At first I fucking cringed when I saw this thread, but after thinking about it, it reminds of some of the odd shit Ed Roth built/may have liked. I think a Roth inspired build is the only way it'll work (captain pepi, surfite, mailbox trike, etc). Here's my ideas: -Powered by something odd like twin triumph motors or a hopped up Crosley -Cycle front wire wheel -Surfboards or chopper in the back -Lots of chrome!!!
I spent time in Taiwan and saw a bunch of those things, too. In particular I remember a lot of three wheel cement mixers - they were about the size of a 2 1/2 ton US truck, but the driver sat on a little tractor seat right over the single front wheel. No cab or anything, he was just out there in the breeze. If you were riding a motor scooter, you didn't want to meet one of those guys coming down a narrow street...they yielded for no one.
Brings back memories. I saw many of those beasts in Okinawa when I was there 65-67. My self I drove around in a Mazda Cupe. V2 36Hp 2brl carb 2speed auto. My buddy had one with a 4speed stick. I could beat his.
I saw one a few years ago when I was in Japan. It was behind a fence and had been there for quite a while. It was big, probably a 2 ton. I tried to figure a way to get it in my overhead storage compartment but had to leave it behind.
HEY Johnny!!!!!!!!, When ya gonna get back down here?????? You need ta come see this lil beast. I got it running the other day, Now just soaking the shifting linkage on the column to get it ta free up so I can take it for a drive.
Chop the top, move the engine to the back( 1994 cc porche engine, super - charged), chop the springer and move it out, like a rake, z the frame, bring the rear wheels through the bed. Etc..... Man now i want one!!!!!!!!!!
As scarce as it is, probably all you need to do is paint it and clean it up a bit, it's so wierd no one would know the difference between stock and custom.
I have a few thee wheelers. Two Daihatsu Trimobiles and a Westcoaster Mailster. I put my ATC wheels on that first one. I'm thinking about installing the engine and trans out of my Escort. Its currently just sitting in the bed but but it fits nice in that location. If I cut the floor out and shortend the axles and used the 14" wheels it would look real good. Of course it would need wheelie bars. The blue one is from Japan (not mine). They originally came with a one cyl 2 stroke engine in them. These are rated at over a ton. Yes, these Japenese 3 wheelers ARE heavy haulers. The other one I found on craigslist for $100. The first one I got free from a guy in Santa Cruz when I bought a Morris Minor woodie from him.
First pic is my Westcoaster Mailster. I have another escort I may use for the drivetrain in that one. Second pic is a rodded one with motorcycle forks. Third pic chassis. Last one is an Itialian 3 wheeler with (if I recall correctly) a Suzuki 1300.
Thanks, I belong to a few micro car groups. They dont like rodded rare cars, but I dont like chasing parts for a starter/generator assembly. Plus they are always looking for original rebuildable parts so it works for the both of us. When I get my Divco ice cream trucks finished I want to start building one of these into and micro ice cream truck. Rodded of course.
2many, I belong to several micro groups too. Here is my '58 Isetta that I am redoing and a '58 600 Limo that I sold to a guy in Japan about 2 years ago.
How the hell are you supposed to put two tons of cargo on one of these without the front end lifting up? Sounds a little scary to me....
Bomber, If you notice the ????, I was just wandering what people here thought if this thing had some sort of custom treatment done to it.
Well in my case when I pull the 305 CC and install a 1.9L engine I jumped the engine size over 6 times. Thats much greater than pulling a 250 I6 and going to a 350 V8. That would be like puttin 3 502s in a 72 Nova.
Custom ideas... how would you customize one? I guarantee NO ONE would have anything like it at a show.
That thing really moves. There are a few Daihatsu Trimobile vids on youtube also. Can you imagine how that would run with a small Front WD 4 cyl in the back. Would look cool too with the big wheels on it like the pic. Heres another "Tri" with a shell on the back.
The Jalopy Journal
