Aixam microcar - with a bike engine!
Discussion
This is actually an in-progress project but if retrospective (for a bit) build diaries are in fashion and you'll entertain my attempt at a bit of writing then ill happily share the build diary for this 
Rewind 18 months. Its my birthday, its late, and ive got some worryingly persuasive friends helping me browse ebay. Cars motorcycles and vehicles. Search term is 'project'. Many a vehicle was considered (im told) the selection process was logical and considered (unlikely) and justification of purchase absolutely watertight (ahahaha). Bidding ended at a 'nah we'll be fine i wont win it anyway' 32 pounds.
What the hell is it? I too found myself asking.
Its an aixam 500 microcar. All plastic body with steel subframes. They came with an air cooled 2 cylinder kubota diesel engine making (BRACE YOURSELVES) 5hp, and driving the front wheels via a CVT transmission with i think a centrifugal clutch. Kind of like a moped, except front wheel drive, and even more embarassing. 50mph top speed. 400kg and 145 width tyres. Now now ladies, form a queue.
Anyone recognise the van? :-)
It gets sillier. Once i'd arranged delivery 2 microcars turned up - If i'd read the listing i'd have known that was going to happen. One an almost rolling shell and one a not at all rolling shell full of parts. It turns out i was getting 'the parts to make a rolling shell' and not 'a rolling shell'. I'd have know this if i was capable of reading while bidding.
Bear in mind i said rolling shell. Not 'complete car'. Originally these cars came with the little kubota diesel engine that is in diggers/cement mixers/plant machinery. But these are worth money. I think whats happening with these cars is the guys are buying the wrecks, flogging the engine and chucking the rest of the car back on ebay. Which they have to do, because you cant weigh the car in (its plastic) and you cant take it down the tip (its a car). So it looks like im committed to this build, like it or not...
Some photos of my 'non-driveline' assembly....
MX5 seat welded in
Mixing and matching suspension components
But mixing and matching only gets you so far. Not sure the alignment guys are adjusting that out...
Sorted the steering silliness by cutting and extending the track rods (i fully welded them later dont worry). Also the only driveshafts that fit were the longest ones... But at least i now have a truly rolling shell.
So by this point it was basically complete less its powerplant. Rolling shell with lights wipers interior brakes and electrics (and a drivers mirror) So all we need is an engine.... :-)
Rewind 18 months. Its my birthday, its late, and ive got some worryingly persuasive friends helping me browse ebay. Cars motorcycles and vehicles. Search term is 'project'. Many a vehicle was considered (im told) the selection process was logical and considered (unlikely) and justification of purchase absolutely watertight (ahahaha). Bidding ended at a 'nah we'll be fine i wont win it anyway' 32 pounds.
What the hell is it? I too found myself asking.
Its an aixam 500 microcar. All plastic body with steel subframes. They came with an air cooled 2 cylinder kubota diesel engine making (BRACE YOURSELVES) 5hp, and driving the front wheels via a CVT transmission with i think a centrifugal clutch. Kind of like a moped, except front wheel drive, and even more embarassing. 50mph top speed. 400kg and 145 width tyres. Now now ladies, form a queue.
Anyone recognise the van? :-)
It gets sillier. Once i'd arranged delivery 2 microcars turned up - If i'd read the listing i'd have known that was going to happen. One an almost rolling shell and one a not at all rolling shell full of parts. It turns out i was getting 'the parts to make a rolling shell' and not 'a rolling shell'. I'd have know this if i was capable of reading while bidding.
Bear in mind i said rolling shell. Not 'complete car'. Originally these cars came with the little kubota diesel engine that is in diggers/cement mixers/plant machinery. But these are worth money. I think whats happening with these cars is the guys are buying the wrecks, flogging the engine and chucking the rest of the car back on ebay. Which they have to do, because you cant weigh the car in (its plastic) and you cant take it down the tip (its a car). So it looks like im committed to this build, like it or not...
Some photos of my 'non-driveline' assembly....
MX5 seat welded in
Mixing and matching suspension components
But mixing and matching only gets you so far. Not sure the alignment guys are adjusting that out...
Sorted the steering silliness by cutting and extending the track rods (i fully welded them later dont worry). Also the only driveshafts that fit were the longest ones... But at least i now have a truly rolling shell.
So by this point it was basically complete less its powerplant. Rolling shell with lights wipers interior brakes and electrics (and a drivers mirror) So all we need is an engine.... :-)
Edited by sparkybean on Wednesday 8th January 22:44
So obviously by the thread title the engine choice is a given but we did consider a few options:
Put the original engine back in - p
s offfffffff
Front drive hatchback engine and subframe in the back! - Too wide, dont want the wide arch silliness
Reliant rear axle and some longditudinal engine/box - Could do, but not really tempted by the rear suspension silliness or having the rear seat passengers changing gear for me
Electric motor! (seriously considered, always wanted to build an electric car, but im not made of money...)
A series - Feasable option.
Bike engine driving the front wheels - Chains/sprockets/bearings nightmare
We seriously considered the a-series. The temptation to plonk down a grand on the drivetrain from a mini or metro wasnt exactly nagging at me, despite the convienence - Weld the engine mounts to the steel front subframe, bodge 2 halves of driveshafts to the 2 others, and call it done. Tempting.
In the end though the bike engine plan won out for a pretty simple reason - despite having recently newfound access to a lathe and owning a mill (cough pillar drill on steroids) id not found a proper machining project to sink my teeth into yet - and i find stuff tends to get learned real quick if you throw yourself into the deep end with an objective. This was going to be a 'can i actually machine stuff' project. So....
Friends back round, get the beers in again, category motorcycles, cheapest first, buy it now only
Yamaha 600 diversion - 70hp. This might be a classic motorcycle of absolute exquisite taste and class, or it could be an absolute eyesore that disgusts even the keenest yamaha fan. I have no idea, I know nothing of bikes. All i know is that it ran well when i bought it (apart from a bit of cam chain clatter, common problem apparently) and that 12krpm of sequentially shifted chain driven aluminium engine and gearbox silliness is what this plastic pile of excrement microcar really needs. I bought the whole bike for 300 quid. Perfect! Then spent the next month stripping and selling all the parts i didnt need - mainly to make some space, which paid for the bike, car, delivery of the car and the chocolates to buy off the neighbours' want to complain to someone. Score!
Now we just have to cram the 2 halves together....
Put the original engine back in - p
s offfffffffFront drive hatchback engine and subframe in the back! - Too wide, dont want the wide arch silliness
Reliant rear axle and some longditudinal engine/box - Could do, but not really tempted by the rear suspension silliness or having the rear seat passengers changing gear for me
Electric motor! (seriously considered, always wanted to build an electric car, but im not made of money...)
A series - Feasable option.
Bike engine driving the front wheels - Chains/sprockets/bearings nightmare
We seriously considered the a-series. The temptation to plonk down a grand on the drivetrain from a mini or metro wasnt exactly nagging at me, despite the convienence - Weld the engine mounts to the steel front subframe, bodge 2 halves of driveshafts to the 2 others, and call it done. Tempting.
In the end though the bike engine plan won out for a pretty simple reason - despite having recently newfound access to a lathe and owning a mill (cough pillar drill on steroids) id not found a proper machining project to sink my teeth into yet - and i find stuff tends to get learned real quick if you throw yourself into the deep end with an objective. This was going to be a 'can i actually machine stuff' project. So....
Friends back round, get the beers in again, category motorcycles, cheapest first, buy it now only
Yamaha 600 diversion - 70hp. This might be a classic motorcycle of absolute exquisite taste and class, or it could be an absolute eyesore that disgusts even the keenest yamaha fan. I have no idea, I know nothing of bikes. All i know is that it ran well when i bought it (apart from a bit of cam chain clatter, common problem apparently) and that 12krpm of sequentially shifted chain driven aluminium engine and gearbox silliness is what this plastic pile of excrement microcar really needs. I bought the whole bike for 300 quid. Perfect! Then spent the next month stripping and selling all the parts i didnt need - mainly to make some space, which paid for the bike, car, delivery of the car and the chocolates to buy off the neighbours' want to complain to someone. Score!
Now we just have to cram the 2 halves together....
I'm in... what could possibly go wrong...
I once went to a PH meet where one bloke turned up I'm a smart fortwo with a ZXR1400 Engine with a big ol' Taiwanese Tornado bolted on.
Was geared to a top speed of 125mph. Acceleration was hilarious. He said if you accelerate hard you have no steering until third gear as the fronts are barely skimming the ground...
I once went to a PH meet where one bloke turned up I'm a smart fortwo with a ZXR1400 Engine with a big ol' Taiwanese Tornado bolted on.
Was geared to a top speed of 125mph. Acceleration was hilarious. He said if you accelerate hard you have no steering until third gear as the fronts are barely skimming the ground...
Aha right. Thats what im hoping for, i think 5hp at 400kg going up to 70hp should be enough of a riot. 175hp/ton isnt slow, and the skinny tyres should make it silly enough to drive.
Of the 18 months or so of build thread timing, getting this far is half of it. Plans, thinking time, fair amount of head-in-hands 'what have i done why do i do this to myself' related self reflection, and general heel kicking fills in the time between actually working on the thing.
Machining photos coming...
Of the 18 months or so of build thread timing, getting this far is half of it. Plans, thinking time, fair amount of head-in-hands 'what have i done why do i do this to myself' related self reflection, and general heel kicking fills in the time between actually working on the thing.
Machining photos coming...
The yamaha is no great loss. Since buying it i learned it definitley falls into the 'not so exotic' category. It had a lot wrong with it and some review mag called it 'the vauxhall astra diesel' of the motorcycle world.
A litre bike would have been great but they all cost actual money!
A litre bike would have been great but they all cost actual money!
Shadow R1 said:
The oil sump will need some form of baffling.
Bikes lean when going round corners, cars don't.
Many engineering challenges to fitting any bike engine.
Your power figure is a tad on the high side, if it gives 50bhp your doing well.
Good luck with this and keep us updated.
I've seen between 50-80 on the xj, depending on spec. Wasnt sure, took a middle guess!Bikes lean when going round corners, cars don't.
Many engineering challenges to fitting any bike engine.
Your power figure is a tad on the high side, if it gives 50bhp your doing well.
Good luck with this and keep us updated.
Its oil cooled so i think i'll fit a pressure sensor on the cooler to keep an eye out for exaclty this. Anyway what's to say my car wont lean when cornering, have you seen how thin and tall this thing is! (yes i know it leans the wrong way lol)
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