Shovelhead Himsl Trike

[RichardD]

I know I started a thread on this but can't find it now. Starting with a fucked up weld on hardtail Shovelhead, and a body I got from Chip Quinn out in Arizona. He has the original molds from 1970.

[RichardD]

Building my own rear axle.



I am making a chain drive differential using parts from an MX5. I cut off the rear axle plates and drew up new plates in CAD to mount the pillow block bearings. I will have 3/8" steel waterjetted once I finalize the design. I had to cut and bend the top tubes of the rear hardtail for the body to fit, since it was originally designed for a flathead Servi-car. The new steel plates will extend under my cuts to make it strong.This thing is EXACTLY the right width for the HD frame. I have a 1" keyed axle to make the left and right axle shafts, and a couple of 1" pillowblocks for near the wheels. I will need to make upper and lower tubes to support the bearings at the wheels, leading back to the seat post tube. I think the rear diff and output shafts were about $150, $50 for the bearings, $200 for the axle and hubs. The brakes are from a Polaris RZR, rotors and calipers for forty five bucks, can't get much cheaper than that. DNA sells a trike axle for a couple grand, but I did not want disk brakes visible, to me it kills the look. I'll have maybe $500 in this setup.

[RichardD]

Mocked up in the frame. Will be a few more revisions before making it in steel.

[selectedgrub]

Yes

[RichardD]

Slightly changed plans. Instead of slotting all the mounting holes so I can slide the axle back and forth for chain adjustment, I am going to use a chain tensioner. I was actually sitting here doing some CAD drawings just now.

[RichardD]

Got my custom sprocket from Rebel Gears, really nice piece. Getting the jack shaft mocked up. The Jackshaft will have axle adjusters similar to the stock axle adjusters, the drive chain will have a tensioner.

[RichardD]

Gonna have some rake:

[rockman96]

That's looking good!

[DoomBuggy]

Man that is going to be so much fun to paint, can't wait to see where you go with it.

[RichardD]

My friend got an airbrush recently, he's going to paint it for me.

[ExplodingCoffinEmporium]

Man that is going to be so much fun to paint, can't wait to see where you go with it.

100% on that doom, always wanted to do a trike build in this vein, shit maybe someday in the distant future I will.