23

POWERCYCLE
with detachable
carrying cart
By JOE McBRIDE

T HIS animated short

snorter w i l l barrel
you along at 35
mph. When the fun's
over, you can tuck it
into your car or boat
with ease. Lifting is no
problem; it weighs
only 55 pounds.
When equipped with
the detachable side
cart (Fig. 2), the
scooter b e c o m e s a
practical package car-
rier for shopping or
special delivery serv-
ice, or a tool carrier
for farm and field
servicemen. With some
alteration in size and
shape the same meth-
od of building and at-
taching this cart can
be applied to adding a Speeding along on the powercycle at 35 miles per hour, side cart not attached.
side cart to any power
scooter.
Although we used a 2-stroke cycle Clinton ing the Chevrolet propellor shaft to length
A400 engine, almost any 2- or 4-stroke cycle as given in Fig. 5A. Chuck, or tack-weld a
engine having a maximum of 2-1/2 hp could block on the tube end of the shaft for a
be used. The lightweight, vertical cylinder, center, and mount the prop shaft in a metal-
horizontal shaft, 4-cycle engines, such as the turning lathe. The lathe w i l l have to have a
Clinton A2100 or Briggs and Stratton 6B or 3-ft. between-centers capacity.
6B-5, offer some advantages over the 2-cycles If you do not have a lathe to do the work
in that they can be throttled down to run yourself, it w i l l pay you to have the front
smoothly at slow speeds, are easier to start fork (Fig. 6A) ready for machining, too, so
and do not require mixing of oil with the gas. that you can have all of the lathe work
Do not, however, use any of the heavy cast needed to build this cycle done at one time.
iron engines since their additional weight The front fork is made from a Mercury
located off center on this small powercycle sway bar which is heat-treated spring steel
tend to make steering difficult and erratic. and may be a little too hard for sawing and
So then, you'll have transportation for your- machining without first annealing. To an-
self (Fig. 1) plus load carrying capacity with neal the bar, heat it to a dull red and allow
this little side-cart equipped powercycle, and it to cool slowly. You can do this with an
the cart (Fig. 2) can be detached in the time acetylene torch or, better still, if there is an
it takes you to loosen three bolts. automobile spring shop or heat treating firm
Since the shape and size of the frame mem- in your area, have them heat the entire bar
bers must be determined by the size of other in their furnace.
matching parts, have on hand all of the parts After machining the front and rear axles,
given in the Materials List before starting assemble the wheels on them to make cer-
actual construction. tain everything fits well. Then lay out and
Making the Cycle Frame. Begin by hacksaw- cut the two bending templates from sheet
24 SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS
metal as in Fig. 5. When bending the rear
axle and f r o n t fork, grip the stock in a vise
and use an acetylene torch to heat just those
areas of the stock that you are bending. Heat
to a bright red and do not hold the torch too
long or too close at one spot. If the metal
starts to sparkle, it indicates it is burning and
is too hot. Do not quench w i t h water to cool
b u t allow to cool slowly to room temperature.
An 18-in. length of 1//2-in. black iron pipe
w i t h one end d r i l l e d out to 5/8 i n . (so that it
can be slipped over the ends turned down for
the axles) w i l l protect the machined surfaces
and give you the leverage needed for bend-
ing. Use the bending templates to check the
amount and angle of the bends occasionally.
F i n a l accuracy of bend must be checked by
mounting the wheels w i t h tires. Wheel
centers must be in line w i t h centerlines of
shafts and have clearance for tires. A l l o w
space for installation of fender on front fork.
Note that the front fork has a secondary
bend, other than those shown on the template,
of 2 i n . f o r w a r d for wheel caster effect. The
rear axle arm is bent 15° f r o m centerline of
tube as in frame assembly drawing Fig. 5.
Cut the f o r k bushing (Fig. 6B) f r o m 1/2-in.
pipe and r u n a 5/8-in. d r i l l through it to clean
up the inside so that the bushing w i l l slide
on the turned portion of the front fork.
Then flatten the end of the frame tube ( A ) ,
and file the top and bottom edges of the tube
half-round to take the f o r k bushing at 85°
as in the frame assembly drawing Fig. 5.
A f t e r welding the bushing to the frame, again
d r i l l it out because the heat of welding may
have distorted it somewhat.
Use the cut-off piece of prop shaft tubing
for the seat support (Fig. 5 B ) . G r i n d or file
the end of the support to fit t i g h t l y against
the frame tube. This operation, w h i c h is com-
monly called "fishmouthing" the end of a
tube, w i l l make welding a lot easier because
you w i l l not have gaps to fill. If you are
going to use a Clinton engine as we did, weld
the seat support to frame A, locating its cen-
ter 12 in. f r o m the rear end of the frame tube
as in the frame assembly, Fig. 5. If you are
going to use a Briggs and Stratton aluminum
vertical cylinder engine, locate the seat sup-
port 10 i n . f r o m the rear end of the frame
tube. Then heat and bend the foot rest (C in
Fig. 6 ) , and weld it to the frame tube right in
back of the seat support.
To determine the angle at which the re-
maining parts are welded to the frame, tern-
 SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS
Small passengers only; and give them a cautious ride.
porarily assemble the front and rear wheels
on their axles. Then slide the ball thrust
bearing on the front fork and insert the fork
through the fork bushing on the frame. Place
one tie-rod clamp at the top of the fork bush-
ing over the saw slot and another clamp
above it on front fork shaft (Fig. 4).
To support the cycle and keep it in an up-
right position while you work on it, make up
a wooden stand from scrap 1 x 4-in. stock
as in Fig. 2A. Place the stand under the foot
rest, and weld the seat post to the top of the
seat support so that it is parallel with the
floor. Hacksaw the gusset from a piece of
1/8 x 1-in. strip steel and weld it to the corner
where the seat post joins the seat support as
in the frame assembly Fig. 5. If you are us-
ing the vertical cylinder engine with the seat
support located closer to the rear, you w i l l
not need the gusset and w i l l need a seat post
only 5 in. long.
Engine Installation. While you are at the auto
wrecking yards have the yard man cut you
the two engine supports (Fig. 7A) with an
acetylene torch. To save time at the yards,
make up paper patterns of the engine sup-
ports and have them ready so that you can
place them on an old car frame channel and
draw around them with chalk. Have the yard
man cut off a 2 x 2-1/2-in. piece of 1/8-in. thick
steel for the brake, too. Grind smooth the
rough-cut edges of the engine supports and
weld them to the frame as in Figs. 4 and 7A.
Reinforce the rear engine support with 1/4-in.
steel rods welded in place.
The best V-belt pulley to use for the rear
wheel is a 7-in. dia. water pump pulley from
a Chevy, Olds, or Buick because it has an
offset center which provides clearance for
the tire. Cut out the center of the pulley and
braze it to the rim of the rear wheel at four
places as in Fig 4. Then reassemble the wheel
and mount it on rear axle with nut and pin.
Now, with a V-Plex automatic clutch on
the engine drive shaft, place the plywood and
engine on the engine supports as in Fig. 4.
Line up the V-belt pulley on the engine with
the one on the rear wheel and measure the
size V-belt needed. After purchasing the belt,
place it on the pulleys and mark the location
of the engine mounting holes on the engine
supports. D r i l l these holes 3/8-in. and bolt the
engine in place. To take up belt stretch later,
a piece of plywood 1/4 to 3/4-in. thick may be
placed under the engine base as in Fig. 4.
The performance of the Clinton A400 en-
gine can be improved by opening up the
baffle plates inside the muffler (A in Fig. 9).
Weld the exhaust holes closed and for a new
exhaust opening, weld a 3-in. length of 3/4-in.
conduit to the muffler. If you are going to
use the side car on the cycle, weld another
3-in. length of conduit to the exhaust opening
as in the side view Fig. 9 to direct the hot
26 SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS
 SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS
gasses away f r o m the side of the car.
Handle Bars. M a k e the handle bars f r o m a
'48 F o r d tie r o d , bending and w e l d i n g t h e m
as in F i g . 7B. W e l d a 3/8 x 2-1/2-in. cap screw
to the r i g h t h a n d side of the handle bar for
m o u n t i n g the t h r o t t l e control handle (made
f r o m 3/4-in. conduit as in F i g . 7 B ) . W e l d the
throttle-cable support to the underside of the
handle bar and slide the cable t h r o u g h it.
Thread or spot braze the end of the cable to
the supporting 3/8-in. nut. The w i r e inside the
control cable is fastened to the swivel clamp
bolted to the conduit handle. R u n the cable
back along the cycle frame and connect it to
the carburetor t h r o t t l e lever. Disconnect and
remove the engine governor linkage, and
change the lever (B in F i g . 9 ) .
Fenders are r e q u i r e d by law in some states
for licensed scooters. We made ours f r o m
27
pieces of car body sheet metal w h i c h is soft
and can be easily cut and bent to the shapes
shown in Fig. 8.
Brake. Be sure to use 1/2-in. r o u n d , water
hardening tool steel for the brake lever be-
cause o r d i n a r y cold-rolled m i l d steel m a y
bend out of shape and leave y o u w i t h o u t
brakes. M a k e the brake as detailed in F i g .
7C and m o u n t it on a 1/2 x 3-in. cap screw
welded to underside of the frame as in brake
assembly F i g . 6. D r i l l the threads o u t of the
1/2-in. hex n u t welded to the foot b r a k e so
that the n u t w i l l slide on the cap screw. T h e n
r u n a 1/2-in. h e x n u t on the cap screw to r e -
t a i n the brake lever. This same n u t is used
for the k i c k stand, too. Be sure the n u t is
on the cap screw before w e l d i n g the k i c k
stand ( F i g . 6D) to it because it w o u l d be
impossible to install the k i c k stand other-
28 SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS
wise. The nut must also have enough thread
drag or f r i c t i o n to hold the k i c k stand in
the up position. If the nut is too loose, col-
lapse it slightly by squeezing in a vise before
installing it.
W i t h the exception of lights and a horn,
required by some states before you can get
a scooter license, your powercycle should be
complete and ready for a test r u n . The horn
can be the rubber b u l b type available at auto
parts and dime stores. The lights (head light
and tail light) can be operated by a #6 d r y
cell battery or the type used for bicycles.
Side Cart. The best procedure to follow in
making and assembling the side cart to the
powercycle you have b u i l t is to cut and fit
the four cart frame pieces (Fig. 2) i n d i v i d u -
ally. Start by making the axle extension
f r o m a 20-1/2-in. length of 1/2-in. i r o n pipe.
Weld a 5/8 x 2-1/2-in. cap screw on one end,
and heat and flatten the other end. Make up
three cart attachment lugs as in Fig. 2B and
bolt one to the flattened end of the axle ex-
tension. Then, w i t h the wheel mounted on
the axle extension and the cycle blocked in
the upright position on the floor, place the
l u g end of the axle extension against the
rear axle a r m of the cycle as in Fig. 2. Cut
a couple of 2 x 2 in. blocks to hold the axle
extension level w i t h the floor and at right
angles to the cycle frame. If you are doing
your own welding, tack-weld the lug to the
rear axle a r m of the cycle. Otherwise, clamp
or w i r e the l u g to the arm.
Caution: Welding near a gasoline tank can
be dangerous business. Be sure to drain gaso-
line f r o m engine gas tank and carburetor and
blow out tank before welding, or better still,
remove the engine f r o m the cycle.
Next, make cart frame part X in F i g . 2.
Bend and fit the end that is fastened to the
axle extension first. Then bend, cut and flat-
ten the end to be attached to the cycle frame
w i t h a l u g as in Fig. 2C. Use blocks to hold
part X level w i t h the floor and tack-weld or
temporarily w i r e the l u g to the cycle frame.
Now cut and fit part Y in position, tack-
welding or taping it w i t h plastic electrician's
tape to hold it in place. Follow by fitting
part Z in place, fastening the end to the cycle
seat support w i t h a lug. Cut the triangular
shaped pieces, which reinforce the cart frame
and provide mounting-bolt holes for the cart
box, and w e l d them to the frame members.
 SURPLUS and SALVAGE PROJECTS
Also complete all the other welding of the
lugs and cart frame joints w h i l e it is s t i l l
attached to the cycle to avoid d i s t o r t i o n of
the parts due to heat of welding.
The cart box is made of 1/4-in exterior p l y -
wood reinforced w i t h cleats at all inside cor-
ners as detailed in F i g . 2D. B o l t it to the
frame w i t h three 1/4-in. fh bolts. M a k e the
cart fender ( F i g . 8) f r o m sheet metal as y o u
29
d i d the cycle fenders, and bolt it to the cart
box. Use Shake-proof nuts on the three bolts
that fasten the side cart to the cycle to p r e -
vent the nuts v i b r a t i n g loose.
Sets of plans for b u i l d i n g the powercycle
and side cart are available f r o m the designer
for $2, ppd. Send check or money order, no
C.O.D.'s or stamps, to Joe M c B r i d e , 2631
Kensington W a y , Stockton 4, Calif.