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body removal

 
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steveg



Joined: 12 Nov 2003
Posts: 50
Location: otisco NY

PostPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 2:49 am    Post subject: body removal Reply with quote

anyone out there removed the body? i am seriously considerig removingit to redo the steering geometry, and to make it easyier to steer. Iam tempted to copy the litstar frame and shorten it, with water cooled engine and movable outriggers (like the ecomobile) what i want t do is redesign the front suspension to make this easyier to steer, and to self balance when driving. the outrigger height i have figured out with actuators to lift them 8 to 10 inces up , and they are fast.. not as fast as the eco, but close enough.

i was thinking on cutting the body at the llower and uper seem is that right? but what hold it in place???
email me with details.. stevengeorge@usadatanet.net
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steve george litestar #009
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Bob Hichborn



Joined: 12 Feb 2004
Posts: 404
Location: Orlando, Fl

PostPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 8:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve,

The answer to that question could take up several pages, well... to answer it correctly anyway. I took mine off #77 last year and I can tell you one good thing about the process of removing the Pulse body .... It takes alot less time to pull it off then it does to fix everything you want to fix and then remember how to put it back together again.

Seriously, if you're going to remove the body and also have plans to rebuild or replace the engine, I'd remove all the rear body panels first and pull the power plant next. Having the extra weight sitting in the garage somewhere and not on the Pulse, makes the job alot easier.

You can proceed alot of different ways.... you can remove all the interior parts, disconnect cables, pull up the carpet. remove the front windshield and dash cover, so you can get at the steering/front suspension, in a bit.

Next, I'd remove the outriggers, so when you begin hoisting or jacking the Pulse up you don't stress the outrigger steel or fiberglass components. Once they are removed you can prepare to remove the front suspension.

Disconnect the speedometer cable and front brake lines, now make sure you have either the Pulse supported by a hoist on top or use a jack with some wood/carpet underneath. The odds are you won't be able to lift the body so the entire wheel and front suspension assembly can come out in one piece, so it's best to remove the front wheel. Now you can remove the 2 rather manly sized bolts that bolt the front steering assembly to the main frame "goose neck". Be carefull, because that front suspension is quite heavy, even with the wheel removed and it can do some substantial damage to the Pulse or you, if you don't have it supported in some way, when you remove those bolts.

Now, here's where you can do alittle experiment for the group. On my Pulse the frame cross braces (the rectangular steel tubes you bolt the seats to) were so badly rusted that I had to cut things apart. But, if you can unbolt them from the outrigger supports (the pieces that have been "foamed" into the sides of the Pulse), you may be able to slip the body off with out removing the outrigger support. There's 4 bolts underneath the Pulse that hold the body to the frame and 4 bolts up by the steering assembly.

Once they're undone, other than all the wires I've omitted to mention and maybe some cable or outrigger support hangups the body should slide forward and off the frame. Obviously, whether you used a hoist or support underneath, you are either pulling the body off the Pulse or the frame out of the Pulse body. In the case of the hoist, you will need to remove the sliding canopy.

Let me emphasize.... this is a Readers Digest version of the task at hand. I'm planning on making a video of the process once I get the main body mold complete.



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Steve C. Schmidt
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 6:48 pm    Post subject: Pulse Teardown Primer Reply with quote

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Bob Hichborn



Joined: 12 Feb 2004
Posts: 404
Location: Orlando, Fl

PostPosted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 4:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for posting the picture for me Steve... for some reason, half way thru my post I couldn't upload any pictures to my site.

Anyway, the 2 "manly bolts" I refer to in my post are clearly visible from this angle. The big "nut" on top does not have to be removed to release the from suspension assembly from the main frame "goose neck". You can also see how "dicey" the design of that front connection really is. Those 2 bolts go into 2 nuts that are welded to the backside of the mounting plate. So unlike a motorcycle where the entire nut could come off the steering pivot bolt. If one of these babies loosens up or rusts out, that suspension has a good chance of coming into the drivers seat! Whenever you do a thorough inspection of your Pulse, pay special attention to this area.
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Steve C. Schmidt
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 4:43 am    Post subject: steering Reply with quote

If the vehicle is moving forward and you hit a pothole, wouldn't it be better to have a shock on the horizontal part of the frame instead of just the vertical one? Or is there a better suspension design that would not alter the existing body and give a better ride?
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Steve C. Schmidt
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 4:49 am    Post subject: steering Reply with quote

Not much rake in this design like my motorcycles. This shock is almost straight up and down.
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