Granted I've spent all Spring and Summer working on the hybrid and two straight e-bikes: the fat tire "ugly" and my full suspension mountain bike. It's ben fun and informative as heck and I'm not done with them yet, but I'm reminded that I've not touched the Simplex "Copper gator"/hack "gar car" project during this time, and now feel compelled to do so. I've had materials and parts in hand for more than a year and as much time in each day as anybody whos retired and more than you married old timers, so no excuses here with time or money. Inertia is a thing that is hard to start, but once rolling...
First order of "bidness" is find the components before I re-order what I've already received, then remember my design plans and discard the bad ones, really not start from scratch, but flexible to change. Obviously I'm not in a hurry though maybe I should be. Not having my big shops and machine tools after selling my fabrication business & actually retiring does alter things more than just a little, especially in the Winter months, but not totally eliminate progress.
The Simplex itself will receive some additional changes as I've discovered the sealed bearing billet hubs, used on the rear of the hybrid are choice items for upgrading both the front and rear of the bike for constant running at highway speed on the Simplex along with the addition of DOT certified wheels and tires for the bike. The sidecar wheel, hub and tire; including the spare, are DOT rated, sealed bearing components that I have already purchased. Brake components will also need upgrades for the increased speeds and weights involved and all wheel disks employed.
The car will have it's own electric motor for reversing the bike and car combination only and the body shell will still utilize a shortened kayak mounted on leaf springs. Car wheel employed 17"x2.50" moped. The car's profile extremely low, short, spartan and racy to match the bike's "sprint" design.
Rick C.