[fritzgutten]

looking good! i find it ironic/funny that you have a pic of a fan on th ebox you used to mock up the radiator shell.
i thought it was funny anyhow
keep it up man

[JRP3]

Is it possible to move the motor rearward a bit and instead of mounting the controller vertically in front of it mount it at an angle, tipping either forward or backward?

[toddshotrods]

Originally Posted by fritzgutten

looking good! i find it ironic/funny that you have a pic of a fan on th ebox you used to mock up the radiator shell.
i thought it was funny anyhow
keep it up man

Thanks fritz! I thought about that when i saw the pictures, and it is ironic. I was so focused on building my little cardboard mock-up that I didn't even see it when I first made it ( a few weeks ago, I think). Just keepin my cool dude!

I'm enjoying that trike build too. I love fabrication and seeing pics like your swingarm coming together helps keep me motivated to get to some of the real goodies on this project.

Originally Posted by JRP3

Is it possible to move the motor rearward a bit and instead of mounting the controller vertically in front of it mount it at an angle, tipping either forward or backward?

Not even a chance. The 1K controller is 8 inches higher or wider (depending on what orientation you try to mount it) than the grille shell and front of the hood. The 2K version will be even bigger.

[toddshotrods]

I'm absorbing the NHRA Rulebook right now, and making changes to my design to conform. This will delay my welding plans for a bit, but will be worth every second. The rulebooks are only $10, and I strongly advise anyone even remotely considering future drag racing plans to get one. To my surprise, they have dedicated sections for "ELECTRIC-POWERED VEHICLE" (SECTION 4I) and "ELECTRIC-POWERED MOTORCYCLE" (SECTION 4J). The motorcycle section just parrots a couple items from the EV section, but the EV section has some specific requirements. For instance, you can't use floodies and the batteries have to be located and secured in a specific manner... You can always get around them by racing at a non-sanctioned facility, but these rules are designed to keep you (and everyone else around) alive and safe in the event something goes wrong.

I am seriously considering changing the main body of my truck from a roadster to a closed-cab design. Everything else would be basically the same. This would allow me to meet the requirements for a roll cage much easier, and without affecting the vehicle's aesthetics. I had some ideas for a bolt-in cage that could eventually be approved for increased performance, but that also means the chassis wouldn't be as rigid when it wasn't bolted up. Having a permanent, full cage, would mean better performance - at any given time.

I plan to do some autocross racing, as well as drag racing, so a rigid chassis is crucial.

[toddshotrods]

Same grille, hood, and fenders, but I changed the main body to a '25 Ford Closed Cab truck design. This, as previously mentioned, allows me to run a full, welded, cage. The body and cage are designed for the body to fit like a skin over the cage, allowing the required clearances inside in a really small package. The roof is supposed to have a sliding black rag center panel, but I don't have time to do it right now. I'm going to add it in the opened position - bunched up in the back - when I get to it.

I usually don't like roll cages in pick-ups because the rear braces have to poke through the back window and "hang in mid-air" all the way back to the wheels. My rear braces will be really short and close to the cab. Painted black they should be barely noticeable.

I went with a total black-out treatment, including black wood, to give it a meaner image. I finally added headlights! They're custom miniature, HID, versions of a vintage headlight called a Woodlite.

I have a few more technical details to work through on the chassis, and I should be able to finally do some welding...

[JRP3]

Neat. Any chance you could throw some rake into the windshield and lose the "eyebrow" over hang for a semblance of aero?

[fritzgutten]

a brick is a brick, i dont care how you rake the windshield
with those fenders, the box and cab layout, i'm not sure how much could be gained, I think it would come down to pure frontal area. dont really know though, but I have a feeling todd isnt going to care to much about the aero.
should be a pretty sweet ride at any rate.

[toddshotrods]

Originally Posted by JRP3

Neat. Any chance you could throw some rake into the windshield and lose the "eyebrow" over hang for a semblance of aero?

Originally Posted by fritzgutten

a brick is a brick, i dont care how you rake the windshield
with those fenders, the box and cab layout, i'm not sure how much could be gained, I think it would come down to pure frontal area

I have some ideas, but it'll be a little bit before I can get to them. I just needed to do the closed cab rendering to see if the idea would work at all, so I could finish designing the chassis. Now that I know I can go with a full cage, I have a lot of freedom in my "wretched excess" planning!

This thing is much, much, smaller than it seems from the rendering. The actual frontal area is going to be pretty small. What the eyes see can be deceiving. When I finish my design work, the goal is to make you see a brick and the rapidly flowing atmosphere around it "see" paths of low resistance.

For what can't be overcome with aero trickery, having enough torque to rapidly move a vehicle with twice the mass should help.

Originally Posted by fritzgutten

...but I have a feeling todd isnt going to care to much about the aero...

Insert "evil grin" and "thumbsup" emoticons here!

Originally Posted by fritzgutten

...should be a pretty sweet ride at any rate.

Thanks Fritz. I'll almost feel sorry for it though, when I finally get a 2K controller, full-race motor, and hopefully some A123s...

[fritzgutten]

sounds dangerously fun!

[toddshotrods]

A quick rear three-quarter-view sketch, that will be the basis for a full-color rendering later.

The roll cage rear braces are exactly as I had imagined them. I actually like them on this truck (I usually hate seeing them on pickups). The taillights are 37 Ford lenses with custom buckets and stands. The rag top is open in this view. I think I am going to "close it" for contrast in the front three-quarter-view rendering. I added some curves and turned the shipping crate into more of a vintage trunk. Notice she's a little fat in the hips? That's so she can do the twist!

I’ve decided that nothing will satisfy me but A123s. They’re the only currently available batteries that meet my criteria for weight, size, and performance. With them, I can keep all the major components inside the wheelbase, for a low polar moment. That wheelbase is approximately 91-inches, and with all the mass pretty evenly distributed inside the four wheels I expect handling to be “enjoyable”. I’ll just have to run in low power mode until I have enough set aside for a decent A123 pack.