Velocar cyclecar semi-replica.

[silverbear]

The availability of old cars and trucks was common when we were young, Anne, and for not too much money. Those days are certainly gone and vehicles I had for a few hundred dollars are now so collectible they are priced in the stratosphere. Your book sounds like a treasure.

I had wondered if you were perhaps under the weather and find you are in more ways than one. Here's to better days and feeling good again.

So used am I now to being in the hibernating grip of winter (-24 below zero at this moment and still dropping) it is startling to be reminded that it is summer in another part of the world where the ground is soft and gone green, the air warm with celebrating birdsong. It is a smiling thought. Wishing you well in all ways, Anne.
SB

 

[Allen_Wrench]

I'm already liking the sound of this book. Time to do some Googling, methinks. Thanks for the post on the book, Anne. You may just have helped me to contribute to my floor-creaking library.

 

[moto-klasika]

Hello Annie,
Just small contribution for winter/summer fun!
Ciao,
Zoran

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Oooooo I do like that steam wagon Zoran

That Moore Car is interesting too; - I'd like one of those

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

An idea my daughter flew by me tonight was to use my cyclecar as a test bed for an electric vehicle design she's putting together. Basically she has figured out a method by which a standard single phase appliance motor can be made to run from a 12volt forklift battery. At the heart of this conversion is a programmable electronic controller that she is designing and with old appliance motors being able to be picked up for virtually nothing the idea does have a certain appeal. Just so long as it doesn't involve anything like Doc Brown did in 'Back to the Future' I'll be happy.

Something tells me that I need to roll up my sleeves and get my cyclecar chassis finished or else she will be hanging around my workshop and saying, 'Haven't you got it finished yet Mum!'

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

On a whim I went into the local junk shop today and I'm glad I did because I was able to get this for just $NZ5.00........



I have no idea if it works and I can't find a makers name on it, but I do know that it's going to have a place to call its own on my Intrepide cyclecar's dashboard.

Being a member of a French cyclecar forum has paid off already because one of the forum members sent me a diagram that shows what the right hand side of a Colombe cyclecar's front suspension looks like. Any useful picture of a Colombe taken from the right hand side is rare so I'm absolutely delighted. With a large piece of the puzzle having dropped into place I now feel a lot more confident about this semi-replica I'm building.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

I nearly crippled the local courier driver this morning when he delivered the OHV Mk 15 Villiers engine I'd purchased. That's cast iron for you, it likes to stay put and not be moved around.

The cylinder bore looks great and the engine turns over nicely, but the cylinder head is trashed. The side of the exhaust port is burned through and the exhaust valve seat is beyond all hope, but I knew that when I purchased the engine for the princely sum of $NZ8.00.
The cooling fins on the exhaust side of the cast iron head are woefully inadequate and I'd say that this engine would have been running with a big glowing cherry red spot on the side of the exhaust port before it finally burnt through and brought play to a close.

I was going to use my pre-war Villiers two stroke engine to power my cyclecar, but this four stroke Mk15 engine will be taking its place instead. I have other plans for the pre-war engine where it will be more out in the open air so its pretty shape can be admired.

 

[fasteddy]

He will now live in fear every time he sees your address.

Steve.

 

[silverbear]

What will you do about the head? Find another of the same kind or get creative?
SB

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

What will you do about the head? Find another of the same kind or get creative?
SB

I was considering having a go at fabricating a new one Silverbear. If I don't have any luck with that I guess I'll just find another head.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

He will now live in fear every time he sees your address.

Steve.

The guy who sold me the Mk 15 also has a Mk 12 with a stuck piston that I'm thinking about buying as well so he might not be off the hook yet

 

[Ludwig II]

Re the head: don't forget, this is NZ we're talking about, where people forge their own pistons and break world records.

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Re the head: don't forget, this is NZ we're talking about, where people forge their own pistons and break world records.

Exactly Ludwig

I was considering fabricating the head as an open skeleton with the ports brazed in place and then soldering on a copper water jacket.

 

[Ludwig II]

Lovely, you can make a downdraught inlet, angled as well for swirl. I question the reliability of a soldered jacket, how many were produced once lightweight iron or ally castings became widely available?

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Copper just looks nicer and if I need to change something I can take it off again without too many problems.

Soldered joints are ok if they're done properly and so long as I don't boil the head dry they should be fine.

Good point about the inlet port by the way. There's no need at all to replicate the original head's less than ideal porting.

 

[silverbear]

What you propose with the copper jacket sounds daunting to me, but also intriguing. Sometimes the best reason for doing something is to find out that you can and then have the satisfaction of having done it and by gosh it works, too! It's a good feeling, eh?
SB

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Yes it's just something I've wanted to have a go at doing Silverbear. If it doesn't work out it should make a great paperweight

 

[cannonball2]

Exactly Ludwig

I was considering fabricating the head as an open skeleton with the ports brazed in place and then soldering on a copper water jacket.

Interesting! I was contemplating similar with my Maytag engine. Was going to notch the cylinder fins alternating top and bottom for the water flow and wrap them with copper sheet soldered in place. Then solder in inlets and outlets tie them together and run them to a small brass/copper heater core. Was thinking thermo siphon but adding a water pump is no big deal.

 

[moto-klasika]

[FONT=Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif]Annie and all,[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif]Copper (maybe bronze, too?) should look fine - enough from me as total dilettante for such modifications and engine reconstructions! Pity that my brother couldn't follow such discussions and forums in general! If couldn't have some good advices, he should enjoy I am sure![/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif]Zoran [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Unicode MS, sans-serif]P.S.: As our old friend Stu from Australia (island left from NZ?) likes to say: “...nothing is impossible!” ... After making twin-cylinder engine for his replica of Henry Ford's quadricycle, he built replica of OLDS single cylinder engine. Attached are photos of cylinder head that he made! As I remember, he used thermo-syphon cooling...[/FONT]

 

[Intrepid Wheelwoman]

Stu is a master fabricator Zoran. I remember his projects really well from the yahoo group. In fact it was the memory of what he was able to achieve that encouraged me to have a go myself.

Stop Press: Another Villiers Mk15 has come to light from the same vendor who is doing a big cleanout of his parents farm property apparently. This time it's a complete one that may be in better condition with regard to its cylinder head, valves, ports & etc.
I shall light a candle for St. Rudge and ask for a blessing upon my auction bids.