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Vehicle Design I know what goes on inside the DIYer's head. If you were born with a more serious case of DIY, you will rationalize a lot of things just so you can get your hands into the project. This often annoys your wife, as she attempts to put you in touch with reality. She recalls the time you paid more money for a 'Heathkit' than you could have paid for the same item already assembled! How dumb is that? Yes, I know how it is, people are all around you, you're not engaged in conversation at the moment, and you drift off to that part of your brain where your future projects are stored. There's details you haven't worked out yet, you visualize donor parts, drive trains, you go thru a list of popular frame and suspension designs you have inventoried in your brain. Those around you note you lack of apparent social skills, and of course you are wondering how your wife ever talked you into attending a Tupperware party in the first place? What is the difference between the best of DIYers and Engineers? I guess that depends a lot on the DIYer and the Engineer doesn't it? As you read this, you'll be thinking about all the time >YOU< have thought about three wheels VS four wheels on the ground, you've attempted to visualize the G forces in your mind's eye, and maybe you've even taken a test drive in your imaginary vehicle? I've been working on my own design for a three wheeler for a number of years, but there are so many variables and compromises to be analyzed that your mind can Stall and you fall out of your daydream. The Solution? Find an Engineer who is also a DIYer, add to that, one who has the Maturity to communicate to his audience and convey information and NOT just to impress his peer group. But, we add another requirement, he must be a good writer as well. All to rare you say? Dave Norton fits the bill, you'll love the way he writes, and the information flows from his words in ways that happen only when you have labored over something with intensity that most mortals never achieve. His writing is a quick course in understanding just how much work it is to achieve the results you are likely after. To build it is one thing, to be reasonably happy with the results is another. Do look at some of his links, the Q&As give valuable food for thought and will give you considerable insight into aspects of design that you might not have thought of. After reading Dave's overview of his design criteria, I question the intelligence of my design criteria. I intended to make use of foam, and composites without a traditional frame. It's narrow track is more stream lined, the focus is low drag, high efficiency, but how safe is it? Dave's triangle around the driver, the steel tubes add weight, BUT. When we design a low profile vehicle, we add to the likely hood that >we< are likely to absorb more of the energy dissipated in a collision than we'd like. Whether we agree with Dave's design philosophy or not, at least we've given it some thought. Thank you Dave for such an excellent Website and project! George B.
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