As the three following pedal cars share some mechanical features, we're going to run over them once. All the plans show how to build wooden wheels to fit rubber tires, but a number of builders chose to fit pneumatic rims, or go all the way to wire wheels. The two of the cars use a lever-drive system, which is very dependable and has no chain to worry about, and the GT-8 has a chain-drive. None of the projects requires welding skills, and all three plans have full-size patterns of critical shapes. Components are readily available at home centers, hardware stores, or lumberyards. We made sure these are not too hard to make and that materials aren't too hard to find. The cover above was for a book which we never had a chance to publish; we just thought it would give people a good look at some of the pedal machines.
Click Here to see pictures builders have sent us of their pedal projects!
The Pedal Bugatti is based on the much-revered Bugatti Type 35-B racer. Young (and older) enthusiasts will appreciate the radial-spoked wheels and other authentic details.
The Pedal TC is our version of the MG TC, complete with tonneau, folding Brooklands windscreen, wood dash, and an authentic "TC-like" ride!
The GT-8 was our first pedal car for Popular Mechanics. For this project we were able to come up with the same no-slop steering system used for the rest of the cars, but we hadn't yet developed the lever-drive used in the later models. For the GT-8 we used a crank with the drive transmitted to the rear wheel by chain. The later lever-drives are a little cheaper and easier, but the GT-8's have covered a lot of miles as well.
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