Building a cyclecar ( Grafton style ) scale 1/1

[HK-500]

As our friends from upstairs have their "Aircraft related subjects" containing the topic "Real Aviation" , I respectfully have a demand for our dear and respected moderators😉 :

would it be possible for us "crawlers" to benefit that same features ?

 

On that occasion, I decided to share the "real life size" build started two years ago when I was building my blue Delage 15-S-8 @ 1/12.

The "betcha can't do it" often got me to do stupid things when I was a teenager , and my friend Jean-François unsuspectingly flipped a switch in my brain when he slyly said to me : " well , I'm pretty sure that you could build a real one..." That led to a few sleepless nights mulling over and I started to fumble

the internet in order to find a good method to build that kind of vehicle ( cyclecars that is ), but I came back empty handed during my first days of frantic clicking...

And on a shiny morning I find the nugget I was looking for : a englishman ( them ? again ?!??) speaks about him finding a small soft cover booklet in an old shed along with a battered old cyclecar. For those who've heard about that man , you know that it's Mr Tim Gunn  , and here's the video

As the booklet has been re-issued , I decided to buy a copy and decipher measurements and technical language ( I then discovered what a tyro is😜 , don't forget that I'm french...)

and built a model of the chassis ( you can't change your own nature , as they say )

And once the iron plates were cut  , I went " Aaaah , now I understand !!"

Here's my template  , I 'd like to get as much close to this as I can : it's the De Marçay equipped with an Anzani engine and it belongs to a german gentleman.

I will post an update in a few days , as I don't want to burden you guys with too much intel on the first day , and I also would like to get the approval from the moderators to go on.

See you😎 ( fingers crossed )

Edited May 6 by HK-500

[Sabrejet]

Looks lovely: I am a big fan of cyclecars, especially anything by GN. I've just bought the re-issued bound copies of The Cyclecar too. Really looking forward to seeing this develop.

 

[Malc2]

Nice, looking forward to more updates.

There were a few cyclecars at Goodwood FoS in 2023.

I only recently found out about the world of cyclecars, then found out a mate had one!

So popped round and took some snaps.

M.

[HK-500]

Good evening everyone , as the subject has not been deleted and I'm not banned for six months , I will go on with the reveal of the building phases.

So , as suggested strongly by the author of the booklet , a cyclecar chassis must be made out of ashwood T.I.N.A !!  Ok , ashwood it is , and my specialist even took care

of the cutting processes , but told me that he wouldn't dare and drill it... Here are the beams

The wood seller albeit told me that drilling with a column would be a bad idea as it's not ( unless it's a professional device ) very precise and generates too much

discrepancies ( my tolerance revolves around 1mm max ), in his opinion it's better to use a router as guiding is much more efficient.

Lidl is a great outlet for the amateur tyro that I am , and a router went in my workshop for only 50 euros.

Tracing was done , then checked, checked and re-checked because beams are overlapping on each other , accessories and reinforcement plates must be installed and a tiny error can be costly... Here is the chassis in my living room , with cardboard mock-ups of the steel plates

Drilling went ok , I'm going to be able to measure precisely in order to buy the fastening bolts

See you😎

[RossFMJ]

1 hour ago, HK-500 said:

Here is the chassis in my living room

 

Of course it is, where else would it be  and cylinder heads in the sink and carburettors on the dining table?

[Major_Error]

Wonderful. 

Cool car project!

 

8- )

[Sabrejet]

3 hours ago, HK-500 said:

The wood seller albeit told me that drilling with a column would be a bad idea as it's not ( unless it's a professional device ) very precise and generates too much

discrepancies ( my tolerance revolves around 1mm max ), in his opinion it's better to use a router as guiding is much more efficient.

 

Though it's probably difficult to adapt to the mindset, I'd imagine that 1910's cycle cars were looking at 1/8 inch as a tolerance and using pretty rudimentary tools. Having said that, I'm still amazed at some of the really bespoke castings that went into even the early cars. By the looks of Edwardian and pre-WW1 cycle cars, they used a lot of steel bracketry to carry out the bracing rather than the wood-to-wood joints. Plus once it all gets covered in oil, no-one will know anyway!

[s.e.charles]

i am compelled to follow this project

[Malc2]

Fantastic, thanks again for posting this.

Looking forward to each new update!

Malc.

[HK-500]

The first steps were completed easily : buying the bolts to ensure a sturdy fastening of the chassis railings , then measuring and tracing all the reinforcement steel plates so my local metal workshop could take care of the cutting and folding.

 

At that time  ( circa June 2023 ) I was frantically searching the net to gather any info about cyclecars and cyclekarts ( their owners build their toys themselves and are very savvy and inventive in their way to do it ) and the solution for my leaf springs came from them , may they be thanked a lot for that.

At first I contacted the specialists for that kind of parts : cartwrights and wheelwrights, and the price for a bespoke set almost caused me a heart attack...but the solution coming from the cyclekart buffs was much more cheaper , lo and behold : the caravan stabilizers ( also known by its commercial name Tunesi )  ,two sets for 50 euros !

Then the steel plates were ready !!

Let's make these a bit nicer by rounding the angles and eliminating the burrs

Stay tuned😎

 

 

 

[Mike]

On 06/05/2025 at 20:17, HK-500 said:

and I also would like to get the approval from the moderators to go on.

I've only just "tuned in" as they say, and although it's technically making a cycle that thinks it's a car in IRL scale, you're building the thing out of DIY products and such, so it's a lot more like modelling that say, restoring a traditional car in IRL scale.

 

I'm not going to be a grinch about it, so there  

[s.e.charles]

this is actually "one stop shopping."

 

i think most model builders belong to a prototype subjected forum to help with their research. i belong to several and it enhances my modeling substantially.

 

i try to do research on my own, but when i get stumped i'm not bashful asking for help on the "real" forums. being up-front about why i want the information

 

and mentioning where i have looked, why i am stumped, and what piece of the puzzle is escaping me, all go a long way to have folks give their help.

 

honestly don't think it a draw and there will be a deluge of cycle car building joining up on Britmodeller in the foreseeable future, but i guess stranger things have happened.

 

one of my favorite forums, Jalopy Journal's HAMB traditional custom & hot rod forum does have a model building contingency. bring your sense of humor!

 

Sunday models | Page 244 | The H.A.M.B.         Did you build models when you were a kid? | The H.A.M.B.      Anyone here into large scale (1/8) car models??? | The H.A.M.B.

 

all of this is under the Antiquated forum

[dnl42]

This looks fascinating!

 

I assume this can be road-legal in France? Is this going to cost hundreds, thousands, or tens-of-thousands?

[HK-500]

I'm glad you like , fellow dnl42 , as you may know our legislation about "weird vehicules" or diy ones is much more stringent compared to the UK ( no driveable sofa here 😜) so I'll have to use it on our local very small roads and not fooling around where the police could be a bit to much "interested" in my works...As for the price , if I had the means , I'd rather write a check for an MGtd or a cute Singer or Austin from the thirties but you need a solid fifteen thousands or even a twenty here in France to buy a nice example , hence my expectations about the final price for the cyclecar revolve around three thousand euros ( not counting my tyro hours , of course😉)

Edited May 14 by HK-500

[s.e.charles]

please don't discount the knowledge gained through a project like this.

 

cost? consider the investment as "tuition" money.

 

and when you do land the Nippy, you will have the tools, knowledge, & confidence to go forth with vigor.

[HK-500]

Then the steel plates are drilled and the assembly can start

Testing of the short railings

The assembly is done

It's no longer a wood stash , but starts to look more "chassis-esque" , which would be more obvious when the transverse beams will join the party !

See you😎

[s.e.charles]

i've long thought, and not sure if it's the chicken or the egg comparison, that some part(s) of a vehicle like this would benefit from a tension component.

 

either threaded end rod with tightening nuts, cables with thimbles & turnbuckles, or even a king-post assembly to stiffen the chassis from the weight/ deflection inherent 

 

with light construction and torqueing forces from motion.

 

like the railroad flatcars of yore: 

 

[HK-500]

Good guess , Charles , it's coming😉

[HK-500]

And a small update , hello guys😉

The transverse beams were fastened and secured

The leaf springs were supposed to be installed afterwards , so I separated and cleaned them

 

but it didn't go smoothly : when I received my packs I tried to drill them with a brand new drillbit and the

first millimeters went really well... then a deafening whistling noise came out from the drillbit...

Yes , you've guessed right : tempered steel ! ( should've known better , lesson learned ).  Made a quick trip to my metal work outlet to let them do the job ( which was not that easy  , the foreman told me , 'cause he had to sharpen the drilling tool several times to get the job done )

I then took care of the aspect of the blades by rounding the edges.

At the time , I was still able to stack the chassis in the garden shed , but it was not going to last😜

Stay tuned😎

 

[HK-500]

Good evening , here's the update😁

The spring leaves problem being solved , another hurdle was lurking in the back... In the small booklet  , the author suggest to fabricate the front axle with a strong tube

and to add the hubs that you can buy in specialised shops , or to buy a complete axle in said shops... ahem , the book being more than one hundred years old , you've

guessed that cyclecar parts can't be found in "specialised shops" anymore. But that led me to think that finding a complete front axle was not bad idea  at all : the net

comes to my help once more and after searching frantically , the perfect candidate came in view in the shape of the tiny Peugeot 161/172 , here's the axle I've found :

I know... no hubs but at the time , I told myself "hey , no worries , I can manage that , let's scrape all this grim/rust/dirt first , ok ? "

 

Tadaaa !!

See you😎

[HK-500]

Here's the update😉

As the spring leaves come from a caravan stabiliser the fastening holes were way too big for my needs : I decided to reduce their size by welding a bunch of

washers together , then weld it to the blades

And here are my "nicest" weldings

The remaining steel plates and suspension blades were ready and mounted ( all drillings perfectly aligned , the time used to measure was worth it ). The eagle-eyed

among you will have noticed the central straightening cross.

Stay tuned😎

[HK-500]

Okayyyy , a small update before the week-end , eh ?

Having finished to clean the axle  , I quickly realised it was a dead end : I'm not that knowledgeable a tyro... not only it needed to be cut and lengthened but the hubs are very difficult parts to create ex-nihilo.

Back on the internet and bingo !!  ( lucky guy me😜) I was able to source another Peugeot front axle , complete this time   ( and a bit wider which leads me to think the first one is coming from a model 161 - with tandem seats - as the new one could be a 172 - with side by side seating ).  Complete AND no cutting needed. Woohoo !!

And even more exhilarating ( is it possible ?? )  , I found two spoked wheels to go along ( one hundred years grime included as well )

Almost two weeks of cleaning/brushing/scraping were waiting for me at the time  ( 2024 was nearing its end  , I think it was the middle of November )

Have a nice week-end , everyone😎

[HK-500]

The update of the day😉

A closer look on the axle , before

And after cleaning , a nice greasing Tecalemit brass pod appears😍

As I told you before , winter was coming ( I had to do this one😜) so I decided to tackle the building of a small protecting shed to avoid to much "weathering" on the

chassis : a few pallets, some pine wood paneling , a broken down pergola and a LOT of screws.

Woohoo , shiny baby !!

See you😎

 

[HK-500]

When scraping and brushing  , you sometimes have these little wonders that pop out😍  ( I'm a fool for brass , you know that , now...😜)

Front axle cleaned , en route for the greasing ( and a brass washer )

See you 😎

 

 

 

[s.e.charles]

being readied for next year's event?