So I got kicked out of my shop for the summer so they could redo the floors. Over the last couple of weeks I've been working on pulling things back out and setting the shop back up.
The next step is seat mounting and seat belt mounting. I drilled a couple of holes for the seat and got it set in place. Did some measuring and bending and came up with this:
It goes around behind the seat and gives me a spot to mount 4 of the 5 points on the harness.
Marked some angles, cut it down, and tacked it on.
With the seat attached...
I would have liked it to be a little closer to the seat, but this should work great. Still need to finish weld, and I've got an idea for some gussets at the joint that can double as fender mounts.
I set it all up, climbed up and sat in it, then had my 9 year old try and lift the tongue- he lifted it easily. This is with me laying totally back. Dan's a bit lighter than me so I'm not sure how that will translate to tongue weight- almost think since theres less of him to counterbalance there might be MORE tongue weight. Guess we'll see.
I'm pretty happy that the balance seems to have worked out- that was one of my main concerns. So far the frame is still super light too. Have a few gussets to add and still need paint, leg holder, windshield (?), fenders, and a few other odds and ends but its starting to shape up.
Started going through the scraps I picked up at a local machine shop- scored a perfect chunk for a new axle so I began re-making it.
Makin' some HOT chips...
Also made some gussets for the seat belt frame out of more of the scraps.
And welded 'em on.
Spent the doing some "detail" work- little odds and ends that suck up the time.
Made another set of gusset plates for the frame.
Tacked 'em on,
And welded them solid. Will probably make one more set of gussets to go up on the sharp bend at the end of the big loop coming from the hitch.
Started figuring how to mount the seat belt.
What you don't really see here is I also made some brackets for the rear seat mounts and tacked them in place.
Been hemming and hawing about how to attach the seat belts. At first I thought I would just drill some holes through the frame but decided that holes will probably weaken it, so I made up a few brackets.
Tacked 'em in,
Welded them and then cleaned everything up with the wire wheel.
.Test fitting the harness.
Yeah, I think that'll do nicely!
Did some figuring,
Laid it out,
and made a mock up of the foot pan.
Still thinking about options for this. Would be cool to build a framework and then lace it with straps, but I will probably build the pan out of aluminum and have some steel framework underneath for reinforcement.
Fender ideas...
Dan's coming over for a test fitting. That will help me know where the leg pan needs to go, whether or not I need to shorten the tongue, and also if I need to bring the fenders down on the outside of the wheel to keep fingers out.
Hope they like it so far!
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