Let's Talk Cyclecars

Rooman will you be staying in U.S.?

 

Will your cyclecar be a one or two seater? Bob

 

I am in to just about anything automotive and love the cyclecar concept. Trying to find time to build one but I have two dragster restoration projects and want to build my wife a hot rod as well. When I was a teenager (a long time ago) one of my co-workers at Chrysler Australia had an Amilcar and Austin 7 specials were popular at that time (a small step up from a cyclecar). I do have a lot of the parts for a cyclecar--KZ 1300 engine/VW transaxle/27 T roadster body/spindles/brakes etc and was planning to do a mid engine deal. I knew AJ Watson quite well and he had a motorcycle powered roadster that used the same nose bodywork as his Indy roadsters.

Roo

 

Yes. I have been here since 1988 and my brother is here as well so were are both here for the duration. I miss Oz at times but this is the land of opportunity. When I decided to stay I was 42 years old and had $900 to my name. I now have a well equipped shop with the equipment to do just about everything that I want to do and all it took was a bit of hard work. I wish that more people here realized that they can do whatever they want if they get off their arse and just do it. I don't have a killer retirement fund but I have got to do some cool stuff over the years and enjoy what I do to make ends meet.

Roo

 

I agree with that statement. Many people have the skills and opportunity to accomplish their dreams but lack the drive. I went from restoration to fabrication and couldn't be happier. But it does take a few more tools.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That looks very nice, a few more photos would be nice to see. Whish I could find the motivation to work on my projects. Bob

 

Thanks, Bob. It's not done due to lack of funds so I'm a little hesitant to show it until it is.

 

• Appears to have a Deco waterfall side panel effect. A stunning job. Keep teasing us please.

 

Just the way the sun was hitting the pearl in the paint. Here is another shot. Lots of form but simple and smooth.

 

More photos please Erik--that looks great

Roo

 

This one is somewhere back in the thread somewhere and was my solution to putting two people in a street legal dragster.


Roo

 

Roo, that's too cool. Will it wheelie?

 

Roo, what state was that street legal in?

 

It is not bad with one up but with a passenger it was easy to keep the wheels up . The front suspension is a dragster torsion bar deal and at the back there is a triangulated four link with coil overs on a rising rate linkage. Transmission and rear end are Toyota pick up. The guy that I built it for was a Vietnam vet who spent his time over there dreaming about a street legal dragster and I was the first one that did not tell him that it could not be done. Sadly the big C took him out about a year after I finished it. He did have some fun with it in that time as evidenced by the day we took it out to Indianapolis Raceway Park while the fuel cars were testing. Gary Scelzi loved it, as did Force.


Roo

 

State of mind. Looks like fun

 

Indiana. The owner's wife ran a BMV licence branch so to avoid any suggestion of working the system we submitted photos for approval. The only thing that they did not like was the aluminum windshield as they told us that it had to have a clear one (with a wiper). I mocked it up with a piece of scrap Lexan and taped the cut down wiper off my brother's 6"chopped 49 Ford to a cleco that was holding the Lexan in place. We sent them a photo and they signed off on it. It was still that way when the local cop came to do the final sign off and I told him the story and he said "Works for me".
In this shot you can see all the street stuff--headlights, tail lights, even a third brake light, mirrors etc. The car was never stopped by the police for a closer look.


Roo

 

Nice job Roo!
How would that have been recieved at the RWC office?

 

Did you use a torque compensator on the output shaft?

 

Shows the body form of sweeping curves.

 

I like this attitude!
I was the first one that did not tell him that it could not bedone.

 

I made an adaptor the mounted the Toyota flywheel on the H-D crank along with an outboard bearing for support


Roo

 

The boys at Regency Park in Adelaide would have had a fit

Roo

 

Roo- Nice work. I'm using a 2 liter S&S motor and have to use a torque compensator to smooth out the torque spikes when the piston fires. Using 2 bearings on a floating splined shaft to get to the transmission. About 10" to the trans from the back of the motor.

 

May we see what the entire car looks like?

 

If you can ignore the hacked exhaust and upholstery and other unfinished bits. It's a production prototype that needs some funding to finish some pieces and complete the fixtures, etc. Made just about everything except the wheels, motor and headlamps. They will be built on a custom order basis.

 

Amilcar

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bob is that the John Gerber clone with an A rear in in? Bob

 

Bob, I do not know. The image was posted without any caption or attribution.