bummed ever since P bucket dumped on everyone, messed with this forum big time & oh well looks like they are attempting to make it right...

I'm looking forward to the clutch completion & to your latest electric tri-car build as well. Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

From what I saw on the web Rick, Photobucket miscalculated when they figured the sheeple were going to line up for the sheering and pay. There seems to have been a mass exodus after the initial shock to the point their web site couldn't handle it and slowed/broke down. I'm sure there were people who paid so they could get 10 years worth of work off the site at their leisure and I saw that one of the senior executives was bragging about the massive profits over last year.

The ad revenue they have lost from people being able to view different sites where they pound the ad's to you must be staggering. The tri car site had 2,533 views from September 2nd to October 4th of this year. I track it monthly out of curiosity and if I was a company selling ads I would not be happy with the drop that must have happened site wide for Photobucket. Trust in photobucket has been lost I'm sure and the stock holders can't be happy.

I still plan on switching to SmugMug soon. Photbucket is worth what I pay for it. Nothing.

The electric tri car is coming along nicely and there will be photos in a couple of days to explain just where it's going. I was bending metal on the metal bender and I became just a little to enthusiastic about it and I had to let my shoulder rest. The 7 is on the wrong side of the 4 and I forget it is.

Steve.

 

[MEASURE TWICE]

I forgot here on MB they do not still require smaller size picture data. Anyway was at a car show hit and miss and saw this truck with this knob on the steering wheel.

On the Hot Rod I was wondering where I saw two belts going to the alternator and to a crankshaft pulley, side by side. What would be the need for that?

Anyway that sucker probably has a bit more power than the Tadpole and maybe that plays into dual belts.

 

[indian22]

Steve a P.R. / marketing blunder that fits right up there with Coke Zero vs. Original Coke....monumental F.U.B.A.R!!
Love that F-1 MT & yes the "knocker knob" is period correct. I've never encountered a need for two alt. belts, but other than being unique I'd say it's one guys answer to belt slip, throw or breakage which most of us would solve by running properly installed, aligned and sized, pulleys, belt & bracket... I suppose it's possible that some guys are so anal that an "unused" crank pulley just had to be utilized, but finding or fabricating a two pulley alt. arrangement seems a difficult as well as silly solution. Running a setup with one less pulley on the crank would be both sanitary & simple.

I agree 27 years difference certainly makes a difference. Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Still waiting to hear from the machinist about the clutch.

Steve.