I saw the leaf spring and for a moment I squealed inside, I thought there was suspension up front! Then I looked close... All my hopes and dreams! Crushed!
But it looks great!
BobCrewsGCIL New Member
Age : 44 Join date : 2016-09-11 Points : 2955 Posts : 4 Location : St. Louis Metro
The Diesel Weasel lives and breathes! Took it for a shakedown run this afternoon, and I am very happy. Everything pretty much works as it should. Very little tweaking to do.
***NOTE*** For the purposes of this contest, it is "Complete". It meets all the criteria. Starts, runs, drives under it's own power. Dashboard mounted start switch and kill lever, both working. Steering and brakes function very well. Remote foot throttle.
That said, there IS more I'm going to do, such as:
*Reupholster the seat *Finish painting the wheels *Paint the chassis *Wire in the headlights *Maybe paint the tub and/or running boards *Tweak the governor for more RPM And whatever else may come to mind before contest close.
Man I love the look of this thing. I think the wheelbarrow fits so well because it kind of has that same shape as an old Model T...kinda get what I mean? The engine sounded a lit higher than 3600 rpms, but maybe thats because its a diesel. And she rolls coal like a boss
MatthewD Veteran Member
1000+ Posts
1000+ Posts!
2015 Build-Off Entrant
2015 Build-Off Entrant
2016 Build-Off Entrant
2016 Build-Off Entrant
Age : 23 Join date : 2014-11-16 Points : 5709 Posts : 1993 Location : Northern Ireland
Yeah I know what you mean about the model T thing. I have a 6hp diesel at home and it smokes worse than Doc's. I think it's just the nature of those tiny diesels.
Man I love the look of this thing. I think the wheelbarrow fits so well because it kind of has that same shape as an old Model T...kinda get what I mean? The engine sounded a lit higher than 3600 rpms, but maybe thats because its a diesel. And she rolls coal like a boss
The whole wheelbarrow/ model T thing was exactly what I was after.
I have not tached the engine yet. I admit I DID fiddle with the maximum throttle set screw a bit, so... yeah. Lol
Damn- I'm gonna be awfully glad when this damn thing is done. Seems the last 10% is taking 90% of the effort. I'm in the home stretch now, having blown it apart for final cleaning, welds, and paint. Got all the wiring done tonight, too. Still have to paint the seat structure, and reupholster the seat. Then, the last order of business is the, umm... secret... thing. Lol
She's done. Well, okay- 99.95% done. I am waiting for the mail lady to bring me 4 new high-speed front wheel bearings (I actually trashed 2 of them during the test drive- which I expected because they were just crappy wheelbarrow bearings) and a sticker.
Yes, the sticker is THAT important.
That's it. Literally.
What an intense build! The last 10% really DID take 90% of the time and effort. I've never had that happen before. Ever. My kids' go kart that I scratchbuilt a few years ago was a challenge- but the final stretch was nowhere NEAR this involved. None of my other stuff has been this much of a last-ditch hemmorhoid, either. Insane.
Today, I did the final wiring and plumbing, while Amy (my much-more-significant-other) reupholstered the seat. She's really good with the fiddly crap. She also did the white lettering on the tires. God bless her.
Anyhow, yeah- Pound in 4 bearings, slap on a sticker- and I should be good to shoot the big reveal video. Woohoo!!!