Okay, so you guys art talking about bolting the ball joint rigidly to the end of the spring. I didn't think about that, was thinking of a bolt-on bracket with a through bolt for a spring eye. That wouldn't work well, as the ball joint would flop around too much. I know that's how some old car were made (with the spring eye and bolt), but no ball joint -- a rigid pin. The ball joint bolted to the end of the spring should work like a charm -- upper or lower.
I am very interested. I don't think it's off-topic to this thread. If you start a new thread, please share the link to it on this thread.
Here's a sketch of it I did a while ago, when it was driven by a Geo metro engine hooked to a Samurai 4x4 5 speed for rear wheel drive
Ya know, I seem to recall that the Renault R5 (LeCar in the US) has a transmission in front/engine in rear FWD arrangement. That might be better than the VW transaxle (shift linkage will be in the right place!)/Suzuki Swift engine. You might be balt to find one of those over there, very rare over here!
As I promised in my introduction, here is a picture of the 1913 Imp cyclecar my brother and I restored back in the 80's. We started with a basket case missing numerous parts, back in the early 70's. Al of our research, over a 17 year stretch, found 7 or 8 Imps total in the US. My brother also restored the Trumbull shown in an earlier post in this thread. The tan one with red wire wheels.
I know nothing about cycle cars. But I like them. And I just love the way this thing looks. The chain guard is just wonderful. Gary
Yes: I thought of that as well. The original 5 was in production from 1972 to 1985 and had the engine-behind-transaxle arrangement. Five-speed transaxles were available from 1976 on. I drove one belonging to my cousin and seem to recall a narrow gate with the fore-aft shifts oddly skewed about 30° clockwise. Over 5 million of the original 5 were made. Apparently the US-market LeCar was well known at the time for its popularity in the San Fransisco gay community, which couldn't have helped mainstream sales. There was no such stigma elsewhere in the world. Cool! and welcome.
It was just an odd little car at the time in the US, probably the smallest (and oddest, to Americans!) sold by anyone. Small cars have never caught much attention over here!
NO! No Morgan-ishs from me! I don't think I could build the Morgan replica I want, which would be 80 years old when I started building it! I'm trying to capture a bit of post war salt flats and avoid prewar hill climb. Think Reno Racer to the Morgan's Schneider Trophy . There's no denying that if I'm building an open wheel reverse trike it's going to look Morganesque. Hiding the engine may make it take on a little of the four cylinder version. Have thought about the R4/R5 box, the trouble is their availability. Not just to buy outright, but cost of replacing somthing if it breaks. The shift linkage is possibly the biggest problem I have to sort other than weight. Whippet96 - That Imp is stunning, well done. Does it get much use?
Imp? Oh, yes, Imp. But IMP?! Surely there's a fair-sized Hillman Imp enthusiast base in your part of the world? That power train might translate quite nicely to the front.
My apologies for IMP/Imp. Now you mention it I'm sure this clarification has been made on the thread before . . . The canted over engine in an Imp makes hood clearance problems for me, and by the time a new engine has been mated up (the Imp powerplant is pretty good, but isn't the last word in fuel economy) then I've got similar problems. They're also quite long and can't be flipped to get the engine lower. Could put in a slant 6 that cants the other way . . . . There's a modern Renault 5/6 speed that I've seen as an option, especially for much higher outputs, but God it's expensive. All the mid engine V8 guys want one. Sandrailers use the VW box a fair bit in mid engine arrangement, so there are kits about for both cable and rod shifters that could be adapted, but I reckon I can fab up somthing myself (rods) that'll look a little more attractive. Unlike the sandrail guys, I don't have to alter the linkage so shift patterns are 'reversed', so my problems aren't as complex.
Or find an auto Bug transaxle and just have a cable. Not as much fun and you'd lose 1-2 mpg, but would surely simplify things! Even your grille in front car can be called "Morganish" -- they made one like that! See the 32-52 "F" series: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Morgan.f4.arp.750pix.jpg
The Jalopy Journal
