Honda MadTrax V Twin Quad.. Nearly Finished.. Woo Hoo

[Ian 2,417]

On 05/12/2016 at 5:18 PM, Alan said:

Brilliant video Ian. Unusual to see Nigel moving so fast.  Is that a first. ?  If he gets annoying in his mini form, one of those electric fly zappers will soon calm him down.

 

Thanks Alan, yeah he doesn't normally move that fast.. I think he was only after my coffee

 

 

On 05/12/2016 at 9:14 AM, nigel said:

He left me trapped under the can for ages Norm and put me in a wheelchair, he abused me 😁

 

You enjoy it

 

 

On 05/12/2016 at 8:59 AM, Stormin said:

Enjoyable video, Ian. I see you've finally cut Nigel down to size. And got him working.

 

Thanks Norm, getting small bloke working was the hard part..

 

Progress has been a tad slow, but MadTrax now has front shocks fitted..

All I had to do was chop an inch odd from the springs, change the top mounts on the shocks and move the shock mountings up a bit on the frame!

 

 

 

[Ian 2,417]

Yesterday was spent cleaning and painting the engine.. Once the radiator and mountings plus the carbs were off the engine looked a lot smaller..

And a lot cleaner after lots of time with wire brushes on a drill

 

 

 

 

Parts like the fan shroud were very rusty..

 

 

 

But after a lot of cleaning, priming and top coating it looked good along with the radiator..

 

 

 

And the radiator/front engine mount thingy.

 

 

 

The engine looks quite good too

 

 

[slf-uk 914]

Your making great progress Ian and I love the video.

 

Iain

[Stormin 4,458]

8 hours ago, Ian said:

 

 

 

 

Doesn't look smaller to me Ian. Unless that's a little chair for little Nigel.

[Ian 2,417]

On 17/12/2016 at 1:55 PM, slf-uk said:

Your making great progress Ian and I love the video.

 

Iain

 

Thanks Iain, glad you like the extra "silliness" in the vid... I wasn't sure how people would take to it..

 

 

On 17/12/2016 at 6:34 PM, Stormin said:

 

Doesn't look smaller to me Ian. Unless that's a little chair for little Nigel.

 

The full size Nigel spends most of he's time sitting down, if the small bloke had a chair nothing would ever get done

 

Before the engine could go back in there was a slight frame mod to do.. As the shock mounts had been moved up..

 

 

 

The strengthening bar between them also got moved up..

 

 

 

Engine in, thanks for your help today Rob should you be reading this.

 

 

 

 

I just need to finish sorting out the rat's nest of a wiring loom!

 

 

 

Yesterday all the front end parts had a session with some rattle cans.

 

 

 

A spring looking good in black.. Well, it did look good until I noticed how much I had missed on the other side..  Spring can be a right pain to paint!

 

 

 

The front end bolted back on.. The good thing with painting everything satin black is I can just spray over any pain chips without having to mask anything up

 

 

[Stormin 4,458]

The all black engine, in the all black frame, looks grand as owt, Ian.

[slf-uk 914]

Paint looks great Ian. My head hurts just looking at that wiring loom, I hope it is not too difficult.

 

Iain

[Ian 2,417]

On 21/12/2016 at 10:10 PM, Stormin said:

The all black engine, in the all black frame, looks grand as owt, Ian.

 

Thanks mate, by the time she's all black she should be able to lurk in the shadows without being seen

 

 

On 23/12/2016 at 6:19 PM, slf-uk said:

Paint looks great Ian. My head hurts just looking at that wiring loom, I hope it is not too difficult.

 

Iain

 

Thanks Iain, the wiring isn't too bad really. Most of it makes sense....  I need to get a wiring diagram for the wires that don't

[Ian 2,417]

Not a great deal to report as I've not been up the workshop apart from a few hours Friday where my body needed a break from all the festive sitting around!

Trying to follow a wiring diagram on a smart phone (printer out of ink) was interesting but I did manage to remove a few more un-needed wires from the loom...
It's starting to look less frightening now

 

 

 

Just before silly season hit I pulled the gauges out of a box to finish them off..
The glass "eyebrow"/top/bit that actually holds the gauges in (the pods were make from ride on mower headlamps remember) needed a little something to stop them from flying apart during high speed jumps/crashes (delete according to taste/fear/bravery).
A bit hard to see from this photo snatched from video footage, but there is a small Allen key bolt that screws through a hole in the lip thingy into a threaded insert welded to the pod body.
 

 

 

Gauge pod body's and trim/eyebrow top ring thingys hit with the black stuff..

 

 

 

 

To finish this update off here's the latest MadTrax video where I play around some more with special effects and a few sound effects as well..
I even do some work on MadTrax

 

 

[slf-uk 914]

Brilliant video Ian and I loved the special effects. We all love some toilet humour, had to pause the video myself at that point ant use the facilities

 

You are making great progress

 

Iain

[Ian 2,417]

On 01/01/2017 at 1:07 PM, slf-uk said:

Brilliant video Ian and I loved the special effects. We all love some toilet humour, had to pause the video myself at that point ant use the facilities

 

You are making great progress

 

Iain

 

Thanks Iain, I did leave the radiator draining for just long enough to see if it had the desired effect... Good to know it did

[Ian 2,417]

Morning all, time for a long over due update starting with a much more detailed photo (that I found buried in my phone) of the captive nut and screw thingy that holds the top of the gauge pods together.

 

 

 

Both freshly painted gauge pods were part assembled and bolted back on MadTrax.. They looked so terrible that they came off again, got hit will some filler and then repainted!

Me thinks they look much better now

 

 

 

 

The temp gauge and warning lights almost ready to go in the pod. The original bike warning lights would not fit in easy..

 

 

 

So I bought some of these

 

 

 

Two extra holes drilled in the temp gauge mounting plate which for some reason doesn't look too happy about it!! 

 

 

 

A small but worthy attention to detail thing..   The new warning lights had chrome effect surrounds.. That would never do, something shiny!!   So....

 

 

 

Fitting the temp gauge and warning lights in the pod was a bit tight... Yes the paints chipped already

 

 

 

Ta-Daa..

 

 

 

The rev counter...

 

 

 

A new rev counter cable was fitted, which meant the radiator had to come off the engine again!

 

 

 

I'm finally happy with the gauges now

 

 

[Ian 2,417]

The carbs had a quick (very quick) clean up before being hit with some black paint.

For some reason the engine when in the trike never had a choke cable fitted, but it was quite easy to fit the original quad cable to the carbs.

 

 

 

Carbs fitted.

 

 

 

The throttle cable had seen better days and decided to snap! Looking at this "unsnapped" section of it I'm surprised it had held together for as long as it did!

Another thing for the shopping list!

 

 

 

Tank and seat plonked back on..

 

 

 

The reason for fitting the tank was to work out if I needed to re-position the fuel tap.. As it turned out the original tap position was spot on, it's just a shame someone had cut it out to fit it to Why Not's tank!

 

 

 

 

The plan was to cut this tap off the trikes tank and graft it onto MadTrax's tank..

 

 

 

Well... That was the plan until I found the tank still had some petrol in it!   I guess it still is the plan, it will just have to wait a few day for the tank to air out..

 

 

 

Some funky airbrushing.. Looks like a previous owner had a thing for Iron Maiden

 

 

 

 

[Cub Cadet 613]

Its an absolute beast Ian, Great work!

[Ian 2,417]

On 18/01/2017 at 10:16 AM, Cub Cadet said:

Its an absolute beast Ian, Great work!

 

Thanks mate, it's about to get beastier

 

Wow was it really January I last worked on MadTrax!!

I have been a bit distracted by an RJ, a Burban, a lathe bench etc but I am back on MadTrax's case now

 

In order to keep this in some kind of order, we had best start with a video with a rather silly start

 

 

 

As hinted at the end of the video some "slight" changes were about to happen..

 

It was this photo that started the ball (or should it be quad) rolling

The wheels came from the remain of a Quadziller quad that Nigel had stored away in a vast amount of brambles

 

 

 

 

There was no way the bigger wheels would bolt onto the original front hubs and rear axle as the PCD's are nowhere near the same..

Making adaptors for the front wheels wouldn't be too bad of a job, but the rears would need at least an 8 inch wide adaptor plate each side which would do the axles bearings any good!

Also the original rear axles internal brake wasn't working at all!!

 

Sooooooooo...   My brain started chewing an idea over.... Then out came the tape measure to check on the idea...

 

But your going to have to wait a little while to see the idea though I bet a few of you know already

 

[nigel 1,876]

Nutter as mad as a box of 🐸 frogs 

[Ian 2,417]

On 22/08/2017 at 5:26 PM, nigel said:

Nutter as mad as a box of 🐸 frogs 

 

But of course old bean, of course

 

Sorry for the slight delay in finishing this post, spare time is hard to find!

 

Anyway...

 

Quite a few months ago when MadTrax was being stripped down for paint I found that I couldn't get the exhaust off the engine!

Something had closed up during welding and made the very small clearance there was too small to clear anything..

So, the only option was to put an extra flange in the system.. Almost finished here, just need the welding finished when it's unbolted.

 

 

 

 

And on to todays main attraction

 

Never being one to take the easy option and also having a history of making drastic changes when I'm most of the way through a build, I thought the best way to bolt the new wheels on is if

I use the matching hubs.....   And suspension.... And brakes....... And steering

 

With a couple of bars cut out under the seat the Quadziller rear end could be rolled in place.

 

 

 

 

The heavy duty sump guard came in handy, nice and flat for balancing on a widened wheel rim that was just the right height.

With the front end stripped off, there was only one thing to do..

 

 

 

Slice off her nose

 

 

 

To fit this, Quadzillers front end

 

 

 

A little trimming later and both ends are near enough in the right places.

 

 

 

 

Lot's of measuring later the front and middle sections lined up and were held together with some tempoary bracing.

The first two new tube to on were the rear end, I just had to give her a slightly cheeky curvy rear

 

 

 

No problems getting the exhaust back on, the battery box will be cut out as MadTrax has one already.

 

 

 

Working out how to make the top shock mounts was interesting, but worth it as they look good. It's a shame that I ran out of welding gas as I was tack welding them on!

I will put a bracing tube between the shock mounts.

 

 

 

 

And that's where the build is up to for now... More to happen when I get more gas..... (No fart jokes please)

 

[Ian 2,417]

Morning all, bit more of a MadTrax update for you.. Yep, yet more slicing and welding, even more of the same to come

 

The box section under/around the rear diff needed to come out as it just looked rubbish!!

Slicing it off in one bit was interesting !

 

 

In went some new tube..

 

 

A lot of extra tempoary bracing went in to stop things moving..

The big blue tubes hold the rear end off the bench as I had to remove both rear wheels and move the shocks so I could get a cutting disc in..

 

 

 

Not fully welding in yet, but I have added a cross tube between the end of the new rails since this pic was taken..

 

 

 

It was at this point my Murex 165 TradeMig shat it's self and decided it didn't want to produce good welds any more!
When using it you can feel it's "pulcing" and just has lost it's amps and doesn't want to penetrate!!
So a BIG THANK YOU to Nigel for offing me the use of his welder until I can get mine fixed which will hopefully be some time next week..
Nigel's Mig on the right, naughty Mig on the left!

 

 

 

Much welding and the wheels put back on later the rear end looks like this.. Some extra strengthening and tidying up needed but it's looking good.

 

 

 

 

Another big to Nigel for helping me get the new front end lined up and squared up with the rest of the frame.. This took a suprisingly long amount of time...

Bracing was added after this photo was taken to keep it in the right place.

 

[Ian 2,417]

Time to get serious with the front end..

Not the best of photo's as someone had put an exhaust in the way, but the front is now welded to the rest of it.. I will put a load more strength in this area but it's one of those jobs best done later when the frame is stipped down (again) and I can turn it upside down.

 

 

 

So I could do some structural slicing the front diff needed to be moved forward and out the way a bit..

Of course two of the Allen Key bolts came undone with only a small fight, the front two refused to budge and eventually got chewed up..

The only way to undo them without grinding the heads off was to weld a bit of bar to the bolt head and hope the heat would free the thread up....

 

Which it did. 

 

 

 

There's no two ways about it, the Quadzilla front strut towers looked ugly, really ugly.. So why not turn it around and make them a feature

With yet more tempoary bracing in place and the top of the towers already mostly wrapped in tube, half the O/S strut tower was cut out!

 

 

 

Cleaning up the welds was not fun as they were very hard!

 

 

 

Fresh tube welded back in to replace the metal I had cut out, and a Nigel holding the rear tube in place..

 

 

 

A close up for you.

 

 

 

And a view from the front and top.... By the time we are finished it will look way better and be much stronger than the original Quadzilla strut towers

 

 

 

 

Oh..... Much to my and Nigel's suprise I found the Quadzilla gear/transfer box the other day..  Both Nigel and I thought it had long gone!

 

 

 

 

If I can make it fit in this space, MadTrax will have HI/Low ratios and a reverse.. Well 5 of em

 

[Ian 2,417]

Owdo all, MadTrax is coming along nicely, along with a lot of new tube the looks have changed as well

 

By only doing one corner at a time the Quadzilla strut towers have gone, I think the tube looks much better.

 

 

 

 

 

A new nose taking shape.

 

 

 

You can also see some new tube connecting the top of the struts to MadTrax's frame just in front of the gas tank..  The photo's don't show it too well but the curves match and line up with other tube..

 

 

 

 

 

Nose job finished, not as pointy as the first one and it looks all the better for it... No chance of it digging in and throwing me over the bars now

 

 

 

 

A single tube connects the nose to the frame, hopefully there is still enough space left to get the diff out when I need to

 

 

 

When I cut the front off it left four open tubes on the frame, so they needed to be tied into the new front end... 

 

 

 

The two tower tubes will be joined together, something like this only cut to fit and without the hand to hold it up

 

 

 

And that's this thread upto date again... 

[Stormin 4,458]

A skid plate under the front end might be an idea, Ian. Stop the front getting caught on anything sticking up or digging in a hump.

[nigel 1,876]

http://Think you need to go to spec savers Norm, there is a plate under the front diff

[Stormin 4,458]

I could see there's one under the diff, Nigel.  I was meaning where the frame comes down. The diff plate could be extended to curve up in front of it.

[Ian 2,417]

On 20/09/2017 at 9:41 AM, Stormin said:

A skid plate under the front end might be an idea, Ian. Stop the front getting caught on anything sticking up or digging in a hump.

 

On 20/09/2017 at 5:34 PM, nigel said:

http://Think you need to go to spec savers Norm, there is a plate under the front diff

 

On 20/09/2017 at 5:57 PM, Stormin said:

I could see there's one under the diff, Nigel.  I was meaning where the frame comes down. The diff plate could be extended to curve up in front of it.

 

 

I see what you mean Norm, I'm sure something "in keeping" can be made

 

Quite a bit of updateing to do, not sure I will make it all in one sitting as I've a lot to get done today!

 

Before I started to slice MadTrax open for a transfer box implant, he was taken off the bench and wheeled outside so we could have a good look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on the bench the rear end was stripped off, a bit of grinder work later and the transfer box was almost in.

 

 

 

 

 

By almost, I mean the box fitted in but splines wouldn't quite line up..
By connecting the diff and tranfer box shafts I get drive to the rear diff but it also dictates exactly where the TF box has to go.

 

 

 

And this is the point where I need some help guys..
The front and rear came from a 2012 Quadzilla 325E 4x4.
The problem is I can't get the rear half shafts out of the diff!
All the research I've done says inside the rear end is a crown wheel that has a shaft with splines on each end running through it.
The end of the half shaft should have internal splines that push over the "crown wheel shaft" and is held in place by and expanding spring/washer thingy.
I can pull the end of the half shaft out of the er.. diff/and or crown wheel case only a certain amount and then it feels like there is an internal "cir clip" holding the shaft in..
Also as you will see from the photo the end of the half shaft has external splines not internal ones like the internet whould have me believe!
My thoughts are it does have a diff in the back, but someone has cracked the case open and welded it up to make a "locked" rear end.. There is plenty of signs that someone has been in the rear end before, lot's of mastic type sealer on the case joins!

Oh, the diff won't come out of the frame without taking the end of the half shafts out first!

 

 

 

 

To join the transfer box to the rear diff I needed the longest length of slined section from one of the Quadzilla prop shafts..

 

 

 

You might say the UJ was a bit worn!

 

 

 

The "coupler" needs a bit of work but transfer box and rear diff joined

 

 

 

A shaft with 2 UJ's comes out of the front of the transfer box.

 

 

 

Which will fit onto a nice sturdy shaft running forward with bearings to hold it in place.
The thin walled white tube is for illustration purposes only

 

 

 

The front of the shaft will connect to the front diff via some very strong chain and sprockets.

 

 

Disclaimer...  " The above chain idea has now been changed but I've put it in as it's part of the MadTrax story"

 

 

Nows a good point to drop in a video..

 

 

[Stormin 4,458]

Sounds to me you could be right about things being welded up. Maybe a half shaft broke at sometime. I think you'll need to split the box.