Building a car from scratch- how would YOU do it?

[hypermiler01]

Originally Posted by solarguy

but the wheels will be mounted out at the end of a pretty thin crossmember, which will itself have a cross section like a low drag wing.

Sounds like a dropped Ford Model A street rod part, but you would get a much better ride out of a Mustang II setup, but then you would have the suspension out in the wind.

[robertwb70]

Originally Posted by dcb

It's the cage that induces rage You will be hard pressed to see a biker not paying attention on the road.

I saw a guy ride by my house last month on a motorcycle and talking on a cell phone (NOT a hands free phone either). That was a first for me.

[mikemoss]

Id probably say. If I was going to build a vehicle to get the best mileage I could. I would probably use a reverse trike with a motor cycle swing arm in the back powered in the rear by a Kubota turbo diesel, or a little 2 cylinder gas motor that was fueled by lpg or natural gas. Paired with the tallest motorcycle tranny I could find and gear it to run at about 65 mph.

For the front I would use the smallest lightest front end I could find, maybe look at something like a pacer or old bug, and make it a side by side 2 seater. Fab up a little frame to connect the motorcycle rear to the car front. Then do some creative fiberglassing or maybe attempt some sheet metal work.

There would probably be some wood involved somewhere too.

It would have to have a radio heat and ac too. If im going to drive it then it should at least be comfortable.

[ATaylorRacing]

I had a dream last night where someone built me a smaller version of a dunebuggy but with a geo 1 ltr 3 banger at the tail end....I think that would be great, but something smaller is being sold with a tiny motor in the back. One of those with a decent powered scooter motor would be neat.

[ATaylorRacing]

Right before the cold weather hit I was following a BMW Isetta on a country road, but something was not right....first of all he was flying around at near 70 mph and then I noticed he had a single swingarm under the rear with a single tire! I followed him to his house and recognized him as a Delco/Delphi Engineer who used to have a Fiat 500 and some other cool stuff. He had removed the original drivetrain and put in a scooter motor drivetrain from a wrecked 80cc bike by fabing up some mounts. Everything bolts in place of the original drivetrain and unbolts in under 1/2 hour!!! He not only gets better FE but goes quite a bit faster too!

[The Atomic Ass]

Originally Posted by Vince-HX

Kawasaki just released the "updated" version of the Ninja 250 this year so older models go for way cheap. The engine is very simple and makes 36hp and 17 lbs plus it has a 14,000 redline

Good luck with that. Actual output to the rear wheel is more like 26 HP, and a peak of 12ft. lbs at the rear wheel. And it ain't got no guts below 6K. And yes, I've got one, I know.

Sprag clutch is a good idea though, do they make 'em for the 250?

[The Atomic Ass]

Originally Posted by i_am_socket

Nope.




THIS is the Hummer of motorcycles.

And it's not even 1/10th as embarrassing as a Hummer.

[spoil9]

Forgive me if any of these are reposts as I did not read 6 pages of posts. But this are three designs I would love to see...




The last two would not be very practical, but I think they would be a blast to drive.

[mfor4x4]

I have thought of building my own car for a while. I can have a 91 Sprint for free, I just have to get out to the guys house to pick it up which I would use for the powerplant in my car. I would have it look something like the Arial Atom but with a Metro engine. I have read that the Atom gets in the mid 30mpg range which is amazing considering that it has 250 to 300 horsepower. Imagine that same car with a Metro engine and improved aerodynamics.

[kafer65]

VW beetle beams can be narrowed 3+ inches(more if your willing to move the shock towers). I used to have the plans for a trimagnum which used the VW front beam and a rear motorcycle. That would be very light weight since the older bugs full metal were under 1700Lbs. I ended up building a rail from scratch that weighed just under 1100 Lbs wet. All stock bug drivetrain. My cage looked very similiar to the ariel atom except I had the more traditional windshield and targa top rollbar look. A windshield is VERY welcome if you've ever had a bumble bee hit you at speed.