Thread: Steam Punk Radio Flyer

Tweet

Got this used and abused wagon at a yard sale last weekend for 5 bucks...

I had the old wheels and tires gathering dust and waiting for a project.

After getting the old trucks stripped off I mocked it up on the floor.

I'll re-use the steering assembly with some mods to make the old trike wheels fit and to get the chassis low.


The rear wheels have an oddball I.D. for the axle. 11/16th's (.687). I cut down some 3/4" nylon bushings to run a 1/2" diameter axle shaft.

Took .030 off the radius and the bushings pressed in nicely.

All set for new axles.


The Steam Punk side of this comes from the frame. I will be using 3/4" copper tubing for the whole thing. Elbows for the kick ups and tee's to make the cross members. Should look pretty Kool.

Just laying things out to get an idea of ground clearance and kick up height. The wheel centerline is 5 1/4" off the ground so, with an inch of ground clearance the kick-up needs to be 4 1/4 high. The rear axle is going to go right thru the center of the frame so no added height is needed.

That's where it's at today.
Mark

Nice work! It's things like this when I really want a lathe again.

Thanks Ryan. Yes having the machine tools does open up a lot of opportunities in the fab world.
Haven't done to much on the wagon build. Doing some thinking and mocking stuff up but no real construction yet.
I did get the frame modeled in 3D CAD over the weekend. I was going to start cutting tubing the other night but got roped into cutting down a few trees instead...
Here are a couple of screen shots of the frame as I modeled it.


I have the rear axle attachment worked out also. I will modify a tee to carry the 1/2" diameter axle shaft with a couple of nylon bushings.
Mark

Even the model looks sweet!

be a great thing to take to swap meets to carry parts

Originally Posted by cffisher

be a great thing to take to swap meets to carry parts

That's the plan Charlie. Even though the copper tube may be marginal for weight carrying capabilities it will be easier then carrying stuff in my arms. I wouldn't plan to set an engine block in it but I think it will be plenty strong for most typical items...

I got the front bushings turned down to fit in the front wheel axle bores. Made them snug so they won't itch around.




Made some progress on the frame and rear hubs tonight. I started cutting tubing and mocking it up. I need to get a few more fittings and a chunk of 1/2" tube to get things wrapped up.




The rear hubs are being made from a couple of 3/4 x 1/2 x 3/4 tees. I drilled out the side opposite the 1/2" fitting and will solder in a 1/2" splice.


Mocked up, this will get soldered together when the chassis is put together.


This will allow the 1/2" tubing rear cross member to go all the way thru the fitting and be just short of the 1/2" x 5/8th's nylon bushing that will carry the axle. Building it this way will be plenty strong. The axle will go thru the width of the frame.

Some other ideas I have for finishing this build...
What do you think about a keg gas tank?

I will have to pass judgement after I get the wagon in full mock up to see it.

I don't know if this will happen, it seems a little big.
Mark

Nice work! The Keg might be a little big, but you could slice it in half for some dry storage or make a cooler out of it!

Thank you Sir!
That was my thoughts on the mini keg exactly. Cut it in half and give it a purpose. We'll see how it looks with the whole wagon mocked up. If it looks out of place I'll leave it off.
Mark

Do you have the front axle attachment modeled yet? Or maybe both axles plus the wagon body? My imagination is stuck ;-)

Ok, so I was thinking on this last night.... If the keg doesn't work on this one, it would be a perfect excuse to make a c cab type wagon toter with the keg in the back to look like an old truck.

Hey Roger, I haven't modeled up the front steering mechanism. I am reusing the piece I took off the wagon so didn't plan on modeling it... You can see it kinda' mocked up in this pic although it is backwards.



Nice job Ryan... Now you have me thinking about this. A "C" cab would be cool wouldn't it? I have a nearly full sheet of .050 aluminum hanging around the shop... And a pile of copper rivets I picked up for another wagon build... I might have to do some more 3D modeling.... Turn the keg lengthwise and channel it over the rear frame... Do some bead rolling... Have the top hinged for easy access. Criminy, this will be cooler then the old wagon body.

I like your thoughts on it a lot already! And I doubt there will be another out and about like it either! Haha

I won't argue with you on that one. I've never seen a copper tube frame before so this just might be a first.
I got a little work done tonight. The whole frame is mocked up and I realized I can shorten the frame up quite a bit. I had a rough idea of what was needed to clear the front wheels during steer but, once I had the frame stuck together, I could see my estimate was way to much. I'll be able to take about 7 or 8 inches out of the length and that will reduce the springiness of the frame.

Moving the front steer assembly back will be a good thing. This moved back about 4 1/2 inches from my initial design.

That's a 1 inch spacer under the rails...

This is what the rear axle hubs will look like.

I have a few alterations to do before I start soldering. it's nice working with the copper as it all plugs together before it gets "welded"...
Mark
[img][/img]

Looking very nice from here!