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Here's some pics of the bike to trike project. The rear is from an 87 XJS . The 700r4 is behind a junk block for now for mock-up. A 383 will get it rolling down the road one of these days .

Jeff, looks great! nice workmanship and attention to detail. How much HP are you planning on getting out of the 383? Also, will it be 3 or 4 speed?

Hi Bill,,I'm not sure. The comp will be 10/1 and I'm thinking hard about using a "Thumper" cam. The tranny is a 700r4 so it should get up and pull pretty nice. I'm shooting for low end torque since most of the time when I look at a tach, its pointing to 2k or so.
I'm still working on the stk front gas tank I narrowed 5 in and stretched 6 , to have a better fit on the new front frame ,( and allow the fan to fit behind the radiator.)
It won't hold any fuel , so that might open a chance for an air gap dual plane manifold and an MSD Atomic fuel inj on top. Of course , all that would be even more fun on top of new AFR heads.... you know, there's always something to wish for !

thanks jeff

Anymore updates on progress?

Here's a little update and some pics...I 99% finished the rear gas tank yesterday. Its numbers say it will hold 11.2 gal. The front tank holds no fuel. I stretched it about 6 in. and narrowed it around 5in. since the front frame is 2 longer and it didn't look right, too stubby. I eliminated the gas caps and dash ,and made a flush hinged lid instead. Under the lid in the compartment is the controller unit for shifting the tranny. I didn't like the bend in the cable for the B&M unit, or the fact that it would be in the way of the passengers left foot. Neil had a great suggestion to go with a paddle shifter. So that's in the works thanks to Altronics.com. My bracket setup is in progress and will go back to them to program the servo unit for the correct actuator distances. The 700r4 will operate normally in Drive . When selected into 1st, it won't shift until a preset rpm is reached, then, the same sequence for each gear at whatever rpm value I choose to enter.
Back up front , I had Saldana Racing products make me a narrower radiator, but I added 24 sq. in of frontal area. And with the fan behind it where it belongs, I pick up some extra air from no fan blocking. Polishing it and the catch can took many hrs and many beers.
The water inlet manifold is all one inch, so it should stay cool with no trouble.. The fan is controlled by the EFI setpoints .
Still much to do before taking it apart for powder coating. Its really a fun project and makes for allot of head scratching and long staring sessions to avoid any
" ahhhh crap " moments.

Jeff -

Very nice ... I wish I could weld like that! My welds are plenty strong but they're ugly ... booger welds!

I'd like to see some pics of the front tank and the hidden compartment too. I'd like to check it out sometime in person ... maybe when Spring rolls around, I ride out past you pretty often.

Don

Jeff, you ALWAYS blow me away by how sanitary your work is. Its gonna be one of the great trikes when its done.

The ss Magnaflows are on and the ex. is finished. Two 45 lb gas springs assist the 12v linear actuator raise the body. The "gasless" front tank is 99% finished. I'm working on the aluminum seat pan now. I just set the HD seat on to get an idea of how to proceed.
I'm not fast , especially now that we have a third pug.Shes 8 weeks and a blast! the three are getting along well. Nothing like puppy breath

Trike is looking Awesome!! And it sounds like you need to update your signature picture.

Here is a short video of the Altronics Shift setup on the 700r4. I made my own brackets and lever so it would fit under the fuel pump. I sent every thing back to them and they programmed it . All that was needed after I installed it was some reprogramming of the detent location for reverse and park. The tech talked me thru that over the phone. It is also capable to only upshift at whatever rpm you program into it. In 4th, the transmission shifts normally. They were great to work with. jeff
ps. I have several places on the frame that I have't finished welding until it comes apart. that's why I didn't finish "that" one

Jeff,
just curious, trying to wrap my head around this. Will that actual control unit be mounted on the dash and an actuator to move the linkage mounted under the fuel pump? No external shifter?

Bill, yes the control unit sits in the tank compartment and the actuator takes care of putting it in the gear you select. Originally , I wasn't happy with the tight bend needed in the B&M shifter cable, and was gonna try making a bell crank setup. Neil suggested looking into a paddle shifter ,which fixed everything. I didn't like the idea of it being in the way of the passengers foot either.

Jeff not to hijack your thread but I got a question I'm putting a 07 trike back together and I'm new to the v8 I've about got it together and I bought a 32 body for it but it's not been cut out I noticed in your pics yours is cut out where the seat is could you post a picture of that or do you know the deminsions on how much to cut out thanks Johnny

Was looking at the red MSD coil that was mounted, you may want to consider the black high vibration one from MSD.
Buck

Sno, I'll send you a pic with some dimensions in a day or so. That body was cut like that when I bought it new. Also, they cut it crooked too, why, who knows !

Buck, from what I have read, the oil filled coil does a better job of dissipating heat, and the high vibration coil has the advantage of being able to handle allot of vibration , and able to be mounted horizontally since oil leakage is not an issue. I had the rotating assy ,along with the flex plate ,and Stan's harmonic balancer assembly, balanced all together. I'm anticipating a very smooth running motor. But I like everyone's opinion on anything. What is it that you like about the other coil compared to the blaster thats clamped and attached to that frame tab? thanks Jeff

I believe that the black Blaster coil is the high vibration one based on the fact that is what is mounted my both of our trikes and I also checked w/ Choppers just to make sure.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/msd-8222/overview/

Here is an article with allot of coil info ..http://www.centuryperformance.com/forum ... -Coil-Tech

with that rear setup how does it work with being mounted solid and directly to the trans, any problems or should i space it a little from the trans thanks for the info.

Steve, when I set this up, the rear is located 3/16" from the point where the splined yoke would be bottomed out against the end of the output shaft. I'm hoping that will allow plenty of room for expansion when its at temperature. The universal joint is also at a slight upwards angle about one degree. Hope this helps.jeff

Finally , it was time to break it down for welding that couldn't be accessed before, and ready it for powder coating. The man who covered the seat did a great job. It has a thin heated pad from CheckCorp.com with a high/low digital controller. (nice folks to deal with). I won't admit to the amount of " finished seat test time" spent holding invisible handlebars ,leaning against the rest, but my arms did get tired..

Coming together really good Jeff ... Do you have a local shop doing the powder coating? I've had a lot of PC done since I moved to PA and I found a local shop that does GREAT work and reasonable fees (I can pass on the contact info if your interested) with a fast turnaround time. I should say fast turn time unless you have a custom color in mind and color needs to be ordered.

That seat should make things a little more comfortable for you sitting there in the middle of the night "riding" the new trike!!!

Keep the pictures coming ... always interested in seeing the progress.

Looking good Jeff!! But didn't you mention a while back about a 3rd pug?? I think it is time to update your sig pic

I have been using a place in Carlisle for a long time with good service and no problems at all. It's Coating Concepts
and the owners name is Jeff. thanks !

He did a really nice job on all the pieces !!