Toying with custom build idea, opinions needed!

[Swordsman]

Hey guys! I've been thinking lately that I really, REALLY need to do something about my fuel costs. My current stable consists of a 26 mpg Mustang GT and a 30 mpg Ural sidecar rig. I commute about 60 miles every day, and have a choice of routes (80% rural, 20% town or 10% rural 90% freeway). Either way, my vehicles are eating me out of house and home, almost literally... fuel is my second largest monthly expense!

I'm on the reservation list for one of the new Elio trikes, which I'll have to sell the Ural to afford. That said, Elio Motors still has over a year to go belly up (or increase the price), and honestly, it's bigger than I need it to be. I'm wondering if I could sell that sidecar and fab up something better suited to my needs. Sure, the airbags and A/C would be nice, but as a motorcyclist, I'm used to a little extra risk and discomfort.

So, I'm racking my brain trying to come up with some good build ideas. My requirements are: fuel efficient (50+ mpg), protection from the elements (roof, sides?), and a minimum 55 mph cruising speed. I really only need a single seat and enough storage for a gym bag, so a single track would be perfect.

Where do I go from here? Enclosing a motorcycle would probably be easiest, but stability against crosswinds concerns me. I'd kinda' prefer something with a lower profile. I don't weld yet, but learning is on my to-do list. If I build a custom frame, what would be the best layout for a reverse trike? A motorcycle engine up front driving the front wheels? A motorcycle engine in the back driving the rear wheel? Maybe a small car (Metro, Aspire, etc) front end with all the steering, suspension, and drivetrain already in place?

Too many options, and not enough experience! I'd love to get some feedback from those that have already tackled such a thing.

Thanks!

~SM

[Daox]

I don't want to discourage you, and I know you want to custom build something, but I'm going to suggest buying a beater / small car. You can go out this weekend or within the next week or two and just buy one. Maybe you need to do a little repair work, but bingo bango you got a 40+ mpg car. With some modification you might get it to 50 mpg. You start saving money immediately.

Now, if you go the custom route, you're going to buy a chassis, or start making one. A year or two later you might even have a vehicle that works alright. But, you never know. All that time you're still driving the stang around and it is eating into your custom project money.

I'd start with a small car.

[Swordsman]

Ooooooooooo, buzzkill!

Just kidding, I see where you're coming from. I've already been poking around for a "donor" car, and I've actually run across some uber-cheap fixer-uppers that run, just aren't pretty. Could be just as fun (maybe moreso, given the headache of working from scratch) to fix up one of those and give it an aero treatment.

Thanks for the input!

~SM

[Swordsman]

Just a side note: it's kinda scary how many cars are on craigslist with NO title and NO keys. In my very limited search parameters, I think I've turned up 3 or 4 just today. Is there ANY possible explanation for this other than being stolen...?

~SM

[AndrzejM]

I agree with Daox. You should start with a small, cheap and fuel efficient car for the beginning. With some mods you should easily achieve 50+ MPG. Then you'll see how much money you're saving for your project.

I've changed Toyota Previa for BMW e36 Compact diesel just to have enough money for all the mods I'd like to do ;-) Now I can get 60+ MPG so it was worth the effort

[JRMichler]

Another vote for buying a small car. I recently drove a 2004 Chevrolet Aveo (it was a loaner car), and got 35.8 MPG in the coldest part of the winter. That car had an automatic transmission.

Get one of those with a manual transmission and do some easy mods: grille block, LRR tires pumped up, wheel alignment checked, a Scangauge or Ultragauge, a kill switch, and some belly pan tweaks. I estimate that I would average about 45 MPG in our winters, 55 in the summer, and 49 to 50 MPG year around.

In your warmer climate, you should be able to average well over 50 MPG. I would think that most any small car should perform similarly.

[Jyden]

Originally Posted by Swordsman

Hey guys! I've been thinking lately that I really, REALLY need to do something about my fuel costs. My current stable consists of a 26 mpg Mustang GT and a 30 mpg Ural sidecar rig. I commute about 60 miles every day, and have a choice of routes (80% rural, 20% town or 10% rural 90% freeway). Either way, my vehicles are eating me out of house and home, almost literally... fuel is my second largest monthly expense!

I'm on the reservation list for one of the new Elio trikes, which I'll have to sell the Ural to afford. That said, Elio Motors still has over a year to go belly up (or increase the price), and honestly, it's bigger than I need it to be. I'm wondering if I could sell that sidecar and fab up something better suited to my needs. Sure, the airbags and A/C would be nice, but as a motorcyclist, I'm used to a little extra risk and discomfort.

So, I'm racking my brain trying to come up with some good build ideas. My requirements are: fuel efficient (50+ mpg), protection from the elements (roof, sides?), and a minimum 55 mph cruising speed. I really only need a single seat and enough storage for a gym bag, so a single track would be perfect.

Where do I go from here? Enclosing a motorcycle would probably be easiest, but stability against crosswinds concerns me. I'd kinda' prefer something with a lower profile. I don't weld yet, but learning is on my to-do list. If I build a custom frame, what would be the best layout for a reverse trike? A motorcycle engine up front driving the front wheels? A motorcycle engine in the back driving the rear wheel? Maybe a small car (Metro, Aspire, etc) front end with all the steering, suspension, and drivetrain already in place?

Too many options, and not enough experience! I'd love to get some feedback from those that have already tackled such a thing.

Thanks!

~SM

I would swop the Mustang for a small econobox, as new as possible for the value of the Mustang.

[Sven7]

Check out something listed at $1500 and offer them $1250 cash. If it doesn't have a title or keys it's worth no more than $300. I overpaid for my Civic at $1400 (minus $180 of parts sold off) and it needed a new alternator and a steering bolt tightened.

Start searching for 88-00 Civics or CRX's, but not Si performance models.

Also look at Corollas, etc. Manual transmission or nothing. Geo Prisms are Corollas. Geo Metros are boring.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Swordsman

If I build a custom frame, what would be the best layout for a reverse trike? A motorcycle engine up front driving the front wheels? A motorcycle engine in the back driving the rear wheel? Maybe a small car (Metro, Aspire, etc) front end with all the steering, suspension, and drivetrain already in place?

In a reverse-trike I'd rather get the engine in the back (actually more in the middle) driving the rear wheel. A simpler setup, without differential, and also doesn't compromise the steering as FWD would do.

[Swordsman]

Jyden, I'm afraid the Mustang is a keeper (unless I wrap it around a tree somewhere along the way!). It's already paid for, and my son absolutely adores it. Besides, I figure it might actually become a collectible of sorts since it's the S197 platform, the first Mustang to go "retro" again. We'll see. I'd part with the Ural first.

Thanks again for all the feedback guys! As far as modded economy cars go, I'm actually kind of a Saturn fanboy. I had a '95 SL1 that I bought from my brother-in-law for a roll of nickels. Literally. It was in really good shape, manual, no power anything (though it did have A/C and cruise control). Got 38 mpg no matter how hard I drove it. In hindsight, probably shouldn't have sold it.

(I don't miss those seats though... like sitting on a pile of cardboard....)

Just dreaming here, but I think it would be awesome to come up with an old early '70s Honda N600 or Z600 and give it a super aero-treatment. They're already super-lightweight and crazy narrow to actually be a car. Once again, I used to have one of the Z models, and wound up giving it away. Long story.

~SM