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wow this looks very easy
Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 09:29 AM

joined the forum for these trikes, quite a good forum it is too...

[Edited on 5/8/08 by Mr Whippy] Rescued attachment car.jpg
Rescued attachment car.jpg

Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 09:31 AM

then I saw how the chassis was done, I think thats just brill, personally I'd use a alloy front suspension for custom bugs but what simplicity... Rescued attachment 3 wheeler chassis.jpg
Rescued attachment 3 wheeler chassis.jpg

tegwin - 5/8/08 at 09:33 AM

Where do you sit......surley you dont have to sit with the bike engine level with your ear between you and your passenger

clairetoo - 5/8/08 at 09:39 AM

From the shape of the finished body , it looks like you sit with your feet in front of the front wheels

Howlor - 5/8/08 at 09:43 AM

Your right in the thick of the action if you have a moment!

smart51 - 5/8/08 at 09:51 AM

I looked at the trimagnum about 10 years ago when researching GRP over foam constriction for a recumbent trike I was building. The method lookd great and I had a go. The trimagnum itself was a bit ugly I thought. I woouldn't mind looking at some better pictures than on the FRP over foam page on the web site.

speedyxjs - 5/8/08 at 09:52 AM

quote:
Originally posted by clairetoo
From the shape of the finished body , it looks like you sit with your feet in front of the front wheels


Thats what they call a crumple zone

Dangle_kt - 5/8/08 at 09:57 AM

Its still safer than riding a bike.

scootz - 5/8/08 at 09:59 AM

Erm... think I'd rather take my chances on a bike!

Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 10:01 AM

yip I though a frame infront of the axle would not go amiss, love the way the bike just bolts on, you could still convert the bike back to being just a bike. Here's the interior, cossy Buck Rogers eat your heart out, silver seats

[Edited on 5/8/08 by Mr Whippy] Rescued attachment inside.jpg
Rescued attachment inside.jpg

tegwin - 5/8/08 at 10:13 AM

WTF....That steering column would tear your gonads off......no thankyou!!!

D Beddows - 5/8/08 at 10:15 AM

Looking at that I don't think a head on crash would hurt that much as you'd probably have lost all sensation in your lower legs and feet by then anyway

Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 10:20 AM

quote:
Originally posted by D Beddows
Looking at that I don't think a head on crash would hurt that much as you'd probably have lost all sensation in your lower legs and feet by then anyway


oh I don't know, if you look at the top picture then your feet are behind the start of the windscreen, must be about 2 ft of body then and thats a solid foam block too

jabbahutt - 5/8/08 at 10:22 AM

have you a link for this site as I wouldn't mind having a read of it?

Ivan - 5/8/08 at 10:23 AM

Make sure you're well settled before making a fast gear change - or is that lever a handbrake - in that case watch out for hill stops.

D Beddows - 5/8/08 at 10:24 AM

I was actually referring to the seating position possibly not being ideal in terms of getting adequate blood flow to your feet!

smart51 - 5/8/08 at 10:28 AM

Link to the Robert Q Riley FRP over foam page, featuring the Trimagnum

clairetoo - 5/8/08 at 10:29 AM

The link to the main site is here
I`ve ordered a set of plans from them........

D Beddows - 5/8/08 at 10:42 AM

To be a bit more serious the Doran actually looks like something you could drive on a day to day basis without having to wear a disguise of some sort! If you could stick a diesel in the front it instead of an obsolete Subaru engine it could even possibly be a practical cheap to run commuter type vehicle.

clairetoo - 5/8/08 at 10:51 AM

The Doran is the one I've ordered - my plan is to find a cheap Nissan Micra to supply all the running gear , and since the body will be made as a `one-off` it dosnt have to look like that

eznfrank - 5/8/08 at 10:52 AM

i don't see the flux capacitor or the mr fusion reactor anywhere? I'm confused.

clairetoo - 5/8/08 at 10:54 AM

quote:
Originally posted by eznfrank
i don't see the flux capacitor or the mr fusion reactor anywhere? I'm confused.

I think Mr Wippy is planning on using warp drive

iank - 5/8/08 at 10:55 AM

Could quite fancy a HydroRunner for a future project.

Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 10:55 AM

I've just finished reading a bit about it, sounds absolutely ballistic with terrific handling. Apparently 3 wheelers need a very forward CG to resist any tendency to do a 360 hence the long nose in front of the axle. I doubt even in a big crash much damage would be done to the body shell, it weighs 500kg, has a strong chassis and large foam safety cells both at the front and the sides. The steering column isn’t going to be going anywhere as its right in the middle of the car (tips forward when the roof goes up and wearing proper harnesses you should not move either especially in that bucket type seat. I'm quite impressed with it tbh

smart51 - 5/8/08 at 11:22 AM

I've just re read the FRP over foam page. It states "use 2 layers of 6oz cloth ... don't use mat because of the rough surface."

I have 2 points to make here.

1) is 6oz cloth per square yard? That's 203 grammes per square metre. So he uses 400 gsm in total on each side. That's really light weight. Have I got the maths right?

2) 2 layers of cloth? No mat in between? I thought that was a big no-no? Is it alright or is it likely to delaminate?

400 gsm of cloth either side of 1" foam = 1.9kg per square metre, the same as 1 layer of 600gsm mat fully wetted out. Readers of other threads may see where I'm going here.


[Edited on 5-8-2008 by smart51]

iank - 5/8/08 at 11:34 AM

quote:
Originally posted by smart51

1) is 6oz cloth per square yard? That's 203 grammes per square metre. So he uses 400 gsm in total on each side. That's really light weight. Have I got the maths right?


Your maths is correct. 203.434485 to be pointlessly over accurate.

Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 11:51 AM

quote:
Originally posted by smart51

2) 2 layers of cloth? No mat in between? I thought that was a big no-no? Is it alright or is it likely to delaminate?


I have never heard of this requirement, nor have I seen any aeroplane wings models or real ever using a mat layer. Mat is a cheap bulking material usually quite inferior to cloth. I does however have good abilities to stop tears spreading but if a woven cloth is orientated properly i.e. the weave of the second layer is a 45 deg to the last the tears are prevented. Delimitations are usually due to too thick a resin layer between cloths like if one is laid on top of the other after the first has cured (try to apply all layers at the same time and work round the object) or sometimes cloths do not like to be laid on top of themselves like Kevlar, glass or carbon should be between layers of that material. Another thing that can cause problems is the wax used in the resin itself which comes out over the outer surface when the resin cures is often not removed (actually few people even know about this at all) and if the next layer is added effectively adds a release agent between layers. Its that reason that every layer should be sanded before the next layer is added.



[Edited on 5/8/08 by Mr Whippy]

Jesus-Ninja - 5/8/08 at 11:52 AM

Excellent! So do we reckon there's no SVA isue with the driver position? ie in front of the front axle line? I'm looking at the same issue myself with my design.

Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 11:59 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Jesus-Ninja
Excellent! So do we reckon there's no SVA isue with the driver position? ie in front of the front axle line? I'm looking at the same issue myself with my design.


put simply no but for full type approval I think this is no longer allowed

bilbo - 5/8/08 at 11:59 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Jesus-Ninja
Excellent! So do we reckon there's no SVA isue with the driver position? ie in front of the front axle line? I'm looking at the same issue myself with my design.


Not sure there are any SVA issues, but there could potentially be amputation issues involving blunt objects (eg BMW X5 or similar)

scootz - 5/8/08 at 12:06 PM

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO... !

I will not allow it... do you hear me? I strictly forbid anyone from doing it... just... just... just... BECAUSE!

Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 12:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by bilbo
quote:
Originally posted by Jesus-Ninja
Excellent! So do we reckon there's no SVA isue with the driver position? ie in front of the front axle line? I'm looking at the same issue myself with my design.


Not sure there are any SVA issues, but there could potentially be amputation issues involving blunt objects (eg BMW X5 or similar)


Can’t say I'd agree, I doubt a flimsy wishbone setup is going to do anything to stop a speeding car. More important is the structure in front of your feet. With the 3-wheeler above I'd be happier if the chassis extended right forward and indeed looking at some of the cars in the forum that folk are building there are a few who have done just that. It's easy to assume that body shell is flimsy but it has a very high strength to weight ratio which is what’s important in a crash.

scootz - 5/8/08 at 12:07 PM

Oh... go on then!

Jesus-Ninja - 5/8/08 at 12:26 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
for full type approval I think this is no longer allowed


<ignorance> Full type? </ignorance>

D Beddows - 5/8/08 at 12:48 PM

A naked Doran looks a lot like a fwd 3 wheel Lotus Excel might have done.........


Doran Linky

iank - 5/8/08 at 01:01 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Jesus-Ninja
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
for full type approval I think this is no longer allowed


<ignorance> Full type? </ignorance>


What Henry Ford and friends need to make a million cars without each one being tested individually.

Howlor - 5/8/08 at 01:04 PM

Have you seen the Boonie Bug. I may see if I can releive the camper on my drive of it's chassis and running gear! Although brother may not be too chuffed as freshly restored to show n shine standard


Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 01:28 PM

yeah they look quite cool, straight out of scooby doo

going by the headlights which are the splity and early bug ones thats actually quite a large van.

[Edited on 5/8/08 by Mr Whippy]

jambojeef - 5/8/08 at 04:44 PM

I am the only one who isnt coo-ing over this design?!

Perhaps its an early 80s forgotten gem but I cant see it Im afraid!

If you really want 3 wheels on your wagon get a Robin

Mr Whippy - 5/8/08 at 10:19 PM

sure the one in the picture looks like an 80's spaceship that's wings have fallen off but this car can look like anything you want since it's sculptured, don't like a bit then change it. I'm very tempted to make a new body for my beach buggy too, one that has a roof and doors. Using this method the only limits my imagination scary! and no SVA either

akumabito - 7/8/08 at 09:11 PM

That trimagnum really needs a jet engine. On youtube I've seen some rather nice twin-turbine jet engines made of old turbos, that should do nicely - and properly match the vehicle's looks

Vindi_andy - 2/7/09 at 12:41 PM

Ive gotta say I quite like the look of the XR-3