CRX HF reverse trike project
 

Me and a friend of mine just started a reverse trike project. The front will be a 88 Crx HF Stock at this time

First I removed all inside parts seats panels exc. Then gas tank taillights suspension and hatch. Doors So allot of weight will use the windshield and all up front and the floor for structure with some type of modified front skin bumper. He built the part of the cage today

just four points I bought a 10 point cage from Jegs. After the cage we need is dome we can mount a modified honda magma 700 rear frame and tire with some form of air shocks. I also will be using the same taillights and wiring and also the side rear glass.

My plan is to remove the center taillight insert with the logo Crx in it and chop the metal out and bring in the quarters skins and weld them up together This should give me a good boat tail shape to start and look kind of neat. So the tail will be three foot wide with the rear glass for good visibility and a plexiglas type hatch to fill in what is left of the hatch area. That is about all that is done at this time will update This is going to be a low cost easy build car.
More info to come Bryan

Can't wait to see it finished!

You can post pictures after 5 posts. Looking forward to this.

Well had a little time for the trike this week here is a mockup

Its really losing weight now. Remember this is a budget build

That's going to be one heck of a hypermiler. Looking good so far.

Don't worry - budget builds are popular around here!

Before you get too far, if you haven't already, you might want to check in with the aero subforum to get advice on the optimal shape at the back of the car behind the B-pillars.

I'm sure you know that if you taper it too abruptly or make the curve/angles too steep, you'll end up with higher drag & lower fuel economy than is otherwise possible.

Looking forward to the next update!

The back slope will be a stock CRX but the sides are coming in about 6" a side... The bottom back is were I need help. There is a flow image at the bottom I working on
never can get the flow 2 program to work only 1 so if any one can do one Would help. The car is very low so plan on raising some and some air shocks for a rear adjustable height. a little fine tune maybe And remove the sharp corners off the rear of the car when the deck lid is open were it has the HF emblem.

Todays update
m/c frame in location time for some frame work.

That's an interesting project afterall, altough if I got a CRX I'd leave it as a 4-wheeler. It's actually a nice low-cost sportscar...

Why? Im open for discussion looking at 1200# or less. I had a 90 CRX dx had a dead cly and still got 32 mpg with a auto put 40,000 miles on it yes great cars

I think you have to lower the back of the trike. The angle is too steep.

See attached picture.

I've used Flow Illustrator.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...1&d=1350631815

Basically because I like the CRX bodystyle as it is. If I could get one to adapt that new 1.6L turbodiesel from the Euro-spec Honda Civic I'd do it...

But even retaining the 4-wheel layout I would not disconsider to adapt 2 independent Unit Pro-Link setups for the rear wheels to increase the cargo volume.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...ke10-19PSI.jpg

Or taper the back sides together alot.

Will be moved in some need the tailights

I think you have to lower the back of the trike. The angle is too steep? bottom? top?

and its a roller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-BsB5QQi-0

pics

I hope your body line isn't following the roll cage because that angle is way too steep.

If you haven't heard of the aero template, here is an example of how the template should be placed.
http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/...FocusFinal.gif

This shape would provide minimum drag which would maximize fuel economy

A good rule of thumb is to not exceed 15 degrees taper. On the bottom you might do 10 to be safe, although with a skinny rear and single wheel you'll have to fair it to get any meaningful flow patterns back there.

Definitely go to the Template sticky in the Aerodynamics forum and throw the template over it. Jim has a very good example there; use the same technique.

I think you mentioned getting rid of the sharp corners on the rear. You need those to help flow detach smoothly.

Cool project. have you considered doing something smaller, like a 500cc or even a 250? The car shouldn't need more than like 15hp to cruise at 60mph.

excuse my ignorance, but this is something I've never understood. How can a trike be stable? it seems like the car would just tip over. Is there a secret to this? After I complete the Aerofocus I would like to start building my own car as you are doing here and a trike would really be nice, but I feel like it would just fall over.

[QUOTE=Sven7;335395]A good rule of thumb is to not exceed 15 degrees taper. On the bottom you might do 10 to be safe, although with a skinny rear and single wheel you'll have to fair it to get any meaningful flow patterns back there.

Definitely go to the Template sticky in the Aerodynamics forum and throw the template over it. Jim has a very good example there; use the same technique.

I think you mentioned getting rid of the sharp corners on the rear. You need those to help flow detach smoothly.

Cool project. have you considered doing something smaller, like a 500cc or even a 250? The car shouldn't need more than like 15hp to cruise at 60mph
Fair what ?


On the bottom you might do 10 to be safe
Thanks bottom is open to changing top is not.. at this time but Will be adjustable by 3" with air shocks

I think you mentioned getting rid of the sharp corners on the rear
Yes thought about is but that would be later Two giant vortecs lol

Cool project. have you considered doing something smaller, like a 500cc or even a 250? The car shouldn't need more than like 15hp to cruise at 60mph

Nope in the same car? well did you see the vid of my 8yo GD moving the car?
thats lite.



Fair what ?
where?

I hope your body line isn't following the roll cage because that angle is way too steep
All things can change Im just trying to drive it for now budget build. the slop is the crx upper line hood to tail so cant be all that bad. But thanks I did know about the templet

( My first thoughts are weight distribution and its effects on handling.
How will you tackle this problem ? )

This is going to be a really interesting project !

The angles could also not be as bad as they look in the picture. Maybe you can try taking a picture from further back so we can judge the angles.

Sven, I believe he's using the CRX drive, with the motorcycle frame/swingarm modified for a static rear wheel.

HydroJim, it has to do with center of gravity, how low it is and where it is between the three wheels. In a 2F1R (two front, one rear) format, you typically want it between the front wheels, about 1/3-1/4th the way rearward. The TRex type trikes have barely any weight above the rear wheel, hence their ease of sliding out the back end but rarely tipping over.

I'm following this project closely, I've considered something along these same lines but with a Metro XFI.

Though I would wonder about the possibility of doing a somersault if you braked too hard.

this is were the car sits right now will get a fuel tank and battery and seats and people wheelbase is a longer now so tipping is hard. not saying cant happen just need to drive for that info hyper:turtle:driving no brakes

This might give you some food for thought when it comes to shaping in the rear gap...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr84vYlKLpE

Right now about 200 pounds on rear wheel after say ready for basic street
350 no driver no doors and will drive and see how it go. And thanks for the foam vid Will try that when the time comes This may help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0RukpmSXzA

Your build already looks cleaner than that.

thanks and I don't plan on pulling a trailerand slaming the brakes..

My first thoughts are weight distribution and its effects on handling.
How will you tackle this problem ?


you don't want to know

?

Weigh it on all three corners, move some things around inside (battery, washer reservoir, etc) until it's more balanced? I don't know, I haven't searched in-depth on that yet.

You're kind of in uncharted territory as far as three wheels go. A few have done it, but most seemed to lack any sort of intelligence and that's how you hear of those "stoppie" stories.

Thought this might also be some good food for thought. It's called the "Zoleco", there's a few threads about it here on Ecomodder. Some Canadian dude with plenty of time on his hands, but no financial support to 'go big' with his creation.

Started with a Suzuki Forsa, stripped it down, mounted the single rear wheel, and some basic outline of his final shape:
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-zo...1687-006-6.jpg

More rods, some backing material...
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-zo...1685-009-9.jpg

And after a few decades of sanding, priming, sanding, priming...
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-zo...684-013-13.jpg
http://ecomodder.com/forum/member-zo...682-012-12.jpg

Says with the aero work, he'll need a mere 8.2 horsepower to cruise at 65mph. Your CRX is a good enough front already, can't really squeeze it any smaller than it is. But a simplified version of the Zoleco rear end might be up your alley.

thats neat body lines
Im woking on a gas tank 10 gallons wonder how far that will go. And them will move quarter panels in.

Fair the rear wheel, like this.

http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-conte...on-537x383.jpg

Otherwise you'll get all kinds of turbulence from that spinning wheel.
---
I thought you were using the 700cc motorcycle engine along with the swing arm... guess it'll still be the CRX motor.
---
The 15* was in regards to the body sides, which you are narrowing.

As Sven said, that rear wheel can help or hurt your economy. If you look close at the first Zoleco pic, he has rods set up to curve from the side of the vehicle to the rear wheel. From the wheel, it goes up and back at an angle to meet the rest of the body. That's one way of fairing the wheel.

If you could do a reasonable pic of the dimensions of everything, I could draw something up that might work.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/...XTrikeHelp.jpg

Hope this helps... I didn't do exact angles, didn't squeeze the sides in. Just showed what a 'belly pan' type look would be on a CRX R/T, and it diverts air away from the rear wheel.

Maybe this would be making things to complicated, but maybe it would be possible to use both the car's engine, and a motorcycle engine. Just use the motorcycle engine while at cruise on the highway? Not quite sure how you would switch over smoothly, but it's a thought

HydroJim, I think using the CRX ICE to provide some juice to an electric-drive rear wheel... That's an interesting combination.

[QUOTE=.

If you could do a reasonable pic of the dimensions of everything, I could draw something up that might work.[/QUOTE]

like what pics??? wheel base now?

That is the look Im Working on Just to get on the road.

Your CRX is a good enough front already, can't really squeeze it any smaller than it is. But a simplified version of the Zoleco rear end might be up your alley.

Yep I will have a panoramic view with the three windows.. like it

And the Wheel base is 102" now..

And a mock up gas tank