Ford Quadricycle

[vascon2196]

Thanks again! The frustrating part for me is that only 1 or 2 students show up to participate and we only have 3 meetings per semester. I moved the meetings to Saturday's so more students could attend.

The students that do show up have been a huge help and yes....have done a great job!

 

[vascon2196]

We finally completed the Upper and Lower Spring Blocks!

(Actually it was the high school Carpentry students from Old Colony Voc-Tech in Rochester, Massachusetts)

But our New England Tech college students will be taking it from here!

 

[johnmcc69]

Fantastic work there Chris! That's some great group effort.

Do you have the entire Quadricycle assembly modeled up in SolidWorks?

John

 

[vascon2196]

Thank you John!

Yes I have the entire assembly in Solid Works...there are a couple of components missing here and there but the important things are there.

 

[johnmcc69]

That's some nice modeling Chris, it looks great!

Can't wait to see the real thing running!

John

 

[vascon2196]

I held our first Quadricycle Club meeting of the Summer semester yesterday and only 1 student showed up

The good news is we were able to make (1) part, the Timing Gear Stud.

We also drilled and tapped the timing gear stud mounting hole into the main bearing. We fixed the large gear in the machine spindle and lined up the 2 gears until they meshed perfectly.

You will notice the tapped hole is not on center with the boss on the main bearing. Either the CAD drawing was wrong or the MasterCam file was wrong. Either way it is a good thing I waited until both gears were complete to locate this tapped hole!

Next time we will try to make the eccentric and eccentric strap so we can finally mount the Flywheel!


Video of gears in mesh

 

[sparknspin]

Hi Cris, from Vancouver, Washington
I have been watching your Quadricycle build for quite some time and its great to see that you instill the value of craftsmanship in your students. I've always felt that high quality work is a direct reflection on the character of the person producing it.
I have been trying to build a quarter scale Quadricycle engine from viewing pictures of the full size version. Your build thread has shed light on how the heads are designed and the eccentric cam arrangement. "Neat stuff"
Though out the build you mentioned plans were available, if they are I would surly appreciate a copy of the full scale or the half scale plans.
Good work,
Vern

 

[vascon2196]

Vern...thank you so much!

The original plans can be purchased through Dave Dunlavy at [email protected]

He is in contact with George DeAngelis who created the original plans.

Good luck!

 

[sparknspin]

Thanks for the info. I'll check those out.
I do have a question if you don't mind, Did you cut your own gears? and how did you calculate the off set of the eccentric cam to allow the proper valve opening?
vern

 

[vascon2196]

Hi Vern,

I purchased the gears from Boston Gear...I was a machine designer before I started machining so I will most probably never machine my own gears if I can buy them. The original plans detail the eccentric and timing.

Attached is the contact information and instructions for purchasing the original plans in a PDF format.

Hopefully this helps!

View attachment Quadricycle plans explanation.pdf

 

[Rexxie01]

It runs but does not drive well.

Needs a smaller drive sprocket ... maybe 7 teeth not 12.

All hand fabricated --- if you are wondering why the engine looks a bit rough.

Rex

 

[vascon2196]

Rex...that looks amazing!

It looks great and runs...sounds like success to me.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[vascon2196]

Well we had our second Quadricycle Club meeting of the Summer 2014 semester and again only 1 student showed up. She was able to complete the threaded washer for the flywheel which was great and together we modified the rims.

Every single eyelet on the rim had to be removed and the hole enlarged for the spoke nipples...that was a pain. I used a step drill commonly used to make holes in sheet metal...it worked awesome.

These are the exact same rims, spokes, nipples, tubes, and tires that Dave Dunlavy used on his Quad.

Then I called every bike shop in the area to see who could build these tires for me and nobody wanted to do it...they said it was not worth their time. Sooooooooo....I struggled and struggled until a few hours later (and beers), I finished 1 rim. Not sure if it is true or balanced but it is together.

Attached are some pics.


Rims modified


Showing the custom enlarged 40 spoke holes


Spoke arrangement






NEIT student working on the threaded washer with 1-1/8"-12 thread


Almost done!

Next meeting I hope to tackle the timing parts (eccentric and strap).

 

[Swifty]

Nice spoked wheel, when I tightened my motorbike spoked wheels, I tapped each spoke with a spanner and listened to the "ting" that it made, any flat sounding ones needed tightening. Of course they were already mounted and running true, I can imagine the headache trying to get everything lined up and true.

It's a shame that you don't get more students turn up, although the female student in the picture seems keen. Do the classes count towards anything or is it just a voluntary thing?

Paul.

 

[vascon2196]

Thanks Paul...the club is voluntary.

I just imagined more students being involved since it is a great mechanical project.

At least I'm having fun!

 

[Rexxie01]

Rex...that looks amazing!

It looks great and runs...sounds like success to me.

Thank you for sharing.

Thanks for the positive comment. Check this video of it running -- but not driving....

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgZ9e-0Aq10[/ame]

As you can see I've put a starter on it -- I'm a bit old to be using crank handles.

 

[Rexxie01]

Then I called every bike shop in the area to see who could build these tires for me and nobody wanted to do it...they said it was not worth their time. Sooooooooo....I struggled and struggled until a few hours later (and beers), I finished 1 rim. Not sure if it is true or balanced but it is together.

That is very disappointing. My son is involved with mountain biking and one of the young guys in the bike shops was really keen to help out. He recon's the whole project is very "Steam Punk".

Good kid, and a big help.

 

[etard]

I would call the local shops again and say that you have laced the rims, all you need is a true and balance. Most bike shops recommend that you lace it as they have to charge shop time for lacing, and as you found out, it can be time consuming. You may have to make an axle adapter for their truing stand.

Or you can make your own stand fairly easily, especially since you know a few good welders and you have all those machines to use!

 

[vascon2196]

Thank you! I just finished the second rim and yes, I think a local bike shop would be willing to balance them.

We'll see!

 

[steamdean]

Still loving this build Chris, Keep it up and can't wait to see it run. I'm sure after all that you have done, you could true and balance the wheels yourself. How hard can it be. The female student you have, looks like she knows her way around a workshop. She is also showing the lads up a bit, make me wonder if our hobby will still be around in twenty years time.

Keep plodding. :wall:

Dean M