Let's Talk Cyclecars

Hi Ned thanks for posting the tilting cycle car. Do you have anymore info on how the steering worked? I am looking to build one and am in the design stages trying to work out proper tilting geometry. Jim Ford

 

Here is a great video of the Trojan cyclecar.

 

And this one. At the end you will see the Jappic.

 

Hello Lee,​

Quite sophisticated solution, especially for those years! If I understand well, it wasn't ever put in full production? Anyway, quite complicated solution for cheap light automobile, probably too expensive...
Using my humble knowledge from mechanic and kinematic (forgot a lot after learning), I couldn't understand why such solutions are better then simple and ordinary use of coil springs? More levers, more bushings, more moving, more weight - more complication... Only good thing I could see if in-board coil-springs are used on sport-racing cars with narrow body and open wheels: less air-resistance on higher speeds!
But, I like thinking out-off-box and enjoy in those photos and descriptions!

Ciao, Zoran​

 

Hello all,
I have been enjoying this thread from the beginning while awaiting delivery of a 1935 Morgan F4. The car has been owned by my father since 1969 and was disassembled for repair/restoration in 1973. It was delivered today as a roller shrink-wrapped together with the cockpit filled with parts, together with several boxes and crates of parts. I'm hoping there is nothing major missing.
I will not be able to begin assembly for another month or so. But I will add pictures as I begin the restoration. My goal is to have it on the road within a year, so I can take my Dad to the Monterey Historics in it in 2015. Wish me luck!

 

Speaking of Morgans.....here some from G.L...

 

Did I post this one before? Via G.L....

 

No information on the Neander, though I sporadically day-dream about tilting vehicles myself. My perennial mental reverse-trike (longbike meets T-bucket) is moving towards two tilting front wheels and one non-tilting rear.

 

I have a 10.5 foot long belly tank and was thinking of using a supercharged Crosley, Aerojet, Homelite, or Bearcat 55 engine. All variants of the original Cobra (copper braised tin) engine. I would like to make it using vintage parts as much as possible. I have some theories on how to make the tilt and turn work best but have not yet built a working model. Jim Ford

 

Hello Zoran,
Inboard suspensions using pushrods/pullrods/bellcranks do allow different packaging of components. You have more options about where to place the springs/shocks, which might give you more freedom designing your chassis and other parts of the car. Also, you can do tricky things with bellcranks to get a variable wheel rate. That is, the spring force on the wheel is different than the spring force of the spring. You could set it up so the first inch of wheel movement upward has say, 200lb/in pushing down on the wheel. As the wheel moves further upward, the force could increase to 300lb/in. So you have a nice soft ride rate but when the car rolls into a corner it stiffens up more than it would with a linear wheel rate.

 

Hello Lee,
I didn't known that clear, but I suppose that there must be some other benefits!
Bell-cranks in many variants give us more opportunities to solve mechanic and kinematic issues in variable ways...
Ciao, Zoran

 

Supercharged Amilcar C6. GL pic...

 

What a beautiful little 6 cyl. Love Amilcar's.

 

My Dad racing his 1926 Morgan Aero/GN

 

GL pic...that's all I know!

 

Unfortunately I don't know much about the car, but it was purchased as a finished car.Also, he was racing on a the East Coast and I am on the West. He mostly gave up racing at 81 years old last year and has sent the car back to Europe.
But here are a few more pictures I pulled off the web.

 

It's so over the top I had to know more, so I dug a little. It's an Imp-powered racing sidecar (paired rears count as one for some sanctioning bodies). More at http://anarchadia.blogspot.com/2012/08/vintage-thing-no117-skr-imp-powered.html

 

I remember reading about another sidecar like that using a Mini front drive. It was so fast that it was finally banned from racing. They should have just made him add weight like they did to the Vipers.

 

This one?




http://japearceengineering.com/general/4-into-3-will-go-go-go/

More here: http://speedtracktales.com/miscellaneous-isdt-features/other-images/

 

... as I remember, it was banned not just because of power but because enormous improvement in general perfomances (steering, road-holding, aero-dynamic...), but mostly because it wasn't motrocycle with side-car but 3-wheel automobile! It had steering wheel, beside other differences and power on two wheels! But, magnificient little car!
Ciao, Zoran

 

Here's another image of the fabulous little C6 Amilcar restored by Thornley Kellum (http://www.thornleykelham.com/restoration/ ) and photographed by the master of light,Ashley Border ( http://www.lightflow.co.uk/Article/Index?id=15 ).

 

I've had a shot of that one's chassis and dashboard as my wallpaper at work for over a year.

 

The car is probably in better shape than when it was new.

 

Here 's a set of great pictures of Classic Days - Schloss Dyck. The set starts off with Frank's Schasche.

http://www.stern.de/auto/news/pommes-statt-schampus-2128478-5c580b77b39167e2.html

 

A Morgan from M.T. via le CycleCaristeBelge

 

Very nicely turned out, and BMW-powered:

German-registered Bentley isn't quite a cyclecar:

Nor is this Voisin:

 

I don't care,do you?

 

Rudge from Marc T. & Marc H. ....LeCycleCaristeBelge

 

Salmson via M.T.....