88 blazer trike

[Fowler]

Fowler... could you lower the tailshaft a few inches to help decrease drive shaft angle? some eng/trans angle won't hurt road clearance much because oil pan is so close to motormounts, also carb, if used would be closer to the right angle, just thinking out loud! larry

I wish I could

I have had the trany and rear end at every angle and distance i could think of. It only works out if I make it longer than I want, angle the trany more than I want or go with a CV/Double Cardan joing

I have settled on the double cardan

[Fowler]

Looking good so far Fowler, I envy your bravado to build your own, I'd be too worried about registering it after I finished it ... I assume you have looked into that.

right now I am able to register it. I did my last trike a few years back and I called DMV before I started this build and they said nothing has changed.

I hope that does not change by the time I finish. Next year or so.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

right now I am able to register it. I did my last trike a few years back and I called DMV before I started this build and they said nothing has changed.

I hope that does not change by the time I finish. Next year or so.

At least you did your do diligence ... a buddy of mine built a trike out of a small nissan diesel truck and couldn't get it licensed

[Fowler]

A friend of mine suggested 22" wheels to bring the rear diff up some to help with the Pinion level

He says he may have a line on some 22" wheels and tires

If I did that I could lower the frame some so it would not be so high

[Fowler]

We received word the other day that the plant where I work will be closing.

So I will be losing my job

So no more spending on this trike.

Besides for things I can do with what I already have this project will have to be put on hold.

[1dn5up]

We received word the other day that the plant where I work will be closing.

So I will be losing my job

So no more spending on this trike.

Besides for things I can do with what I already have this project will have to be put on hold.

Wow that sucks !

Did they offer relocation, or just plane, your done

[Fowler]

Wow that sucks !

Did they offer relocation, or just plane, your done

No offer of relocation yet. If they did I do not think I would take it.

They are trying to sell the plant. If they do maybe the new owners will keep us on. Can't plan on that though.

Not sure when this will all happen yet.

I'm IT so I would be one of the last people to get rid of. They need me here to decommission everything.

[Gorilla]

Sorry for your situation I hope that this cloud for you has a silver lining.

[LarryA]

Fowler..... hope things workout for you. larry

[Marc H]

Sorry this is happening but hopefully this is one of those things that opens a door for something even better.

[peteg59]

Losing a regular job just plain sucks. We all feel bad for you Bob.

When I lost my last job, a friend professed to me: "When one door closes, another one opens". I know it wasn't his personally thought up phrase, but it made me feel a bit better at the time when I heard that.

Turns out he was right. Life does indeed go on, and we continue its journey everyday.

Wishing you the best, and keep your chin up

[Fowler]

Thanks everyone I will make it through somehow.

I found out I should have a job for about another year or so, so its not a soon as I originally thought.

It does still suck though. I am 53 and did not think I would have to be looking for another job at my age.

1 good thing, if needed I can get medical coverage through VA and since my son is handicapped even though he is an adult he can get it also

My wife would use Medicare

OK enough of that...........

Back to the Trike.

I mounted the Turbo 400 on the engine last night.

I have it level like I did the 700r4

BUT the output yoke on the 400 is now lower than the 700 was by about 1 inch. I am not sure why

I will have to re-figure my angles and drive shaft length before I go any further.

I have enough cash saved up to buy all the mounting hardware I need. But need to be sure on the angles and length first

[LarryA]

glad to see you are back at it.....you mean from the output shaft c/l to the bottom of the mounting surface? if so, maybe transmission mounts that have different heights would work. I am presuming that your mount is all finished welded in. larry

[rrunner]

Hey why not just retire? I retired at age 51 with full benefits. No regrets here really enjoy being on my own schedule.

[Fowler]

glad to see you are back at it.....you mean from the output shaft c/l to the bottom of the mounting surface? if so, maybe transmission mounts that have different heights would work. I am presuming that your mount is all finished welded in. larry

With the 700 the distance from the ground to the center of the output yoke (with it level) was 2.5 inches

Now with the 400 the distance from the ground to the center of the output yoke (with it level) is 1.5 inches

This actually works out good for me

[Fowler]

Hey why not just retire? I retired at age 51 with full benefits. No regrets here really enjoy being on my own schedule.

I looked into retiring sooner but with most of my investments (IRAs, 401K and so on) I will have to pay a large penalty if I retire before the age of 59

Once I reach that age I should be OK but I have to get there first.

[Fowler]

After looking over a number of different options for engine and trany mounts I have finally decided on going with something like this.

I figured it would be easy to find and replace if needed in the future.

If I went with a different type lets say a round bushing type. I would have to remember what busing I used.

These are standard for the engine and Trany so as Long as I know what engine and trany I have i can get the right replacement part

They will go on a Chevy 4.3 V6 and a Turbo 400 Trany

OK now for my question

How much will these compress?

When I build the mounting brackets and cross member that these will connect to I need to allow for this compression (if any)

Or will the compression be so small I don't need to worry about it?

[peteg59]

Since you asked, here's my $0.02: If they're polyurethane as they appear, they won't compress as much as rubber, & are the best non solid mount type when it comes to having the least/minimal overall drive-train flex.

If you were building a "tire shredder" trike, solid mount is what you'd want.

Another thing I might consider if the drive-line angles between the trans. & rear end are about at their max for reliable service, solid mounting the eng./trans. would be my plan.

Hope that helps...

[stacebg]

with all due respect i would go with the poly if not the original rubber

unless you are in fact building a race "car"

as mentioned the poly will hardly move at all

i wouldnt hesitate to use the rubber

they wont settle much because of the angle they are on

i once replaced the rubbers in my suspension links with heim joints horrible difference... granted the suspension and motor / trans is not exactly the same ... you get the idea...

to each his own

[Fowler]

Since you asked, here's my $0.02: If they're polyurethane as they appear, they won't compress as much as rubber, & are the best non solid mount type when it comes to having the least/minimal overall drive-train flex.

If you were building a "tire shredder" trike, solid mount is what you'd want.

Another thing I might consider if the drive-line angles between the trans. & rear end are about at their max for reliable service, solid mounting the eng./trans. would be my plan.

Hope that helps...

As you guessed they are Poly.

I thought about solid mounts, I had solid mounts on my first trike I built with my father back when I was young (a long time ago)

But I decided against it this time.

This weekend if I have time I will be mocking up everything in place, temporary bracing the engine and trany for they will not move and then start fabricating the brackets.

I talked to Shawn at Tom Woods drive shafts, he suggested I do not go any more then 20 degrees on the double cardan drive shaft for my application. It will be about 7.5 degrees (will make the final measurements this weekend)