Wanted

[DAP]

Wanted any informtion that would help me build a old school volkswagen trike. What the best make/engines and so on. I have machining,welding knowledge.Any information is wellcome.your can contact by email perseke@wildblue.net Thanks.DAP

[chromedome1964]

See this site. Will tell you everything you need to know.
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[usnavy8084]

Just started a build in May and here is some advice/things to look for.
Buy a complete engine/transmission and torsion housing as a set or a complete vehicle. 1. The time and effort I have spent tracking down small items like bolts, brackets, cables, etc. has been a real pain.
2. Be very skeptical when buying, especially the engine that has just recently been "rebuilt" 5000 miles ago. I bought an engine and transmission that was in a storage unit. It looked clean like it had been rebuilt and I actually ran the engine in the bed of my pickup which sounded great. LESSON LEARNED: Take a dial indicator and a mounting base. Set the dial on the crankshaft pulley and move it back and forth. The maximum crankshaft end play should be 0.006 inch. I found this out AFTER I bought the engine and the clutch wouldn't fully engage because the axial movement of the crank shaft was about 0.084 inch. The person I bought the engine from DID rebuild the engine, except he used standard bearings with a 0.010 UNDERSIZED crankshaft. There was no knocking sound when I ran the engine because it had no load on the crankshaft. After disassembling the engine, I found the rear main bearing saddle beat out of shape which I now know is VERY common. End result.... the engine case had to be line bored at a local machine shop which should be done anyway if you are going to rebuild an engine. Had I bothered to do a little research BEFORE I bought the engine/transmission, the 0.006 crankshaft endplay dimension knowledge would have driven down the price substantially. All of the associated costs added another $575.00 to the engine/transmission purchase because I also bought a reconditioned crankshaft.
3. In addition to this site, TheSamba.com :: Volkswagen Classifieds, photos, shows, forums, and information is a great source for aircooled VW engine information and troubleshooting. Great basic wiring diagrams too.

4. Fork rake angle and trail information from trikerdon.50megs.com is invaluable.


All in all it has been a lot of fun. When you are done with the build, it's all your time, effort, money and design......which makes it a one of a kind. To me the difference between a homemade trike and a "custom" trike is the attention to detail. Best advice i have.....resist the temptation to hurry to the finish. Sorry for the long winded reply and hope this helps.

[chromedome1964]

The best tip I can give you is build the trike completely before you weld up the neck.

Have your engine and trans mounted in your frame. Buy and mount the rear wheels and tires that you plan to use. Mount your battery and anything else heavy.

Make sure the trike is on it's rear suspension and blocked up just at the front at the ride height you plan on running.

Build your forks with everything but the top shock mounts welded up. Then, set your neck and weld it up. Once that is done, unblock the front of the frame, and adjust the shock mounts to the correct front ride height with you sitting on the trike.

This will ensure you get your rake just right.

[usnavy8084]

Great tip!! Luckily I haven't gotten that far yet so you prevented me from making a mistake.
Thanks