Cyclekarts!

[C-Bag]

Rather than continue to horn in/derail Calandrod’s thread about building a peddle car I thought I’d get a separate thread about my side fantasy of building a cyclekart. It has so many elements that would be satisfying for me and another excuse to bring my sheetmetal tools to bare. Like Bill said in the other thread:

”Lots of latitude on how you handle the bodywork, you could start simple and embellish one area at a time after it's in running condition.”

My problem is there is enough latitude to make my usual long contemplation period into a mental exercise in futility. I generally let things evolve on their own, such as parts all the sudden show up local on my CL. One of the universal parts is Honda 90 wheels and I had a near miss. Guy had like 3 basket case 90’s but only one set of wheels. Meanwhile my long desire to build a VW based kit car has bled over to this inquiry. The car that has many of these elements is the 1937 Auto Union type A. One of Ferdinand Porsche’s early designs. It has the torsion bar trailing link front end I loved on my VW’s and a rare mid engine which works with the rear engined cycle kart. I also love the esthetic of the body.

 

[wachuko]

1/32 scale slot car

 

[wachuko]

For ideas, this guy is making one…

 

[C-Bag]

For ideas, this guy is making one…

+1! Fantastic…thanks for posting.…I know nothing of this era of auto history and had never heard of Auto Union. I know probably hard to believe but it wouldn’t be the first time I was the last to hear of something cool. I subscribed to his channel and have also subscribed to some other cyclekart builders, one who’s making one based off the type C. Unfortunately it seems to be after the very beginning of the build has passed. I also bumped into a guy who had made a torsion bar rear suspension for a cyclekart and his bars are socket extensions! You vary the “spring“ using different lengths and diameter. Like I think he was using a 3/8” x 10” long extension keeping the square drive. Simple and no need for splines. Ingenious.

Thats going to be the tough part for me is filtering or downgrading from what Z is doing with his street legal version and making it applicable to a cyclekart. True seat of your pants engineering.

 

[wachuko]

+1! Fantastic…thanks for posting.…I know nothing of this era of auto history and had never heard of Auto Union. I know probably hard to believe but it wouldn’t be the first time I was the last to hear of something cool. I subscribed to his channel and have also subscribed to some other cyclekart builders, one who’s making one based off the type C. Unfortunately it seems to be after the very beginning of the build has passed. I also bumped into a guy who had made a torsion bar rear suspension for a cyclekart and his bars are socket extensions! You vary the “spring“ using different lengths and diameter. Like I think he was using a 3/8” x 10” long extension keeping the square drive. Simple and no need for splines. Ingenious.

Thats going to be the tough part for me is filtering or downgrading from what Z is doing with his street legal version and making it applicable to a cyclekart. True seat of your pants engineering.

I would love to be able to do something like this:

and a replica of a Jaguar C-Type...

 

[C-Bag]

I would love to be able to do something like this:

and a replica of a Jaguar C-Type...

I guess I would too. But I know my limits in time and energy and that’s why a cyclekart appeals. Much smaller(cheaper) scale. And as far as I can see just about as much fun!

I feel like I’m good with the tools I’ve acquired so now it’s the design and materials. Most of the guys are going with a steel tubing frame. I would love to build more like an all aluminum tub more along the lines of an aircraft fuselage or Indy car. At one time there was somebody selling big pieces of honeycomb aluminum panel that is used in aircraft flooring on CL. It still pops up from time to time as there is a guy down in LA that has a bunch. That would make the perfect floor in the cyclekart to build a super lightweight ridged monocoque body off of. If you’re going to dream, dream big.