The easiest solution here would be to simply buy a complete axle with knuckles from the likes of Renegade. But the dimensions of this standard and proven design don’t lend themselves to an authentic look. A second choice is to weld my own either using round or square tubing. I liked the design Dennis Thomas used with a flat front and back plate cut to the desired shape and then using proper width flat plate beat into shape across the bottom and top. This welded box structure gives the axle a nice purpose-built look. The third option is to try going carbon fiber while keeping the steel knuckles.
The perceived benefits of a carbon fiber axle would be:
- Low weight
- More authentic appearance
- Ability to tie in springs more like the original Bugatti design
Downsides
- While a weight savings might be an overall advantage, it may cause the car to be too light on the front end. The result might be that the car may not stick to the road very well. In a worst-case scenario, it may prove to be too light and bouncy rendering it almost incontrollable. Since I don’t have any weight and balance studies on cyclekarts, I’m going to have to use instinct and common sense like Ettore Bugatti himself.
- Does not lend itself to being chromed to be authentic. I really don’t want everything on the car to be black carbon fiber. I want it to have contrast a a certain amount of ornamental bling.
My initial thoughts are I am going to be safer with a metal design. I am leaning on square tubing or a built-up structure that Dennis used. This decision was further supported after attending the Hunstville Grand Prix where I learned that more weight upfront is a good thing. The notion of going to a carbon fiber design was a seriously flawed one.
Joey from Battle Ground WA built his using 1/16” thick steel for the front and back plates spaced between ¾” to 1” apart and then 1/8” plate for the top and bottom. He used a grinder to cut out the front and back…a very patient man! He noted this design proved more robust then his earlier version using tubing. My welding is not up to par right now, but with practice, I think I can make this solution work. I picked up my front spindles from Renegade so I now have the necessary dimensions and can begin designing the axel.