Ford Quadricycle

Home Model Engine Machinist Forum

Help Support Home Model Engine Machinist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I have an evening student that has a Mill and Lathe at home. He offered to make some parts at home so I took him up on his offer!

He finished the front steering axle and the connecting rods!



















 
4 students showed up to our latest Quadricycle Club meeting! We were able to complete the timing rod clevis bracket and finished the last rim! We are almost finished with the timing eccentric, eccentric strap, and muffler end caps.

Anyone near East Greenwich Rhode Island feel like contributing to this project? We have many more parts to make, lots of drawings, lots of tools, and plenty of stock!









 
Steve...great question!

I have no problem with that!

I can see which parts would be difficult for us to make and run them by you. If you have the stock (and time) that would be a huge help!

Even if you made 1 small part you could always say that you helped us get one step closer to building Henry Ford's Quadricycle!

Thanks Steve and please let me know!

Chris
 
Do we have to be near East Greenwich? Can we make the part and send it to you?

Steve, what a great idea! There must be lots of small-ish parts that can be made almost anywhere and posted to Chris. Even from Down Under! Having all those small parts ready at hand during final assembly could be a big help.

Chris, that is of course, that you wouldn't mind having some non-USA-made bits in your Ford Quad Replica! I wouldn't want to cause an international incident!

Regards, RossG
radial1951
____________
 
Hi Ross,

I think Henry Ford would be happy to see so much excitement over his Quadricycle...and I have absolutely no problem having parts made from down under or anywhere else!

Thanks again guys!

My students are very excited!!!
 
Hi Ross,

I think Henry Ford would be happy to see so much excitement over his Quadricycle...and I have absolutely no problem having parts made from down under or anywhere else!

Thanks again guys!

My students are very excited!!!

Hi Chris,

I think it would be pretty cool to make a part for an 1896 Ford on my 1913 Pratt & Whitney lathe... :)

Nothing too testing for the old girl (or the operator!). If you can PM me an email contact we can organise it.

Steve, I hope there will be a good response to your suggestion, it will certainly add an extra dimension to this worthwhile project. Just thinking, don't all the helpers get to have a drive when it's finished? ;)

Regards, RossG
radial1951
_____________
 
Sounds great Ross...Let me see what little pieces we have left to make and I'll send you a private message.

Wow...thanks again guys for the support.
 
I've just looked through all the pages and postings for this worthwhile project, and have enjoyed this.

First-off, I would like to point out that for any student participating in this club actively, a reference to that participation can be a bonus when applying for work after school is finished. I know I'd give preference to any engineering student who was a part of this if I were in a position to hire any.

Secondly here's a link to the Smithsonian Institution's web pages showing other automobiles like this that are in their automobile collection, dating from 1866 onwards.
Anyone who has been following this project will find some nice eye candy here, I'm sure. I'm sure many of you will be aware of this collection and what it contains, but I thought I'd pass it along anyways, just in case....

http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_78_1.html

Cheers,

Chris Green.
 
I will volunteer to make a part or 2. I will help with or without recognition or pay.

It might be nice if those helping could get a certificate (suitable for framing) that they helped with the project. Maybe with a picture of the finished project covering the page with the printing over the picture. It could be a generic one with a blank space to fill in each person's name. You could even email them and let the recipient print it out to save on postage.
 
What fantastic work and what an inspiring project ! Its 1.15 at night here in India, but I just could not prevent myself from reading everything that's posted and just sitting back and admiring the work done by you and your students !

Chris, could you please send me a link to the plans ? I am completely new to the hobby, but would love to start out on my first model engine and hopefully build this with my son some day !

What incredible work ! A special congratulations to all your students and a special thanks to you for getting such a wonderful project executed and generously sharing your plans with everyone.

All the very best for the rest of the project. I will be following your progress with great interest and fascination !

Parth
 
Thank you Chris!

I'll pass on the information to my students.

Thank You. I'm glad to share knowledge when I can. (What's the point of learning something if you don't use it and share it later??)
And I'd like to pass along my compliments to the students who designed and built that cool building jig. THAT one really appeals to my woodworking/ construction side. :)

It would be really cool if the next generation Quadracycle-like project could be a D.I.Y. electric car, if possible. I might actually be able to score an inexpensive buzz-box and to learn some welding by then... :)


Cheers,

Chris Green.
 
I will volunteer to make a part or 2. I will help with or without recognition or pay.

It might be nice if those helping could get a certificate (suitable for framing) that they helped with the project. Maybe with a picture of the finished project covering the page with the printing over the picture. It could be a generic one with a blank space to fill in each person's name. You could even email them and let the recipient print it out to save on postage.

Thank you Toolguy!

Let me see what small parts I have left...the certificate is a good idea too.
 
This has been a great build to follow. I live in Texas, retired and if you have a small part needing a volunteer I would like to volunteer.No pay required. Trying to keep busy here at the house. Again, your students and you are doing a great job. Danny
 
Hello Chris!


I know it's way too early but let me just plant a little seed. When she is running maybe you could bring her up for the Maker Faire 2015 or 2016. It's at the Henry Ford Museum. I bet with a little gentle nudging I could talk them into letting "US" take a spin around the village. The shed that the quad was built in has been recreated from the bricks of the original ford home that the shed was behind. Great place for a photo shoot. I could also take you for a spin in the car to see the original location of the house and some of the ford factories. Might even be able to tour the Model T plant.

If that isn't possible I'll just have to come over there for a spin. Haha!
 
Steve...taking our Quad for a ride around the Henry Ford Museum for me would be a dream come true. Having built 2 Ford plumbing engines, half-scale Quad engine, full-size quad, buying a Franklin Mint Quad, reading 7 books about Ford, and buying a Model T....I would say other that would top it all.

I was born in the wrong half of the century!

I would have loved to have met him.

As far as getting the Quad there, I'm sure the college would find some $$$ to make it happen...especially if the media were involved.

Great idea.
 
This has been a great build to follow. I live in Texas, retired and if you have a small part needing a volunteer I would like to volunteer.No pay required. Trying to keep busy here at the house. Again, your students and you are doing a great job. Danny

Danny...thank you so much for your offer. In fact I have had several offers to make parts it is amazing. I'm sure a few small parts will show up and I'll do some digging to find some.

Wow...can't thank you guys enough for your support.
 
There are not many downsides to the proposal of taking the NEIT Quadracycle, and the participants (especially the females*), to the Henry Ford Museum for a Makers' Faire.
The NEIT should provide most or all of the funding: more can be obtained from groups that promote female involvement in the STEM fields, and from a crowdfunding drive tapping former Engineering students and students in general, etc.
It fits under the guidelines for 1: community involvement, and 2: positive publicity for the school, etc. I.E., advertising. :)

I'd recommend also finding some car/ American History fans amongst the Journalism/ Media students, and bring at least one of them along to write website and magazine articles, post stuff online, take photos, and all that kind of stuff. In fact, they could set up an NEIT Quadracycle Club website/ Facebook pages/ Twitter account, and take some time to make sure the journey is made known to Ford and antique auto enthusiasts, commercial media, and so-on.

A check with whoever looks after NEIT's various vehicles might reveal an appropriate trailer or truck to transport said Quadracycle to the Museum and back.

*That should include the young female high school student who did a bit of the work, if possible, and, of course, parents and family as chaperones/ cheerleaders, Twitter tweeters, etc. :)

Cheers,

Chris Green.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top