The Inhaler - All-Electric 23 Model T Autocross/Drag Truck

[wellis77]

Glad to see you're still working away on this. Looking forward to seeing it come together. Very cool build. What is the track width your running with the 108" wheelbase?

[toddshotrods]

Originally Posted by wellis77

Glad to see you're still working away on this. Looking forward to seeing it come together. Very cool build. What is the track width your running with the 108" wheelbase?

Thanks wellis. There's no turning back now, I have to get something in return for the time I have invested in it.

In front, right now, hub-to-hub I have about 61", and about 66-67" sidewall to sidewall (outsides).

In back, right now, hub-to-hub it's at about 59", and about 76-ish inches sidewall-to-sidewall. That will increase to 78-80" with 345 section-width tires and new rims.

Everything has to go in software to find the best compromise before the real pick-up points are welded in. It's all just mock-up now to get the component locations and body sorted out. It's really challenging to hide all this stuff under Model T skin.

[toddshotrods]

Wow, I can't beleve it has been this long since I posted, and since we actually worked on this one! We did a mock-up stretch last night just to get the rear wheels in he right place. There's going to be a complete redo of the rear suspension geometry (still trangulated four-link, I think), but we can now start mounting the motor and making it actually run. First, we'll stretch the bed to fill the gap. This gives it more conventional pickup truck proportions, and us the (108") wheelbase to really push the (performance) envelope.

In a week or so, all the bodywork will be recreated in carbon fiber. More to come...

[toddshotrods]

Longer and meaner...



With a new carbon fiber body shell (rough draft created right over the old fiberglass body, as we'll be cutting, splicing, and modifying it).



We've started surfaicng work on the front clip's foam plug, to get it in carbon fiber soon.


Two little 23 Ford-based hot rods beginning to take shape...

[toddshotrods]

It's coming along.

[toddshotrods]

So, I am closing my studio/moving my stuff out of the community workshop this weekend. Everything is going in storage for a bit, while I try to figure out "what next". I have been trying to decide what I really want to keep, to reduce the size of the storage unit, and avoid having one full of a bunch of crap I don't want. I decided that Schism was more than I want to do and got rid of it. That left me with two electric motorcycle projects and my tools, nice and tidy.

Long-story-short, the Inhaler became the property of the community workshop in our deal to (unsuccessfully) try to found a non-profit with it as the centerpiece. Monday, Alex tells me that he's handing it back to me - it's mine again...

I had to make some really fast decisions about what to do with it. I decided to keep it and return to something closer to the original plan - small, basic, raw, fun. All the crazy bodywork, and the stretched wheelbase, were to suit our non-profit goals. I pulled the crazy front clip, and the bed, shortened the wheelbase back to 90", and am going to mount the massive 13" motor up front, uncovered, with a conventional driveshaft to the rear axle. It rolls and steers already, so when I get the motor mounted and a driveshaft strung, I will be working on making it run. It will need springs and shocks, but that's a minor issue, needing only light fabrication to implement.

I call the theme I am shooting for "TechnoRat". Sort of Modified style, with just the body tub and a grille shell for bodywork, purposely not perfect - a little rat rod-ish to keep things simple, and blatantly using and displaying modern technology and components on an old hot rod. The key is that motor. It is an absolute torque monster, with every drop of it being available from 0 rpm - now!

[WSSix]

Good luck, Todd.