Pullman Frame Build
While scaling my car, the frame dimension that fit the best was 2.5″ x 1″ rectangular tube. Our local metal supplier did not carry that size and the special delivery to acquire that size was too expensive for me. So I had to either go up to 3″ or downsize to 2″. As weight is going to be an issue for this large cyclekart, I chose 2″ as it saves nearly one pound per foot over the larger 3″ size tube.
It never ceases to amaze me how much time metal work takes. The two rails took nearly two weeks. While somewhat simpler than my first Bugatti Type 13 project, these rails still had a lot of detail work. One improvement I made was the front spring connection where I used pipe. It came out a lot cleaner and stronger.
The rear 1″ axle is 53″ long and purchased from BMI. They do custom axles and I could not be more pleased with their fast response and perfect parts. The axle is supported at each end by 2″ pipe that have bearing mounts welded at each end. Here is a picture of my wooden jig so that the bearing end plates are mated to the pipe precisely. The new Harbor Freight welding table with clamping fixtures is a god-send for fitting everything perfectly before welding.
Here is my frame mated with my front and rear axle. I also put on the wheels for a quick look to see how it looked. I am having problems with my right rear wheel, it won’t go on the axle completely. I think its a bearing alignment issue, so I will need to investigate further.
It never ceases to amaze me how much time metal work takes. The two rails took nearly two weeks. The rear axle supports took a full day.
It’s very rewarding when its assembly time and I get to see all the hard work come to fruition.
The swing arm assembly is the most technical part of this entire build. While I have the basic premise worked out with CAD, I still need to work out a lot of details through trial fitting and discovery. I will need help from my local machine shop to finalize some key parts before I can finalize the design.