Atomic Zombie Motorized Tadpole Project

[BentTooner]

Hi, all
I just bought the plans ($16.95) for a home built Atomic Zombie Warrior tadpole trike I plan to motorize.

I currently ride a LWB Rans Tailwind recumbent and a SWB Rans Rocket recumbent that are motorized with a FD kit from BMP and a Robin EH035.

I'm working on the Warrior's rear forks now and will post my progress and pix as I go. The plans were not as technical as I expected but are good so far.

My first criticism of the plans is that there is no 'materials' list in them so I didn't know how much steel to buy.

I bought three, 5' lengths of 1.5" square steel tubing with 0.065 wall thickness (16 gauge) for $2 per foot (total $30) at the local steel store. I bought more than I think I'll need in case I make mistakes.

I'm using a Harbor Freight MIG 125 welder and doing the cutting with a cut-off wheel on an angle grinder.

If anyone has any questions about the project or knows of any 'gotcha' mistakes or aspects of the Atomic Zombie plans, please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[Alaskavan]

Should be an interesting project. Take, and post, lots of pics.

 

[srdavo]

I'm a big fan of Atomic Zombie.

Looking forward to watching your build.

 

[BentTooner]

Thanks!

I'm having some problems getting my computer to connect to my camera so pix are on hold right now.

Briefly, I've built the rear fork legs and drop outs for the rear wheel and I'm working on the rear seat tube, front tube and center tube.

Other than some annoying problems with the wire feed on my HF MIG welder, it's going fine. The plans are fine as long as you read carefully and go slowly.

As soon as possible, I'll post pix.

 

[BentTooner]

Pix of build

I finally gave up on the camera and used my phone to get some pix to upload.

They are attached. They show that I've finished the rear forks, rear drop outs, seat tube, center tube and front tube. No close ups because the phone doesn't do that well.

I put a 26" mtn bike wheel in the drop outs just for fit and to hold it together and see how it looks.

The next step requires that I cut a bottom bracket from an old bike. I will get a couple of donor bikes tomorrow and get back to work soon after that.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to let me know.

 

[srdavo]

Looking good!

Thanks for the progress report. Keep 'em coming.

 

[BentTooner]

Warrior tadpole update

Hi, all

I cut the crank out of an Murray Cruiser one-speed bike and cleaned it up and welded tabs to it so it can mount on the center boom of the AZ Warrior with pinch bolts, per the plans.

Here's some pictures of the crank being primed and the crank and bearings, races, etc., which cleaned up very nicely. Not too exciting but might interest someone ...

Since I've motorized my bikes, I no longer shift gears. I just put the derailleurs in a gear that is low enough for me to peddle from a dead stop to help save the clutch from wear. Other than that, I rarely peddle and I haven't shifted for 3 years. The derailleurs are pointless to me.

So, I'm planning to use the crank from the Murray and the rear wheel from it with the coaster brake and single rear sprocket to see if that works for starts. If so, I won't need any derailleurs at all.

I don't know if the coaster brake will be enough. If not, I'll put calipers on the front wheels.

I ordered two BMX 20" wheels with 48 spokes and 14mm axles for the front wheels and am waiting on those. Cost was $80 with shipping. I couldn't find affordable wheels that were strong enough that offered disk brakes.

The plans call for cutting up matching head tubes and making steering kingpins from them with extra hardware and fork stems and a very heavy mounting tab.

I just met a guy who is building 2 trikes based on the 'Fleet Trike" web site's plans and he used the 'bushings and bolts' approach to kingpins detailed therein. I looked at his finished product and was very impressed with the simplicity and feel of the steering.

So, I decided to make the "bushings and bolts" version of kingpins rather than cut up head tubes. I bought the bolts, bushings, washers, etc. but couldn't find the steel tube in the right sizes so I'm waiting on that. As soon as I get that, I'll build the kingpins and then go back to the AZ plans.

While I'm waiting, I started on the seat, which is made from plywood. The plans don't specify the thickness of the plywood so I'm guessing on that.

I'll post pictures and details on the kingpins as soon as I make them. That should be interesting...

 

[BentTooner]

AZ Warrior Trike build update

Hi, again
Worked on the seat today.
I've attached pictures to show how it looks with the rear wheel, seat and crank on.
I need to find some rigid foam somewhere to cover the seat.
Most of the time was in making the seat mounting tabs and then getting them welded in the right places on the frame.
Still waiting on wheels and steel tubing.
It's all probably pretty obvious at this point but if anyone has any questions, please let me know.

 

[BentTooner]

Update on AZ Warrior Powered Trike build

Hi,

I got the Atomic Zombie Warrior trike on its wheels and I found the hardest part of the Warrior build so far... it's what they call the 'steering boom tubes.'

I've attached some pictures.

The problem is that the boom tube goes forward (at an angle) and also up (at an angle). This means you have a compound angle to figure out and cut on the first tube and then you have to MATCH it on the other side.

The plans literally call for 'guesstimating' the angles and the cuts. It's a bear. Took me several tries, some swearing, sweating, a wooden jig and grinding off the tack welds on my first effort.

I finally got it pretty close but it's still off a bit and it causes the rear tire/wheel to lean a little. I can fix most of it by shimming one of the kingpins with extra washers and adjusting the rear wheel in the drop outs.

This is definitely a very weak spot on the design of this trike, IMHO. The reasoning for this bizarre steering boom tube design is in case you're short. Since the seat does not move, you adjust the crank on the center tube (as far as the chain tensioner might allow) and, if you have short legs, your heels could hit the steering boom tubes if they came out at a right angle from the frame where the wheels need to be.

To get around this, they have the tubes come forward at an angle. Also, since the trike sits only 5" off the ground and the wheels are about 10" off the ground (20" wheels/tires), the tubes have to come UP to meet the kingpins.

If I did not get the alignment correct after this latest effort, I was going to change the design and just come straight out from the center tube with a short beam and then up at whatever angle I needed to get the wheels vertical and true because I have long enough legs that the tubes would not have been a problem for me. But, luckily, I got it close enough on what was going to be my last try.

I put some temporary foam I had laying around on the seat to get a feel for the crank location. I had some trouble finding a source for the foam. I think I have that solved now. Sourcing stuff is a problem.

If anyone out there is considering the Warrior, please feel free to ask questions. It's pretty challenging...

 

[IbedaYank]

AZ does have a forum
Brad and crew are willing to help with problems when building .
The crew will also help you source parts.
http://forum.atomiczombie.com/index.php