Manky's new Reliant trike.

[Manky Monkey]

Woo hoo! Now we're getting somewhere!
With the frame safely cocooned in bubbly wrap, Tazet, Ska Man & I manouvred it onto the axle & bolted it into place. Nyloc nuts on everything to keep the MSVA man happy. I wasn't sure about painting the ally diff housing -I left it in polished ally last time around, but it really sets off the green powder-coat nicely.

[Manky Monkey]

Half an inch of clearance between the diff & the frame. Loads of room. 
The bracket under the left axle tube's the end stop for the handbrake cables.
The rear lights sit on the arms on the back of the axle clamps. That puts them within the required 400mm from the outside edge of the trike, & the stop/tail lights are the right height off the ground, but the indicators need to be 100mm higher for the MSVA. Not for the MOT though, so I'll knock up a temporay plate to raise them for the MSVA then bin it afterwards.

[Manky Monkey]

This is how it sits at the moment.
The headstock taper roller bearing shells are in & I'm waiting for Mr SaddleBags to machine me a new steering stem so I can get the yokes off to the coaters.
Next job is probably the engine. It's been sat in my lock up, untouched for a very, very long time, but looks pretty good so just a quick check over & some new gaskets hopefully. Waiting for the sump, clutch arm & engine mounting plates to come back from the powder-coaters.   
These snaps still don't show the real colour. It's mintier than it looks here. I've been thinking it reminds me of vintage vehicles or farm machinery, then I realised it's very similar to John Deere tractor colours.

[deegee]

Looking good mate, nice handbag in the third photo yours or Ska Mans?.  ;D

[tazet]

  We knew someone would spot it. They share it, alternate weeks. 

[ByzMax]

  Looking good!

I used a coach paint on the XS wishbones but had the same problem. First coat went on nice and smooth second coat looked like porridge!

Rubbed all the bits down coated the in barcoat and then primer and then celluosed em and got as much better finish!

[Manky Monkey]

I'm almost tempted to mask everything up & spray the axle with a gloss black aerosol, but there's an awful lot of tubing to mask -guaranteed to overspray it somewhere.
Tazet's handbag, but big enough to make a decent pannier for the trike. Has to be capacious to carry my camera, spare memory cards, spare batteries, notebook, pen, bags of sweets etc.

[tazet]

And that bag did cope with all that but the weight took its toll and the strap has now broken so got to get it fixed now 

[Terrortubby]

Sweet frame Andy,
You and the young lady have done a marvelous job. The rest of your little band of helpers seem to be on top of the job too.

Well done mate.

[harley gazz]

yes well done manky you deserve a nice big cream cake with jam in it 

[ByzMax]

Mnky be carefull if you decide to spray it as the reaction between paints may ruin it. Put a bar coat on first!

[tazet]

He's always got a pot of something to nibble, either cakes or flapjacks and Diet coke to wash it down with 
I think he is going to give it a week or so to fully harden then gently go over it with some very fine wet & dry to take the runs & bubbles out, then buff it up with some black, coloured T Cut then see what it looks like first before spraying.
Probably would be safer to take the axle out before re -spraying if it is needed as I can see something going horribly wrong. (I will be armed with the camera as its much safer)

[TwistedPatience]

Lookin' Sweeeeet! there Manky Boss, not long now eh!

[Manky Monkey]

Thanks chaps 
S-o-o much more to do 
At least it's starting to look like a trike now though.

[lunatic]

If you have to re paint the axle and decide to take it out, I'll blow it over with some 2 pack gloss black for ya! Got some in the cupboard and some barcoat! It would only take an evening and would be pretty much handleable (?) the next day.