Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Weston's (mostly) Scale Model WIKISPEED SGT01

thingstodo · 09-17-2013, 01:53 AM

I dug out the old-guy scooter parts. There is good news and bad.

Good - I have BOTH a set of rear wheels AND a set of front wheels with the steering linkage between the front wheels. So I don't have to create something.

Bad - the scooter was not nearly as wide as I remembered. The distance between the rear wheels is 17 inches. At 24 inches, the frame is almost OUTSIDE the wheels. I'm not mechanical - so I will need to come up with an alternate method to attach the wheels (both front and back) to the frame. The WIKISPEED design just won't work for this hardware.

My wife saw the parts I had laid out on the lawn and mentioned that the 16 inch width is a bit claustrophobic for Weston even now. And he will likely outgrow it very quickly at that width ...

So 2 votes for '16 inches is just too narrow'.

The 60 inch (half of 120) length seems OK. The 10 inch (half of 20) height looked a bit too low to me originally (plus I had issues fitting the parts in) but I guess I should take another look at it, since I will be likely be raising the frame above the wheels.

I COULD build the frame at 16 inches, with a 10 inch height, and use that as the sub-frame of the car. Then I could build a wider body that bolts to the sub-frame. That solves the issue with 'where to put all this equipment' - the sub-frame will hold it. And that solves the issue with only 16 inches - the upper body can be 24 inches wide, or even 26. That will give Weston (and who ever he's playing with) some elbow room to steer, if I have trouble locating a really small steering wheel. It's manual steering, so the wheel has to be big enough to turn.

In the end, a half-size WIKISPEED car was the inspiration for the build but safety, practical matters, and recycled parts will dictate any changes.

Using scooter parts has another side effect - no brakes. I'm going to have to come up with a method of braking scooter wheels ....

With the narrow track on the steering, no brakes and no suspension, maybe I should not use the scooter parts? I can remove the steering linkage and re-use that part, but use the Carryall parts for everything else ...

09-17-2013, 01:53 AM	#3 (permalink)
thingstodo Master EcoModder Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Saskatoon, canada Posts: 1,488 Ford Prefect - '18 Ford F150 XLT XTR Tess - '22 Tesla Y LR Thanks: 746 Thanked 565 Times in 447 Posts	Update for Sep 16 I dug out the old-guy scooter parts. There is good news and bad. Good - I have BOTH a set of rear wheels AND a set of front wheels with the steering linkage between the front wheels. So I don't have to create something. Bad - the scooter was not nearly as wide as I remembered. The distance between the rear wheels is 17 inches. At 24 inches, the frame is almost OUTSIDE the wheels. I'm not mechanical - so I will need to come up with an alternate method to attach the wheels (both front and back) to the frame. The WIKISPEED design just won't work for this hardware. My wife saw the parts I had laid out on the lawn and mentioned that the 16 inch width is a bit claustrophobic for Weston even now. And he will likely outgrow it very quickly at that width ... So 2 votes for '16 inches is just too narrow'. The 60 inch (half of 120) length seems OK. The 10 inch (half of 20) height looked a bit too low to me originally (plus I had issues fitting the parts in) but I guess I should take another look at it, since I will be likely be raising the frame above the wheels. I COULD build the frame at 16 inches, with a 10 inch height, and use that as the sub-frame of the car. Then I could build a wider body that bolts to the sub-frame. That solves the issue with 'where to put all this equipment' - the sub-frame will hold it. And that solves the issue with only 16 inches - the upper body can be 24 inches wide, or even 26. That will give Weston (and who ever he's playing with) some elbow room to steer, if I have trouble locating a really small steering wheel. It's manual steering, so the wheel has to be big enough to turn. In the end, a half-size WIKISPEED car was the inspiration for the build but safety, practical matters, and recycled parts will dictate any changes. Using scooter parts has another side effect - no brakes. I'm going to have to come up with a method of braking scooter wheels .... With the narrow track on the steering, no brakes and no suspension, maybe I should not use the scooter parts? I can remove the steering linkage and re-use that part, but use the Carryall parts for everything else ...