Building a Morgan 3-Wheeler Replica

[RonM]

Hell Julian, Sounds like you did a killer job if you ask me; only forgetting two wires. It took me a solid year to chase all the electrical gremlins out of my car. But then again, as Joel will attest, my car had "special needs".

[okayfine]

If you'd started with a virgin harness, you'd not have the troubles you did. Alternatively, if I'd bought a hacked Goldwing, I'd probably still be trying to make heads or tails of it.

Looking at the DMV paperwork required, the process is pretty basic, but the forms have lots of spaces for things that don't strictly apply to me, since I did everything myself. Since it's a special construction )(SPCN) motorcycle (versus a car), the scrutiny is a lot easier...but there are still some questions.

Such as - it's no longer a Goldwing, since it has three wheels. But it's not yet a SPCN since it doesn't have a VIN. Currently wondering how I can get it to the brake and light test people with no legit reg and no one to insure something that doesn't legally exist.

[hang_510]

very cool
i have to come see it

[McShagger510]

Ha Haa looks like a riot! Congrats on the scratch build.

James

[okayfine]

very cool
i have to come see it

Hey Brian, more than welcome...but it's coming back apart in the next day or two. Might wait for its rebirth in a few weeks.

[okayfine]

2.5 hours of disassembly:

[okayfine]

3 more hours of disassembly brings me to:



With the rear wheel, final drive, and suspension still attached, the rear of the chassis is much heavier than the front. Even without that stuff it would still be heavier, though. Still, I can lift the front end with ease, and I can flip it on the sides without difficulty.

Currently welding up all the spots I need to. Just ran out of MIG gas, so that will get exchanged tomorrow, and I'll drop off the driveshaft to see if they'll balance it. Wish me luck, I'm certain to need it.

[McWicked]

Looking good man. Anyway guess of what the final curbweight on that bad boy is going to be?

-McWicked

[okayfine]

No idea on final weight. Would be stoked at 1000lb, would accept 1200lb, since that's what the actual Morgan weighs. Friends have corner scales, so once it's back together with all the panels it'll get weighed.

[tr6racer21]

Looking good Julian!

[okayfine]

Airgas, how I hate thee, let me count the ways.

1. Your facility is arranged so that the retail shop is at the front and the bottle exchange area is at the rear, which in itself is not an issue. But if I drive in and park at the rear, why don't you meet me out there since the only reason I would bother to park so far away in an empty parking lot is that I have a gas bottle to exchange.

2. When you're too lazy to do #1 and make me do the long walk to the retail shop, don't patronize me with "Can I help you?" If I park at the back and make the long walk and come straight to the counter where you're sitting, looking at me...what else could I possibly need? You do gas bottle exchanges all day long, why do I have to play this game every time?

3. When I tell you I'm here for a gas bottle exchange, please, PLEASE don't ask me "Do you have an empty bottle to exchange?" like you just did. No, dickhead, I hoped you've developed some MENSA-like ability to fill my gas bottle at home from behind your counter, so I left it there, but decided to drive all the way here because you don't have the brainpower left to answer the phone. WTF do you think? What part of "exchange" don't you understand? Do you ask everyone this question? Oh, right, you have a camera pointed at the bottle exchange area and you know I already pulled the bottle out of my car. You're just jerking my chain. Strong play.

4. The 15% hazmat fee. Unless you've got some asbestos gloves on the peg in the retail shop somewhere (and it's California, so you don't), then I'm not sure you sell anything at all that is actually a hazardous material. Certainly nothing I just bought from you (argon/CO2) is a hazardous material. I know, I know, the back of the receipt says it's not a fee mandated by any government and that you keep the entirety of the fee. The fact remains that it is complete bullshit.

5. 10% Cylinder Processing Fee. For what? For your boy to roll out his dolly to my car, pick up the empty, roll back in to get a full one and bring it out? Man alive, I am in the wrong business!!

6. ...nevermind.

Praxair, you do the same thing, so quit looking innocent. And, since either you or Airgas have bought up all the mom-n-pop welding shops over the years, I have no choice. I can buy all my other welding supplies, up to machines themselves, over the internet, but I can't yet pay for gas bottle exchanges on Amazon. Oh, for when that day comes!!!

[two_68_510s]

I let Airgas deliver and the driver is a good guy, maybe the fellow in the shop needs to get out more.

By the way; the shop arrangement , attitude and conversation are almost identical to what happens when I go into town to do it.

[goichi1]

I guess I'm lucky, the one I go to up here is a smaller business called Central Welding, I'm pretty sure it's a franchise but the guys there are great, although I'm a really small time customer, they always go out of their way to take care of me. They even ask what I'm working on and seem to be interested in my latest welding projects and if little Emma is with me they always give her a big helium filled balloon.

[okayfine]

Great, so now I need to move to WA!

[McWicked]

I'm pretty sure Airgas is running a two-tier business model. The top-tier being businesses which they deliver to. The bottom-tier, which is comprised of guys off the street, who in turn are treated like guys who live under a highway overpass.

Airgas delivers various gas cylinders to my workplace. They are always prompt and courteous and handle their deliveries in a professional manner. So when I finally broke down and purchased my welder, I figured "I'll just go with those great guys and gals at Airgas for all my inert consumable gas needs." That's when I was introduced to the hobo-tier of their business model. They're never open. And when they are open, they seem totally disinterested in actually conducting business. When you finally do get down to business, their prone to asking some fairly asinine questions "Did you bring the bottle in with you today?" "Is the cylinder empty?" "Do you need a regulator?" and my personal favorite "Looks like you're planning on doing a little welding..." to which I responded "Actually no, I'm refilling light bulbs."

-McWicked