LocostUSA.com

Off road? Oh those tubes aren't nearly heavy enough.Just read an article about Paris-Dakar cars: the Yaris sized ones weigh two ton

i was wondering, to bend the tubes, could you place them between two posts and winch the middle, it would be better than heating them?

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and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.

Stephan:

Nice design work thus far! I'd offer up this suggestion: A truly creative 'Locoster' would consider using a motorcycle fuel tank (with integral EFI fuel pump) in the rear of the chassis... 5-6 gallons of fuel should be more than enough to cruise around on!

bryan

For large diameter tubing with large bend radius you need the HF tube roller. It is a lot of roll a little and measure then roll some more but if you make a pattern and keep the tube flat in the plane of the radius it works.

thanks for all the suggestions

robbovious

i dont really see the (internal) exhaust system routing as a big problem...
technically it is "outside" the driver compartment;
the complete right side driveshaft tunnel will be skinned/shielded
and there will be no closed floor in that area, so that any heat/fumes can freely escape.

Rotus , Bryan

unfortunately a soft bladder ATL or Fuelsafe cell is way outside my budget,
and the tank of a downed (donor) bike is usually one of the first things that get damaged
i personally do like plastic tanks in a protective steel enclosure (poor mans fuelsafe ),
so im probably going to use a 10 gallon JAZ "blank" tank (24"x 12"x 9" body with no holes drilled) ...
this way i can mount it on its end to fit in the narrow tail

vroom

(i hope i dont sound like a arrogant arse ) but i do have a little more offroad experience then just from reading a single article

i just gave away my POS HF tube roller ... i didnt like the slow process as well as the difficult repeat-ability if you need several exact same bends

so to address the large diameter bending i will build myself a set of steel jigs similar to the ones seen in this article here ;
http://www.metalgeek.com/archives/2005/05/01/000047.php

it will be a cold bending "one shot" process ... the guy at metalgeek is doing it by hand (with the leverage of using a long tubing)
but i`m getting older (and lazy ) so my jigs will be in a hydraulic powered devise of some sorts

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- Stephan -

i made some progress on the drawing (and a lot of changes )
here is the current design in tangarin orange with graphite wheels ;


higher resolution; http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1012409/original/mmr1.jpg


high res; http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1012411/original/mmr2.jpg


high res; http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1012412/original/mmr3.jpg

i replaced the (visually too small) 205 tires with 225/55R16 ones
i also decided that i dont really want to go back to the harshness of an aluminum seat
so i changed the design to fit a (bulkier) suspension seat
most likely i`m going with a "Corbeau Baja Ultra" ... i used that seat in several cars already and it fits me like a glove
unfortunately that stretched the WB a little (i think i`m at 88" now)

the actual frame and suspension is still a "work in progress" ...

high res; http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1012413/original/mmr4.jpg

i think i addressed my concern of the "weakness" of the bend tubing with the addition of straight tubing X-bars
they make seat fitment tight, but i still have the good "elbow" room up top at the bend tubing

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- Stephan -

I took these pics the other week, and thought that they may be relavent:

Stephan, I never liked the ERA race car's look and hope for my own personal selfish satisfaction you steer back towards this!

http://www.google.com.hk/search?q=ERA%2 ... a=N&tab=wi

cs3tcr
thanks for the pics ... wow, that is a skinny body

... and that midget midengine Autounion (?) in the background is also very interesting !!!
do you have any more pics of that one ?

Mark
i`m impressed that you spotted the ERA inspiration in the grille shell (mixed with a little Maserati 8CM)

yeah ... i`m trying lots of different grille shells ... but i still like the original idea like in that rendering the best
(mostly for its art-deco look and possible excellent radiator discharge air flow)
here is a rough drawing;


high res; http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1012462/original/mmr5.jpg

^ this would be with .75 x .125 aluminum slats with a roughly .65" spacing ...
i may try a .5" spacing (with the top slat going all the way to the tail)
i guess .5" spacing would block the view inside a little better
(however, the drawing does not show the "shade" very well that would be under the hood)

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- Stephan -

Too true about the HF bender. This type of tool

Wow - sounds like I may have missed out on getting your HF tubing bender -
It would work nicely next to the one I already have that makes good clean bends...

bnc

Decent, usable bike fuel tanks aren't hard to find, and on an FI bike, the fuel pump is already inside the tank,
so no custom pump BS is required...

Good Luck on the Project!

bryan

good for you

to save weight i decided to use a mix of 1.5" x .75" x .065/ .095" rectangular tubing for most of the uprights,
as well as for the upper rails (bending it the "hard way" over its 1.5" side) ...


high res; http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/1012806/original/mmr8.jpg

... so rolling it would be problematic anyway (without excellent guiding dies)
bending it over a one piece die (with tall sides to keep the rectangle upright) sounds simpler to me

radius has to be +/- 60"... so the die has probably to be around 48" to deal with the "spring back"
i`m planing on building wood prototypes (out of 3 layers of 3/4" plywood or MDF) until i find the correct radi
and then build the actual die out of steel for a accurate repeat-ability.

the lower "rocker panel" tube will be 2" x .095" (partially exposed) to protect the side panels,
as well as giving me the "rolled under" look.

bending it will be the same as with the rectangular tubing;
probably some wooden "trail and error" until i find the correct die radi


i`m still undecided about the rollbar
as usual its a compromise of safety OR style

just a rear loop or a more protective cage like this :





the offroader in me likes something like this ^,
but i worry that it may hurt the retro-vintage look too much ....
what do you guys think ?!?

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- Stephan -

I think your off-road instincts are correct. Just wear a leather helmet with goggles and nobody will notice the front hoop.
I had the same thoughts before I added the full cage. Now it just looks right.
Ron

I think the roll cage adds a little dirt track racer look to it. I like it.

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I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.