The Contraption 2009

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:54 pm

Elliot wrote:
theCryptofishist wrote:Those are beautiful, Elliot. Thank you.
Well.... Shall we start collecting these? How many do you want? I could probably scrape up ten sets now.
:D

10! Wow. That would be plenty for now. I'm not even sure what I'm going to do with them.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 9:01 pm

A Steampunk Thread.

karine · Post by **karine** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:29 pm

OMG (and thank you, fishy). Dusza... WOW! I think the inspiration you've passed on here will keep us busy for MONTHS!

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:30 pm

I've been thinking about a constant mesh tranny as well for Ye Olde Contraption. Two speeds, one as is and one very low for lots of people or weight.

I think some slight mods to the disengage mechanism I've got already could make it (or some similar part of the driveline) into a two speed chain gang transmission pretty easily.

I like the idea of trying it with readily available couplings. I had to machine out the stuff for the disengage and it took some work. Doable, yes, but not so easily accessible to those without machine tools.

Must think on this. The tricky part would be the sliding keyway, I'd think. That and limited space I think is why I chose to machine mine instead of try it with off the shelf stuff.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:34 pm

karine wrote:OMG (and thank you, fishy). Dusza... WOW! I think the inspiration you've passed on here will keep us busy for MONTHS!

I'm seriously thinking about what it would take to get something similar and (of course) homemade licensed for the road.

Dune buggies can be licensed, after all.

Zulegoona · Post by **Zulegoona** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 4:12 am

Iâ€™d guess Insurance would prove to be the biggest stumbling block. In the old days and maybe even now you could license a vehicle by either the chassis or the engine.

Dusza Beben · Post by **Dusza Beben** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:16 am

Karine,
I figured you and LCN would get a kick out of it.
In terms of legality...
Look at rat rods! They get licensed and they are not very different from the cyclecar. In many places you can license golf carts. I think the sticking point is like Zulegoona said, insurance. Though if all you needed was liability coverage that should be easy to get. Using the chassis or engine for registration, something like the cyclecar would be considered an antique in most states and would not have to meet the same inspection standards as a modern vehicle. (5mph bumpers, emission controls, etc.)

DB

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:28 am

That T-Bucket/Track-Roadster that I just scrapped was fully licensed and insured. I built it in the late 1980s, and there have been changes in the system, but it is perfectly doable. Each state is different, though.

Generally, if you build it from scratch, it will be licensed as a Special Construction Vehicle. (No, not a construction vehicle, but a specially constructed vehicle.

) These days, the smog status of the engine is a big deal, so it is easier to start with an existing old frame and licence it as that. Again, states vary.

One thing you DON'T want to do, is build the car from scratch and pass it off as 1922 Something. These days, people go to jail for that old minor technicality.

Insurance can be had from brokers who specialize in vintage cars and street rods, respectively. It's a full-blown industry. For a car that can be classified as an original type car, look in Hemmings for insurance. Haggerty comes to mind. For a hot rod, join the National Street Rod Association and use their broker. Wasn't expensive.

I'm more concerned... (No offense, but....) more concerned about the roadworthyness of the car. A highway-going automobile needs to be built to certain operational standards, and a lot of that stuff is unknown to most people. I've seen some astonishing hazards that were quite unnecessary -- the guy just never "attended that school". To my mind, you would need to understand the Ackerman Principle, be familiar with the flows of fluid in a brake master cylinder, and so forth. That axle-twisting problem we talked about a while back is one such item.

It was mentioned that some golf carts are licensed for the street, and the way this works is that they are licensed as "Neighborhood Cars" and restricted to 25 or 35 MPH -- and to streets with such speed limits. A cycle car that looks like an antique should work for this. You would hop on the "green" band-wagon with it! States and even local communities vary.

In my experience, working with the DMV in a small rural community is easier than in a city.

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 10:44 am

Dusza Beben wrote:
thisisthatwhichis wrote:This should move to a new topic thread.... but ya know, Dusza.... it needs a Dirigible on top of it.........
A Lewis gun at the very least!

DB

NO!

I am not very aerodynamic and reloading would be very difficult.

Thanks.

Lewis

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 12:31 pm

This just in....

(tick-tick-tick-tick-tick... in the background)

One reason why we need such extreme gear ratios in KSR.

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:51 pm

Wow, you guys don't waste any time do you. I found this link today via other parts of the intertubes and thought you might find it interesting. I have to admit to reminiscing about the sound of that cute little engine on the contraption this year when I heard this.

[youtube][/youtube]

Dusza Beben · Post by **Dusza Beben** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:43 pm

What key is this in Sven?

3/4 throttle!

Ya!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:13 pm

I love that this is the longest 2009 thread.

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 1:07 pm

The guys over at Art Car Camp were telling me that if you're gonna build something new that motorcyle registration is much simpler. Just have three wheels or less.

There is a long and continuing history of small shops and individuals building motorcycles, so I guess the procedures are in place. (The safety requirements for the vehicle itself are also less restrictive presumably because they are inherently more dangerous.)

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 1:53 pm

And there may be a weight limit, like 1.200 or 1.500 pounds.

When designing a three-wheeler, keep in mind that the single wheel has zero stability, so it is important to put a good bit of the weight over the axle with two wheels, and also to keep the center of gravity low.

FilXeno · Post by **FilXeno** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:57 pm

Agripunk?
Kind of like Cow Punk? except industrial?
Why am I using so many question marks?
??

**burn** · Post by **burn** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:38 pm

bump!

xoxox

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 4:24 pm

**burn** wrote:bump!

Been thinking the same thing!

I just discovered a 2-speed chain gang on a Kinetic racer in Ventura. The shift rod and engagement pawl were inside the hollow shaft. May have been lawn tractor hardware. When I got home I opened an old lawn tractor tranny and found a system with a sliding "key", with a pawl or tooth on it, in a "keyway". I think these methods are commonly used in motorcycle trannies also, now that I think about it. Looks possible to attach sprockets to the gears.

Also have a slide of a sweet Buick Straight Eight -- as was mentioned here a while ago. I'll scan it.

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 5:52 pm

A bit off topic, but nobody seemed to mind when this came up earlier, so... we now return to the topic of â€œcycle carsâ€

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 2:32 pm

During the Second World War, Wright Aeronautical tested a 42-cylinder liquid-cooled radial, Lycoming tested a 7,755 cu in, 36-cylinder liquid-cooled radial, and BMW built a 28-cylinder liquid-cooled radial.
Wright had plans for a 70 cylinder engine.

1925 Ford X-8 auto engine

http://www.lutheransonline.com/servlet/ ... 6828588714

Was the V-24 Antoinette built before WWI the engine powering the french flight across the atlantic before Lindbergh?

http://www.rotecradialengines.com/
http://www.jrlcycles.com/page/page/4187437.htm

Old Engine links
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Account ... ne%20Sites
http://www.enginehistory.org/
http://www.enginehistory.org/engines.htm

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:34 pm

Did I post this already?
Well, if I did, here it is again.
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f25/new ... ine-46745/

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:07 am

I had completely forgotten that radial engines get me hard. Thanks for the chopper! Gonna be afk for a bit

That X-8 looks like someone bolted a bunch of motorcycle engines together. heh

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:50 am

OMG just when I thought I'd seen every possible crazy wild idea for a motorcycle! There's a guy up here with a turbocharged 426 Hemi on a drag bike. I don't think it's been run in a very long time, but it USED to be the wildest bike I knew of.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 10:05 am

Did I post the jet bike that is in production?

How about the Allison?

426 Hemi

Respect for scooters.
How about a 105 mm?

Anti-aircraft bike.

Kleines Kettenkraftrad Sd.Kfz

Danish Harley

48 cylinders 4.2 litres

Gyro balanced capable of playa travel up to 45 degree climbs.

http://cobbsblog.com/gyro/tuscan.html

Burning Man by bike

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 10:10 am

Captain Goddammit wrote:OMG just when I thought I'd seen every possible crazy wild idea for a motorcycle! There's a guy up here with a turbocharged 426 Hemi on a drag bike. I don't think it's been run in a very long time, but it USED to be the wildest bike I knew of.

A bit of drag racing legend, strictly from what I've read:
The "Michigan Madman" E.J. Potter used to make exhibition runs with a small block Chevy mounted sideways and driving the rear wheel with a #50 chain. He used up a tire every run, more or less. Supposedly, he would buy tires for his car, use them on the bike, then go back to the tire shop and get a new set on warranty.

Also from car magazines: Just a few years ago, Chrysler had a bike built as a promotional gimmick -- with a Viper engine. It had tandem tires, and a correspondingly weird suspension. Apparently, a Chrysler boss rode it onto stage -- but that could have been faked, I suppose. A former girlfriend of mine got to sit on it at a car show, and I wish I had kept that picture.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 10:15 am

Captain Goddammit wrote:OMG just when I thought I'd seen every possible crazy wild idea for a motorcycle! There's a guy up here with a turbocharged 426 Hemi on a drag bike. I don't think it's been run in a very long time, but it USED to be the wildest bike I knew of.

Is this it?

Twin turbos

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 10:19 am

Elliot wrote:
Captain Goddammit wrote:OMG just when I thought I'd seen every possible crazy wild idea for a motorcycle! There's a guy up here with a turbocharged 426 Hemi on a drag bike. I don't think it's been run in a very long time, but it USED to be the wildest bike I knew of.

A bit of drag racing legend, strictly from what I've read:
The "Michigan Madman" E.J. Potter used to make exhibition runs with a small block Chevy mounted sideways and driving the rear wheel with a #50 chain. He used up a tire every run, more or less. Supposedly, he would buy tires for his car, use them on the bike, then go back to the tire shop and get a new set on warranty.

Also from car magazines: Just a few years ago, Chrysler had a bike built as a promotional gimmick -- with a Viper engine. It had tandem tires, and a correspondingly weird suspension. Apparently, a Chrysler boss rode it onto stage -- but that could have been faked, I suppose. A former girlfriend of mine got to sit on it at a car show, and I wish I had kept that picture.

E. J. Potter

The Chrysler has been driven.
I remember the first time I rode a 6 cylinder CBX.
So much torque I could stop it with the throttle.

joel the ornery · Post by **joel the ornery** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:57 pm

dodge tomahawk.... four wheels

Captain Goddammit · Post by **Captain Goddammit** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 2:06 pm

gyre wrote:
Captain Goddammit wrote:OMG just when I thought I'd seen every possible crazy wild idea for a motorcycle! There's a guy up here with a turbocharged 426 Hemi on a drag bike. I don't think it's been run in a very long time, but it USED to be the wildest bike I knew of.
Is this it?

Twin turbos

Holy shit I think that IS it! That must be a really old photo - it hasn't looked that nice in a very long time.

The little oval tag on the head tube is a "Schwinn" emblem.

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:06 pm

gyre wrote:

I wondered how to steer this one, until I spotted the nose of the side car. Apply power to turn right, let off to turn left. I rode a side hack thru several Norwegian winters -- great fun.