Baby template car for DARKO 2016

[freebeard]

I always wanted a grease pit that had a hinged ladder at one end and when you lift it up these an entrance to a Secret Tunnel system.

At the recyclers today I got a nantenna for $6.40 that has 10ea 4ft pieces of aluminum tubing between 7/16ths and 9/8ths inch diameter. I'm planing on a tubing frame with luan plywood fill panels. Can you describe the wheel hold-down system?

Originally Posted by permalink #22

*I've already widened the body to accommodate a 42-inch front track to fit the front load cell support troughs.

At permalink #24 the track is given as 24.4 inches.

Can they accommodate a tricycle?

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I always wanted a grease pit that had a hinged ladder at one end and when you lift it up these an entrance to a Secret Tunnel system.

At the recyclers today I got a nantenna for $6.40 that has 10ea 4ft pieces of aluminum tubing between 7/16ths and 9/8ths inch diameter. I'm planing on a tubing frame with luan plywood fill panels. Can you describe the wheel hold-down system?



At permalink #24 the track is given as 24.4 inches.

Can they accommodate a tricycle?

The hold-downs are a steel trough with 45-degree bent-up tabs which cradle the tire.These tabs are slotted to allow 3" ratchet-straps to be attached,which surround the front tires and hold them to the trough under tension.
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For a tricycle,I believe that the single wheel would have to be attached to a spar which would span far enough to reach the nearest troughs.My model will have to be done this way,fore and aft.
They may have to do a run just to measure the drag of the spars.

[freebeard]

So the wheels won't need particularly good bearings then.

Pre-tested adjustable width spars?

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by freebeard

So the wheels won't need particularly good bearings then.

Pre-tested adjustable width spars?

Layne Christensen at DARKO says they have a ground board they use for narrow models that we'll use,so all we need is the model.Don't worry about the spars.
And the wheels don't even need to turn,so that's a bit easier.

[aerohead]

I've reserved the afternoon of Friday,September 9th for the testing date.
I've asked for 3-hours time.
Gary and I will catch a motel in Ogden the night before so I can get some sleep and clean and prep the T-100 to protect the tunnel from flying missiles.
Looks like Freebeard is gonna try to make it with a model.If we can squeeze it in,we can put his Bug in the tunnel as well.
When I know more about the motel reservation I'll let you all know in case members in the area want to do a meetup.
The USFRA World of Speed will be going on at this time also.If you haven't been to the Bonneville Salt Flats before,this is a nice event to take in.You can also run your car there on the 1-mile Short-Course for a modest amount.Check out the USFRA website for details.
Also,there's a good chance that the IHPV annual speed trials will be going on at Battle Mountain,Nevada,which is about 185-miles west of Bonneville.
83-mph bicycles are worth seeing!

[freebeard]

The USFRA World of Speed will be going on at this time also.

If the Salt is willin' and the creek don't rise.

A 2x8ft model I can carry on the roof rack plus bike rack. It's just a matter of keeping the car running between now and then.

My plan is a plate in the shape of the Template without any rolled under rocker panel, with two of three layers than can be unbolted and lifted off.

If I show up with air curtains and a boat tail on the Beetle and there's no time for it then oh, well...

[aerohead]

Let's see how things come together.No tellin' what reality is gonna look like.

[aerohead]

The T-100 passed its annual safety and emissions test this morning.So Caesar has green-lighted the T-100's evolution for 2016.
She's got a new battery,new alternator,rotor,cap,and wires.I replaced the leaking valve cover gasket and freshened any suspect emissions/vacuum lines.
She turned over 390,000-miles last month (about 1/3rd through her lifespan according to some reports).
1st of March I begin fabrication in earnest for the September trip.
All I need to do now,is all the mods to the truck,create the 'baby' from scratch,keep the truck running,and survive commuting and the trip N-W to Ogden.
Simple enough.
If El Nino persists,we shouldn't see any hurricanes make it into the Gulf of Mexico next season (no threat to oil platforms).And barring any new 'boots on the ground' interventions abroad,the price of fuel may remain low enough to help with the projects budget.Technically,all material prices should drop along with the price of crude.We're almost at pre-Desert Storm fuel prices in some states.

[aerohead]

After many days with a cutting wheel I've reduced 2 salvaged go-kart chassis down to just enough material to construct a steel chassis for the baby.
Just a simple rectangular tube steel frame, two axles,and 4-threaded spindles.
I enlarged the template image onto 34-inch X 11-inch paper to aid scaling the dimensions.I can't make any mistakes!
Next,section the existing frame for proper wheel track and wheelbase and re-weld to lock in the dimensions.
*I've got a little side room off the garage set aside for creating the bodywork.When it's complete,it will pass through a window to be retrieved outside.Not quite as weird as building a boat in a basement!
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The plan so far is to:
*Create a 'garage' inside the truck bed.
*The chassis will travel 'naked',without wheels inside the garage.
*The underbody will stack above it in it's own shelf.
*The upper body will ride beside the chassis in the garage.
*I'll sleep on the 'roof' of the garage under the bedcover,with access through the slider window from the cabin.
*I'll add the wheels at DARKO,then attach the bottom,then the top.
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I recycled 340-pounds of assorted steel odds and ends today and received $17.
I'll go after what's left of the aluminum and get it to the scrapyard next.
Nice to have some mild,dry weather.

[freebeard]

Could you turn the underbody upside down and nest it underneath the upper body?