35cICD

1962MARCHAPRIL

for Your Children(Battery-Powered)

Antique Auto

Make This

1. Half-scale replica of 1901 touringcar wi l l delight youngsters, bring a touchof nostalgia to Dad and the older folks.

2. Home-shop electric welder wil l handlenecessary welding, or welding shop wil ldo the work for just a few dollars.

ANTIQUE AUTOHalf-ScaleReplica of 1901 Touring Car

GEORGE E. JONES

THIS DELIGHTFUL LITTLE CAR of thehorseless-carriage age, Fig. 1, andthe cover, will let the youngerdrivers of the family whiz aroundthe neighborhood at a sizzling 5m.p.h. with three chums aboard,and do it all day on one batterycharge. Construction is simple andcan be handled in any home work-shop. Parts that are difficult tomake, such as wheels, brakes, balljoints, etc., can be purchased.

Start construct ion with the frame.Fig. 7. Cut the l-in.-sq. tubing to

length and file curved notches inthe ends to receive the axles. Ifyou have decided to make the axles,rather than buy them, do themnext. Hacksaw the spindle yokes tolength and bend them to shape in avise. Drill the 1/2-in holes for theking bolts after the yokes are bent.Cut the front axle and weld theyokes to the ends, centering themon the axle parallel to each other.Position the axle on the frame sidemembers and weld it in place.Fig. 2. Cut the steering-column

perch, drill a 1/2-in. hole in it andweld it to the front axle. Fig. 3.

Cut the rear axle and butt-weldthe cap screws to the ends. Weld,this assembly to the frame rails.

5. Wheels available from supplier canbe fitted with 3-1/2-in. Morse internal-expanding brakes; used on rear only.

3. Closeup shows arm welded to bot-tom of steering cloumn, bracket weldedto front axle to support end of column.

4. Brake handle is fitted on spacer toposition it outside of body to it projectsup through running board.

6. Shown in this photo are positions ofelectric motor, support, sprockets andchain. Brake is visible on far wheel

MARCH-APRIL . 1962 > I I

12 < WORKBENCH

Make the four gussets, Fig. 7, andweld them to the underside of theframe at the corners. Fabricatethe front-wheel spindle assemblies.Fig. 7. Drill 5/16-in. holes in the

arms first. Make the brake-handlebracket and attach it to the left sideof the frame, Fig, 4. Cut the floorpan and make notches in it for thebulkhead legs, steering column and

brake handle. Now, cut all rods tolength and thread them: Drag link,tie rod, motor-hanger rod, brakerod, motor-adjusting rod and steer-ing column, Fig. 7. Weld the pit-

M A R C H A P R I l . 1 9 6 2 > 1 3

man arm to the steering column1-1/2-in. from the end. Assemble theball Joints on the tie rod and draglink. Bolt the ball joints to thespindle arms. Make the sprocket

coupling next.Clean off all grease, rust and

weld spatter from the frame andpaint it with metal primer, thenone coat of flat-black enamel. When

the paint has dried, put on thefront wheels, backing off the caste-lated nuts 1/4 turn from snug so thewheels spin freely. Pin the nutswith a cotter pin. Adjust the ball

joints on the tie rod to produce1/16-in. toe-in for the front wheels.

Bolt the brake drum to the left,rear wheel. FIG. 5. and mount thebrake-shoe assembly on the axle.Snug up the wheel with a castelatednut and lock with a cotter pin. Puton all hub caps. The right rearwheel is the drive wheel on whichis bolted the 60 tooth sprocket,Figs. 6 and 7. Bolt the wheel to theaxle, lock with cotter pin.

The power plant for the car canBe a converted electric gear motor,a government surplus item sellingfor about $16 to $20. It will tun on6 or 12 volts and is fully reversible.Burden Sales Co 900 West " O "St.. Lincoln. Nebraskka. has manytypes of these motors in store.Your power plant also can be aregular 2- or 3-brush auto gener-ator. To convert the generator, re-move the third brush if it has oneand leave the grounded brush asis. The wire from the other brushgoes to on outside terminal. Thefields are so lde r - connec ted andwires from the two fields are ledto an outside terminal. Most autoshops can make the conversion.

Position the motor on the hangerrod inserted through holes in theframe. Align the two sprockets andinstall the chain. Mount the motorrod to the motor and to the frameand adjust it's length so there is1/2-in slack in the chain between

sprockets. Next bend the brakehandle to suit a rm length. Fig. 7.and drill the rod and pivot holesDo not install the handle.

Cut all parts of the body, Fig.8, then use a couple of lengths of2 x 4 clamped together t o makeall bends Put all sub-assemblies,Fig. 9. together. Assemble radiator,hood, dash and bulkhead as one

8. Parts for the car body are easily cutand formed with ordinary hand tools. Herefender is being cut to shape.

9. One template ii uicd to make alltour Irndrrt. Two, of courw, Arr rt-terved in betiding to produce pairt.

10. Shown are all sheet-metal com-ponents ready for assembly on the chassis.Black is the color of the original.

14 < W O R K B E N C H

with rivets or sheet metal screws.Hop in the car, flip the dash

switch to forward and step downon the accelerator. You are underway for years of fun. Twenty-fourparts and accessories f'or the carcan. be purchased from: Ma-JoLektri-Kars. P. O. Box 3134. Glen-Oaks Station, Burbank. Calif. Writefor a parts list.

unit. Fig. 10. Paint all body sub-assemblies with a coat of met.alprimer. then a coat of glossy blackenamel. Wheels can be gold or red

Now, the final assembly: Posi-tion the floor pan; install the hoodassembly, the fender assembliesand steering column. Fit the brakehandle through the running-boardslot and adjust it to the brake rod.Wire the motor to the battery andfloor accelerator. The battery islocated under the front seat, heldby brackets fabricated to suit thebattery size. Fasten all components