Finally getting around to sticking things on here.
I've been trike minded for many decades, ever since I saw my first Pheonix Trike (Blue it was) on an advert for Orbit Sugar-free Gum in the early 80's.
Still got the price list from them, basic kit of bodywork, frame and head bearings £357.50 +vat, with a bigger kit with lots of bits (tank, seats,loom etc) at £622.80 + vat or they'll do the work and charge you £2000 to £2500 to drive one away. Times have changed.
And so have I, about ten (maybe twenty) years ago I came across a Grinnall Scorpion and my ideas went backward. Spent a lot of time building 3D vitual models on an Amiga to get the look I wanted. This was all I could do at the time, my situation has changed many, many times over the years and the time or place just wasn't right until recently when everything just started to fall together and snowball.
The plan is for me to build a reverse trike - two wheels at the front and a single powered rear. All on the usual shoestring.
Off to a good start as one friend has donated a BMW K100 for the powerplant and drivetrain, with another giving me the front subframe with suspension and steering off a Triumph Vitesse.
The first few pics on here will be of the vehicles it is being loosely based on and the bits of well rusty metal that will go into the build, together with a few other pics of what I'm cutting and where, and manual pics of what things should look like. Others will be added as they come in at the various stages.
Been spending a few weeks now slowly and steadily dismantling the Triumph bits and pricing up the replacement parts - YES ! New replacement parts for something this old - found a company called Rimmer Brothers who bought the Triumph works and parts when they folded and judging from the catalogue they could supply you with the parts to build a Herald/Vitesse car from scratch. Oh, and due to a good WD40 and heating oil soaking over the winter absolutely nothing so far has been seized and some of these nuts won't have shifted since the car was originally built!
Anyway, just over £200 will sort out all the rubbers, joints and bits needed to rebuild the front end, but sadly that has been put hold for a bit as the pot of cash has shrunk due to the purchase of a compressor - up side is I can now do my own sand blasting to clean the parts. Not too much of a decision, spend the money to get someone to do the blasting (£100-£200) or get in a tool and do it yourself and have the kit available for other uses too (so far about the £200 now I've bought hoses, couplings etc), but the mate who knocked together a blasting cabinet for me has already got a few people's jobs line up so I feel it may pay for itself quite quickly.
Another week or so should see the basting done and I should have pics of matt silvery-grey pieces of metal rather than rusty ones to put up here.
Ok, Thats about it for now, have got a few pics of the wirebrushed chassis area, only part cleaned and not been blasted yet, still to upload, that will be done soon then that's the end of this installment.
Bye for now.
