Projects OT - My Compressed Air Vehicle

Since i've had the Model A, i've become fascinated with everything old and mechanical. Why it works, how it works, how reliable it was.... and so on. Everything was easy to fix and well designed (for its time).
Steam powered, oil engines, hit & miss, flame lickers i love em all!

So I decided to build a useless vehicle last night at 7pm. No plans other then it was going to be 3 wheeled using my compressed air engine. Good thing i keep everything, i used up the rest of the bike parts in my scrap pile and a bunch of tubing under my bench. i didn't measure a thing, just cut and weld. I had the whole thing finished and rolling in 3 hours. No idea it would even work!

This was just to experiment and learn. Maybe someday i will make it gas powered so i can actually drive it a distance.


Pics from last night at 10-11pm





Today my buddy came by and i decided to hook up some hoses and IT'S ALIVE!

It feels like i've gone back to the late 1800's or something!

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Man, that is completely Steampunk! I love it! Maybe not the fastest in the world, but that's what hotrodding is all about.

 

COOL! You need a trailer with a BIG air tank!

 

Ya it's definitely not fast but it's still amazingly fun to drive around.

100% agree!

 

what kinda little motor is that? what vintage?

 

its a 90's tecumseh engine that i added lobes to the cam shaft to make it run on compressed air.

 

I'd like some skid pad numbers ,,the best part was the last vid where she was lope'n.

 

That is awesome. Just think, somebody back in the 1800s built something similar to this and when it worked, they said to their buddies, "Hey guys, check this shit out!"

 

That is so cool! Give a hot rodder some materials and time and he'll come up with just about anything!

 

A couple of nitrogen tanks mounted on the ass of that thing, maybe a gear/pulley setup with chain or belt....woooo. That things cool man. Same kind of stuff my friend builds...just off the wall crazy shit. Everytime I go to his house he's got some new contraption and he says "wanna ride it?"

 

Hey! thats a bong in the back ground !

 

Can you say underslung nitrogen tank, or 2 ???? I can. need more speed open the regulator.

Or at least on of those water ski tow rope risers so you don't need to aorry about fouling the supply hose.

 

thanks guys!

That would be cool. I make all kinds of stuff too. im usually too fussy tho to make something this quickly.

Wat?

 

ya right now running off my compressor i dont gain any speed with the regulator wide open, i dont have the volume needed with hose diameter and this regulator.

 

Since it's all in fun, it might be worth experimenting with some type of bike derailleurs & gears to have a "transmission" of sorts....might be able to make it efficient enough to actually run for a bit off an air tank, though probably not more than a minute or so. Nevertheless, it would be neat to see what happens even with larger diameter air hose.

 

Or a really long hose

 

ive got 2 more in the shop i could connect! it would probly be enough to make some passes on the road lol.

 

I like the way it sounds.

 

air cars have been around a very long time.

 

you should show this over at ratrodbikes.com!

 

Fun project.

 

now go get yourself some old aluminum scuba tanks and a paintball compressor and you can drive it to the corner store.

 

wow great article! thanks!

what kind of pressure do they run and cubic feet air could you hold?

 

See... Gary

http://74.6.239.67/search/cache?ei=...eDc&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=3B05EwQQB6OQ6d82JdbWIA--

Or...

http://74.6.239.67/search/cache?ei=...O&icp=1&.intl=us&sig=8yPQuFthxDn.Bnw3.hHx6Q--

How about a land speed version? Gary

 

What is the transmission from? Your creation needs to be flat black with red wheels.

 

Wow - Can you explain this? If I understand correctly it was a gas engine and you only modified the cam? What's the theory behind adding the lobes? sounds cool.

 

26 replies, and I'm the only one who mentions fart-power? Geez...........

 

scuba tanks need to have a hydrostatic test done every so often, the test can have them up to 10,000 psi, but when in use there more like 3500 psi, a scuba/paintball pump is around 3500 psi, what that means in volume i don't know, scuba tanks that don't pass hydro sell for scrap price, i was told i could buy lots of them for $25 each or less, have you seen the new french air car, the motor is more like a two stage compressor.

 

2 stroke vs 4 stroke. removes the compression stroke.

 

Oh that totaly explains it - thanks