Manky's new Reliant trike.

[Manky Monkey]

Tazet's been helping out in the garage today.
I messed about cleaning blue gasket sealant off the primary chaincase & fitted the crank pulley & a few odds & ends, while she fitted the prop shaft & handbrake lever. The prop was a bugger cos it's a "precision fit". A perfect fit between the gearbox & diff flanges, but it has a lip around each end that has to be lifted over the nut that holds each flange in place. If you've fitted a Reliant prop you'll know what I mean. In the end we had to loosen the engine/gearbox mounts & ease the motor forward a tad, bolt the prop in & let it find it's own position as the prop bolts were tightened.
Waiting for SaddleBags to sort the yokes out at the moment so couldn't move the trike. Then we found an abandoned skateboard near my garage. Ideal. Put a block of wood on top of it & shoved it under the sump. Now we can roll the trike out into the daylight at last.
I always set the trike frames up by putting the wheels on the axle then setting the propshaft up parallel to the ground, which gives you the height of the engine off the deck. On my own trike though, I've ignored that & set the engine slightly lower, simply because it looked better. So my prop runs slightly nose down.
Propshaft on. Handbrake lever on. What's next?
You can bolt the battery box in place.
O.K. How?
2 8mm bolts through the mounting holes in the bottom of the box & through the mounting tab on the frame.
What holes in the bottom of the box?
What?! Those ones right there.....oh bugger.
Absolutley no idea how I've managed it, but the battery box is peppered with all sorts of wiring & electrical component holes, even a hole for the plastic breather pipe on the battery -but no mounting bolt holes. How the hell did we miss those?!
Not a big problem, but now we've got to very carefully drill a couple of holes through my nicely powder-coated box. Ah well.
Next to go on is the water pump, then the alternator & fan belt, radiator then the footpegs & pedals. I've still got to make up an exhaust system. I think I'll end up making it in mild steel & spraying it black, then getting a stainless copy made at Valley Gas Speed Shop when I've got the money. Once the exhaust manifold's on, the carb can go on.
After that I just need to sort out the rear mudguards & cobble together some rear brakes from the bits left over after Flap nicked my old ones.
Wiring, hoses & cables & it's done. Easy! 
 

[Manky Monkey]

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[Manky Monkey]

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[captainspannerfingers]

shame to have a skateboard front end when the rest of the trike looks so good manky, ah well each to their own
HEHE

[Manky Monkey]

Yup, six wheels on my wagon. It's a bugger to get round corners though.
Nag that brother of yours to re-machine my yokes & stuff so I can get the front end back together. 

[harley gazz]

looking very very sweet mr manky nice an shiney like a new pin superb job sir

[Manky Monkey]

Thank you. 
Mr Flap visited this afternoon. Tazzie fitted the battery box once we'd drilled it's mounting holes. There's a sheet of rubber sandwiched between it & the frame bracket. The inside of the lid is also lined with rubber to seal it against the weather & stop it vibrating. The hazard warning switch is a very expensive push button affair mounting in the rear face of the box. The ignition switch plus switches for the radiator fan & lights on/off are in the lid of the box & will probably be on multi-pin plugs so they can be unplugged for access to the box's wiring.
Fitted the water pump but found I'm one dome nut short so Mr Flap's going to search his extensive garage facilities for one. He made a start on cutting water hoses then we found I haven't got any radiator ones -something else I need to buy.
I fitted the tiny Moon Eyes water temp' guage my brother brought me back from his stateside holiday last year. It screws directly into the side of the thermostat housing.
Just generally faffing about, trying to fit bits, finding they either don't fit since everything's been powder-coated, or we haven't got the necessary nuts, bolts or spacers to fit them with. Getting there -slowly.

[Manky Monkey]

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[davesatan]

it needs a penguin trailer to set it off lol

[tazet]

  er how do I say this nicely       NO

There is nowhere to keep it anyway 

[BikerGran]

It does begin to look like a trike in the building rather than just a load of parts!

[captainspannerfingers]

i have a pretty big collection of hoses at my garage, what day are you at the mm head quarters? i could leave a box full with you to sort through

[Manky Monkey]

That'd be handy Sir.
I'll PM you my mobile number.

[Manky Monkey]

Captain S.F called in at the garage today.
He brought along a big box of radiator hoses -none of which fitted unfortunately. Bugger. Looks like I'll have to buy a couple of genuine Reliant ones & chop 'em about to fit. Thanks anyway mate. Still a worthwhile visit though, as he may be able to arrange a stainless exhaust system for me. (Spanner), Fingers crossed.
I know I've had several sets of stainless alternator spacers made up while my trike's been off the road, but they've all gone walkies, so I had to hacksaw up some mild steel tube & spray it black instead. Once it's dried I'll fit said alternator & the fan belt. I'm happy to admit I'm not a mechanic -I know what goes on inside an engine, but I'd rather leave it to people who have done it before -so the spanner digited one wound the motor over to top dead centre & dropped the distributor in place while he was there.
I've spent the rest of the afternoon listening to the radio, drinking Coke, eating sandwiches, (my lock up's in the service area behind a parade of shops & a pub so it's easy to get lured by the smell of the chippie or the temptations of the Co-Op), & occasionally fitting bits or painting stuff ready to fit.
The Reliant radiator & it's stainless stoneguard went on without any problems, with rubber washers to cushion it a little, (on the outside of the stoneguard so hopefully they won't melt), as did the various leccy components inside the battery box, as well as the horn that bolts to the back of the box.
Next time I'll sort out the carb & it's manifold.

[Manky Monkey]

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