We have been plugging along with the planning and purchasing of parts for the build over the last few weeks and in between this we have had school holidays, camps and sports days!
We decided to buy some rear end parts from CQ Racing in Queensland. These included an 1 1/4" rear axle with bearing, pillow blocks, hubs, rotor carrier and rims. We decided to go with these as the keyways were already cut, the parts all matched and CQ Racing utilise these exact parts on their 800cc open class mower! We also thought that the prices were very reasonable and the service from them is excellent.
Brian came down on the weekend to talk to us about mounting the rear end with an emphasis on ground clearance and adjustability for the chain. He helped us with our decision on axle placement and also showed us a bullet proof way to do the keyways. Brian made us consider the types of forces going through the rear end on a machine with no suspension and talked to us about the different ways you can secure your hubs and position the pillow blocks for best effect.
Brian was also very generous in donating us some front end components he made. These parts were a big stumbling block for us as we are yet to purchase a lathe (fingers crossed for 2016!) and we would have had to send this job off site.
This week, we will make the rear end supports and mount them, then we will be taking the chassis with rear end to our local bearing shop to order the plate sprocket and chain. Now that we have almost all of our parts we hope the build will come together over the next month or so. More pics to follow!
