88 Blazer Trike

[Fowler]

I did some of the upside down welding. But not a lot. My floor is wet from all the rain and the cardboard I was laying on got soaked

I also picked up a new stereo for my shop. Need to install it before Friday night boxing

Well I was up on a ladder last night putting the stereo in place, My floor is still wet and so were my shoes

I slipped and fell backward onto the fender of my Heathen Trike, Man that hurt. Knocked the wind out of me, I have not had the wind knocked out of me for a LONG time

Those horns hurt

My wife said she could see the horns impressed on my back

My fender is still OK

My back, butt, arm and side hurt like hell today though

 

[Zammy]

Dang Bob, I guess you're lucky in a way that nothing is broken, take care.

 

[Fowler]

Well, I'm not only Old, I'm fat too

So I had a lot of cushion

 

[LarryA]

LOL...the older we get, the more padding we need!

 

[Fowler]

Got the shocks mounted today

 

[Fowler]

I have some clean up, supports brackets to make and some underside welding to do

After that I am thinking about tackling the brake system.

This way I can roll it down the hill (and get towed back up)

How well will the brakes work without the booster connected? Would it be like manual brakes?

Thinking about mounting the booster and master cyl on the frame and fabricate linkage to it.

The linkage will be long but it should be OK

Was planning to have the brake pedal and shifter on the left and gas pedal on the right (this is how my first trike was setup) it takes some getting used to but it worked OK for me back then. Anyone else trying to ride it may have problems though but I am building it for me to ride no one else (maybe my son)

was thinking about something like this

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tff-2121nb-1/questionsanswers/

 

[Fowler]

I was looking at the trike and noticed the pinion angle seems off

I had the rear end and the trany set to 0

Now the rear end is at 3 degrees up

0 degrees at the transmission output shaft and 3 degrees up at the rear end output shaft is not good (from what I have read)

The rear end must have turned some when I put the shocks on.

I can fix this!

The 4 link setup I have on it now allows me to make adjustments like this.

Hope to be able to do this on the 4th of July weekend (long weekend)

 

[Fowler]

while fixing the Pinion angle it threw everything else off again.

I spent all day yesterday getting it right again.

Its actually better than before

some concerns...............

the cross member over the drive shaft only allows for so much drive shaft travel. I put a section of PCV in as a mock up drive shaft. Larger than the actual drive shaft will be. I bounced the frame up and down and it was OK but I am still concerned about it. That cross member also has 1 end of the top 4 link attached to it so I can only do a little modification to it. I may be able to get about 1 more inch of clearance but really don't want to do that unless needed

It has a lot of body movement. It is center on the wheels and stays center but can tilt from one side to the other easier than I expected. Maybe this is because it has no weight on it yet, maybe the springs are not strong enough (new heavier springs are not that expensive)

I am having a hard time getting down under the frame to do the welds underneath and even just down low I tried a couple and I just cant get down there enough to do good welds. I don't want to continue like that.

I am thinking of putting jack stands on blocks, raise the stands all the way up with the trike on top of them. this way the welds should be at about the right height to sit on my shop stool. This do not seem to safe but I need everything higher to work on it.

I wanted to start on the brakes but I think I need to do the exhaust headers first. I need to be able to design the brake pedal around the headers, the gas pedal also.

I was thinking of using a header kit

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Univ...MIiPHFyK_I4wIVBJ6fCh1abAJkEAQYBCABEgJzSvD_BwE

or

https://www.racemufflers.com/Chevy-34L-V6-Custom-Header-Build-Kit-p/chvy-v6-34l-na-hbk.htm

or something like them

 

[vwbug72501]

How about a disposable rotisserie? Do you have enough room in your shop to roll it on it's side? Here's some stuff from the web:

http://www.mossmotoring.com/diy-rotisserie/



Sure beats welding upside down!

 

[vwbug72501]

Ignore those last 2 images. Couldn't figure out how to delete them. Redneck Rotisserie seems most "elegant".

 

[Fowler]

I like those ideas, Not sure what i will do yet.

when I was younger and less beat up I could do it the way it is by just contorting my body to what ever is needed.

Now a days my body does not move that way anymore

 

[TomyJ]

Wheel stands

I like these.


I think you have seen mine?

Good luck...

 

[Fowler]

Hey guys

I'm still around. Just to much going on to work on the trike lately.

I even accidentally cut off one of my toes a few weeks ago. Still healing from that.

Anyway I have not given up on my trike, I will get back to it, It may just be a while.

 

[peteg59]

Sorry to hear about your toe Bob.

Guess thats better than losing a foot, but no fun none the less.

We can wait for you to get back to your trike project, when you get better...​

Good luck on your recovery.

 

[Marc H]

Hope you heal well and soon.We'll be here when you get back to it.No rush.

 

[Zammy]

Hope you heal up well Bob, bummer about the toe.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Ouch, I cannot imagine what that felt like

Get well soon

 

[Fowler]

Thanks

The Toe or whats left of it will be fine. The infection is gone and its getting better every day



Its all the Ol'Ladies fault

We were watching a show called Forge in fire.

They were making Kukri

She really like them and asked me to make her one

I made her one, it came out Ok but I liked it so did my son

So we started making one for him and then started one for me.

Any time I get doing stuff with my son I take advantage of.

anyway I was looking through the scrap pile for a another leaf spring

I was in flip flops and rammed my toe into a a sharp I beam

Off went the toe

I did get to chase her around the bathroom with the part that came off though

That part was fun

I had to sit on my but for a few weeks and it drove me nuts.

while sitting around I ordered myself a forge. Don't know how it use it yet but I will

 

[LarryA]

Sorry about the toe Bob....shared your episode with the wife......she says steel toed boots for you!!

 

[grandpanystrom61]

So glad to here that all is getting better Bob. Wow, that was some accident. Healing sure takes to much time, it only takes seconds to break or cut off something, but it seems like it takes forever to heal up.

I knew a person who lost a toe and than the lower leg because of infection. Not good at all, so please keep on it and do whatever is needed to help all heal as needed. I am sure my friends issue was lack of cleaning and care of the toe, knowing him he probably never went to a Doctor until it was to late. Keep safe everyone.

 

[Fowler]

Hey guys

I'm still around.

Its been a long time since i have posted. A lot of things have happened in my life and I just not had the chance to get back to the trike build.

I still have it though. .

Now that my heath is better and I can move more I have been trying to get back tp working on it.

I did work on the square exhaust the other day. I'm still working out the details.

Anyway I thought I would pop in and say hi and let you know i have not given up on it.

 

[Gorilla]

Welcome back Bob glad things are better for you.

 

[BillR]

Bob, glad you're posting again. I miss seeing your other metalworking projects, too.

I thought about you last month when I was coming home on Rt. 460.

 

[Fowler]

Thanks guys

Sometimes life is just that way...........

anyway as I said I am working on my square exhaust. In doing so I have to also plan for my brake and gas pedals

The gas pedal is not an issue but the brake has been a little challenging.

I think I have it figured out now where I will now have 3 inches of brake pedal travel.

Is that enough?

I plan to use a small brake booster for easier braking

I also need to figure out a way to have hand brakes and hand throttle along with the foot pedals

I have Charcots foot on both feet and both the foot Gas and Brake pedals hurt, but I still want them along with the hand controls

Well it will be light out soon. I have to replace the exhaust manifold on my HHR today

I will try to get the Ol'Lady to help me with a picture of the square exhaust I have so far and post it

 

[Sidecarbill]

I would want the full travel of the master cylinder. Brake pedal all the way down, the master should be at the end of it's travel.

 

[LarryA]

wondered many times....where is Bob...good to hear your back at it!

 

[Fowler]

here is my first attempt at the square exhaust

just tacked together

need to come out more

Im not holding it exactly straight in the pic

 

[Fowler]

I would want the full travel of the master cylinder. Brake pedal all the way down, the master should be at the end of it's travel.

I think with the right linkage setup I can make a 3 inch pedal travel longer than 3 inches if needed

It may make for a touchy brake pedal though

 

[stacebg]

I think with the right linkage setup I can make a 3 inch pedal travel longer than 3 inches if needed

It may make for a touchy brake pedal though

generally the ratio of the pedal movement to the mc movement is around 7 or 8 to 1 that said i think u need longer than a 3 in pedal