DRAG KING ___Raceliner Dragster___

[The Renaissance Man]

Spent today with my son changing out a water pump on my truck. He's into math, so he really liked converting foot pounds into inch pounds and using the torque wrench.

I did take the transmission off Drag King and opened it up. Everything seems fine, so I'm still not sure what was making a noise. Maybe it needs more grease?

While I had it off, I snapped a pic of the chain and sprockets to show whats going on behind the tranny...

 

[pick]

Cool!

 

[El C]

Hey RM, how´s the pedaling with that tranny making the pedals uncentered (there must be a better word for this, but I quess you know what I mean)?
Have you compensated it somehow on the left side or is there no affection?

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Hey RM, how´s the pedaling with that tranny making the pedals uncentered (there must be a better word for this, but I quess you know what I mean)?
Have you compensated it somehow on the left side or is there no affection?

You know, I wondered the same thing back when I first started the bike, but I wasn't thinking about it when I rode it, and didn't even notice anything out of the ordinary! So apparently it's not enough to make a difference.
When I ride it again, I'll try to remember to be conscious of it just to see.

 

[El C]

You know, I wondered the same thing back when I first started the bike, but I wasn't thinking about it when I rode it, and didn't even notice anything out of the ordinary! So apparently it's not enough to make a difference.
When I ride it again, I'll try to remember to be conscious of it just to see.

Ok, nice if it doesn´t affect the ride.
I was afraid it would cause the bike to lean to the right a bit...

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I started work on the shifter today and had some pics to post, but it seems that photobucket is down for some reason.
Anyway, I've been putting this off for two months because I hadn't figured out how to attach anything to the plastic shaft in a way that I could live with. That all changed this past weekend. While trying to work through an idea that involved using a sleeve to clamp over the plastic, I discovered that the piece that I had cut off of the top of the seat tube was just the right fit. Once I started messing with it, the light bulb came on and the solution finally presented itself. As soon as I can load pictures, I'll show what I've got so far.
Here's an earlier picture that shows the plastic part on the tranny that rotates to shift gears...

EDIT: Just checked back, and photobucket was temporarily down for maintenance.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

OK, so as I was saying, the top of the seat stay fit perfectly, so I ground down a piece of 1/8" thick steel in a sort of half moon shape to weld inside of the tube that will make a 'D' shape to match the plastic shaft. I drilled a hole in the side to plug weld it in place and also cut a quarter size disc to cap it with. This will make more sense tomorrow after it's welded together.

To hold it in place, an aluminum plate will bolt over the shaft and the collar at the bottom of the seat tube piece will prevent it from slipping off...

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Smart thinking!

Luke.

 

[DoubleL]

Look'n Good!

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Thanks guys, should have the shifter boss ready today.

 

[Bike Bum]

I just looked up these Dana transmissions, I've never seen one before plus, I don't understand how those plastic gears could hold up under the stress of pedaling and weight of the bike/rider. Pretty cool and not cheap either.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

I just looked up these Dana transmissions, I've never seen one before plus, I don't understand how those plastic gears could hold up under the stress of pedaling and weight of the bike/rider. Pretty cool and not cheap either.

The only plastic is the cam that selects the gears. It's not under any stress from pedaling. I do wish that it was metal though, but I'm close to working around it.

Here's a couple of pics of the gears on the inside...

 

[raggedjim]

Dude, you have been busy! Bike is great, still plenty of time to screw it up so be careful! So far you've shown an uncanny ability to make the design seem effortless.

Good luck, Rg

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Bike is great, still plenty of time to screw it up so be careful!
Good luck, Rg

Thanks Rg.
Yeah, I hope I have enough time to add on the mud flaps, curb feelers, deer whistles, continental spare tire, fuzzy dice, fog horn, and training wheels.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

Got the shifter boss finished. The wedge needed to be recessed just a little for the collar to fit properly.

 

[The Renaissance Man]

No more worries about how to connect a shifter!

I've thought through countless complicated ways to get around the plastic shaft dilemma, and this is so simple that I can't believe that it took two months to figure it out.

Now that I have a metal shaft to work off of, things just got a lot easier. I just put in an order from McMaster-Carr for more pieces of the puzzle! It will probably be next week before I come back to this, but I'll be ready when I do!

Here's the finished part...

 

[whitefiretiger]

Have to admit I don't know if I'd ever have come up with a good way to hook to that plastic piece.

 

[jasper87]

Never heard of McMaster Carr, clicked on link, wasted an hour of my life Now I want titanium ball bearings...

Awesome solution btw, its so simple but I never would have thought of it

 

[raggedjim]

Thanks Rg.
Yeah, I hope I have enough time to add on the mud flaps, curb feelers, deer whistles, continental spare tire, fuzzy dice, fog horn, and training wheels.

How about I go out in the garage and pick something for you to put on the bike? PM me your address and I'll send it to you! But you gotta use it... Take a chance...

Rg

 

[fordsnake]

beautiful craftsmanship...I noticed all your parts are precision cut, please share how you've mastered the accuracy? Are you a machinist by trade?