Since selling off the goldwing project to free up much needed workshop space.
I have to concentrate on customers vw fibreglass shelled trikes.
So I will build both on here.
The first one will use the beetles torsion bar set up.
The second will be one of my own frames which uses it's own suspension setup.
Both will use the same shell as pictured below, except one will have the nose cut back to use a 4,5 gallon quickbob tank, which also adds some much needed weight to the front. As anyone who has ridden a vw trike knows. The front ends are light
|
 |
Click on images an larger image will open in new window
LEFT
One 2 Seater Shell Fresh From The Mould With The Seat Inserts.
|
 |
LEFT
One grubby looking VW Trans And Torsion set-up waiting to be stripped and grit blasted, All mountings will be replaced with Poly ones and new stainless bolts etc....
All the metal in front of the torsion tube will be cust back and plated before the main tube is fitted
|
I'm afraid i've got a lot further ahead than I have pictures for.
A customers frame is in the process of having it's final welding and body mounting brackets put in place.
So to enable someone wishing to build thier own frame i've set these pics up in the yard which show the process of putting a front frame onto the torsion tube.
|
 |
As drawn to the bottom left. it’s made from two 6" rsj's on 3 adjustable legs. So it can be moved at anytime and easily levelled up again. It doesn’t have to be a "t shape. But i find it useful if making a rigid mc trike frame.
If you decide or cannot for whatever reason use a jig,
then you can do it as the mock up i have pictured above.
The upper left picture shows the torsion bar minus engine and drive shafts, with an empty gearbox mounted to it(it's going to be the extension for a front engined vw trike to be made shortly.)
The upper piece of angle iron on the odd looking fixture bolted to the bell housing emulates the top of a beetle’s fan housing; the shell can be rested on this during assembly. It's easier doing it this way than having to cope with the weight of the engine hanging off the back at this time.
The fan housing on this trike will be cut down by 2" so will in fact end up 2" lower than the rear of the shell which will allow for movement of the engine not interfering with the grp body.
The pic to the right shows an adjustable axle stand. These have a threaded stem so can be minutely adjusted.
Level up the torsion tube side to side. With the gearbox in place raise or lower the bell housing end of the subframe until the face of the bell housing is vertical using a spirit level.
The height of the assembly off the floor is not important at this point, but make sure you can easily measure underneath the shell, if you’re not using a shell then forget that last bit. |
 |
 |
 |
Left is the shell resting on the rear temporary bracket? A spirit level placed on the rear deck enables you to level it length ways.
Then you can see underneath and plan were you intend to put body mounting points from the torsion bar |
 |
The Left pic shows the large base plate mounted on to the torsion bar. it is fully welded to the gearbox mounting horns plus there are three 8mm gussets welded in place between plate and torsion bar.
The main spine is also welded to the base plate as well as four triangular gussets. The two vertical metal strips in the pic tacked on at either end of the base plate are only temporary. |
There purpose is to prevent the base plate from warping during welding.
Bolted into place is the rear body shell mounting bar.
Towards the front of the frame the riders mounting is welded into place |
The two pics above show the completed basic frame. (The customer is completing the build himself)
the front angled body mount is welded into place. The headstock is made from 60mm x8mm walled seamless tube. This particular one has a 55mm bearing fitted at the bottom and a 52mm one to the top. The rake is 42 degrees.
Also welded into place is the foot controls mounting, this is a solid 25mm bar going through the frame, turned down at the ends for the controls and threaded for a 10mm locknut.
Lower pic above shows the foot rest mounting bar. This has deliberately been left over width and over length so the builder can tailor it to his own preference. |
Pic below shows the shell resting on its mounts.
This particular build won’t go any further as the customer will be completing it himself.
Another build has been started which will use a quickbob tank and a shell with the front section removed. It will have a higher headstock than the one shown here, maybe with a reversed Springer front end |
 |
|
Work has now started on the second trike . This will be using the same basic bodyshell but the front end will be cut back to fit a steel quickbob 4.5 gallon tank.
The frame will also be lengthened. We will also need to fabricate tabs and brackets to fit the tank. This build will also include foot controls, gear change mechanism and hand brake mounting.
Please note that in the near future our vw trike frames will not be utilising the beetle torsion bar assembly what so ever. The frames will be relying on either heavy mc shocks absorbers or custom built ones.
The body shell has just come out of the mould and work will be continued on the frame which will be updated on here as we build
Our new buck has been made to produce rear fenders. These fenders will be semi circular with very deep sides. That we or the customer can cut to a design.
They will be available plain or with stainless steel tubes bonded inside to hide the mountings.
Also available will be small lighting housings that will fit flush on the fenders
|
|
|
 |
|
