Ade, Royal Spares do vintage type hubs and wheels at a reasonable price. Brake drums are most likely only 6" although that's most likely correct for a cyclecar anyway. They have sprocket/drums for chain drive as well. http://royalspares.com/half-width-front-hub-and-brake-drum-for-vintage-enfield.html
The engines used in these bikes are Villiers Midgets but the ones in the left hand thumb are 70cc versions as used in Atco mowers and the others are 98cc versions mostly seen on Morrison mowers in NZ. There was another bikes built in Christchurch with used three Villiers Midget engines in line, with mostly pre WW2 cycle parts from a smaller size English bike. It looked very impressive and was sold on trademe for a considerable sum.
I would rather have a new set of wheels hubs and stub axles , this car will be used in hill climbs and sprints , that's Uk type hill climbs like Prescott and shelsey Walsh ,, It will only have rear wheel brakes hence the need for speedway or sidecar hubs without brakes, The rear brakes are axle rather than wheel mounted , with solid axle chain driven from a motorcycle gearbox centrally mounted in the car ,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55288722@N00/7643107454/ Link to my cad drawing of the jappic, the screen resolution is wrong on the monitor hence the oval wheels
So SanctaRosa and Ade are building wooden frames....hmmm, I have some slabs of hickory that might work. Y'all keep us updated on your progress. I'm still sketching and considering a 40" by 100" frame and extending the front end with quarter eliptical leaf springs pushing my wheelbase out a little more.
I'm following your project with some interest and will be looking forward to seeing it all come together. Just out of interest do you know the fate of the original Jappic car at all? LGS126VEMS112, - I've seen a photo of the three engined bike and I must say it's an impressive looking machine. Thanks for pointing out the difference between these Villiers engines, I haven't taken apart the slope finned engine as yet so I'd just assumed that it was the same capacity.
The original jappic was sold to France , possibly had a 500 jap engine fitted but was then destroyed in a workshop fire in montelery race track There are Romours of some original parts still existing but as yet I have failed to track these down , I am making my chassis out of ash laminated to give me a long curve chassis will be 45 mm x 100 mm with a step up around the cockpit area to clear the rear axle From the quarter elliptic spring mounts which are to the rear of the axle the chassis members will slim down to the rear of the body
One of the problems with friction drive is if you engage the drive too slowly the wheel skids on the other causing a flat spot on the wheel which then causes vibration and the only cure is to either skim the wheel or if there is not enough friction material it's a reface job, Good points the car can go as fast in reverse as going forward , drive taken from other side of the disc to o backward
Not feeling any love for friction drive if a simple gearbox is available. Ade, are you boxing the frame with steel? My hickory frame rails will be 2" x 4", but not laminated.
There are additional steel plates where ever parts are bolted to the chassis , I don't think it needs to be fully plated over the whole length of the chassis , but this is from feeling rather than any maths
I think Rick Scaldwells V-8 J.A.P. GN is a pretty good example of the plating where need be over wood rails.
Hi UKAde, here is a link to an Australian supplier of beaded edge Rim tyres and hubs. Might be of some help with your wheels? http://users.chariot.net.au/~brianforth/BeadedEdge.htm regards, Steve.
At first I thought, 'Cool bananas', but then I discovered that their Chater-Lea replica hubs only take a 6301 bearing which fits a 12mm axle. Bit small diameter for a cyclecar unfortunately, but good for some of my other old bicycle projects; - so I guess that makes it a 'semi-cool bananas' instead
You could give these guys a call. They're in your neck of the woods, SanctaRosa. http://www.vintagerims.com/
Those are new hubs, made by Royal Enfield in India. However, most likely not suitable for the purpose you are intending.
I read the old thread on wood frames. Any thoughts on treating the wood with oils or chemicals or coatings prior to use? Looks like Scaldwell's GN treats its frame with motor oil any time that JAP is running.
Thanks for the link, but I've pretty much deciced to use a pair of Austin 7 wheel rims for my cyclecar
Chassis treatment I was speaking to a furniture maker friend of mine today we recommended west epoxy as a surface treatment, he made a wooden sink for his kitchen 5 years ago and treated it with west epoxy and it's still looking great it gets used for the washing up everyday
I. Have plenty of Austin 7 wheels but for my car they don't look right especial on the front as there will be no brakes so it needs that spindly look
That's very true I'm planning on using 7 inch Morris Minor brake drums and hubs with the Austin 7 wheels. If at all possible I'm hoping to find a set of mechanically operated 7 inch rear brakes from an Austin A30 to use on my cyclecar. I've got spare Morris hydraulic brake parts, only I'd prefer not to use them on what is afterall supposed to be a 1930s cyclecar.
I've been trying to find out more about a French three wheeled 'Sociable' cyclecar named 'La Blake' or just plain 'Blake'. It uses a motorcyle/sidecar type format in terms of its wheel layout, but apart from that there isn't a great deal of 'motorcycle' about its appearance. Using my hazy French reading skills I've been able to determine that it had cantilever rear springs and used a method of front wheel drive that gave it quite outstanding handling and driveability. The only picture I've been able to find is this one on the Amicale Tricyclecariste de France website.
The accompanying text uses the word "curieux": now coming from a French source, that really is saying something special. Belt drive (courroie), and "..que rend impossible le dérapage". Now that latter is a major selling point, as it says it is impossible to skid - maybe current day formula 1 designers could learn something here...? *edit: although the text, and by inference, the source publication is french, I'm suspecting that the "thing" (the best way to refer to it, I reckon...) could possibly not in fact be french, but rather - British(?) - as "Blake" is not particularly french, to my mind. And there was a "Baby Blake" cyclecar from 1922, 'though its specifications are common only in that it, too, used 2 stroke engines (two of 'em, in fact). Gurgle it.
Well it certainly is a mystery because when I had a good look at an enlarged printout of the illustration there seems to be a flat twin engine of some kind mounted on the front wheel hub; - only as well as that engine a single cylinder engine complete with a magneto and belt drive is hung off the front of the main steering pivot. Maybe it is a 'Baby Blake' On the other hand though the brief Wikipedia article on the Baby Blake mentions two engines driving the rear axle through an arrangement of three friction discs. No mention at all of a three wheeled Sociable with front wheel drive, - which means that either this 'Blake' is not a 'Baby Blake' at all or it's by the same maker, E.G. Blake of Croydon, Surrey, but a completely different design of cyclecar altogether!
Sancta Rosa- I am glad that you are back! your contributions to this site have always been interesting, and your facts show a lot of research. Keep up the good work! God bless Herb
I've begun a somewhat related thread about specials. Take a look. Some contributions from some of the regulars on this thread would be most welcome!
The Jalopy Journal
