V8 Diesel Trike... old Uhaul truck

[BMB Guns]

Is the metal baseplate in your pic, going to be incorporated into the frame?
It looks pretty good regardless, but having the engine/trans on a removable platform might ease the construction, & any later service requirements down the road?
Keep pluggin away, you'll get there!ThumbUp
Ask any true builder & he or she will tell you: its sometimes one step forward & 2 steps back...
The trick is keeping those backward dance moves to a minimum!

The steel engine cart it's mounted on won't be part of the final design but the engine and transmission mount will have "feet" incorporated into them so I can pull the engine and transmission out as a unit and it will sit level on a concrete slab or other hard surface. This is a carryover from my oilfield career where pulling engines and transmissions was common and having them stand on their own without the use of a special stand was nice and necessary.

 

[BMB Guns]

Detroit diesel 3-53T mated up to Spicer 3053A Transmission

Well, first dry fit. Love it! Still need a clutch but I just had to see what it would look like. The feet on the motor mounts are part of the design. Built in engine stand!

 

[Papa Zook]

What a beast! You need to bring it to Kerrville this fall. ThumbUp

 

[BMB Guns]

What a beast! You need to bring it to Kerrville this fall. ThumbUp

Once it'd done I really need help on various social functions going on in louisiana, tx, Mississippi, etc. Where is kerriville?!?!??!

 

[BMB Guns]

So... not a trike but check this out. Jason at Militarytrucks.com in Liberty Hill Texas sold me my transmission and other wonderful things. He had this beauty hanging around. WW2 issue! The real deal!

 

[diver]

nice . thanks for showing the pics

 

[Papa Zook]

Once it'd done I really need help on various social functions going on in louisiana, tx, Mississippi, etc. Where is kerriville?!?!??!

Kerrville is in the Texas Hill country, where we have a yearly gathering in November. Great riding!

 

[BMB Guns]

Kerrville is in the Texas Hill country, where we have a yearly gathering in November. Great riding!

That would be a fun ride! If not this year the next! It's a 475 mile run from my home town Lafayette Louisiana.

 

[BMB Guns]

Well... Test fit the engine/transmission in the frame. Transmission and differential alignment was way off. Had to remove the spacer blocks from under the leaf springs and flip the front spring mounts. Looks better.

 

[peteg59]

Looks good.ThumbUp
What are you planning on doing for a body?

 

[BMB Guns]

Looks good.ThumbUp
What are you planning on doing for a body?

Not much!!! I want to keep it as Road Warrior as possible. I will be making a wood model t style bed for it. I got junk to haul and need space for it.

- - - Updated - - -

 

[BMB Guns]

I wish they let me bring my trike out here to work on it but, it won't fit in the helicopter baggage compartment.

 

[BMB Guns]

Ok... Educate me. Sway bar on rear axle. I'm running a 10.25 ford (sterling) dually rear axle. It has a sway bar. From what I have read about sway bars I'm sure it came in real handy in my projects past life as a Uhaul truck. Big ass box full of furniture and shit leaned a lot in turns. Well, now the box is gone. Body is gone too. The trike is far from top heavy. Will I still need the sway bar? It might help the handling in corners but from what I read I'll also have a stiffer ride. It's a 1 ton axle on a vehicle that weighs less than a smart car! What's your $00.02?

 

[peteg59]

It really depends on the type of riding you plan on doing on it.
There is no way you'll be carrying the weight that the running gear was originally designed for so, I can't see how there would be any noticeable benefit it keeping that piece in the end product.
Now if you plan on spirited driving, towing a heavy trailer, or using it for anything other than carrying you & or a passenger, you might want it. It will stiffen the rear suspension which translates to a harsher ride.
If it was me I'd probably build it with it and if the resulting ride is too harsh, it could always be disconnected...

 

[stacebg]

It really depends on the type of riding you plan on doing on it.
There is no way you'll be carrying the weight that the running gear was originally designed for so, I can't see how there would be any noticeable benefit it keeping that piece in the end product.
Now if you plan on spirited driving, towing a heavy trailer, or using it for anything other than carrying you & or a passenger, you might want it. It will stiffen the rear suspension which translates to a harsher ride.
If it was me I'd probably build it with it and if the resulting ride is too harsh, it could always be disconnected...

could be mistaken here but i dont think the sway bar will nake any difference in the ride it doesnt act as any sort of shock absorber or spring, basically does nothing till you start to lean

i do agree you probably wont "need"

 

[BMB Guns]

Yeah. This will be part of the test drive phase. Ride with and without. See how much of a difference it makes. I do plan on hauling a trailer from time to time. Maybe a small camper. I could always set up a way to disconnect it and hang it so it's not active but it's there if I need to bolt it up real quick.

 

[diver]

cant wait to see the road warrior done ThumbUp

 

[peteg59]

The only experience I've had with a swaybar on one of my "toys" was on a Polaris 700 Sportsman with independent rear suspension.
The factory installed swaybar definitely made going over bumps harsher.
I disconnected it, and the suspension immediately turned "cushy" and noticeably smoother over bumps and rocky/rough trails.
Not sure how the ride quality would be on a solid axle rear trike operated strictly on the road, with or without a swaybar...:Shrug:

I think your on the right track in this thought: "I could always set up a way to disconnect it and hang it so it's not active but it's there if I need to bolt it up real quick".ThumbUp

 

[Sloride]

This is Soooooo Cool

following closely

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Now if you plan on spirited driving, towing a heavy trailer, or using it for anything other than carrying you & or a passenger, you might want it. It will stiffen the rear suspension which translates to a harsher ride.
If it was me I'd probably build it with it and if the resulting ride is too harsh, it could always be disconnected...

Or maybe pulling out stumps, or hauling your house ... ... ya got the umph, I think I'd leave it ... as stated ... you can always remove it later/