[toddshotrods]

NOTE: The original concept of this project was to build an antique-themed delivery truck, but due to certain circumstances we had to take a different route in the Inhaler Project, and I decided to pursue a simpler speedster concept on the existing reverse trike chassis. Sorry for the confusion, and I hope you'll stick around for the fun! - Todd

Read about the change in direction, here.
Or scroll to Post 22.


Now that my car, Schism, is firmly on its way, and also no longer suitable for use as a teaching tool, we needed a new project to mentor Team Inhaler's next round of interns and volunteers; expected from spring break through the summer. I don't quite know how but I landed on the idea for a miniature, single-seater, reverse trike, antique-themed, delivery van! It will serve as a teaching tool, and also as a marketing tool/revenue stream for the non-profit.

Amanda is the Team Captain for this project. Yesterday, we worked on the front suspension design. It's going to be a fabricated, tubular, interpretation of a dropped straight axle front suspension, but with much more adjustment potential, and more artistic flair. I provided the general direction but most of what this axle will be is Amanda's ideas, skills, and work. She is an ME (currently in the process of getting her graduate degree), and will be doing the actual CAD development.

To pave the way for that, I gave her a brief on straight axles; we measured the modern knuckles we'll be using; mocked up the front tires to determine the width; and settled on the basics of the design. We also checked to make sure the single-dually rear wheel idea would fit between the frame rails (yup!

) - which all set the stage for Amanda to take the truck for its first imaginary spin around the block!

I don't think the driver is supposed to be having this much fun! Knock it off Amanda, this is serious business!

I suppose my assertion that this is "reverse trike" could be questioned, as it will actually have four tires on the ground, with the "single-dually" rear wheel, but it is a reverse trike in spirit.

 

[Woodsmith]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

If the rear tyres are less then a foot apart then they count as a single tyre, over in the UK IIRC.

Nice project BTW, I like it.

When I get my drawing board into the office I will start sketching the ideas for my little truck as I still need to find a use for that 12" motor...

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

...Nice project BTW, I like it...

Thanks!

If the rear tyres are less then a foot apart then they count as a single tyre, over in the UK IIRC...

Works for me!

...When I get my drawing board into the office I will start sketching the ideas for my little truck as I still need to find a use for that 12" motor...

I am really looking forward to seeing that Woody. This project has Woody written all over it - reverse trike, antique truck, and I believe the single-dually rear wheel idea was also stolen from, or at least inspired, by your tow truck ideas!

 

[Woodsmith]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

I am honoured to have been an influence.

Are the ice creams going in a front box?

Or a back box?

I am after a faster, pneumatic tyred version of Beryl, Arch's work truck. Beryl is only good for about 12-15mph on solid tyres.

I want 40mph and a load bed that can take 8'x4' sheet materials and 12' long timber (through the headache board and into the cab).

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

I am honoured to have been an influence.

Are the ice creams going in a front box?

Or a back box?...

Back box. It's actually going to be an open cargo area. We'll eventually be able to use it for making parts/food runs, and for distributing samples at events. The "Ice Cream" part is mainly because it's fun and catchy to say. Here, in America, the sound of kiddie songs blaring through tinny speakers, and some type of delivery van stuffed full of frozen snacks - the ice cream truck - makes pretty much everyone smile and return to their childhood. It works for almost all ages and across every conceivable cultural aspect, so it's a great marketing angle. Of course we'll have to back that up and throw a cooler full of frozen treats in it occasionally.

The hubbub about electric vehicles being too silent also opens the door for us to play entertaining sound bites and songs in place of engine noise. All those goofy ideas and jokes people have apply here. Alex especially wants to have galloping horses, which I gagged at the thought of on my race-bred cars, but smile about with this project. Imagine being in an indoor, ballroom, event and hearing horses galloping towards you, only to look up and see an antique little truck full of goodies approaching.

...through the headache board and into the cab).

What the heck is the headache board?!


Nice pics! I invited the Team to become members here and engage with the DIY community about this project - especially since it will be their *baby*. I hope they do.

 

[Woodsmith]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

Cool, literally!

I think a runaround promotional vehicle is going to be great fun. Something folks can relate to outside of the high speed 'drag/race car' side of things.

What the heck is the headache board?!

I think that's what they are called in the US.

Headboard in the UK. The strong vertical board at the front of the load bed that stops the load shooting forward and crushing the cab.
I was thinking of a lockable hatch through the board into a closed housing in the cab so that long thin items can be pushed through.

 

[Woodsmith]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

We get this a lot over here.

I invited the Team to become members here and engage with the DIY community about this project - especially since it will be their *baby*. I hope they do.

Welcome team!
Let us know you are part of Todd's projects for that instant warm welcome that we give to everyone regardless of any connection to Todd!

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

...I think that's what they are called in the US.

Headboard in the UK. The strong vertical board at the front of the load bed that stops the load shooting forward and crushing the cab...

Gotcha. I don't remember ever hearing that term before, but I could have just been daydreaming when people said it.

We get this a lot over here...

Nice. I hope to visit England, and much of Europe someday.

...Welcome team!
Let us know you are part of Todd's projects for that instant warm welcome that we give to everyone regardless of any connection to Todd!

Haha! I hope at least one or two of them show up. I'll keep prodding them about it...

 

[kennybobby]

Headache Rack

is the term that i've heard used in the trucking business, usually made of metal to stop a shifting load from coming forward thru the cab/rear window... What size tubing is that you used for the rails? Looks plenty stout.

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: Headache Rack

is the term that i've heard used in the trucking business, usually made of metal to stop a shifting load from coming forward thru the cab/rear window...

I think we're going to have to make a removable headache board for the Ice Cream Truck now. Maybe it can serve double duty as a "show card"/"menu" at events. I set a few mandatory specs, features, and aesthetic cues, but try to leave them as much freedom as possible. The more I think about it though, this is really a good idea.

...What size tubing is that you used for the rails? Looks plenty stout...

2x3x.120" mild steel. It's the standard frame of our G-bucket chassis. It's overkill for a lot of applications, but comes in handy for potholes and/or elevated performance.

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

Amanda finished the model for the front axle today - pretty awesome! She did it in SolidWorks. It's narrowed about 6.5" from the tightest conventional street rod axle, and designed to use modern knuckles in place of the kingpin setup on older axles. Rod ends screw in the tube ends, and bolt to the knuckle in place of upper and lower balljoints. This gives us camber adjustment, caster (in the radius arms), and modern brakes and bearings; and a reason to experiment.

While she was finishing up the model for the axle, I cut the 1/4-scale model frame and wheels from some random scrap plastic.

Pretty cool because it's like a scale model kit! I wish I had a full crew right now because them pulling parts out of these sheets, and building a model would make great pics and video...

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

Amanda is working on the 1/4-scale "Stick People", to use for reality checks while the Team develops the Ice Cream Truck with the live model - no more vehicles only Todd can fit in . Today, she gave me a peek at Stick Man! He's proportionally accurate for an approximately 6ft tall, 200lb-ish, man.

Not to worry Stick Man, you won't be alone - the sticky hot, 5'6" tall, Stick Woman is on the way!

They'll be either laser or CNC cut, and have articulating shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, to allow them to sit in the truck to verify bright ideas.

 

[Woodsmith]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

I think I still have my 1/10th scale 'stick man' in profile from my bicycle designing days back in the late 70's!

I made it myself out of cardboard and brass paper fasteners (No, I've never come across any brass paper either...).

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

...(No, I've never come across any brass paper either...).

Lol!


I asked Amanda to extend the gusset between the two tubes of the front axle all the way out to the ends, to support the curved upper tube's outer ends better. I gave her full creative, and technical, license on the actual design of that section of the gusset though, allowing her to remove as much weight as she desires, by removing material. She instantly saw the opportunity for more marketing space realizing that she could cut logos in the midst of the webbing...

Then, I told her that I want to hand (hot) forge those curved ends, with the help of the community workshop's blacksmithing guy. We'll turn straight sections of 1" to accept the threaded bung on the outside, and press into the straight section of tubing on the other end, then work with him to heat and hammer them into (S) shape.

Amanda's is going to engineer and oversee that entire process, from material selection, to machining, to hot forging, to welding, to final heat treating to bring it all together. It will be overkill for this featherweight (especially on the front), low speed, truck's mission in life, but it's great proof, PR, photos, and video, for the Inhaler Project and the Columbus Idea Foundry.

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

Amanda finished the models for the 1/4-scale people, and sliced them out of .250" blue acrylic yesterday. Next they need drilled and assembled with pins at the joints, and they'll be ready to help us build the model truck. She named them "Slender Man" and "Little Boy"?!

Meanwhile, our newest Team member, Nic, was in the shop whittling the new gusset Amanda designed, from stainless steel - again, in 1/4-scale, for the model truck.

I am going to cut an aluminum template for forging the axle tubes this week, and might cut the little radius arm/spring brackets with (crown shaped patterns with three holes) on the ShopBot from aluminum - we can braze those. That saves wearing out drill bits and going cross-eyed trying to hand shape those little things.

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

Sticky situation. I caught these two clowns lounging around, instead of working. Good help is so hard to find...

The 1/4-scale front axle forging was started last week, and should be finished up and off to welding this week. More to come...

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

Columbus was voted one of the seven smartest cities in the world (only US city), and a panel from the organization visited the Columbus Idea Foundry yesterday, at the Mayor's request. They're visiting the seven smart cities, to collect information to pick the winner; the smartest city in the world. Don't ask me what that's really supposed to mean, but hey...

Sunday Amanda popped the model's wheels out of the sheet, and glued them together, so I decided to set up the model and blue people outside the Inhaler Project's (IP) studio entrance, for a little extra eye candy. The whole thing seems to have been largely ignored (model display and the actual chassis on the fixture), by both Alex (who was presenting IP), and the panel, so I pass it on for your viewing pleasure!

Maybe they all just need something that looks more like a vehicle? The panel seemed to be pretty fascinated with the Model E and Schism, excited about the fact that high school and college interns did much of the work on Schism, and tickled pink with Scrape - especially when I "fired it up" and silently zipped past them!

Hopefully, someday, the Ice Cream Truck will bring the same smiles and giggles, when we can play the galloping horses soundtrack and glide through the masses!

 

[Woodsmith]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

I like the model so far.

What's the plan for the rear suspension?

 

[toddshotrods]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

I like the model so far.

What's the plan for the rear suspension?

Thanks! It'll be a simple swingarm. As it is, there is about an inch of clearance on either side of the tires, with about that much between them. We could make the side of the swingarm from 1/2" plate, with a beefy fabricated crossmember from the pivot to the front of the tires. Then, simple leaf springs on the frame rails, truck style. That's the simple way - the Todd way would probably be a curved tubular contraption that sweeps up around the frame rails and back in and down to the axle!

The 2013 Team Inhaler is shaping up to be a big dud . As a result, I am not currently scheduling any Team work sessions, other than Amanda. We're working on plans to make these projects advanced classes for people to take after taking the Columbus Idea Foundry's regular welding, metal fab, machining, woodworking, blacksmithing, and casting, classes. The difference, for me, is there won't be a Team of interns to do the design by committee process. It will likely be me and the other instructors, because we have to have the class curriculum(s) prepared before people pay and show up. That changes things in a big way for me, as I was expecting to just guide the process and make sure the ideas were safe and doable. We'll see how it plays out...

 

[Woodsmith]

Re: The Inhaler Project's "Ice Cream Truck"

Thanks! It'll be a simple swingarm. As it is, there is about an inch of clearance on either side of the tires, with about that much between them. We could make the side of the swingarm from 1/2" plate, with a beefy fabricated crossmember from the pivot to the front of the tires. Then, simple leaf springs on the frame rails, truck style. That's the simple way -

This sprung to mind!